Reviews

Theater

Shochiku Grand Kabuki Chikamatsu-Za

Unless you have lots of opportunities to travel to Japan, this should not be missed. Currently on tour in China, this Grand Kabuki features two pieces: the first part a comedy act and the second, an elaborate dance sequence.

Matahei the Stutterer (Keisei Hangon Ko) is about a lowly ranked stutterer who wants a higher title. He is paired with a wife who prattles non-stop, creating comical contrasts and gags. In the end, his sincerity leads to miracles when his painting seeps to the other side of a stone, which is compared to a Chinese master calligrapher.

This piece is more Greek comedy than Peking Opera, with the singer and instrumentalists describing and commenting on the story, but the way the actors talk shares similarities with its Chinese counterpart. The setting is more concrete, even though the actors' movements are stylized.

Princess Lion Dance (Hanabusa Shujaku Jishi) has an ornate backdrop that drew applause, but the real selling point is the old master - with more than 70 years of experience under his belt - who portrays both a girl playing with butterflies and the lion (pictured) she is transformed to. His stamina and grace are formidable. And an ensemble of 13 singers and accompanists provide a full sound. The use of black-robed onstage helpers is also an eye-opener.

The program has just finished in Beijing and will travel to Hangzhou (September 9), Shanghai (September 13-15) and Guangzhou (September 21-22). Raymond Zhou

FILM

The Departed

Directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Leonardo Di Caprio, Jack Nicholson

After reaching for the skies with The Aviator and recreating the past in Gangs of New York, director Martin Scorsese returns to the streets with The Departed. It took out the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director, even though many think that Scorsese should have snared that personal accolade years ago. The film that he finally broke the hoodoo with is a remake of a terrific Hong Kong film called Infernal Affairs. And while The Departed does retread much of the same ground, this is unmistakably a Scorsese production.

It's a story about two young men. One is Colin (Matt Damon), who works his way up the Boston police ranks as a mole for gangster Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). The second is Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), an undercover cop who infiltrates Costello's gang. It soon becomes obvious that there is a dirty cop in the force who is helping Costello evade the long arm of the law. On the other hand, Costello also becomes aware that there is an undercover cop in his gang and it then becomes a race to see whose identity will be revealed first.

Crackerjack stuff this, with terrific performances from the leading players and the supporting cast (particularly Alec Baldwin). Old Scorsese collaborators, cinematographer Michael Ballhaus and editor Thelma Schoonmaker make every scene bristle with the same energy that made Goodfellas such vital viewing 16 years earlier. Detractors may point to The Departed's reliance on source material as a weakness, however, anyone who has seen Infernal Affairs will realize just how heavily that film is influenced by Scorsese's body of work.

Ben Davey

(China Daily 09/06/2007 page20)