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| Rouge (Yanzhi kou, dir. Stanley Kwan, 1987) photo source: ent.sina.com.cn |
Please post your response to Rouge (Yanzhi kou, dir. Stanley Kwan, 1987, Hong Kong) with reference to the two readings for Tuesday ("Regional Revival in Hong Kong" and "Spectral Nostalgia") by Monday September 23rd at 8 pm. Your comments to two other responses are due by Monday at 10 pm.
Analyze at least one specific scene from the film in support of your response to the two readings. Cite page numbers from the readings and analyze formal elements (color, lighting, frame, camera work, choreography, music and sound, etc.) of the scenes to support your argument.
In Rouge, the director reflects the lighting throughout the movie on Fleur, her mood, and her two stages, Life and death. The present time of the movie, when Fleur is a ghost, there is dark lighting. The flashbacks to her life, however, display a brighter lighting. The flashbacks show the happy relationship between Fleur and Master 12. The lighting during this time is bright to reflect the happy relationship between the two. Fleur always seems happy, and the lighting seems to follow her mood. But during the present, while Fleur is a ghost, the lighting is mysterious and dark.
ReplyDeleteIn her ghost life, Fleur is lost and unhappy, looking for Master 12. She always seems to have a look of hatred. The director seems to reflect the lighting on whatever Fleur’s mood is, making the bright scenes the flashbacks of her life, and the dark scenes her death, or ghost years. The lighting follows Fleur and her mood perfectly, and the audience seems to be on their toes during the dark shots. In the end, when Fleur finds Master 12 alive, the two lightings seem to mix. Starting off dark before she finds him, it grows lighter and lighter as she finds him, approaches him, and speaks to him. By the end of Fleur and Master’s 12’s reunion, the lighting is much lighter and Fleur has a look of peace. While she feels at peace, she is still a ghost, making her and the lighting a mixture of both sides: A purgatory state.
Lighting fully reflects the mood of characters. When they decided to suicide together, the lighting is dark and gloomy. (78:20-78:35) And the music is also sorrowful. I think this reflects Ru hua and 12th Young Masters' determinations to die.
DeleteThat makes me think of the scene with the fortune-teller. He describes the character 暗 'An' which means dark, and talks about how the two suns (light) indicate that Ru Hua will quickly find the one she is looking for. However, we quickly discover that he has foretold wrong.
DeleteI still felt like the lighting at the end was rather dark. Maybe it was just because the room we watched it in didn't have great lighting, but I had trouble seeing the last scene. While there may have been a bit more light at the end, it no where near reflected the warm, golden light of the past when she was alive.
DeleteRu Hua walked 'away' into a bright, white mist, which seems like the bright part, but Chen was shrouded in shadow for the majority of the time you see him on screen. Just recall the scene where the pale Ru Hua is face to face with him and you can barely see his eyes open. I think that part of the movie was about the contrast in illumination.
DeleteI think this film has a very special place, because this story is the story of a ghost experience, the whole film without a ghost this topic, but in this film, but did not appear terrorist elements, and this gives I was very surprised. Because the early Hong Kong films, if it is a movie about ghosts will certainly render the atmosphere of terror, but the film did not factor in terror, showing the director just wanted to give the audience a story about love.
DeleteThis is a passionate love affair between a prostitute Ru Hua and rich kid 12th Young Master. Movie started with a dulcet song “Ke Tu Qiu Hen”, and this song easily captured the 12th Young Master’s proud heart. That was the first saw between them, and just a face to face in brothel. After that, they fell love with each other. However, the marriage was against by the rich family. Finally, they resolved to commit suicide together by swallowing opium, but 12th Young Master was brought back to life by others. After waiting for Chan in hell for 50 years, Ru Hua returned back to this world and looked for him. She decided to place a advertisement on newspaper to seek 12th Young Master by using the code "3811". With the help of Yongding and his girlfriend Chu Juan, she found 12th Young Master in the end. However, everything has changed, and the love is not she are pursuing for. She was dismayed, sad, and felt cheated. She returned the rouge to 12th Young Master and went back to hell again.
ReplyDelete“Feminist” is still an important part in this movie, but the love story become an important genre at this time period. Ghost story also spiced up with martial arts and romance that spawned a sequel. In 1930s, Hong Kong and mainland were totally different. “Stage Sister” describes a poor and helpless life. And it usually involves big scene. “Rouge” describes an extreme luxurious and erosion’s life between prostitute and wealthy. The filmmaking of Hong Kong has a small scale, high quality production and packaging. My first impression of this movie is decadent of up level society. In 1930s, all the compatriots in mainland were living in disaster. At the same time, these rich kids were living in a varicolored world. Prostitutes, opium, and money were surrounded them. When 12th Young Master presented a pair of scrolls and luxury bed to Ru Hua, others’ eyes are filled with envies (14:30-15:30). “Opium is a luxury good for the common people, this is unbelievable they can suicide by swallowing opium” (63:10-63:20), said by an old man. You can imagine the luxury of their lives. But then, I think they love each other, and the love between them is unblamable. Ru Hua can wait 12th Young Master for 50 years. A rich kid can give up the family and suicide with a prostitute, even though he cravenly clings to life. It still makes people respect to their love.
Ghost love story was an important genre at that time period in Hong Kong. It always had martial arts and love. A film named 'A Chinese Ghost Story' was a classic film about ghost love story. It involves big martial arts scene. It is a good film.
DeleteI think "Feminist"is not a point in this film,I have opposite views on this.I think this is romantic ghost story,the Fleur is infatuation to Mater12, so she decide to suicide.But Master12 was not dead,of course you can also understand the film is a story about a "a foolish setimental girl and a man with a cold heart".Alothoug Fleur find Master12 in the end of film,but everything is change."Fleur"just leave with despair in the end.
DeleteI think it's interesting to think about this film as a feminist piece or a more cerebral piece when it also functions so well as entertainment (a love story, a ghost story, etc). That's an interesting element that I hadn't considered when I was watching it for the first time, but if I had time to watch it again, I'd certainly keep that in mind.
DeletePersonally, I prefer to define the contents of the film for love, which we can not achieve this ordinary love. In fact, the movie does mention a lot of bad factors, such as drugs, money, on women's rights disgrace, however, I think those are understatement.
DeleteIn Rouge, 胭脂扣, Stephen Kwan delivers a mixture between a love story and a ghost story and a detective story. Told in a broken time structure, the tragic love story of 如花 Ru Hua and Master 12, is at turns chilling, inspiring and melancholy. In the end however, it reveals quite a bit about the differences between old and new Hong Kong, and changes in culture.
ReplyDeleteThere were two things that particularly caught my eye while watching this film. the first is the juxtaposition of a symbolic object in the foreground to add another element to a scene, and the other was the prevalence of mirrors in shots. To be honest, I felt the cinematography was fascinating to examine, almost more so than the tale conveyed. The scenes that used foreground objects were: the red rose that appears as the two lovers discuss how many different types of Ru Hua there were. To me, this symbolizes the beginning of Ru Hua's love. The second: The changing traffic light as they acquire the newspaper with the add in it, which symbolizes the 'go ahead' signal to begin looking for Master 12. With regards to mirrors, they show up in the brothel and stage and the small necklace of rouge given to Ru Hua. When they're included, they feature prominently in the shots. I feel this added touch is about emphasizing performance and image. After all, mirrors are an important part of capturing images.
I think it is a pretty different and interesting review of the movie from others, you focus on the details in the movie, which makes your comment stands out.
DeleteI hadn't caught the symbol of the traffic light. Very cool. Also, you made a comment on a post about “暗”. I thought that scene was humorous because don't you think she would have known the meaning of the word? The fortune teller's reading seemed to be the opposite of what the word meant. I feel like she had to know that.
DeleteI think that because it was 'character' analysis that maybe there's more to it than just the meaning of the character? She obviously knew how to read, if we take the banners, the divination pages, and the newspaper as proof. I think it's a cultural thing, but maybe she ends up dejected afterward. It's worth noting that after her character analysis, she turns around and the reporter (who's name I'm forgetting) is gone.
DeleteI also took notice of the mirrors. However, I failed to notice the traffic light symbolism, and that's very impressive that you happened to catch that, and I agree with Josh; a very cool piece of symbolism.
DeleteThe film called ‘Rouge’ was directed in Hong Kong in 1988. This film talked about a tragic love story. Fleur was a hooker. Chan Chenpang was a playboy. They met at the brothel. Chan fell in love with Fleur at first sight. He started to pursue her next day. Fleur was moved by his pursuit. Then they fell in love. After that they want to get married. However, Chan’s parents disagreed with this. And they didn’t give their son money again. Chan didn’t have any skill to earn money. He was just interested in drama. So he went to troupe to act a small role. Their life was miserable. They decided to commit suicide for love. Fleur dead but Chan was saved by doctor. Fleur became a ghost and went to the world to look for Chan. She wanted to place a Missing Person ad at newspaper. So she met Yuen at newspaper office. She didn’t have money to pay for placing. She followed Yuen. Yuen found Fleur was a ghost by talking. However, he and his girlfriend sympathized with Fleur. They decided to help Fleur to look for Chan. Finally, they found Chan was an Extra in a film company by coincidence. Fleur found Chan was so poor and felt so sad. She returned the rouge to him. Then she came back to sheol.
ReplyDeleteThis is a tragic love story. Two people fell in love. However, male lead role’s parents disagreed with them. So they committed suicide for love. This story is so conventional. But film’s actors are famous. Chan was acted by Zhang Guorong and Fleur was acted by Mei Yanfang. They are very popular in Hong Kong at that time. Although they both had dead, they are still classical in people’s mind. Mei Yanfang was a hooker in the film. She wasn’t flirtatious and beautiful. But she had unique charm. She had eye ptosis. You can find desperation in her eyes. So I think she is suit for acting Fleur. The lighting and color was dark in the film. The director wanted to show the sad ambience in the film. And I have to say ‘This film still show the feminist’ because the film creates a resolute woman. Although Fleur was a hooker, she still hoped to fall in love with a man. She did a lot of things for Chan. Even when Chan was so poor, she didn’t despise him and she still loved him. So she wanted to commit suicide for love. She hoped she can stay with him forever. Their story worths sympathizing.
yes I'm agress with you,this stroy is indeed worths to sympathizing.But on the other hand Master12's parents need to accountable it ,if Master12's parents agress with "Fleur" marry to their son,I think the tragedy would not happen.Finally I'm sympathy for her(Fleur) experience,and respect her infatuation to Mater12.
DeleteThe love story is conventional now, but it was made in 1980s, and the story is described things in 1930s. I think it is not conventional at that time period.
DeleteDirector uses more closer shots and facial depictions to show infelt activities between characters.
DeleteFilm response for “Rouge”
ReplyDeleteThe film “Rouge” is a very perfect movie of my watch in these day，the film tells the romantic ghost story. One day a newspaper office’s staff (Mr. Yuan) was prepared for closed, suddenly he found a gorgeous woman appeared in the newspaper office, she want to put a search noties, but she has no money to pay for advertising. So Mr. Yuan wants she come there again in next day, but she persisted in her refusal to go. Finally Mr. Yuan found she was a ghost. Formerly, she was a prostitute in Shek Tong Tsui of Hong Kong in 1930’s of China, she name is “Fleur”，she was fall in love with a guy name of “Master 12” . “Master 12” his has a real name is “Chan Chen Pang” his family is the notable family in the local, his parents can not accept a prostitute as a daughter-in-law and marry to their son. So Master12’s parents are strongly opposed to this thing. In desperation “Master12” just leave his family and live with “Fleur” together, their token of love is a“ Rouge box”. After that, due to “Master12” is a dude, he doesn’t have skill to make live, so the two people’s live are more poverty. Then they decision to suicide by swallowing opium and make appointment with each other. Result, Fleur is dead but Chan Chen Pang is still live. To this end, Fleur was waiting to see for 50 years. In the end of the film, at last Fleur found “Master12”, but everything is change already, “Master12” become an old man and forget the memories had. The Fleur was very sad, return the rogue box to “Master12” and said: “ Thanks for you remember me and I do not want to wait again”，then turned away of never look back……
In my opinion, this is real good film, the film tells a romantic ghost story and the suspense in the end. Especially the “Fleur” last word: “Sorry, I do not want wait again.” This make me difficult to forget, and this word maybe contain too much for Fleur, maybe there is contain joy, despair, and sad. The joy is she found Master12 in finally, and the despair is Master12 is not dead and forget the past event about her.Right, Master12 debt to she is beyond measure, I think in this time the Fleur’s mood is very disappoint. Women's vulnerable women consciously or unconsciously looking for a sense of security, this finding is sometimes hysterical. Such as the “Fleur” control of Master 12 to in order to gain their salvation, though she didn't know whether this reality. Very deep impression to me is like the eyes; the eyes have the need and are timid, like a wounded animal in seeking protection. To change one's own destiny, there must be a powerful force, this force can be derived from the substance can also come from the spirit, but is just a spiritual and material are not independent. When the “Fleur” stubbornly want to break through the fate, “Master 12” will undoubtedly become the mainstay is not strong, but also to the period of unstable emotions will be a tragedy.
In addition, the movie has one detail need us to think about it that is in the end of the movie, a film crew was making a movie, the director require the woman actor playing not only like swordswoman but also like a woman ghost. But as far as I’m concerned, in fact complex the swordswoman and “woman ghost” is impossible; the life could not be have two different results at the same time. So I think it looks obviously metaphorical. On the other hand， according to the film I can see the “Master12” still love “Fleur”, although he was hesitated before him swallowing opium, but he was swallowed it, as we all know the life is precious, who can be easily abandoned? Who can refuse to life? Even as the love, who can be brave to do not hesitate? But “Master12” can do it, he can die for love. Finally it is worth to mentioning is the artistic technique of this film; it does not use any trick but more emphasis on atmosphere and photography, use the Chinese classic music for background music. At last, I think it is rare film in the history of Hong Kong’s film, especially the two actors.
I noticed the reaction from Ruhua's eyes too, when the actress was saying that how could she act like a hero and also a ghost. and I think you made an outstanding point on this scene/
Delete“Sorry, I do not want wait again.” I think this sentence is the most classic lines in the film. There is despair and sad. It gave me a deep impact.
DeleteThe feeling only Ruhua could tell after 50-year waiting with hope but the result is cruel...
DeleteI had the same impression with last sentence too. " sorry, i dont want to wait", this is a very important clue that imply after 50 years past, something different happen in Mei. Even she is a ghost but 50 years wait still change her a lot. I think when she said that out loud, she already made her own choice
DeleteThe movie tells us a tragic romance story between a prosititute called Ruhua, and a child of a wealthy family called Chan Chenpong (cantonese). At the beginning of the movie, Ruhua and Chan met at the brothel where Ruhua works, Ruhua was singing while Chan walked in, and Chan fell in love with her immediately. So Chan started to show his love, by buying different gifts for Ruhua, and soon, they were in love, and Chan gave Ruhua a rouge. Even though Ruhua has seen many different guys at work, however, she found Chan pretty different from others, and they all believed that the love between them is true and deep. Unfortunately, Chan is from a wealthy family, his parents would never say yes to a girl who is a prostitute, and they wanted Chan to marry his cousin. Ruhua tried to go talk to Chan's mother, but Chan's mother insulted her. So they decided to kill themselves for love. But Chan survived, and Ruhua's spirit did not see Chan's, and after waiting for 53 years, Ruhua decided to come back to find Chan and end everything. with the help from a couple who work at the newspaper, Ruhua finally found Chan, who is an old man without anything, Ruhua has also found out that after Chan has survived, he married his cousin and lived on, Ruhua feels upset, and she gave the rouge back to Chan, and tells him that she has been had it for 53 years, and she is no longer waiting for him.
ReplyDeleteAt the begining, speaking of live, I think that Ruhua is kind of silly, because as a prostitute, she fell in love with a customer, a customer that she only knew for a few days, Chan could have been a bad guy with terrible understanding the term--- responsibility, and also she is kind of insane, because she tried to hold on to Chan by killing themselves, and she knew that Chan might regrets to do it, so she put sleeping pills into Chan's drink, Chan did regret to do so at one moment, because he did not eat the drug the first time that Ruhua gave to him. However, speaking of love, I think that Ruhua is great, and she beats a lot of people, even I do not agree with her drugging Chan. I mean just like the couple said at the end of the movie, after they have misunderstood Ruhua, the girl said that she admires Ruhua, because what Ruhua did, she could never have the courage to do. Ruhua waited for her love for 53 years. For Chan, I do not blame him that he lived on after he has survived, because Ruhua was dead, he could not do anything about it, and I do not blame him that he did not eat the drug the first time, everyone is afraid of death, it does not mean that Chan did not love Ruhua that much.
This movie also shows us the difference between different social level. All the people in the upper level would somehow look down on the lower level, even they are friends, but sometime the people on the upper level will do things or say things that hurt lower level's feelings. In this movie, Chan's mother insulted Ruhua when Ruhua went visiting, those words are harmful, and it shows that Chan's parents look down on her. I agree with that people on the same social level understand each other better, but people are equal, we cannot look down on people who are on the lower level.
I agree with what you said "it does not mean that Chan did not love Ruhua that much." Because no one has right to determine other's life. Besides, when 53 years past, Master 12 can recognize Ruhua easily by her singing, it shows that he never forgot her.
DeleteI disagree with u said Ruhua is kind of silly to fall in love with Chan. Her choice was right and Chan was true repentance too. There just no one can decide fate. Chan didn't die and Ruhua just waited for 53 years.
DeleteWith a broken translation, Rouge was at times hard to follow. Partner that with the dizzying time scheme and you have an enigma of a movie. Visually the movie definitely spooked me, especially the scene when Ruhua looked through the window in daylight and her makeup vanished, revealing a ghastly face. However, what truly struck a chord with me in this movie was the terrifying music. Full of minor keys and eerie scales, the score for this movie itself could have made a horror/suspense flick.
ReplyDeleteI think particularly of the scene when Ruhua comes to the paper company and asks for the add. The music indicated that something was amiss. Even more poignantly the music stayed melancholy throughout the entire movie. I don't remember hearing a major key the whole time. Even in the flashbacks the sound played a strong character. When Ruhua and Master 12 were smoking opium you could tell something bad was going to happen because the music led you to believe that.
I personally had a hard time enjoying this movie since much of the subtitles didn't quite make sense. But the music just goes to show that you don't even need words to understand some things. I think perhaps without the words I would have been able to guess that Ruhua was a ghost.
I agree regarding the scene with her vanishing makeup - it was truly eerie, though I find the character as a whole to be pretty unsettling. Anita Mui's portrayal of Fleur is definitely a highlight for this film. She's frightening, but sympathetic - aloof, but somehow relatable. I feel like she makes the movie succeed at what it is: a ghost story, despite there being other elements of the film that sometimes subvert its genre - the soundtrack could be that of a horror film, though it leads you (challenges you?) to believe it's a romance as well.
DeleteIn addition to the eerie minor keys throughout the film, it's use of silence is quite telling. The first scene where the two lovers meet, the singing and music suddenly stops when Master 12 enters, really forcing the focus onto him.
DeleteThe time scheme definitely threw me off at first. I had trouble figuring out what exactly was going on, but the bus scene really gave it away for me. I don't think I listened to enough of the music to notice, but after reading your comment I went back to the opium scene and you were spot on - very ominous music. If you'd like to take another (better translated) version of the film, somebody has uploaded the film on YouTube.
DeleteI am surprised by how many people commented on the music, for some reason I never thought too much about it. But now that I think about it, i do remember the different music being played in various occasions that added to the mood of the scenes.
DeleteReading the Stanley Kwan interview prior to watching Rouge this week proved to be greatly beneficial while watching the film. The director says in this interview that he wasn't completely taken with the original script and after "barely" making it through numerous scripts asked to bring his own scriptwriter to the project. More than wanting to make this film specifically, he claims to have been "basically just continuing [his] trajectory of making highly personal films," which reflects on some of the insight he has to share about his other films and the documentary subject matter he chooses to address in non-fiction arenas. HIs own background seems to have been the inspiration for the movie's opening scene, a Cantonese opera vignette that sets the stage for the rest of the movie and his descriptions of the contrasts between his aunt and mother - although made with regard to a different character in a different movie - seem to have perhaps had their influence on the character of Fleur as well.
ReplyDeleteThe richness of the history of this operatic tradition runs, interestingly, concurrent to the visual richness of the film. Warm colors dominant the scenes during Fleur's life as a courtesan and make for an interesting comparison between both the opera and the decadent lifestyle of the courtesan. When we travel forward in time, the colors change, with blues and cooler colors predominating - the primary source of warm color in the film comes from Fleur herself and the titular rouge. Even when the blue hued light of the city shines on her face, as in the scenes when she travels the city with her newfound companion, Yuan, warmth shows through. The color contrast becomes particularly noticeable due to rapid shifts between the Hong Kong of 1934 and that of the 1987 setting and when cooler colors appear in the 1934 setting or warmer ones in the modern setting, it is incredibly conspicuous. For instance, after Fleur gives the coat to Master 12, a pan shot from the window to the bed shows blue color creeping toward Fleur, who still seems to be contained within the warm light, although Master 12's figure is covered in the cold light from the outside.
I was also impressed by the using of colors in this film. In the Fleur's life time, the color red, yellow, gold represented a kind of life, which filled of opium, sex and something else.
DeleteI also talked about the color, but I like how you further. I only paid attention to the brightness and darkness of the color. You bring up specifics, such as the blue color creeping toward fleur.
DeleteI think part of the reason the color scheme is this way is also the idea of day and night, the majority of the time that Ru Hua is outside in the modern setting is night, and when the other characters are out, it's bright and sunny. Maybe this is part setting the mood, maybe it's just part of keeping with the setting.
DeleteI am so impressive by these colors, it connect the actor thought and main plot. the brightness color is imply zhang and Mui fall in love and when they try to suicide, the color is dark.
DeleteAnalyzing colors in such a way had never crossed my mind. A very interesting point. I suppose when caught up in the film it's easy to just 'feel' these things without necessarily being able to point them out!
DeleteI now regret a bit not having read the interview prior to screening. There's something to be said for doing that.
I thought your analyzing of the use of color in the film was very insightful and something I would not have probably noticed. But now that you bring it up, I do agree that a lot of the warm colors come from Fleur herself.
DeleteIn the film "The Rouge," the prostitute Freul(Ruhua) feel in love with a master, Zhenbang, who is born in a rich family. However, his family does not like Ruhua because of her background. They promised self suicide together and meet in the hell. When Ruhua died and waited for her lover, there is no one there. She began to search him in the modern Hong Kong with the help of the reporter couple. At last, she found Zhenbang and knew that he did not die for that moment, so she turned back the rouge, the one the define it as the symbol of their love, and left him forever.
ReplyDeleteI would like to say like I really like the witer of the novel, the scriptwriter, Li Bihua. She is pretty good at to describe the tragedy of females, especially the lowest occupation. In her novel, women always take love over anything, even their own lives while men are always fickle. The tragedy is that, Ruhua thought love is everything, but Zhenbang did not. He does not only has love, he has his family, career, he is afraid to give up everything. In the end, Ruhua won't wait any more. After I saw the movie, I asked myself, what is love? Is love brave, suspect, waiting, promise or giving up? No one will answer this question. I cannot say this is the fault of Master twelve or Ruhua, they have different values of love. But the tradge is that, the troditional culture won't accept a prostitute in the family. Li Bihua said, "this love is, in the thousand of people, only two can be "The Butterfly Lovers," the else can be moths, mosquitoes, flies...cannot be the butterfly for ever." That might be true, when we take the period into consideration.
The film seems to agree with that point about not everyone being cut out to be a butterfly, as the Two modern reporters say, they wouldn't do what Ru Hua did. Whether we think her actions were romantic or crazy, everyone seems able to respect her bravery in taking them. (Personally, I just think she was crazy, who wants to die by opium overdose?)
DeleteI watched this film many times before, when I am young, I am big fan of Cheung. And in this film the stars are two all-time greats of Hong Kong cinema, Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui. Cheung's complex performance as Mui's lover, and he is known by his real-life homosexuality. Throughout the film, the camera returns to focus on Mui's face; she holds one's interest through her ability to convey her inner thoughts through an amazing range of facial expressions.
ReplyDeleteHe is a high class gentleman, Twelfth Master Chan Chen-Pang, the heir to three successful medicine stores. She is Fleur, a famous courtesan. His parents disapprove of both his choice of lover and also his passion for the Cantonese opera. They are horrified when he decides to give up the shopkeeping business in favour of becoming an actor and immediately order him to return to the family. So he and Fleur take their own lives, vowing to meet up in the afterlife and be together forever. Fifty years later, her ghost returns to the world of the living, still searching for her beloved Twelfth Master.This is a sad and moving flim, Deeply melancholy, loaded with ravishingly beautiful imagery and haunting performances from the two gifted leads. It's a traditional Chinese romantic ghost story but a yearning for a return to the old values slow value. I think the old Hong Kong films is full of traditions and passions that are now lost. Now the Hong Kong film too focus on the starts and graph, which ignore the plot. In the real world, both of the lead actors dead young, which is not only a lost for Hong Kong, but a lost for the world.
The impression I got from the film was not that he was passionate about Opera, but that they needed money because he was cut off from his family's funds. Maybe something was lost in translation, or I just missed it, but could you tell me where it reveals his passion?
DeleteToo bad both of them dead in young. they both are my favorite actors. Not only they look elegant , but they also have a strong skill. It is really impressive to see both of them in this film
DeleteI really liked how you had seen this movie several times before as a child. I feel as if that allows you to bring something unique to your post, which some of us may not be able to.
DeleteThe film spans two eras, an era Xianfeng years, the other is 1988. Start of the film, tells us about the Mei starring prostitute Ru Hua, met in a brothel wealthy son played by Zhang Zhen Bang. Zhen Bang Ru Hua tried to pursue a variety of ways, and finally they finally come together. The second film is set in 1988 in Hong Kong, a newspaper reporter who came to meet Deng Yong Ding search notices Ru Hua, understand after, Yong Ding and his girlfriend knew Ru Hua Chu Juan has been a death 50 years ghost, and learned fifty years ago, Ru Hua and Zhen Bang as elopement and destitute, they chose to take opium with Love. Yong Ding and Ru Hua Chu Juan decided to help find Zhen Bang. End of the film, they finally know that fifty years ago Zhen Bang to be saved is not dead, heartbroken Ru Hua finally found already growing old Zhen Bang, finally Ru Hua chose to leave.
ReplyDeleteIn the film, we can see the play in addition to Ru Hua; the other character's emotions are constantly changing. Zhen Bang began Ru Hua by a fascination with, and later did not dare to drink Ru Hua sentimentalism, and finally after being saved independent living down. We can see him on the Ru Hua's love is slowly decreasing. Chu Juan once said, "Ru Hua envy us," Later she said, "I envy Ru Hua". From these perspectives, we can see that the feelings of the characters change. I do not know love, did not understand the world of people in love do everything whether right or wrong, if you must give Ru Hua a definition of love, it is like Yong Ding once said that "her feelings are too strong," we are all ordinary people, perhaps the modern man, really rarely lose their lives for love.
I agree with your opinion that emotions change a lot expect Ru Hua. I think all the things that people in the world of love did are right, maybe just ordinary people like us can not realize.
Delete
ReplyDeleteI still remember the first time when I saw this film how hard I carried, these two actors are so great and I think they focus too much on this film and there is some negative influence on Cheung suicide.
This is a traditional Chinese romantic ghost story but there's far more lurking underneath. Essentially "Rouge" is a lament on a bygone age of pre-Westernized China, a yearning for a return to the old values, traditions and passions that are now lost beneath the neon lights and soulless rush of modern-day Hong Kong. It's also a lonesome mediation on the nature of trust and the complexity of human relationships with a tragedy and a strong sense of alienation running throughout.
From the two gifted leads, this is really a great film. Starring Leslie Cheung as Chen and the late, wonderful Anita Mui as Fleur, this movie is about forbidden love (Fleur was a prostitute). They have a suicide pact, but only Fleur carries it out. Over fifty years later she is back trying to find him with the help of two local news reporters (they are not covering the story, she seeks their help). At first they're scared of her since she is a ghost, but then agree to let her stay with them and help her. What makes this a major cut above many films of its ilk is Anita Mui. She is absolutely beguiling in this role, looking just beautiful. Her expressions throughout the film are varied and perfect. It is an absorbing film, sentimental but never maudlin. This film makes me Miss Anita Mui more, as we lost her way too young to cancer.
Actually, the ghost, super nature part is very popular in the old Hong Kong film, specially in romatic films. This super nature method remind me of Jiang wen. My favorite director. He's film "Looking the gun" and "evil at the door" all have this method
DeleteThe movie began somewhat sweet with a woman "waitress" singing her way through the restaurant as she admired other girls and other people's lifestyles in a seemingly jealous way. She finishes her song face to face with Master 12 in whom falls for her instantly. The movie is constantly going back and forth from past to present where Fleur goes from a beautiful love with master 12 to a ghost searching for him. She thinks he is dead and is going to meet her just like they said at a certain place at a certain time, but he doesn't show. Therefore she finally finds out, with some help of an earthly couple, that Master 12 didn't die the night she did, and that he is still alive. The movie ends with a dramatic meeting of the two past lovers in which she gives him her rouge necklace back and basically finally frees herself from him and returns to the after life.
ReplyDeleteThe immediate word that came to my mind after and during the film was risqué. The opium usage, open prostitution, the fact that prostitution was almost in every scene, sexual context throughout, and I'm sure there are more instances. I felt that the film would have been banded for all of these reasons in China, however I'm not sure on the outcome of the movie. This movie was a Hong Kong film but Zhang said "Hong Kong cinema has always been 'border less' (Yau 2001) in its transregional and transnational imagination" (Zhang 188). This was interesting to me because you would think since the relation between China and Hong Kong was the greatest, the Chinese mainland government would have cut off access to risqué Hong Kong movies. The basic fact that the main characters try to live their own lives despise his parents wishes is risqué in traditional China. Not to mention the attempted murder of Master 12 just so they could live for eternity together in hell. I felt that the story was much different than the movies we have watched this far, and caught my attention because I had no idea what to expect. I find it interesting that the title is Rouge and this word was not a popular word in the movie. I didn't even realize that the rouge necklace had any significance until one of the last scenes. I think with this kind of title it interests the viewers from the beginning but could have lost the interest because the necklace wasn't totally significant thought the film. Overall I thought it was interesting, very different and risqué.
Very interesting points about the movie being risqué, never really thought about the movie in that point of view. I also agree that this movie is different from the other two we have watched so far because this one actually has a plot twist that changes the way we view Fleur half way through the movie, from sympathy to questioning her character as a person
DeleteBack in the 1930s, Ruhua (Fleur) who was a popular prostitute in Hong Kong. In that romantic theme world, she fell in love with a playboy called "Master 12"-Chan Chen-Pang, and talk about the matter of marriage later. However, due to the different status, Chan’s family opposed marriage because wealthy family do not accepted a prostitute as a family member. Chan decided to move out from the family and lived together with Ruhua. Without any financial aid from Chan's family and Chan have no viability to earn cost of living. Seeing no other choice to pursue their love in life, they committed suicide together by swallowing opium. As the result, Ruhua died and Chan was salvaged by doctors. Ruhua decided to back to this world after waiting Chan for fifty year in afterworld. With the help of two reporters, Ruhua knew Chan was saved by doctors. Chan worked as a Chinese opera stand-in actor in a film studio with a poor living situation. Everything has changed; Chan was not the guy who deeply loved Ruhua. She returned the rouge that Chan gave her fifty years ago and left him back to the afterworld.
ReplyDeleteIt is a tragic love story and also a typical feminism film in that period of China which before PRC establishing. We know this film shot in Hong Kong that director uses lots of “Mainland Prohibited” matters such as people enjoy in brothels and smoke opium to depict the flashy society and prostitute Ruhua. This film also reflected a stereotyped thought of Chinese and even for many other countries which is prostitutes having no respects from others. People only think they do the risqué and illegal things but forget the tribulations from their backgrounds. At the end of film, we all saw Ruhua left Chan and returned back to the afterworld with disappointment and helpless.
You did a really good job shedding light on some of the aspects of filming it in Hong Kong vs filming it in the PRC. I hadn't thought about that before reading this post.
DeleteRouge was a film made in 1988 in Hong Kong. This movie is a type of movie that I have never seen before; that is a romantic-ghost story. However, I found the storyline, as well as physical technique, to be captivating. When the film first opens up, there are several close up shots. This, I believe, can be contributed to the modern era (with all the new film techniques and such), but also due to the superstitious nature of the film. Without these close up shots in the beginning, I feel as if the film would have not set the correct mood.
ReplyDeleteAlso in this film, we see a reemergence of gender issues. Although this time, they are in a different light. First of all, the entire film focuses around a female protagonist, the prostitute, while leaving the male role important, yet not making it the primary role. Also, there is one scene in which there is an older lady sitting down socializing, while a man is up and about doing the laundry. Whether he was her husband, or some type of hired help; this shows a shift in the view on gender in China. In previous movies we have watched, we have not seen this change very much. It is an interesting twist to a long, colorful history that is Chinese film.
Interesting point about the role of gender in the performance. I suppose during Fleur's 'life' it would've been the norm for women to take a much more submissive role, but she really seems to have been anything but that when being courted by 'Master 12".
DeleteThe interview from Speaking in Images describes Rouge as “a powerful testament to Hong Kong’s longing for its past and uncertainty about its future.” (441) Looking back at the movie from a so-called ‘grand-perspective’ I found this quote to really resonate with me. As a young US citizen who has never set foot into Hong Kong, I do have trouble relating to this theme when in vacuum, but examining the historical background and attempting to analyze one or two scenes is a fruitful exercise when trying to ascertain just why I am swayed to agree with the writer.
ReplyDeleteOne striking scene from the movie features ‘Master 12’ and ‘Fleur’ laying together smoking an opium pipe. The lighting is dark, as if the characters exist in a vacuum devoid of time and location. The pipe itself is mysterious, and the use of an (oil?) lamp rather than a match or a lighter lends to the elegance of what could easily come off as a rather base act. Along with the softly darkened background and traditional costumes, music softly plays while the two characters speak in whispers. I personally saw this scene, ironically, as depictive of a more ‘wholesome’ time, with greater class and less devoid of life in the hustle and bustle of modern Hong Kong. I feel like the transition scene to modern times really gives a more visceral feel of the change: we’re presented with a rather spacious brightly lit interior of a rather drab building and only two characters occupying the whole space. Outside is complete darkness---at least insofar as it can exist in such a big city.
This film, in my mind is part of a movement decades before when Hong Kong audiences began to prefer “films closer to their own experience.” (174) Taking history into account here, the time during which the film was made, as discussed in class, is critical when thinking of this movie. Hong Kong by 1984 was scheduled to be returned to the Chinese in 1997. This seems to have exacerbated pre-existing struggles with regards to defining Hong Kong’s identity, reconciling its past, and looking ahead at its own future.
The “rouge” is produced by the LI Bihua’s novel of the same name. It was directed by Jackie chan and acted by leslie Cheung and Anita Mui in 1988s. It talks about the relationship between prostitute Ruhua and rich man’s son Zhengbang Cheng. They were going to get married but Cheng’s family disagree with is. The family finical situation is not suitable to each other and Cheng have marriage contract with someone. Cheng and Ru Hua decide to suicide by taking opium and wait for each other in the nether world. Cheng didn’t die and Ru Hua waited for him for 53 years, she wants to come up and looks for Cheng. The first people she found was Mr. Yuan who worked In newspaper office. Yuan and his girlfriend help Ru Hua find Cheng finally.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good movie and although it was directed and acted in Hong Kong, it was not showed in Hong Kong during that time. The film use the Era shooting techniques to describe the relationship between Cheng and Ru Hua. I can tell Ru Hua is a ghost when she found Mr. Yuan from her eyes and background music. It is really different with normal people. At the end of the film, Ru Hua found Cheng and returned the rouge, left him, the music, the song she acted when she alive sounded push the film to the climax. I can really feel the love between Rua Hua and Cheng, really strong.
I think your opinion is pretty good.Because at the end of the film,i I can really feel the love between Ru Hua and Cheng, really strong also.And Anita played the part of RUA HUA ,Who is charming and infatuation, almost perfect. Her share sad and dreary,which is really shone through from the bones.I guess as long as a man will fall in love with him.
DeleteA female cool ghost to the world looking for her “12th Young Master”. Fifty-three years ago, there was a spoony couple acquaintance in the brothel, They began a passionate love affair, something frowned upon by the family of 12th Master, who held sway over the business of the area. Clearly, their love was doomed when it was found out. Seeing no way to pursue their love in life, on March 8 at 11pm, the couple resolved to commit suicide together by swallowing opium, and promise to meet again in the afterlife. But no one knows how playing by the rules , there was a chance for the “12th Young Master” to drag out an ignoble existence, let the Fleur has a waiting for the lifetime.
ReplyDeleteAfter waiting for Chan in hell for 50 years, Fleur returns to the world of the living to look for him, wondering why he has not emerged. A spirit now, she searches for her lover in a Hong Kong she no longer recognizes. She decides to place a newspaper advertisement seeking Chan (using the code "3811", to indicate the eighth day of the third month at eleven pm, the time of their suicide), and enlists the assistance of Yuen and his understandably suspicious girlfriend, Chor.
Fleur did find her lover in the end, but she was surprised, dismayed and felt cheated, as Chen-Pang did not die in the suicide pact. How he survived the suicide attempt was not explained, but Fleur seemed to have understood that he had not been entirely honest on his part. Not surprisingly, due to his wayward and flirtatious nature, he was reduced to poverty where he lived to be an old and forgotten man well into his late 70s, making a living as a Chinese opera stand-in and living in the cramped quarters of the opera set itself. Recognizing Fleur instantly, he begged her for her forgiveness but his pleas fell on deaf ears. As she drifted effortlessly away, Fleur realised that he had indeed suffered much more than she had, as his guilty conscience haunted him for so many years. She returned the rouge case he gave her 50 years ago. Retribution has been paid in kind and she was content to leave as the living world is no longer her home.
You make some great points in your synopsis. The movie probed a lot of questions for me, like why didn't they explain why master 12 didn't die that night? And also, why did she choose the human couple to get to help her? Was there something special about them that the audience didn't know? I think the film was interesting overall.
DeleteThis was my favorite film so far. At first, I was expecting a simple "forbidden-love" story between Fleur and 12th Master Chen. However, I was taken aback when the director suddenly decided to fast forward to the 1980s, and was left wondering for a few minutes what had happened. One of my favorite scenes happened to be on the bus, after Fleur had been following Yuan, and Yuan finally realized what was going on. Although I thought it was a bit silly that he would run to the back of the bus and attempt to open up a window, and not run towards the front to escape, but I digress. The transition from early 20th century Hong Kong, to modern day Hong Kong was striking, and you got the sense that the director was making a statement on globalization (not necessarily a bad one). When Yuan called Coca-Cola a "foreign herbal drink", I couldn't help but laugh (we all know the detrimental health effects of sugary soft drinks). The transition between Fleur's past life, and her new life (if you can call it "life"), was punctuated by Kwan's use of lighting. When she was alive, there was certainly more usage of light, however the shots of her in modern Hong Kong all seemed to be much more dim, despite the fact that Hong Kong must've had more lighting fixtures in the 1980s than the 1930s. Again, this could be Kwan's longing for a more traditional Hong Kong.
ReplyDeleteAs in the previous films, self identity is a main theme of the film. What really caught my attention in the interview with Stanley Kwan was his statement regarding mirrors, and how he uses them in each of his films to emphasize "reaffirmation of identity" (449). One scene that comes to mind is when Fleur and Master Chen are lying in the opium den, and he comments on her makeup and the various styles she uses, wondering exactly which one is the true Fleur. She doesn't know how to answer, perhaps because she herself doesn't know. Her sadness at this reality is illustrated by her somber look as she gazes into the mirror in the opening scene, very delicately applying her makeup. I was reminded of the opening scene in "Woman, Demon, Human".
I think that is an interesting point you made about your comparison of "Rouge" to "Woman, Demon, Human." I never realized the similarities that both females characters have layers of identity. Although the film is very much a twist on an old love story, I agree that it also seeks to explore a China in transition. I forgot that Yuen drank Coca-Cola, but I think that also indicates new cultural shifts.
DeleteDirected by Stanley Kwan, “Rouge” contains all the classic elements of a tragic love story-- two passionate lovers who desperately want to be together and family pressures that threaten to tear them apart. As a result of parental disapproval, both lovers (Chan Chen- Pang and Fleur) devise a plan to be together forever by committing suicide. Yet, the plot diverges from the traditional love story trajectory when Fleur comes back from hell as a ghost fifty years later to find Chan Chen-Pang.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the film, the use of music to reflect ideas is prominent. For instance, eerie music is used to hint that Fleur is a supernatural being when she first seeks Yuan’s help to place an ad in the newspaper. Moreover, sharp pangs of music reflect fear and panic, such as when Yuan discovers that Fleur is a ghost on the bus. Later, as Fleur bites an apple, the eerie music is placed and blood consequently flows from her both.
Yet, the film is not simply a twist on a classic love story, but an exploration of changing China. Throughout the film, flashbacks reveal themes of modernity versus contemporary China. Perhaps the most iconic scene that demonstrated the juxtaposition of modern and contemporary China is when Fleur escapes from Yuen’s house to search for Chan Chen-Pang. The scene features a full body shot of Fleur in her 1930s Chinese dress alongside a gaudy giant neon side with the words “Shopping Arcade” lit up. The very fact that the words are in English represents a China that is more open and influenced by global communication. Such scenes capture the great shifts China had undergone since the 1930s. Despite the somewhat clichéd love story, I thought the film was very entertaining.
Very interesting point about the music, the music didn't stick out to me as much as. It did in the last movie. However I know it always plays an important part to understanding the emotion of the movie and the movie as a whole. I also found it interesting in the focus on the changing china throughout the film. But we must remember that this is a Hong Kong film, so it makes it very interesting as to why the director focused so much on the changing China.
DeleteI agree with your sentiment regarding the 1930s Fleur and the 1980s Hong Kong backdrop. The contrast is striking and is indicative of the shift in western cultural influence during the 50 year period. This kind of imagery is one of the redeeming qualities of the film.
DeleteRouge is a film released in 1988 about a ghost in search of her past lover. In the first part of the film is set in 1930s Hong Kong. Fleur is a high class courtesan, while her lover 12th Young Master is a member of a prominent family and owner of multiple businesses. Their affair is not well-received, and seeing no other options they thought it fit to overdose on opium and meet again in the afterlife. Fast forward to 1980s, we see fleur wandering the city of Hong Kong in search of her lover; it is later revealed that 50 years has passed and 12th Young Master had not died during nor since the suicide pact. With the help of a newspaper editor and his girlfriend, Fleur is finally reunited with 12th Young Master. However, she finds him in a pitiful state full of guilt and regret. She departs from the world knowing that he has suffered enough.
ReplyDeleteThis film is my least favorite of the three film we have seen so far. The idea is interesting on paper (aptly so, because it is based on a novel), but it was either executed poorly or just did not translate well into film. The director himself, in an interview, did not speak highly of the source material, noting that it was “not a masterpiece” but had other qualities. (pg.446 SII). In fact, the script was redone several times until the original director gave up on it and moved on to a different project. Something about the supernatural aspect of it did not feel convincing, even in light of the technological limitations of the time. One scene in particular that I thought was poorly executed was the bus scene, when Yuen (man in thick frames), finds out that Fleur is actually a ghost. There were no visual cues or indication that she was anything other than human (let alone ghost) beyond her own admission, yet we see Yuen becoming overly hysterical immediately. It feels like an overreaction for the given context. Things such as this make characters difficult to relate.
This film is also my least favorite film of the three film we have watched. Not only the film was poorly executed, but also the plot of the film is just unrealistic. The director tried to impress audience by having a ghost comes back to live, but the way the movie was filmed made it seem to be a copy cat of other movies with similar topics.
DeleteI really liked how the movie was edited; the numerous change of scenery was effective in a sense that it makes the audience keep guessing what happened. Even though it only happened a few times, it tells us more about the events that occurred to Fleur when she was alive that leads to her odd behavior as a ghost. She was a sad, lonely ghost that loved somebody who did not love her as much. I think that Stanley Kwan left out the details of Master 12 survival of the suicide attempt on purpose. He wanted us to guess whether or not Master 12 lived because he took precautionary procedures (I know I am stretching it), or because of pure luck (I don’t know if I am right, but hear me out). As far as what kind of precautionary procedures that can possibly save him from a suicide, I am not really sure. He could’ve taken something beforehand that increased his chance of survival or simply had a medic ready outside the room for when they collapses. This might sound CRAZY (trust me, I know), but to say that he survived by pure luck would pretty much just ruin the movie, for me at least. Or if people did happened to find out that they had committed suicide, but oddly enough Master 12 was the one who survived even though he took way more sleeping pills than Fleur also doesn’t make sense. So let’s just say that he had no intention of dying with Fleur together in the first place, that would explained why Fleur felt so betrayed by him and also his reaction to Fleur leaving him in the end of the movie. She acted as if Master 12 planned to survive, and had no intention of dying. Basically, I am saying that Master 12 chose wealth over Fleur, and because he was too cowardly to say that to her face, he decided to put on an act so the Fleur would die and he can continue to live his life. I say that he is cowardly because you can tell that he is a mama’s boy throughout the movie, and even when he started his job as a singer in the opera, he was still being babysat by fleur. He knew that there was no way for his family and his relationship with Fleur to coexist and that he will have to give up on one of them, he decided to give up on Fleur. At the end of the movie, Master 12 was begging Fleur to come back to him because he felt guilty for the fact that he has betrayed her love, and now that he is old and miserable, he regrets the decision of giving up on Fleur.
ReplyDeleteI also like the fact that the movie did not portray Fleur as the traditional, powerful and evil ghost. Stanley Kwan did not use any ancient CGI or other technology of some sort to make her float instead of walk or fly through walls or anything. Although it is implied that she has extraordinary abilities, like constantly being able to follow Yuen, we never see her do anything that a human couldn’t do with our eyes (I guess besides the apple eating scene). That was interesting to me because I think that the more human-like she is, the more we are able to relate to her through Yuen and his girlfriend. The main reason that they helped her is because she was helpless and depressed, which is very different from how us as audiences would view a ghost. Mostly other Chinese ghost movie would feature stuff like the ghost turning green and threaten the human to do something for them, or in some cases exorcism in which Fleur will just possess one of them and do things as a human. But because of the fact that she was unique as a ghost, and really acted like a human, it makes her more relatable and helps us follow her emotion as a human throughout the movie.
I also liked that fleur was not a typical "scary" ghost that we would think of but rather one that was accepted by her worldly beings (i forgot their names).
Delete“Rouge” has a very unpractical plot about how a handsome rich and young 2nd generation fell in love with a prostitute. Not only was the love between nobility and prostitute forbidden back in that time, but also Fleur “Ru Hua” came back to scene as a ghost which makes the movie even more questionable. However, I have to admit that this uncommon almost fantasy like romance plot is what attracts people.
ReplyDeleteA scene left me some impression was that when Fleur kept Master 12 waiting for her for periods of long time, and master 12 said that you girls like to keep clients waiting. I could understand how these girls live in a circumstance which they cannot refuse to do something they do not want to for making money. Keeping clients await for them is the only way to retain their dignity. It’s not like the movie “goddess” where the female protagonist had to make money to feed her child. Sometime it is just uneasy for people to get out of a vicious cycle.
To be honest, this is my least favorite film so far, although we have only watched three movie films in this class. Leslie Zhang, who performed as Master 12 in the movie, is one of the most famous and influential Chinese artist even after his mysterious death in 2003. However, I couldn’t see any play that differentiates him as an actor from other movie actors from this movie.
that is an interesting theory the scene where she kept him waiting was confusing me, because that would mean time wasted and money lost
DeleteMy understanding of she kept him waiting is to play with him apparently but to think it deeply, as Master 12 said, those girls all like to do it to their clients.
DeleteThis is a good film.First of all, from the introduction to start,Fifty years ago, she was a prostitute flowery red card Shek Tong Tsui, Hong Kong. Brothels in that world, she fell in love called twelve little dude Chan Chun Pong, and talk about the matter of marriage. Because the poor status, marriage was Chen opposition. Not for the twelve little family, twelve small detachment from family and flowery cohabitation, the two tokens to Rouge, decided to work together swallowed opium Love. Blossoming in to the government waited five years is still not seen twelve small, only to find yang.
ReplyDeleteThen,Just started watching this movie, i were hooked. Beginning of the story is a study on three sobbing, weeping and complaining. Doomed, it will be a powerless elegy.
By the way,Hong Kong thirties, decadent and gorgeous. Feasting, complains endlessly. He first saw her, as it is the silly. One is dude, experienced man. One is the brothel woman, eolian beauty. After a few rounds, she was lying down.
But overall this movie is boring for my feelings, because in each story is so old-fashioned and absurd, it may be because of my age, but nothing wrong with that interpretation of the actor and actress is very gorgeous,.Especially Anita, ,she is very stick.
So, All in all, through the actor's favorite, so like the movie.
I too thought the film was boring. I liked it in the sense that I felt that it had more of a plot than the other two films, but I found it hard to stay on my toes and keep wondering what was going to come next. I feel like if the director had given more of a story to the other characters that the film would have been more interesting.
DeleteStanley Kwan’s “Rouge” was a Romeo and Juliet-esque tragedy about two lovers who fall in love and commit suicide because of the disapproval of families. However, the 12th Young Master survives and ends up not meeting his lover, Fleur, in the afterlife. So Fleur returns to the surface in order to try to find him.
ReplyDeleteI found the constant change from present to past a bit annoying and hard to follow. There were times when I didn’t even know that it was a flashback which left me very confused as to what was happening. Other than that I thought that the use of the eerie music helped set the mood of the film. I thought it was both frightening and mysterious at the sometime which accompanies the situation of Fleur, how she is a ghost trying to figure out what happened to her lover.
I also like to talk about the eerie music that was used in the film. First of all, I think it is not a horror movie. Using such kind of music repeatedly ruined the romantic theme of the movie. Secondly, flashing back and forth is truly confusing to me even as a Chinese student.
DeleteI agree that eerie music helps set the mood. I could close my eyes, and the music would be able to tell me if the movie was going through another flashback or was during present when she's a ghost. The music added with the lighting made the mood even creepier. I agree that the switching back and forth was annoying.
DeleteThe switching back and forth could have especially been handled better, I agree. The film assumes you are following along, and by the time you pick up on the time period switch, the intended effect will have worn out. There needs to be a better way to contrast between in the two periods, or make each shift stand out for the sake of clarity.
DeleteI agree that the music ruined the romance. It definitely changed the genre of the film. Without the music, I could see this being a romance film, but with it, it definitely makes the film scarier.
DeleteThroughout the movie, "Rouge," the director makes an earnest effort to transition smoothly from one scene to the next through the use of music. For example, when the ghost follows the main male character to the diner, the ghost asks the male character for money to pay for a reading. Throughout the course of this reading, music begins to play, and the scene then transitions to the male character and the ghost riding together on the bus.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to easing transitions, the music also added a more dramatic effect to different scenes. For example, the director used music when the ghost had flashbacks from her previous life. He also used music when the ghost began to bite into the apple and blood began to drip out of her mouth. This added a lot of drama to the scene as it made the audience realize the woman was indeed a ghost. She was not lying about her identity.