 |
| Eat Drink Man Woman, dir. Ang LEE, 1994 |
I am making this post available as an extra credit opportunity, as the film and its director for the coming week are too good to be missing out from our online discussion! You can certainly focus on this week's film for your midterm paper and combine the two tasks more effectively to receive credit for your paper and extra credit for film and reading response.
Please read the Ang LEE interview from Speaking in Images before responding to the film East Drink Man Woman. Use textual and visual evidence from the reading and the film to support your specific argument about the film. Due Monday October 14 by 10 pm for one extra credit.
When I first look at the title of this movie, I thought the movie talks about food. However, when I actually sit down and watched movie, I was impressed by the movie, because the movie talks about families from women's lives through the life of an old cook and his 3 daughters.
ReplyDeleteZhu(the cook)'s wife passed away earlier, and the 3 duaghters are old enough to live their own lives, so the only time that the whole family can sit down and talk together is every Sunday at dinner. However, they dont seem that they have a lot to talk about, because in my opinion, all the three daughters are worried about their marrige. after two duahgters moving out with their boyfriends, and the death of an old friend, Zhu realizes that life is short, so he gathers the family together again, telling everyone that he wants to sell the house and live with a young woman in the nribouhood. this is the time that the family falls apart.
I think it is a great movie because it connects every characters by food, and it makes us think a lot after watching it.
In my opinion, I think the first thing that the movie tells us is to stay close to our family and close friends, because life is short, and we will never know what is going to happen in the next second, so we must cherrish what we have, I learn this from the part when Zhu's old friend died.
The reason why I said that the movie talks about family from women's lives is because the most part of the movie talks about different lives of the three daughters. I would like to talk about the youngest daughter first. She falls in love with her friend's ex-boyfriend, and she is pregnat with his kid, so she moved out. Then the oldest daughter, she is a teacher, who was hurt by her boyfriend in college, and it is hard for her to fall in love again, however, she falls in love with a new teacher at the school and moves out of the family immediately. However, the second daughter is the one who knows love better than the other two, and everybody think that she would be the first one to move out and get married, but because of work, and the problem of her new house, she stays at the end of the movie.
In the movie, the most remarkable line is that when Zhu gathers the family, and he said:''Life is not like cooking, you cannot just put everything you need together, and then start cooking", I think the movie is trying to tell us that we need to have plan of our life, and we need to have a correct order on what we need to do, or our life will be messed up.
I really like that you mentioned the quote at the end of the movie. I forgot about this quote and agree that it is significant not only in the context of this film, but also in our lives. It's possible that the director was trying to communicate to the audience that you need to have a plan in life, but it is also possible that he was trying to say that just because you have a plan, it doesn't mean that your plan is what is necessarily going to happen. You can have all of the ingredients ready and the right pots and pans and oven, but things can still go awry, sometimes for the better, and sometimes for the worse.
DeleteI agree with your point of view, I believe that life should have a complete plan, or it will mess.
DeleteSame to you! I also thought this is the movie about food. It is a good point to combine the food and family. Cause Chinese weight food as an important in the daily life, so is family.
DeleteThis is a good movie about family love and sweet love. Why do I say so? In the movie, the “eat”, this part is pointing to the family love, in another part.” Man and women” means love. In the film, the father of Zhu(Lang Xiong) and Jin Rong (Zhang Aijia), they decided to get married, beside Lei Guiya use Hunan words to match them thus to created a number of comedy, there is the lack of sufficient bedding and rationality. But, the three daughter’s, in the Zhu, marriage can vividly demonstrated a variety of common love, this is the most story that let me admire.
ReplyDeleteBut, especially I want to talk about second daughter(Jiaqian). In the beginning, She is going to hold oneself back out intensely.Because she would brook no further delay and spend her life savings to buy the house, and she declare she left home to move to another place in haste. But when she experienced a sudden departure of uncle Wen, and caught father Zhu wearing white gowns to have physical examination alone in the hospital ,then see father Zhu, a person holding a test report ,and after hearing the doctor goes to press the elevator alone time, she is guilty. From that time, She began to pay attention to the details of the old life. In the later, she and her sister are to resolve the conflict of the heart. Then, when she thought that a ridiculous story of her experienced is enough, and to found once trusted "friend" is so disgusting, I can understand what she walked out of the door be confound ,and vomiting with three. Young sister moved away duo to child, and old sister finally form escape marriage also hurried move home. This confounded all omnidirectional she hit from time to time, perhaps she understood that she should stay, she has the responsibility to take care of father Zhu.
The second is said to be a typical has the most modern representative, on one hand they are independent, whether economic or feelings, and on the other hand the seemingly strange father started the helpless psychology. First they would every night to drink coffee at the computer to do never end copywriting program is not willing to accompany father together eat meal. But they're not filial, has been in an awkward position in the emotion between. In fact, she can also be said that the second is representative of most normal people's psychological expected activity.
Fortunately, at last, in the thought and understand all then return to the embrace of one's family
Family is definitely a key theme. I did not expect the father to end up with the girl that he did end up with in the end. She was so much younger than him, and none of the daughters agreed with his decision. I wonder if this influenced the family dynamic later in their lives, especially for the daughter who didn't get married. I wasn't sure why the director had the father end up with this girl.
DeleteI am also affected by the screen when the second daughter saw her father in the hospital. I believed it would be some bad news happen, but it did not. The happy ending with old father got his new family surprised me. Family is important for everyone and especially for old people. They want to get together with family and talk with each other frequently.
DeleteA veritable smorgasbord of all the things that make life worthwhile, including good friendship, love, food and sex, can be found in Ang Lee's `Eat, Drink, Man, Woman,' the story of a widower who has raised three daughters on his own, and now that they are grown is ready to move on with his life. Chu (Sihung Lung), a celebrated chef who runs the kitchen of a huge restaurant, finds himself at an impasse however; his daughters, Jia-Jen (Kuei-Mei Yang), the eldest, a teacher, Jia-Chen (Chien-lien Wu), his second, an airline executive, and Jia-Ning (Yu-Wen Wang), the youngest, who works at a fast food restaurant, all still live with their father, and though they are adults (all in their twenties), he feels responsible for them, as they are still under his roof. They, on the other hand, feel responsible for him; he'll soon be retired, and they fear age is catching up with him. And it makes them each, in turn, think twice about career opportunities and any romantic entanglements that may appear on the horizon. it's a situation they all realize is not conducive to a happy, fulfilling and fully functional family life; the love is there, but it's seasoned with frustration, and no one seems to know what to do about it.
ReplyDeleteLee has crafted and delivered a complex, involving film, laced with poignancy and humor that deals with the kinds of problems most people face during the course of their lives. And, of course, there's the love, the many faces of which are all explored here. Food is the metaphor; Chu sets his table with a variety of tantalizing and exotic offerings, even as the table of life is set with like fare, and once set, it is up to the individual to sample what they will. Fittingly, it is at the dinner table that many of the meaningful events in the lives of the family members are revealed. Working from a screenplay written by Lee, James Schamus and Hui-Ling Wang, Lee uses the intricate emotional weave of the story to optimum effect with his ability to illuminate the sensibilities of his characters, and that he does it so well demonstrates the depth of his own insight into human nature. And that he can so proficiently transfer the emotions of the written page to the screen demonstrates his mastery of the art of film directing. As he proves with this film (as with films like `The Ice Storm' and `Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'), he is simply one of the best directors in the business.
Lee's unique touch is also felt in the performances he exacts from his actors, a number of which are outstanding in this film, beginning with Lung, who brings Chu so credibly to life. Wang, Wu and Yang are also exemplary in their portrayals of Chu's daughters. To their credit-- as well as Lee's-- there's not a false moment to be found in their performances, all of which stand up to even the closest scrutiny. These are all very real people in a very real setting, which enables the audience to identify and relate to the characters and their story, assuring that connection which makes this film such a satisfying experience.
I enjoyed the last paragraph, and I completely agree in regards to the quality of acting. This, to me, was by far the most authentic film we've seen yet. "not a false moment to be found." - my favorite line from your response.
DeleteThe movie “Eat drink Man Woman” was directed in 1994, the movie tells a story of family. The old Zhu is a good chef in Taipei, but after his wife death, he needs to shoulder the responsibility of raise his three daughters, and his three daughters have more rebellious character. As his the daughter grew up, the old Zhu feel powerless. For example he lost his sense of taste and makes his peers have to think he is old already. However his professional cooking is still maintained the family harmony. The dinner has become the only time of family communication. So we maybe think this time should be enjoyable, but due to his daughter’s “announced” make every dinner was surprise, such as his third daughter was unmarried pregnant, his second daughters was investment failure and his first daughter married. All this makes old Zhu very helpless, at last he just stay in the empty house. However the story experienced turning point changes, the old Zhu decide marry to JinRong(The friend of old Zhu’s daughters), it is really unbelievable! All in all, the JinRong was young than old Zhu many decade. Finally, the big family of imminent collapse was reunion again
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the film shows the director Ang Lee “sly humor” The film shows Ang Lee sly humor. Because there is no grand scenes, no complicated plot and interpersonal relationship, no ups and downs, full of suspense story. Some just ordinary mortal life and basic life demands, namely: “Eat drink Man Woman” The characters have their own personalities in the movie. I think the old Zhu is a person of silent and reserved, He loved his three daughters, but do not know how to express, every weekend he try his best to do cuisine, but the people of eat have each bosom worry, although they sit around table, but the heart was full of estrangement. he is immersed in cooking, but not taste; in that the old house of filled with memories , but it is difficult to find back the old family; he longed for his new life, but due to the children, not the pursuit of - he was trapped in his own world, both active and passive self sealing bearing. The third daughter she is easygoing and lively, so look at the situation, her sister is much young than other sisters, when the each of the two sisters was dispute, have her reconcile: "stop it", but she is not short of his mind, know how to fight for their own well-being. I think her that sentence classic and useful: "true love, with a person of concern you. This can allow you to express the inner feelings, beside her; you can take one's ease to think about anything." Finally at the end of the film is happy and harmonious: Old Zhu was move into a new house, he will have another child; eldest daughter’s husband be baptized and become a Christian; the youngest daughter gave birth to children; the second daughter was gone to Amsterdam, also become the master of the old house. The old Zhu find his taste, in my opinion the symbol of he is savor the taste of life. I think, perhaps Ang Lee is trying to tell us, life’s changed, radical or conservative is the there are both have advantages and disadvantages. The people of radical are easily meet setbacks and will hurt; and the people of conservative, even they can protect themselves from injury, but also easy to miss some interesting thing, so that lost the taste of life. That is life, such as the dishes on the table, filled with the taste of sour, sweet, bitter, hot. Everyone trapped in their maze, only by constantly search for it; that destined to find export in one day.
The film "East Drink Man Woman" told a story of a chef's family, his three daughters and neighbors. When the chef Zhu got retired, he cooked large dishes every week for his daughters. But when the daughters grew up, they do not want to stay at home. They've got their ow lives, loves and careers. Zhu's old friend's death, the lost of taste made things worse. So Zhu's daughters want to search a mate for him. However, to everyone's surprise, Zhu found the girl in his neighbour and she is the classmate of the second daughter.
ReplyDeleteAt first, I thought this is a documentary like " A bite of China," but when I finished the film, I know this is not only the food, it is also the family. Chinese family is quite different from America. They weight family as the most important thing, especially for the seniors. Chef Zhu just represented most elders in China, cooking for their children and waiting for them to get back. But at last, he decided to live for himself and want to marry the neighbour daughter. It quite surprised me cause it is kind of out of frame. I guess that is the style of Ann Lee. He has the reflection from the traditional culture but also got the influence from the western world. That is why both of kinds of the audiences like him. Also the neighbor ship is also a good idea to talk about. The neighbor once be regarded as another important thing in Chinese style life. But for now it seems to be more unkind and hard to keep, which is unfortunate.
When I watched this film, I also thought it was about cooking, But after, I have a strong feeling about the family and relationship that are important about everyone, especially in China. At the beginning, Mr.Chu had a Chinese style life, but later, I believe he did something to change his boring life. He had young wife and new family. Everyone has the right to have his new life no matter old or young people.
DeleteI really enjoyed this movie. It was an easy film to watch in comparison to "Once Upon a Time in China" and "Rouge." You didn't have to concentrate very hard or know much about the historical background of China in order to understand the movie, which makes the film relatable to a larger audience.
ReplyDeleteI'm not quite sure what the moral of the story was or what argument the director was trying to make. I feel as though the director was trying to communicate to the viewers that in order to be a successful woman, you need to be married and have children. I felt this way because even though one of the daughters was extremely successful with her career in a field full of predominantly men, the character still seemed dissatisfied and struggled with her decision to go to Amsterdam because she didn't want to miss out on meeting someone she might marry. The film was portrayed in such a way that happiness came through marriage. There was a clear change in mood when each of the daughters got married. They went from mopey, house-ridden daughters to brave, cheerful wives.
I personally know that I will not be happy if I am single my whole life, but I know that there are some women who are fine without a man.
I think this film, the director would like to say is: First of all, this is a very close to life story, the story of the bloody scene without violence, but ordinary family problems. Then, the film tells us that everything in life is not satisfactory, thin taste of life, is the true meaning of life.
DeleteI agree with Chao Guo, the film is not about being happy all of the time, but enjoying the "taste" of life. In the end, the Uncle didn't enjoy his daughter's soup, but he was relieved that he could finally taste again. I think the film represented the belief that life may not always taste good, but the hardships never last, and love is what helps us through.
DeleteImpressed by "the film tells us that everything in life is not satisfactory, thin taste of life, is the true meaning of life." The taste of life is also complex, like sweet, sour, bit, hot...
DeleteI think this is a strange movie, movie personalities undergoing a contrast. Start of the film, we can see an old man busy doing a table meal. In fact, the first time to see this movie, I think the old man is open a restaurant owner, because he has done this table with food is really too rich. Then we saw a scene of people eating together, which has three daughters and a father. With movie playback, we can know that in this house, everyone has their own thoughts. Degradation father's taste, but there was a contradiction with her daughter. Eldest daughter's character closed, afraid to express their love. Two daughters bent to leave the house, you can not get along with his father. Three daughters to find ways to have a girlfriend and a boy together. In the film's end, everyone has changed.
ReplyDeleteThe film has a made me feel very funny episode, the last time the whole family together to eat, I think the old man will be announced and there was an old woman get married, but the story did the old man and the old woman's daughter married. This is what I did not expect, and I think this movie fun part.
I think the beginning of the movie is interesting. It does a good job at pinpointing who this character is as he spends a lot of time cooking a huge meal. And it looks complicated so that tells us that he's very experienced. I too assumed that he was a chef at a restaurant of owned his own.
DeleteAng Lee is a famous director not just in Chinese but also worldwide. He has lots of well-known films but the film we watched this week, Eat Drink Man Woman is one of his earliest three films made in Taiwan when he was young and had not enough experience about making films. But he succeeded in Eat Drink Man Woman, because he put himself in this film. Form his personal life experience, before he became a director, he could not get a good job in movie factory and all he did was cooking at home for his family. As we all say, one stronger person in one field, he/she also can be stronger in another field if he/she tries. So, Ang Lee was very good at cooking and his mother-in-law suggested he run a restaurant. That was ridiculous and insinuative for him because he had a big dream to be an international famous director. After that, he started his films. Eat Drink Man Woman’s leading role, Mr. Chu is a chef and some cooking skills from Ang Lee. Like Mr. Chu said “Life should not be like cooking: you need to wait until all ingredients are prepared”, it is what Ang Lee’s thought.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the film, Mr. Chu retired and had nothing to do. His only jobs was cooking for his three daughters but all three of them had their own works and jobs to do and had not enough time to care their father. As a traditional Chinese old father without spouse, Mr. Chu was very lonely and he was not happy anymore. This screen is always happening in real Chinese family, when the old people retired and young people are busy on working. But in Ang Lee’s film, the final result changed. Mr. Chu had his one new family and new life; because he married a young lady he loved. He began put most of his love on her young wife instead of being disappointed on his three busy daughters. This change is what I believe Ang Lee want audience to know and think about the truth.
In China, old people want to live with their big family, talk with children frequently and they do not have their own lives after retired. But now, time changes and lots of old people would like to travel outside, make new friends with similar age and have fun with new friends. This is Ang Lee’s point and it is common in most other country.
I find your last paragraph interesting. I agree that after people retire, they want to keep in contact with their family, especially children, so that they are not alone. I think this is true for people all around the world, not just one country. While I agree that things have changed and older people want to make new friends and have their own life, I think they still want to keep in contact with their kids and have a close relationship. Interest point!
DeleteI really enjoyed this movie. It kept me entranced the entire time, and the ending nearly knocked me out of my chair. It’s not easy weaving several different storylines together to create something simple and beautiful, and that is what Mr. Lee has accomplished. The opening scene, with Uncle Chu preparing a delicious meal, is simply brilliant. With lethal efficiency, Uncle Chu has created a spectacular meal, with not one ounce of energy wasted, and not one move out of place. The sound is what really captures me during that opening scene.
ReplyDeleteFrom the interview, it seems that the Uncle Chu character was influenced by Ang Lee’s own father growing up. He states, “My mother was very nice, but I was raised under that patriarchal shadow, that casts a lot of influence.”
Uncle Chu casts this very same patriarchal shadow that Mr. Lee speaks of, and he is tough on his daughters. Each character seems to have a longing to be loved, to feel tenderness, and to be wanted. They are all single, and appear miserable at first. Throughout the movie, each one finds somebody (except for Jia-Chen) that they truly care about. Now, let me say that I was not expecting Uncle Chu to fall in love with Jin-Rong, but in retrospect it makes complete sense, seeing as he was trying to improve his “sexual prowess” during the movie (except I did think it was a bit strange that old Uncle Chu would still have a child).
The ending was simple and powerful, and everybody’s balance was restored when they found true happiness. Jia-Chen may not have found a partner, but her relationship with her sisters and her father had finally been amended, and she finds peace in this.
I enjoyed this movie. It was my second favorite film we watched (The Killer being number 1). I found it interesting how food was used for the father to connect with his daughters and to stay in their lives. It seemed as the only thing holding them all together was the weekly dinners on Sunday. He even brings the little girl lunch to her school because she didn't have anything. It's as if that's the only way he knows how to connect with people: because it's all he knows.
ReplyDeleteThe title itself is perfect. As it is said in the movie, eating, drinking, women, and men are the four major desires for people. And the movie proves that this is true (except with Jia-Chen. She doesn't desire a man like her other sisters. I found this film really interesting, and even funny at times. It reminded me of a movie that one would see here in America. That's interesting because it shows how two different cultures have similar film ideas.
Having recently studied this movie in depth for a language assessment, and being Chinese myself, I found this movie entertaining and thought provoking. Ang Lee, using food as a metaphor, created an environment filled with tension, love and emotions. Tastebuds, basically, represents happiness, and when the father lost his taste buds, he lost his happiness in life. Especially since his spouse died when she was young and a great friend of his died of a heart attack. He and his daughters use their Sunday "torture" dinners to communicate with each other and to exchange emotions and feelings.
ReplyDeleteGreat movie, great actor and great director.