East Asia Film Series
Fall 2003
Saturday Evenings on the Indiana University Campus.
Free and Open to the Public.
NOTE: These films are not generally suitable for a young audience.
Click on the date on the left to find out more about the film.
| Breaking the Silence (Piaoliang Mama). 7:30 pm, Woodburn Hall 101 | |
| September 27 | Failan. 7:30 pm, Woodburn 101 |
| October 18 |
Manji. 7:30 pm, Woodburn Hall 101 |
| November 1 | Ashes of Time. 7:30 pm, Woodburn Hall 101 |
| November 15 |
The Contact. 7:30 pm, Woodburn Hall 101 |
| December 6 | Flowers of Shanghai. 7:30 pm, Woodburn Hall 101 |
| December 13 | Spirited Away. 7:30 pm, Woodburn Hall 101 |
Breaking the Silence (Piaoliang Mama)
7:30 pm, Woodburn Hall 101
PRC, 1999, Dir. Sun Zhou, 90 min. Gong Li won the best actress prize at the film festival in Montreal for her interpretation of Sun Liying, a divorced woman with a disabled son, Zheng Da, who devotes herself to helping him overcome his handicap. She quits a well-paid job at a joint venture and instead delivers newspapers so she can have more time to spend with her son. In her isolated struggle, she has very few friends, but never gives up hope. The director, Sun Zhou, is careful to portray his story realistically and without excessive sentimentalism. In Mandarin with English subtitles.
Failan
7:30 pm, Woodburn Hall 101
Korea, 2001, Dir. Song Hae-Sung, 116 min. Failan is not a general romance film and certainly not a typical movie plot. This film is difficult to place in a specific genre, as it affects each viewer in a variety of ways. The story revolves around a failed gangster and his quest to discover his unknown deceased wife. Utilizing a wonderful cast and faithfully following a powerful script, Failan is a film about the losses and decay in life. In Korean with English subtitles.
Manji
7:30 pm, Woodburn Hall 101
Japan, 1964, Dir. Yasuzo Masumura, 92 min. Sonoko, a bored housewife, is caught in the act of stealing some silver spoons from a shop by Mitsuko, who simply smiles at her and walks away, saying nothing. Determined to make some kind of amends, she follows Mitsuko to her apartment and insists on explaining herself. This results in a heated argument that ends with the two of them laying in each others arms, exhausted. They start to become attracted to each other, and are soon spending every day together. The only problem is that Sonoko’s husband, a police detective, is starting to get suspicious. In Japanese with English subtitles.
Ashes of Time
7:30 pm, Woodburn Hall 101
Hong Kong, 1994, Dir. Wong Kar Wai, 95 min. Wong Kar Wai creates a Hong Kong sword epic in this 1994 action film. With a powerful cast including Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Jacky Cheung and Brigitte Linn, Ashes of Time is a film delivering heart-racing action and ever-building suspense. The film received multiple awards during the 1994 Hong Kong Film Awards. In Mandarin with English subtitles.
The Contact
7:30 pm, Woodburn Hall 101
Korea, 1997, Dir. Jang Yun-Hyeon, 104 min. The Contact is the debut feature film of director Jang Yoon Hyun, who also directed Tell me Something. This film received 6 awards in the 1997 Grand Bell Awards, including Best New Director and Best Picture. It is a love story of two lonely souls experiencing all that modern Seoul has to offer. The two meet online and after setbacks, they fall in love and finally meet. This film also features the most-loved Korean actor, Han Suk Kyu. In Korean with English subtitles.
Flowers of Shanghai
7:30 pm, Woodburn Hall 101
Taiwan, 1998, Dir. Hou Hsiao-Hsien, 113 min. Based on an 1894 novel by Han Ziyun, Flowers of Shanghai explores the lavish, elegant, and decadent world of late 19th century Shanghai brothels. Master Wang (played by Hong Kong film star Tony Leung Chiu-Wai) and his friends are wealthy, privileged officials who spend all of their leisure time playing drinking games, eating, gambling, and smoking opium, while visiting their favorite “flower girls.” The first Hou Hsiao-Hsien film shot entirely within a studio, its restricted, enclosed set evokes a sense of static rigidity. Hou perfectly captures the claustrophobic world of Shanghai brothels with fixed camera shots, long takes, and blackouts, creating a carefully drawn study of a dying place and time. In Mandarin with English subtitles.
Spirited Away
7:30 pm, Woodburn Hall 101
Japan, 2001, Dir. Hayao Miyazaki, 132 min. The highest grossing film in Japanese box-office history, Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away (Sen To Chihiro Kamikakushi) is a dazzling film that reasserts the power of drawn animation. Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and Lewis Carroll’s Alice, Chihiro plunges into an alternate reality. On the way to their new home, the petulant adolescent and her parents find what they think is a deserted amusement park. Her parents stuff themselves until they turn into pigs, and Chihiro discovers they’re trapped in a resort for traditional Japanese gods and spirits. The resolve, bravery, and love Chihiro discovers within herself enable her to save her parents. The result is a moving and magical journey. MPAA Rated: PG- suitable for a young audience with parental permission. In Japanese with English subtitles.
Last updated: 3/30/2004
URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~easc/events/
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