Chinese Box

This is the first time I watched a movie and thought that it had all the perfect subtleties and symbolism of a book. The characters were both real and yet surreal enough that you can see that every character interaction was both meant to represent individual struggles and the struggles of whole cultures. Like literature... sometimes you must learn to read between the lines to appreciate what the author/creator of the book/movie is trying to say. No this isn't just the type of movie you just sit there and watch and expect to do all the work. If you want low-maintenance movies then look elsewhere. Just like not all books are for light reading which just have gratuitous violence and smut... not all movies are made for the sole purpose of entertaining the viewer with the same type of stuff. Look at the name of the movie! It starts there. So many things are going on at once but I did not find it difficult at all to feel the emotions that were intended. So much suppressed emotions... very much like the people of Hong Kong worried about suppression of their freedoms. Each shot of the movie included something symbolic. I think that no matter how many times I watch it I will see one more thing that was meant to be said. Social, political, and individual... I truly admired this movie and the captivating web it has weaved.

I was unprepared for the wonderful experience this film affords. The metaphor is striking and acceptable. Wang catches the bittersweet essence of the changeover, both at the specific and the generic level.

Li, Irons, and Cheung are superb. The movie is a cornucopia of visual delights. In fact, it probably requires repeat viewing to fully absorb the totality of its impact.

Thank you, Mr.Wang, for a truly unusual piece of work.

sasmd2@pol.net

I don't know why, but people on imdb and elsewhere have been very critical of this film. Personally, as someone living in Hong Kong, I think it is both a well made and important film. At the end, the analogy of Gong Li's character starting again, as Hong Kong is starting again, worked well. I think perhaps the only drawback is Maggie Cheung's character, as it seems a little pointless. However, I like nearly everything Jeremy Irons is in - he is really one of the world's best actors. His characters are always people that I can somehow empathise with - they're always very believable and he really carries the film's themes. The idea of setting the film in the six months leading up to Hong Kong's July 1, 1997 handover works well. As Irons' character dies, so does British sovereignty - the Union Jack goes down, the last Governor cries, Gong Li shakes off her long-time sugar daddy. It's a captivating and well-told story of which the Director should be proud, although I read an interview with him a while ago, and he didn't want to talk about the film, since it's upset some people in Hong Kong, I think. This film is certainly better than most rubbish that's made in Hong Kong. I urge you to find a copy and see it.

Much has already been said about the film itself. Here are some comments regarding the portrayal of Hong Kong. An early comment was saying that this film makes Hong Kong look dirty and cramped.

Well, having lived in Hong Kong (in several different areas) I have to say that what the film shows is reality. I was paying about US$1,000 per month for a small room about 10 x 15 feet in Hong Kong (Tin Hau area) in 1996. It was not even a really nice place. Hong Kong is very expensive to live in.

It is also a very dirty and polluted place compared to cities in the West. The director of the film was not making this up.

By reading this you may think I hated it there, well it rates as one of my favorite cities in the world. It has a lot of charm.

By the way, the movie isn't bad and worth a look.

I don't know if Wayne Wang is into photography or painting as a hobby, but just like his last two films, SMOKE and BLUE IN THE FACE, this movie reminded me of a mosaic or a photo album. I can see how some people had problems with it, since it's not a plot-driven film, but rather one of mood and atmosphere. I was moved by the images I saw, not just of the city and the changes it went through, but also of the actors. Irons is so often celebrated for the way that he uses his voice (justly, I might add) that you forget how well he's able to act with his face, and he does a terrific job here, communicating his sadness, his will to live even as disease ravages him, his agony over his unrequited love for Gong Li, and his curiosity and attraction to Maggie Cheung.

I haven't seen much of Cheung that I remember, but I've seen a few of Li's films. Both of them are excellent, Li especially in a role that's a lot more complicated than it might first appear. You really do feel that deep down, if circumstances allowed, she'd love Irons back. Cheung's role is mostly a symbolic one, but she handles it well. Not an easy film to watch, but moving.