It is also because of this bad habit that I have seen a good movie. If I had known what kind of movie this was before, or had seen an introduction to it, I probably wouldn't have liked it that much. But it is precisely because of such a series of coincidences that I saw the charm of "Mr. Butterfly"!
I was bored at home on weekends, so I just found a movie to watch.
At first, I completely thought that this was another Western movie about China - a "Mrs. Butterfly" in China's special era. In addition to the specious Chinese appearance, there is also a Chinese actor who pretends to be a foreigner woman. I started to doubt when I saw Song Liling talking to my colleague about why Peking Opera uses male characters to play the role of Dan. The performance that followed, I can only say, made me feel amazing.
This kind of film showing the cultural differences between the East and the West is rarely welcomed by everyone. Many times, we feel different. It offends the Chinese people's emotions, but also fails to please Westerners. We Chinese think that many details of this film are vilifying China, and Westerners even think that Gao Renni's love sacrifice is cheap and meaningless. It can be said that compared with "Farewell My Concubine", "Mr Butterfly" is unpleasant here. But because of this kind of contradiction and controversy, this film not only touched us, but also made us feel a little more regretful and thinking.
I have never denied that I like tragedies, as long as they don't exist and live, tragedies are always as beautiful as a flash in the pan. Compared with Cheng Dieyi's pure and proud love tragedy, Song Liling's love full of scheming and struggling is even more pitiful.
I believe Song Liling is in love with Gao Renni. Song Liling's love, the most painful part is that he is too sober. Clearly watching Renni fall into the trap of his love step by step; maybe Song Liling's smart heart is also included in the fall. That's why he showed himself so desperately on the prison car, the Song Liling who was no longer as soft and docile as Madam Butterfly, but even a bit bitter and indifferent, the Song Liling who was looking forward to love and was deeply lonely, the real him . It's a pity that Gao Renni didn't love him, but only Madam Butterfly, the demure shadow of water, the woman who was deeply hidden behind Song Liling's sad almond eyes.
Gao Renni is the real Madam Butterfly, the "Mrs. Butterfly" who worked hard for love after the disillusionment of love. In the love of being deceived and betrayed, he finally chose suicide like Mrs. Butterfly. Just like Song Liling said at the beginning about the cultural differences between China and the West, and like Gao Renni laughed at himself at the end, he became a joke and a tragedy. At the same time, he is also a love fighter! Just like Chen Dieyi, a fighter who is proudly loyal to their love!
The one who is really sad is Song Liling. There is only one thing in Cheng Dieyi's mind, and that is his play, his overlord. Compared with Song Liling, this crazy character is really happy. He can live in his pride, no matter what is going on around him. But Song Liling, he has ideas and wisdom, so he can only be a bigger tragedy. Struggling in national justice and love, in lies and sad hopeless love. He used his cleverness to make up for the loopholes in the lie, and he watched his love, like a bigger and bigger soap bubble, becoming more and more beautiful and sweet, and more and more fragile and fragile. Like a greedy child, he expects that Gao Renni, who is looking forward to discovering the truth, will still love him regardless of previous suspicions; but his cleverness also tells him that he has only hopeless sorrow and guilt. For Song Liling, who is deeply rooted in Chinese culture, what he does is what every ideal Chinese literati would do, because we believe in sacrifice. For the motherland, for the righteousness of the nation, love, freedom, individuals, these are all things that can be sacrificed. This is an Eastern culture that Westerners will never understand when Chinese and Western cultures are so intertwined. Song Liling loves this country, even though it is riddled with holes, even though it doesn't have much affection for the ruling party; we will still dedicate everything we have to it. This is the Chinese literati, the Chinese intellectual!
Let's talk about Zunlong, Song Liling's performer. I have seen many comments saying that he is the failure of this film, but I still have to say that he is a very talented actor.
I'm glad it was many years ago when I watched "The Last Emperor". So I'm not very familiar with his appearance. So I saw his very talented performance in "Mr. Butterfly", which is not inferior to Leslie Cheung. Perhaps in appearance, he does not have the soft lines of Leslie Cheung, and is too handsome and profound; and the character itself does not have the advantage of Chen Dieyi. Because the audience knew from the beginning that Cheng Dieyi was a man and Song Liling was not. So these all require Zunlong to have higher acting skills to express Song Liling. Of course, I am not saying that Leslie Cheung's acting skills are not good here. Leslie Cheung's Chen Dieyi is a beautiful pain left in the hearts of all our fans. What I want to say is that Zunlong's performance is also quite good. So much so that at first I thought he was a foreign woman. I'm still thinking, this movie has a Chinese flavor and characteristics of the times, why let a foreigner play a Chinese woman? Although "her"'s acting skills are not bad, she turns around and looks back, and she has a Chinese flavor. But overall it still looks a little awkward. It wasn't until I began to doubt her gender, until the final court finally revealed, that my depression was relieved. I was still thinking about whether this Song Liling was performed by two people. After reading the subtitles that flew out at the end, I really surrendered to Zunlong's acting skills. Of course, I'm not saying his performance was flawless. If he had to be picky, his performance after wearing men's clothes was a little too revealing, and his emotional despair was not thorough enough. So much so that in the end he was overshadowed by Jeremy Irons.
Jeremy Irons's acting is really nothing to say, can only say that it is wonderful. From the beginning to the end, a character who is getting more and more shining. The psychology and emotions of the characters are very delicate. Great love, he looks more handsome than Zunlong, hahaha. If it was Jeremy Irons and Leslie Cheung's Cheng Dieyi, it would be perfect, hahahaha. Don't mind me YY.
I like several scenes in the play very much:
(1) When Gao Renni first walked into Song Liling's house, the couplet that was hung upside down was like an elegiac couplet. At first, I just thought that foreigners were nondescript with Chinese elements. After watching the whole movie, I think this scene, whether intentional or unintentional, is really appropriate. Song Liling has always been Gao Renni's tragedy, and this love heralded Renni's final tragic fate from the very beginning.
Lilou Taixie sings softly and slowly
The couplet of Ling Lang wearing a ring and dancing step by step
is still a couplet with a hidden head, and Li Ling is Gao Renni's elegiac couplet, Gao Renni's tragedy.
(2) Song Liling said to Gao Renni, I am pregnant. He is really a genius. First he refused, and then he went back to the oriental culture and the oriental solemnity for a long time, and when he was about to let Gao Renni take off his clothes, he used a trump card - I am pregnant! So smart, so calm. Awesome, I admire it. Trust me, you have saved me today. His joy is real, just like him.
I don't like a few details that were not dealt with:
(1) Song Liling talked about his father when Gao Renni first came to his house; fortunately he died before the Cultural Revolution. However, the Mingming Cultural Revolution only happened about a year later. How could Song have the foresight? If it is said that his father died before the "Three Antis and Five Antis" movement, this drama can be one less fatal injury. Of course, this also has a disadvantage, that is, it will let Westerners see a stain in our history, hey, shouldn't it or shouldn't. So here, let's just be wrong, just pretend we don't know at all.
(2) Maximum fatal injury. How could it be possible to live together for so many years without finding out? How could it be possible that the physical differences between women and men were not discovered during ML? How can there be children without ML like that? It would be too far-fetched to simply attribute this to the mystery of the East. It feels far-fetched to think with your toes. …………But...but...this story is actually based on real events. How is this hidden? It is estimated that only Pefu (Song Liling) and Bush Ke (Gao Renni) knew about the prototype of the story. I guess maybe Galeni already knew that, but just couldn't accept that he was gay. I read a comment before saying: The love between Gao Renni and Song Liling is as much self-deception as there is deception. That's really good to say. It seems that reality is often more exciting than movies!
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