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ENTERTAINMENT / Hot Pot Column






How to sell a veil in a China shop

By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-01-25 10:25



You may go watch The Painted Veil for Edward Norton or Naomi Watts, but
you're actually helping the Chinese film industry unless you buy a
pirated disk, in which case you chip in only to the underground economy,
the guys who grease the machine of the business so much that the wheels
drip with oil and threaten to spin out of control.

The movie is partly a Chinese production, and judging by word of mouth it
should have grossed some decent box office gloss. But, no! The Chinese
investors could not even recoup their marketing costs.

What went wrong? Obviously, to come under the curse of the golden flower
is to put it delicately a curse. The force unleashed by Double Zhangs
(director Zhang Yimou and producer Zhang Weiping) pulverized most
competitions that happened to be in their way. But there're more factors
at play.

During a recent forum at Peking University, to which I was invited, a
line-up of experts attempted a diagnosis. The consensus was, it is a nice
picture with international ambitions, done with polish and style, but it
could not have survived the take-no-prisoners environment of Chinese
cinema.

The academic guys pinpointed one deficiency: not enough Chinese elements.
The story is too focused on the English couple that the Chinese are
reduced to virtually walk-on roles. "For all I know, it could have
happened in Vietnam," noted one.

The accusation is both right on and not fair. The original Somerset
Maugham tale uses China as an exotic locale to enhance the marriage
crisis. Think of it. The first adaptation, starring Greta Garbo, did not
even venture out of the Hollywood soundstage. John Curran, director of
the current version, did tons of research and added a wealth of
background material to enrich details.

Unlike the professors who were all very serious, the representatives from
Web companies were much younger (in their early 20s) and oozed cool. The
lad from Sina gave the impression that he was participating in a hip-hop
concert. Wearing his beanie hat so low that his eyes peeped out
nonchalantly from his slouched position, he said he could not relate to
the movie. There's absolutely nothing in the movie we can hype as a
marketing hook, added another. And they stand for the bulk of filmgoers.

"Right, the husband in the movie is not pleased with his wife
figuratively reaching out the wall with red flowers, but today's kids
don't have that annoyance. You guys can change girlfriends every week,"
scoffed an older guy.

Then came the climax of the panel discussion, delivered by someone from a
media institution some would describe as stolid, bloated and out of touch
with reality. He disagreed with both camps. The movie has lots to do with
China if only one knew how to spin it, he insisted.

The gentleman went on to re-interpret the plot: The wife cheats while in
Shanghai, but once she realizes how noble her husband's work is, she
gains respect for him and finds peace and harmony in the ultimate
sacrifice. So, after he dies, she has an easier time resisting corporal
temptations. What could be more Chinese than that? It's a positive
response to the harmonious society.


(China Daily 01/25/2007 page20)










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