Palm Pictures' DVD of 'Summer Palace' arrived adorned with a 'BANNED BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT' banner and reviews touting sex and politics "on full boil." In reality, this tells me about good old American hype than anything about the Chinese government. While interesting, the film wasn't quite as hot as the quotes imply.
Yu Hong (Hao Lei) is a young girl from northern China near the border of North Korea. She travels to Beijing to attend University in the late 1980s. Upon meeting fellow student Li Ti (Hu Lingling), Yu Hong begins to open up to the new experiences the school and the city have to offer, as well as her awakening passions. These passions are further drawn out when she meets Zhou Wei (Guo Xiaodong), and the two become lovers.
As a backdrop to the personal drama, there are hints of a growing political unease, which culminates in many of the students taking part in the famous demonstration in Tiananmen Square. The swift reaction of the Chinese government sends the various characters to places around the world, launching the film into a more sedate second half. Yu Hong heads back to her home temporarily, eventually heading south. Zhou Wei is initially mandated to join the Chinese military, but he and Li Ti eventually end up in Germany. Eventually, a tragedy sets up a chance for the former lovers to meet, but after a decade apart, how will they react to each other?
Champions of art can make all the waves they want about how unfair it is that the Chinese government has sanctioned the makers of 'Summer Palace,' but to try and be coy about the film's meaning is just as silly as the Chinese claiming the film was rejected due to audio and visual problems. Though the film is subtle in the lyrical, meditative way that certain Asian films can be, it becomes clear by the end that the characters are emotionally damaged by government repression. Curiosity is replaced by shame, leading Yu Hong to rote sexual encounters and Zhou Wei to a dull, unspecific longing. After having a taste of great freedom cut short abruptly these students are more afraid to express their real needs and desires than to speak out against their country's leaders.
I can't claim to be familiar with much Chinese cinema, though 'Summer Palace' is pretty much right in line with what I expect. It's interesting these films are skillfully assembled, but are not overtly stamped with the voice of a director, which is something I'm used to from American films. In this case, director Lou Ye assembles a great cast, sets about having them subtly convey longing and excitement and makes it all look and sound beautiful. If immaculate tone poems are more your speed, then by all means, don't miss this film. As an admirer of naturalistic film, I appreciated many parts of 'Summer Palace,' but I found that when the emotion drained out of the characters in the second half of the film, my interest went with it.
RECOMMENDATION: Director Ang Lee is from Taiwan, but was born to Chinese parents and was encouraged to study Chinese culture. His films such as 'The Ice Storm' and 'Brokeback Mountain' evoke the tradition of subtle, lyrical character stories that 'Summer Palace' tries to be a part of. But Lee's command of film language feels much more natural and universal, which can be seen in his broad range of films. His breakout film, 'The Wedding Banquet,' was a great character piece but also part screwball comedy.
The plot concerns a gay Taiwanese man, Wai-Tung, living with his partner in Manhattan. The young man's parents are eager for marriage and a grandchild, so they begin trying to set him up through a dating service. Wai-Tung decides on a marriage of convenience with a poor girl from China so she can get a green card and to keep his parents happy. The parents, however, are determined to stage a huge wedding.
The result is a touching, entertaining concoction that was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.