“When a lover suddenly catches sight of his beloved, his heart palpitates. A true lover is constantly and without intermission possessed by the thought of his beloved.
~Andreas Capellanus
~Andreas Capellanus
Love is described as an intense feeling of affection. It is the most common theme in art, music and film. Among films, one is Zhang Yimou’s The Road Home, a love story with an amazing simplicity. The film's plot is very simple, built around the love story of Di and Changyu, the narrator's parents.
The film’s simple story is well realized. The part on how Di came to love Changyu is brilliant. The scenes, her patiently waiting by a roadside to catch a glance of Changyu, her slipping and breaking a bowl filled with dumplings she has especially made for him, and her running joyously across a bridge while filled with the delight of love, are the film’s asset. Through these scenes, the film is able to present a copy of human story bathed with heartrending emotions.
Zhang Ziyi’s portrayal of the young Di is commendable. Her beauty still pervades the screen every time she appears although she wears heavy quilted clothes that make her body look big and make her waddle like a penguin. On one hand, Zheng Hao’s portrayal as Changyu is also appealing. Although he is not that handsome and not that famous to be paired with the bewitchingly beautiful and prominent Zhang Ziyi, he is able to trigger the sweet-painful intensity of the young Di’s feeling that has overwhelmed the viewers.
Respect and love for learning underlies the plot of The Road Home. The aged Di wants the village to show the proper respect for the deceased schoolteacher, who is her husband. According to her, Changyu spends his life teaching the village children. The one-room schoolhouse and its teacher represent a sacred temple of learning and love.
The film embodies a number of symbols. The central part, that relating on how Di came to love Changyu manifests her genuine feelings for him. In return, Changyu’s act of giving Di a hairclip symbolizes his feeling of attraction to her. The funeral procession signifies the renewal of the miracle of community for Di’s village. This can be seen when the crowd of her husband’s old students have turned out to help. The pallbearers’ refusal to accept the pay for carrying the coffin could very well stand for the teachers’ worth in the society. These symbols contribute to the overall meaning of the film.
The motif used in the film is the road home. The road is a road that played a crucial role in Di and Changyu’s love affair. This is the reason why Di wants the men of the village carry his husband’s dead body home on foot so that he cannot forget her and the road home. More so, this film has a personal touch of the director. This film has been used to present his personal message-to not forget the traditional way in Chinese cinema. He wanted films to be simple, immediate and anchored in reality. This can be attested by an interview with him (from http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/theroadhome/production/index.html):
Chinese society has changed so fast that most people feel lost. The Chinese cinema reflects these developments. These days the market economy dominates everything and our cultural life has lost its way. Really vulgar commercial films dominate our screens. Directors who would once have been ashamed to make such films are nowadays proud to put their names to them. It's a sad state of affairs, and I find myself wondering if people really like such films. I made my last two films NOT ONE LESS and THE ROAD HOME as a reaction against the current tendencies in Chinese cinema, against the logic of the market. I wanted them to be simple, immediate and anchored in reality. I believe the public will accept them, since they address the viewer with real feelings and emotions.
The film was set in Sanhetun in which scenes of golden autumnal forest, empty landscapes, and simple houses bring strength and become the witnesses of Di and Changyu’s love story.
There are no sex scenes on display, only the naive emotions of young lass in love. What is presented is just a simple romance. Although Di and Changyu share very few scenes together and exchange even fewer words, the connection between these two people are undeniable. The absence of sex scenes is due to the fact that this film is a mirror of the cultural life of China that according to the director has lost its way, and not a vulgar commercial film.
This film has awakened my feelings and emotions. I am deeply touched of Zhang Yimou’s work as a director. He really feels for this story, and he employs silence to make his points about love, family, culture, and change clear.
I am really moved of Di’s portrayal of love to her husband from the first time she caught sight of him, to finally bringing him home and laying him to rest. My heart jumps when she is drunk with the pleasure of love, and my heart bleeds when she is in grief. I have seen love through her, and my perspective about love has been broadened because of her.
Di’s unshakable devotion is due to the idea that:
The film’s simple story is well realized. The part on how Di came to love Changyu is brilliant. The scenes, her patiently waiting by a roadside to catch a glance of Changyu, her slipping and breaking a bowl filled with dumplings she has especially made for him, and her running joyously across a bridge while filled with the delight of love, are the film’s asset. Through these scenes, the film is able to present a copy of human story bathed with heartrending emotions.
Zhang Ziyi’s portrayal of the young Di is commendable. Her beauty still pervades the screen every time she appears although she wears heavy quilted clothes that make her body look big and make her waddle like a penguin. On one hand, Zheng Hao’s portrayal as Changyu is also appealing. Although he is not that handsome and not that famous to be paired with the bewitchingly beautiful and prominent Zhang Ziyi, he is able to trigger the sweet-painful intensity of the young Di’s feeling that has overwhelmed the viewers.
Respect and love for learning underlies the plot of The Road Home. The aged Di wants the village to show the proper respect for the deceased schoolteacher, who is her husband. According to her, Changyu spends his life teaching the village children. The one-room schoolhouse and its teacher represent a sacred temple of learning and love.
The film embodies a number of symbols. The central part, that relating on how Di came to love Changyu manifests her genuine feelings for him. In return, Changyu’s act of giving Di a hairclip symbolizes his feeling of attraction to her. The funeral procession signifies the renewal of the miracle of community for Di’s village. This can be seen when the crowd of her husband’s old students have turned out to help. The pallbearers’ refusal to accept the pay for carrying the coffin could very well stand for the teachers’ worth in the society. These symbols contribute to the overall meaning of the film.
The motif used in the film is the road home. The road is a road that played a crucial role in Di and Changyu’s love affair. This is the reason why Di wants the men of the village carry his husband’s dead body home on foot so that he cannot forget her and the road home. More so, this film has a personal touch of the director. This film has been used to present his personal message-to not forget the traditional way in Chinese cinema. He wanted films to be simple, immediate and anchored in reality. This can be attested by an interview with him (from http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/theroadhome/production/index.html):
Chinese society has changed so fast that most people feel lost. The Chinese cinema reflects these developments. These days the market economy dominates everything and our cultural life has lost its way. Really vulgar commercial films dominate our screens. Directors who would once have been ashamed to make such films are nowadays proud to put their names to them. It's a sad state of affairs, and I find myself wondering if people really like such films. I made my last two films NOT ONE LESS and THE ROAD HOME as a reaction against the current tendencies in Chinese cinema, against the logic of the market. I wanted them to be simple, immediate and anchored in reality. I believe the public will accept them, since they address the viewer with real feelings and emotions.
The film was set in Sanhetun in which scenes of golden autumnal forest, empty landscapes, and simple houses bring strength and become the witnesses of Di and Changyu’s love story.
There are no sex scenes on display, only the naive emotions of young lass in love. What is presented is just a simple romance. Although Di and Changyu share very few scenes together and exchange even fewer words, the connection between these two people are undeniable. The absence of sex scenes is due to the fact that this film is a mirror of the cultural life of China that according to the director has lost its way, and not a vulgar commercial film.
This film has awakened my feelings and emotions. I am deeply touched of Zhang Yimou’s work as a director. He really feels for this story, and he employs silence to make his points about love, family, culture, and change clear.
I am really moved of Di’s portrayal of love to her husband from the first time she caught sight of him, to finally bringing him home and laying him to rest. My heart jumps when she is drunk with the pleasure of love, and my heart bleeds when she is in grief. I have seen love through her, and my perspective about love has been broadened because of her.
Di’s unshakable devotion is due to the idea that:
“When a lover suddenly catches sight of his beloved, his heart palpitates. A true lover is constantly and without intermission possessed by the thought of his beloved.
References:
http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/theroadhome/production/index.html
http://www.amazon.com/Road-Home-Ziyi-Zhang/dp/B00005QFE5
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/opinion/08sun1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Home_(1999_film)
http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/theroadhome/production/index.html
http://www.amazon.com/Road-Home-Ziyi-Zhang/dp/B00005QFE5
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/opinion/08sun1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Home_(1999_film)
No comments:
Post a Comment