‘Other Arts & Review :
Red Lantern lights on fuedal cultural imperative

The more films I see
representing the feudal order of
China, like the newly released Raise
the Red Lantern, the more I am
fascinated by the tenacious grip with
which a dominant culture sustains
its ideology. It does so through what
is, for the inhabitants of that culture,
theideasby which wedeclare whatis
our common sense. And this common
sense manifests itself in our every
day grasp of reality: that is, the way
in which we go about our daily lives.

Raise the Red Lantern .
directed by Zhang Yimou

at the Park and Royal Centre
reviewed by Stephen So

While the relationship
between culture and daily living
operates in the contemporary
Western milieu, (which may be
uncontentiously definedineconomic
terms: we live in a commodity
intensive society), the relationship is
much less obvious. I will not make
theargumentforithere. Ionly assert
that it exists.

And if you are so
unfortunate as to want to escape the
dominant culture, or at least loosen
its grip on the way you live your life,
then the dominant culture has ways
of mediating your dissent. Which, in
the case Songlian, the central
character of Raise the Red Lantern, is
brutal and tragic.

 

 

Raisethe Red Lanternisabout
Songlian, the fourth “mistress”(cum
wife) of the Chen family. Set in the
1920's, itis the story of thedestruction
ofself, whichis Songlian’sexperience
ofthe worldsheinhabits. Afterbriefly
attending university, she returns to
her family, destined for her place as
concubine in the feudal order. And,
as it is for anyone who desires
something other than what the
dominantculturecanaccommodate,
Songlian smashes into her inherited
social order, quietly at first, and then
with a vengeance. Gong Li shows
tremendous talents as the complex
Songlian.

Setting the movie in the
1920’s makesa compelling argument
forjusthow deeply engrained peoples
daily lives were (are?) into the
centuries old traditions of feudal
China. And it is a tremendously
exotic social order. The customs and
rituals, including music, food,
costumes, ways of speaking, what
may be spoken about, and with
whom, who can grasp what tools,
and why, are presented deliberately
and methodically by the director,
Zhang Yimou.

Theslow paceofexposition
and narrativedevelopmentspinsout
the centuries of encrustation of
“custom”, like a snail building his
shell. He only has one moment to tell
his story, this moment. Yet one can

the Other Press

see in his shell a time when the
trilobites began. And if he spins too
slowly, he will die of exposure.
Though one ring further, and he will
killhimself. Thisisa carefully crafted
film.

The movie was made in the
Republic of China, with Taiwan
money. Both countries have banned
the film. Taiwan, because of a not
surprising Pavlovian response to
anything coming out of communist
China. But the Republic of China is
much more alert than its capitalist
cousin.

Whatdoes the Republic see
in this film, whichis prima facea about
the first twinges of impending doom

Fallen Angels Stands Up

Noel Coward’s Fallen
Angels was first presented inLondon
in 1925. The Sunday Times review
read in part, “Mr. Coward is a very
young playwright of quite
extraordinary gifts, who at the
momentcanno more be trusted with
his talent than a shooolboy can be
trusted who has stolen a piece of
chalk and encountered a
providentially blank wall.”

Camille Mitchell ans Corrine Koslow play best friends in Fallen Angels

 

Fallen Angels by Noel Coward
at The Vancouver Playhouse
March 27 to April 18

reviewed by Stephen So

 

Apparently, theunabashed
revelation by the central characters,
Jane and Julia, of premarital affairs
(with the same man even) while
visiting the continent during their
younger days, shocked the first

 

audiences of this play. It certainly
shocks their prudish husbands(
played by Russell Robertsand Craig
Davidson) when this is discovered.
“Degenerate” , “vile”, “obscene”, ”
nauseating”, are some of the
adjectives by which the Edwardian
press accommodated Coward’s
frightening theme.

Once you see the play, the
initial critical response, from the
perspective of our highly polished,
contemporary (some might say
lascivious) spectacles, does seem
rather quaint.

Camille Mitchell stars as
Julia. Corrine Koslo plays her best
friendandconfidant,Jane. Together,
these two actors carry off this bit of
light comedy with wonderful
performances, supported by
Christine Willes, who gives a good
performance as Saunders, Julia’s
omniscient maid.

The end of the second act is
especially hilarious. Jane and Julia
areexcitedly caughtupinanticipation
of Maurice’s (Anthony Bekenn)
arrival, their lover in youth, whom
neither hasseeninseven years. While
waiting , they get decidedly, and
marvelously, drunk.

This is a production in
which the Playhouse audience is
assuredly comfortable. They took
much pleasure in it. One leaves the
theatre feeling thoroughly
entertained.

Perhaps the most
appropriate critical remarks about
the play itself I will leave to Noel
Coward.

“They might have said it
was extremely slight and needed a
stronger last act, they might, with
equal truth and more kindness, have
said thatit had anamusing situation,
some very funny lines, two excellent
parts for two very good actresses,
and was vastly entertaining to the
public... Icannothonestly regarditas
one of my best comedies, butitis gay
and light hearted, and British
womanhood has been cheerfully
insulted by it for almost a quarter of
a century.”

 

  

awaiting the feudal hierarchy;a social
order which the communist
revolution eventually supplants with
its own institutions. Zhang Yimou
draws parallels between the
intransigence of theold orderand the
totalitarianism of the new. Songlian
is acting primarily as individual qua
individual. She disrupts the
“customs” of the house of Chen in
her confused attempt to assert her
self as something, and against the
social order. She has no language to
speak about her fear and frustration.
Bothin terms ofherownsense of self,
and the worldinwhichshemustlive.
She cannot speak about what is
happening toher. Butthe “customs”

 

March 31, 1992

 

Songlian (Gong Li) in Zhang Yimou’s new film Raise the Red Lantern, winner of 1991 Venice film festival Award

of the Chen family can articulate a

response to her dissent, and to the

dissent of the other women and men

of this culture. Those opposing the

inherited order are hanged or

declared insane. Dominant culture

mediates dissent the only way it

knows how. And the parallels

between the Republic of China and
the feudal, dynastic order it
supplanted, become obvious.

You should see this film. It
is a powerful look at the past. And
when you come out, ask yourself a
very difficult question. What does
this film imply for those of us who
are willing to question the meaning
of our own cultural heritage?

Mozart's Figaro
Plays the Q.E.

The Marriage of Figgaro was
sold out. I took my seat despite being
tremendously ill. I couldn’t breathe.
Which is really no excuse for the
paucity of words] am going to use to
extole the virtues of this current
production by Vancouver Opera.

 

The Marriage of Figgaro

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre
reviewed by Japhen Swoilde

 

If youdidn’tgo, you missed
a great show.

Thisis the libretto, as bestas
I can figure. Figgaro is about to
marry Susanna. ButSusanais worried
thatCount Almavivais going tohave
his way with her. She reveals this to
Figgaro, and they plot to prevent this
from happening. What else is going
on? Well, there’s Doctor Bartolo and
his housekeeper Marcellina. Figgaro
borrowed money from Marcellina.
She hasa contractsaying Figgarohas
to pay the money back or marry her.
Thetwo wanttoenforce thiscontract,
for reasons that are beyond me.

It was splendid, though I
wouldn’t say spectacular. The
costumes were alright. The set was
boring.

But the music, the music
was Mozart. Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart. To quote the popular
mythological Salieri, speaking from
Hollywood, the music was ” truly
sublime.” There were moments I
completely forgot I was near death
with pneumonia.

Gerald Finley starred as
Figgaro. Dominique Labelle starred
as Susanna. Both turned in flawless
performances. Labelle was brilliant.
She even sang lying down. I don’t
know how she did it?

There were only five
performances. Too few, too few. Oh
well. At least it was Mozart. Ah,
Mozart.

 

 

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