Ye ben

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.

Apart from the 1948 Chrysler featured in many scenes that were ostensibly meant to depict China in about 1939, this is not a film to be challenged as to its settings. Everything about it suggests authenticity, even to the point of wondering whether it was based on fact. Although the story itself has some structural flaws in coherence, it is a very well made movie indeed.

I was struck by the musical score especially; it is by far one of the most expert blendings of Eastern and Western tonality I have heard in cinema. While traditional Chinese opera remains a mystery to me, I can appreciate how it must be essential to any full understanding of the story line. (Though "stagey" is the adjective that comes to mind, in terms of both the film and the opera within the film.)

Indeed, there is more than a little soap opera here. I am thinking Stella Dallas as played by Anna Mae Wong, or Love is A Many Splendored Thing with two guys in the main roles. But I am being facetious. I really liked this movie for its heart, and recommend it highly.

I do wish I had more information on the actors and director, however. I have no way of knowing whether this came out of Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, or somewhere else.

This epic film is extremely moving and involving. It explores different types of love and some of the ironies of arranged marriages. Although there are gaps in the film that are covered by voice-overs, the overall effect is very powerful. The message of the film is universal. The acting is excellent.

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.