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Reviews
Shall we dansu? (1996)
Funny and Meaningful
Shall We Dansu delves into the clash between modern day desires and Japanese cultural traditions. Dancing, for men in Japan, is seen as an embarrassment so when our protagonist, Sugiyama decides to take dancing lessons he is faced with a problem. Sugiyama is a respectable Japanese man that works as a businessman and has a wife and daughter, so it is out of the norm for him to take dancing lessons. Sugiyama decides to take the classes in secret and also acquire a love for the dancing instructor Mai, in secret. Sugiyama lives a double life from then on but has a new found passion for life. Masayuki shows the humor of Japanese customs and how people must keep their lives secret to avoid humiliation.
The acting in Shall We Dansu was the best part of the movie. Mr. Aoiki stole the movie with his sharp turns while walking as well as Toyoko with her negative outlook on life. The movie was light-hearted and funny while still holding a message, that you should follow your desires even if society finds them humiliating. Another actor that deserves praise is Mai. Mai played the role of a dancer who lost her passion very well and her stiffness added to the suspense of the movie. Her complete disinterest in Mr. Sugiyama made for an attention-grabbing movie since you never knew how the movie would pan out.
Masayuki really captured all elements of the film and made all the loose ends tie together at the end. The film was funny yet meaningful and showed the battles of contemporary Japan fighting to break lose of its traditional ties. Shall We Dansu shows the passion for dance and for holding your own desire against societies expectations.
Da hong denglong gaogao gua (1991)
Beautiful and Tragic
Raise the Red Lantern directed by Zhang Yimou is the perfect testament to the harsh realities women had to face during the 1920's in China. Zhang Yimou offers a glimpse into the time period of concubines and shows the story of our main protagonist, Songlian. Songlian is first portrayed as an independent young woman who has more than enough education women need during the 20's in China. Zhang Yimou develops the story of Songlian to show that no concubine can survive being independent without facing the consequences. Songlian is put through many obstacles and learns that obedience is number one in the concubine lifestyle after witnessing the execution of the third wife. Raise the Red Lantern shows the different side of being a concubine in China, which is the life of loneliness and distance from the outside world that concubines must lead.
Zhang Yimou's direction in Raise the Red Lantern is the true star of the movie. Yimou's constant use of long shots is employed to convey the sense that everything is kept secret in this lifestyle. Yimou's use of color to make the scenery gray is used to show that this is a mundane lifestyle and that there is no getting out. The director's strongest message during the movie was with the third wife when the fourth wife came to watch her sing. The beautiful red kimono against the gray backdrop of the houses showed that these concubines do have souls and personalities outside of their duties as concubines, but as soon as the third wife saw Songlian, she quickly took off the red kimono showing that she must now obey and hide her true self. Yimou accomplished his task of showing the oppressive lives that these women must live and through the use of Songlian he showed that there is no way out.
The only flaw in Raise the Red Lantern was the acting. Songlian did not convey much feeling and as the protagonist this was a mistake. The third and second wives were extremely good in playing their parts and showed their secret attempts to keep a hold of their true personalities. Although the acting was not much to rave about, Zhang Yimou created a beautiful film and in-depth look into the lackluster lives of concubines.