Frankly speaking, I just finished watching "The Promise" a few days ago. In the past few years, I have only had a little understanding of this film under the influence of "The Blood Case Caused by a Mantou". So when I calmly (well, I actually had a gloating mentality at the beginning) and actually watched the movie, I could only sigh: Those people who have done their best to ridicule "The Promise", how many of you are really watching over it?
How many people joined the mighty army of criticism just by watching a spoof short film of a certain netizen? How many people just take advantage of the convenience of online anonymity and step on it? I admit that I was. I've only seen Aunt Chen Hong's long and flowing hair, Sister Cecilia Cheung's gaudy gauze, and the General Shenma wearing a lobster helmet, so I concluded that this movie is a complete joke.
A few days ago, I was fortunate enough to watch this masterpiece in its entirety—I said I didn’t think it was well-shot—in fact, it was far from being as bad as the masses reflected. In fact, "The Promise" is better - I mean compared to "House of Flying Daggers", "The Banquet" and "The Golden Armor of the City". I have watched all three of these films, but unfortunately, I only remember the robes of various colors that were a waste of fabric, only the classical Chinese that made Uncle Ge You's face full of guilt, and the breasts of a palace maid who was quite unsuitable for children— —Yes, I forgot about the plot. I don't think my memory is up to that. So I can only ask: Do these three films have a coherent plot?
But you know, I still remember the plot of The Promise. Frankly it's not that bad. If Zhang Yimou can't tell stories at all, and even he has no sincerity in telling stories, then Chen Kaige is still working hard to make up stories. I can see his effort.
If you can avoid preconceived ideas and look at the plot of "Wuji" relatively calmly, it is actually relatively smooth, and the theme is quite heavy and sad (I mean ignoring the lingering and lingering flying of Jang Dong-gun and Cecilia Cheung at the end). Desperate love and betrayal; hustle and bustle and loneliness; late courage; servile innate versus learned debate; choosing between a small life or a great death. Putting aside the failure of fatalism, the intention is still commendable. Please allow me, who has always been mean, to explain in kindness for the first time in history: Director Chen worked hard to create a lofty vision, at least he thought. If you allow me a little more zhuangbility, this theme even reminds me of Hemingway McCullers Carson Faulkner Zhang Ailing Shi Tiesheng Well, I'm actually a little cranky.
In my opinion, the main actors in it even played "not bad". There are so many episodes that are memorable, and there are so many lines that are brilliant, and Cecilia Cheung's performance is beyond my imagination. It is worth mentioning that the performances of Sanada Hiroyuki and Liu Ye can even arouse my empathy, which is rare for a bad movie. On the one hand, it is the credit of the actors, and on the other hand, it also proves that there are at least some plots in "The Promise" that the actors can play out. (I still can't help but complain, Xiao Xie's appearance really surprised me. His foreign-style white tights naturally outlines a slender waist, and with his charming eyes, that sexy wisp of show Fa, that feminine voice somehow reminds me of Siguniang...)
Of course, the subject of fantasy is quite risky for Chinese directors, can it naturally support a grand theme - please note that I mean "natural land" - still a problem. Sadly, Promise failed. It failed anyway. Again, there is no need to repeat the failures. For the ridiculousness of the key plot, please refer to "Steamed Bread". But after watching various blockbusters in recent years, I would rather believe that "The Promise" is really a masterpiece among bad movies.
Back to the digression at the beginning. I was recently reading Le Pen's "The Crowd" and was convinced by many of the statements. The nationwide ridicule, attack, criticism, and abuse of "Wuji" without any room are probably also the horror of group psychology in Le Pen's eyes. The conformity, depersonalization, polarization, contagion, and suggestion that take place in this unconscious realm are hardly “a cruel, short-lived but enormous energy”. For director Chen Kaige, the saying "the wall falls and everyone pushes" must have been unforgettable.
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