Ye ben

This movie captures the beauty of 1930s China, prior to the Japanese invasion the presaged World War II. The costuming is spectacular and acting superb in the dance/operatic scenes. It is a sad film, almost a weeper, as other reviewers have noted. Among the underrated talents of directors is their ability to make you feel the rain and wind in a scene, such that they become cast members. The reaction of characters to nature is part of what gives this movie a memorably enjoyable after-affect. Finally, just as I discovered this movie from an IMDb reviewer, I would like to thank reviewer JonSturgess for directing me to, Bungee Jumping on Their Own, a similarly poignant romance.

FLEEING BY NIGHT (Ye Ben)

Aspect ratio: 1.66:1

Sound format: Dolby Digital

Tianjin, the late 1930's: A young cellist (Huang Lei) returns home from studies abroad and makes preparations to marry his childhood sweetheart (Rene Liu), the daughter of a wealthy businessman. But the relationship is soured when Huang meets and falls in love with a male Chinese opera singer (Yin Chao-te) who is being pimped by his mentor to a local gangster (Tai Li-jen). Tragedy ensues.

Several key personnel from CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON were reunited for this Chinese/Taiwanese co-production, including co-director Hsu Li-kong (longtime associate of director Tsai Ming-liang) and co-writer Wang Hui-ling. While it's a pleasant surprise to find a government-sanctioned Chinese film addressing a number of previously taboo subjects (corruption and hypocrisy in high places, gay romance, etc.), the results are decidedly mixed. Hsu's historical drama (co-directed with Yin Chi) relies for much of its dramatic impact on a measured accumulation of narrative details, mixed with all the expected trappings of traditional Chinese melodrama (villainous gangsters, thwarted love, enduring loyalty, lifelong tragedy, etc.). Too much time is spent on Huang's doomed relationship with Liu, and the subsequent romance between Huang and Lin is thwarted at every turn, frustrating audience expectations and leading some critics to question the film's sexual politics.

More a tragedy than a love story, the narrative builds to a genuinely heartbreaking conclusion: Few will be unmoved by a blunt, devastating sequence at the end of the movie in which Huang and Yin are 'reunited' after many years apart, all the more heartbreaking for the understated manner in which it is staged. Huang (LIFE ON A STRING, THE PHANTOM LOVER) makes an attractive and sympathetic protagonist, while Yin smoulders intensely in a difficult role, and Liu (who made an impressive debut five years earlier in the title role of SIAO YU) is quietly effective as the understanding wallflower laid low by her fiancée's deceit. Equally memorable is Tai, playing the nominal 'villain' as a sympathetic character hidebound by traditions and his place within Chinese society. Ultimately, some viewers will reject the film's deliberate pacing, while others will embrace its unassuming stateliness and grand romantic heart.

(Mandarin dialogue)

The film is well made and does have several moments that are very cinematic. However, it should not be trumpeted as an Art film just because it presents an alternative lifestyle. If the characters were straight, we would be looking at a normal love story.

I think this point is important because 2 other films came to mind as I was watching Ye Ben, namely Happy Together and In the Mood for Love. Both films were directed by Wong Kar Wai. It is when you contrast Ye Ben to Wong's films that you realise what is Art and what is not. In Happy Together, you could have a straight relationship and the movie would still be considered an Art film. This is supported by In the Mood for Love.

But Art aside, Ye Ben can stand on its own merits.

The first thing I felt after finishing the film is that Chinese are very, very reserved in their expression of feelings; but in this film it becomes an inseparable element to the film.

The storyline is simple and straightforwardly sad: no twists, no surprises, and we all know what is bound to happen in the end, yet we hold on to that one hope that things will get better for the characters. It's one of those tear-jerker films you watch to get a kick out of the sadness.

Chris Babida composed the soundtrack for the film and I must say he did it again! The music blended really well with the film and somehow I felt peaceful towards the end of the movie. He also wrote the soundtrack for the 1998 gay-themed Bishonen, another very poignant and very sad film. I'm just glad they invested in using real string sections for the music instead of MIDI strings! Worth the watch if you occasionally enjoy slow-paced sad Chinese movies with rather literary dialog, and for better enjoyment, watch when you have a lot of time to kill and in silence so you can enjoy every sight and sound of the film.

"Fleeing by Night" is far from a perfect film, but it is the most enthralling thing I have seen on the big screen in months. It's a movie that I have been thinking about and re-thinking about since I left the cinema, and isn't that what a good film does to its viewer?

The backdrop of the film is pre-war, pre-Japanese-invasion China, a young woman, Ing'er, is the daughter of a wealthy businessman who, among other enterprises, runs an opera house. She is captivated by and admires from a distance the talent and beauty of the star of the troupe, Lin Chung. We learn that Lin Chung has a rare, special talent for Chinese opera that makes him an instant success on stage. We also learn very early on that he is a tortured soul having been orphaned as a baby and raised by his "master", the leader of the opera troupe. So, despite his countless admirers, his life is one without identity, working essentially as a slave in a circus act. His relationship with his troupe leader most closely resembles that of a prostitute-pimp relationship.

Things get interesting when Shaodung returns home from America, a young cellist who has been promised Ing'er as a wife. At first, bored and uninterested in the opera, he has one of those life-transforming moments when he hears (and sees) Lin Chung on the stage. The two young men finally meet, and despite some awkward early moments, the chemistry between them is undeniable and unavoidable.

Unlike most movies, this film climaxes about 2/3 into it in a scene in a car when the two men's affections for one another are tested. Due to fear, jealousy, shame, and hurt feelings, their window of opportunity is tragically missed. From there the film takes one tragic turn after another over-ambitiously trying to incorporate just about every tragedy imaginable: rape, murder, family scandal, foreign invasion, war, disease, prison, ... you name it. Although the film suffers for this, surprisingly when it all comes to an end, it doesn't feel as contrived as it could have had it been in less competent hands.

The film certainly has some flaws: First, it isn't until the Japanese invasion that you have a clear sense for what era the film is supposed to be taking place. It is somewhat obvious that it is set somewhere in the past, but there was a failure to truly capture that in the scenery, the characters, and costume design (unlike Wong Kar-Wai's "In the Mood for Love", for example). Second, despite the stereotypically tragic nature of the tale, the treatment of homosexuality was generally sympathetic. That is, with the exception of one horrible scene which was totally unnecessary and will make every gay and lesbian person cringe and sigh, "Oh, no, not again." And lastly, the narrative sequence at the end that carries us through the entire lives of the characters was somewhat awkward, though again, it was handled about as well as one could handle this technique.

In sum, "Fleeing by Night" is definitely a film to be seen by all; it's another brilliant example of Chinese cinema that is increasingly cornering the market on good sentimental tragedy-romances. Though not perfect, it's an amazing achievement and without doubt one of 2000's best movies.