Reviews

Movie

The Go Master (Wu Qingyuan)

Directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang, starring Chen Chang

The director of Blue Kite gets further away from the threatening tentacles of reality and into a Zen mood as he recreates the life of a legendary Chinese Go master caught in a tumultuous time.

Wu Qingyuan was born and grew up in China, where he showed the first sign of genius for the game of chess. Later, he moved to Japan and reigned as the supreme champion for more than a dozen years. But that was the era when Japan invaded China.

The movie does not highlight the obvious dramatic tension. Instead it focuses on his inner ability to maintain peace while the flames of war were swirling around him. Tian resonates with the character because he is a rare breed who feels marginalized by the torrid growth of modern China and seeks tranquility in a world of chaos instead of embracing change.

It would be interesting to know what China's "angry young men" feel about this bio-pic of a real-life person who eschewed politics and conflicts when that choice was not available.

The pacing is measured and lyrical, with little dialogue. Moments of angst and pain are downplayed. Taiwan actor Chen Chang delivers a wonderfully restrained performance. Raymond Zhou

Secrets (Bu Neng Shuo De Mimi)

Directed by and starring Jay Chou

Pop idol Jay Chou pulled off a great coup when he made this directorial debut. He conceived the story, which has a twist worthy of The Sixth Sense, and made it believable.

The love story set in a Taiwan music school has a tinge of nostalgia and innocence. The tempo is well-controlled even though it features plenty of music. An old chestnut that wafts from the earphone plays a crucial role, but most music was composed by Chou and a Thai partner.

Chou is not exactly Chow Yun-fat, but he imbues the role with a rich texture and daintily avoids the trap of camp often associated with the romance genre. His character combines the wit of the young generation with the docility of old values, pleasing every demographic.

The movie serves as a great promotional tool for the appreciation of classical music and especially piano. Millions of youngsters will probably rush to take piano lessons now that Jay has made it so cool. RZ

Theater

Mama Mia!

The touring company of this runaway West End musical has arrived in Beijing and, like the hippie women in the story, are making lots of waves.

It turns out that Beijingers are more familiar with ABBA tunes than previously expected. Besides, the dialogue has been given a thoroughly enjoyable translation, which reproduces much of the fun of the original text - with Chinese idioms nonetheless. The energy of the performers is contagious enough to distract viewers from the staging, which is minimalist by Chinese standard.

Let's face it: The plot is dangerously close to being offensive to traditional Chinese morals. It is a pleasant surprise that the naughty details were not excised. But musicals are still very middle-class, even cosmopolitan, in China. So, a little spice will do no harm to the box office. RZ

(China Daily 08/16/2007 page20)