Quest Status: 746 / 1000
TSPDT Rank #861
The only other Edward Yang film I'd seen before was Yi Yi, and that was years ago, so today I felt like I was making a fresh start with Edward Yang - one of the legendary masters of the New Taiwanese Cinema movement that started in the '80s. After decades of martial law, Taiwan was moving into a new era, and that included film as well. Watching Taipei Story, it seems like Edward Yang (and star/writer Hou Hsiao-Hsien) were trying to create the polar opposite of Hong Kong's loud, violent and commercial cinema.
Taipei Story is quiet and understated to the extreme. Even when characters are angry, it's conveyed as briefly as possible - a slap to the face, a few sharp words, a slamming door. Then they go their separate ways, arguing in tense whispers when they finally reconvene. Many directors in many different countries have portrayed the difficulties of being caught in the middle of a generation gap, but Yang captures the unique emotional dilemmas and social changes of this particular moment with a deep sadness that creeps up behind and sinks its teeth in until you find yourself sinking down with the characters.
--- 254 films remaining ---
NOTE
This review is part of my new Tumblr blog Cinema Cycles, which can be found here.
No comments:
Post a Comment