Quite disappointed. The modern China depicted by foreign writers, especially Western writers, always produces some kind of strange deformation as seen through a prism, or the eyes only pass through certain specific holes, so what they see is always the same. So biased and thin. The cheap exoticism, which is tainted by the West's misunderstandings and fantasies about the East, is even less impressive and tiresome. This is why even though the film is a Chinese director's work, it is "unusual" but understands the truth. Of course, it is unfair to criticize his pursuit of oriental sentiment. The film is one of the rare reflections from a Western perspective that focuses on the educated youth in the 1970s (maybe it’s just that I didn’t pay attention to the film in this regard, and even those who didn’t do the investigation made a bold statement) but How should I put it, it is not real, it is not the fruit grown on this land, and it is inevitable to lose symbolization and idealization. Using the violin in the film, Balzac's novels refer to beauty, Western values, and even the universal civilization of mankind, as if the author believes that only the West and all the advanced civilizations it contains can save modern China. Even if the reason is not good, as a Chinese, I can't help but feel that the other party is a little narcissistic and annoying. Yes, salvation is the most stark thing I've seen in this film, not love, and not the unpleasant "A woman's beauty is priceless" at the end.
When it comes to works by foreigners that reflect the reality of China, our neighbor Japan is the best in terms of size and depth. They were our friends (Japan used to call China the "big country" in the old days) and our enemies, but at the end of the day, they are the ones who know us best. No other foreign country knows and loves our once culture as well as Japan. Therefore, after seeing Akutagawa's "China Travel Notes", I can really appreciate his love for classical China and his bitterness for real China. This travelogue is so good to read, it turns out that the travelogue can also be so interesting, I can't help but admire it. "I am more interested in observing human beings than famous mountains and rivers," so he records his detailed and honest (including honesty about his emotional prejudices) in China before the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War. of what has been seen and heard. Without understanding, there is no way to criticize, and even if you criticize, you can only miss the point. This is what Akutagawa-kun told us. I agree with the view that Akutagawa's heyday has passed away suddenly, and it is a pity for Seiya, but it is also a blessing that he was spared from witnessing and even being involved in the huge and tragic war between China and Japan.
#emmm why would I put a still from another movie in a movie review#
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