Latest Hollywhacked Chinese history, and 包青天(a show about a fair judge)
Hollywood bastardization of Chinese history makes my blood boil:
Pretty much, I'm just annoyed with hollywood-everything, but moreso on this. I thought being asked about 'feng-whatever' was bad back in the late 90s, but lately I am beginning to miss the days of The Red Scare.
There is a trailer right now, featuring something pre-manchu era...but one thing that struck out to be as very, very, wrong? One of the heroine was wearing a corset, the kind with a low cut that squeezes your breasts together and juts them out. Ancient China =/= 17th century France, WTF? I can just hear the frat boy giggling now, "Teehee, oriental boobies!".
...and now, for some cleansing good taste: I wonder if there is an English subtitle release for that Age of Three Empires series I used to watch? Or that one about the fair judge 包青天 (bao ching tien) that played back in the early 90s? Here's the song used for the ending theme series: 黃安 - 新鴛鴦蝴蝶夢, it's a very lovely song.
Here's 's intro then the ending for episode three of 包青天:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdzCXZdJuTw
In hindsight, I think shows like 包青天 was another indicator as how different the east and the west is, it's the show I grew up watching with my family when I was younger than eight. The theme is morality...but there are details some in the west would find disturbing whereas people in HK wouldn't even blink, such as, the ancient Chinese version of guillotine. Also, the fact that I'm pretty sure I remember that torture is indeed used in the middle of the trial to extract confessions from stubborn criminals, like the thing that puts pressure on your fingers to the point of breakage. It's several panels of wood, with strings at the end that are held together by the administrator, the fingers are placed between the panels, and then, the administrator(s), pull. 包青天 is a fair judge, and while corrupted officials do show up, they are exposed and dealt with by his court, The Court of the show, therefore, it's really showing that justice is never-failing...at the end of the day.
Looking back at stuff is really interesting.
Also, as to what was going on with that couple in the ending sequence, I remember the story arc. There was a powerful and corrupted family with five brothers, only the youngest of which is good. The youngest brother was in love with a theatre girl, his family does not approve...and murder happened, amongst other corruption. Eventually, all the brothers except the youngest were put to death, and the theatre girl entered a Chinese version of the nunnery (though she didn't cut her hair) after her father and the man her father tried to marry her to was killed. The youngest brother tried to kill judge, but had almost killed instead, the little boy who was the sole survivor of the family his family preyed on. A life is the price for a life, but seeing as how the youngest brother had been good and is the last of family, he was allowed to marry the theatre girl who came back for him, with his sentence delayed until she has his child. She does, but right before he was to be beheaded, the little boy actually recovers, allowing for the youngest brother of that family to be spared, and All Is Well.
ETA: The movie is called Curse of The Golden Flower, and I wasn't imaging the flesh. Here's a screencap you pervs: http://images.eonline.com/eol_images/Articles/20061220/285.curse.golden.flower.121906.jpg
It looks so unflattering! It'll probably be beyond uncomfortable too, China for the most part is warmer than Europe, so looser fitting clothes makes more sense, and with our linear bodies our fashion have a more smoothly flowing style to them, as opposed to, corsets. ...and I must be sounding like such a /prude/ right now, but could we have some semblance of historical accuracy please? Or attempt to grasp their standard of beauty, which does not include fixation with the boobies? There is supposed to be a /flow/, the hair to the arch of the neck and shoulders to the sleeves that drapes.
Reading this review by Phil Hall makes me feel better:
http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=9494
It appears that what passes as plot is also scrummy.
ETA: My family agrees with me, and it appears that the director is of some notoriety within the Chinese community. My mother managed to find a 'bright side' to this though, 'at least the west knows that our women actually have breasts now', wut? Of course we do, it's there, it fits with the rest of our bodies, gracefully. I suppose there is an appeal with the jutting sort, but the infantile fixation of it in the west have really done damage to the appreciation of the whole picture.
Pretty much, I'm just annoyed with hollywood-everything, but moreso on this. I thought being asked about 'feng-whatever' was bad back in the late 90s, but lately I am beginning to miss the days of The Red Scare.
There is a trailer right now, featuring something pre-manchu era...but one thing that struck out to be as very, very, wrong? One of the heroine was wearing a corset, the kind with a low cut that squeezes your breasts together and juts them out. Ancient China =/= 17th century France, WTF? I can just hear the frat boy giggling now, "Teehee, oriental boobies!".
...and now, for some cleansing good taste: I wonder if there is an English subtitle release for that Age of Three Empires series I used to watch? Or that one about the fair judge 包青天 (bao ching tien) that played back in the early 90s? Here's the song used for the ending theme series: 黃安 - 新鴛鴦蝴蝶夢, it's a very lovely song.
Here's 's intro then the ending for episode three of 包青天:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdzCXZdJuTw
In hindsight, I think shows like 包青天 was another indicator as how different the east and the west is, it's the show I grew up watching with my family when I was younger than eight. The theme is morality...but there are details some in the west would find disturbing whereas people in HK wouldn't even blink, such as, the ancient Chinese version of guillotine. Also, the fact that I'm pretty sure I remember that torture is indeed used in the middle of the trial to extract confessions from stubborn criminals, like the thing that puts pressure on your fingers to the point of breakage. It's several panels of wood, with strings at the end that are held together by the administrator, the fingers are placed between the panels, and then, the administrator(s), pull. 包青天 is a fair judge, and while corrupted officials do show up, they are exposed and dealt with by his court, The Court of the show, therefore, it's really showing that justice is never-failing...at the end of the day.
Looking back at stuff is really interesting.
Also, as to what was going on with that couple in the ending sequence, I remember the story arc. There was a powerful and corrupted family with five brothers, only the youngest of which is good. The youngest brother was in love with a theatre girl, his family does not approve...and murder happened, amongst other corruption. Eventually, all the brothers except the youngest were put to death, and the theatre girl entered a Chinese version of the nunnery (though she didn't cut her hair) after her father and the man her father tried to marry her to was killed. The youngest brother tried to kill judge, but had almost killed instead, the little boy who was the sole survivor of the family his family preyed on. A life is the price for a life, but seeing as how the youngest brother had been good and is the last of family, he was allowed to marry the theatre girl who came back for him, with his sentence delayed until she has his child. She does, but right before he was to be beheaded, the little boy actually recovers, allowing for the youngest brother of that family to be spared, and All Is Well.
ETA: The movie is called Curse of The Golden Flower, and I wasn't imaging the flesh. Here's a screencap you pervs: http://images.eonline.com/eol_images/Articles/20061220/285.curse.golden.flower.121906.jpg
It looks so unflattering! It'll probably be beyond uncomfortable too, China for the most part is warmer than Europe, so looser fitting clothes makes more sense, and with our linear bodies our fashion have a more smoothly flowing style to them, as opposed to, corsets. ...and I must be sounding like such a /prude/ right now, but could we have some semblance of historical accuracy please? Or attempt to grasp their standard of beauty, which does not include fixation with the boobies? There is supposed to be a /flow/, the hair to the arch of the neck and shoulders to the sleeves that drapes.
Reading this review by Phil Hall makes me feel better:
http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=9494
It appears that what passes as plot is also scrummy.
ETA: My family agrees with me, and it appears that the director is of some notoriety within the Chinese community. My mother managed to find a 'bright side' to this though, 'at least the west knows that our women actually have breasts now', wut? Of course we do, it's there, it fits with the rest of our bodies, gracefully. I suppose there is an appeal with the jutting sort, but the infantile fixation of it in the west have really done damage to the appreciation of the whole picture.