It's only make-believe

By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-04-03 10:24

Former diving prince Tian Liang as Lei Feng is seen as too glamorous for the part.

I wonder why some people show inordinate enthusiasm for film casting. One of the reasons might be to compensate for their lack of voice in decisions in which they should indeed have a say. A child who is constantly shut up by his parents tends to yell louder when he grows up. If they can control the things that affect them, they may not have the yen to influence filmmakers.

Another reason is the perception of certain images. Both Lei Feng and Confucius are sacred cows as perceived by these people. The personalities are so out of this world they should be put on a pedestal and never assume human qualities such as momentary weakness or foibles. If Lei Feng or Confucius cracks a joke in the movies, someone will issue an online fatwa against the filmmaker. I'm not kidding.

People need to realize that a film is a film. It's not the final say on a historical personality. It's just one man's - or one team's - interpretation. You have the right to boycott this movie just as others should have the freedom to make it without everyone poking their nose into it. If they make a casting blunder, they'll make a fool of themselves and suffer the financial and critical consequences.

There's also the factor of hypocrisy, albeit unconscious. Audiences claim to uphold the principle of straight and glorified portrayal of ancient or modern saints, but in private they often exhibit a humorous and sarcastic inclination and flock to parodies rather than straight-faced and pompous dramatizations. Filmmakers sometimes have to throw a curveball in order to hit the target.

I don't see any reason why Tian Liang should not play Lei Feng. Take away physical resemblance. Take away artistic vision and independence. A materialistic teen idol as a self-effacing do-gooder offers food for thought - and irony. Who knows? Maybe the casting was deliberate. Maybe he wants the built-in contrast to show the generational gap - to show how we have degenerated and lost our purpose in life.

Whoever is not satisfied with the film version can always fall back on the original photos of Lei Feng reading Chairman Mao's works in a truck. A classic image.

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