Comical Trauma response
Please discuss and compare the comical elements in Devils on the Doorstep and The Marriage of Young Blacky. According to the readings, how did the 2000 film approach trauma in a comical way? And how did the 1943 story presenting the comical amidst ongoing historical trauma? What do these two visual and textual examples tell us about its director JIANG Wen and writer ZHAO Shuli as unique popular cultural phenomena in their respective times? Use quotes with page numbers from the two readings to support your response. Due Wednesday February 26 by 10 pm; comments to two other responses due the same day by 11:59 pm. I look forward to your responses!
According to the first reading, the 2000 film guizi laile approached trauma in a comical way by portraying the peasants in a humorous, bumbling fashion. (page 111) Another good example of how this movie approached trauma in a comical way was the one situation with the Japanese soldier and the translator. I suppose the reason that the director Jiang Wen was a unique popular cultural phenomena was because he took an evenhanded approach in his portrayal of chinese and japanese people in his works, thus his works presumably felt less like propaganda to the audience and more like art.
ReplyDeleteIn the second reading, the story addresses antiquated superstitions and mores through the use of social ridicule. This is seen how the characters Liu the sage and three fairy are continually ridiculed throughout the story for their seemingly unreasonable and unbecoming behaviors. (page 525) I think that the fact that Zhao Shuli was seen as a unique popular cultural phenomena at the time was because that author gave a message to the masses which they were perhaps seeking out/very receptive to. The message was that of liberating oneself and society as a whole from pointless vanity and superstition.
I agree with your point of view, the director Jiang Wen use a humor way to show the ldialogue in the movie, he use a comedy way to show the tragic story.
DeleteI also thought that Zhao Shuli's popularity had a lot to do with the fact that he was telling his younger audience exactly what they wanted to hear.
DeleteThe story describes the conflict between the superstitious old generation and the young generation seeking for freedom, which was a common problem at that time. I agree with you that the target readers were the young generation.
DeleteIn the 2000 film Guizi Laile, Jiang Wen makes commentary on the traumatic events of the anti-Japanese war through the use of comedy. The biggest comedic aspect of the movie is the “buffoon-like villagers” (pg. 107). It is the exaggerated panic and bumbling way of dealing with the Japanese prisoner that makes the film comic. The interrogation scene is an example of this. The villagers start asking the prisoners questions and then realize they weren’t talking because they had forgotten to take out their gags and the Chinese translator purposely mistranslates the Japanese soldier’s pleas to kill him into pleas to not kill him.
ReplyDeleteIn the story The Marriage of Young Blacky, Zhao Shuli satirizes traditional ideals. He pokes fun at traditions in mysticism and astrology through the buffoon-like caricatures of the parents of Young Blacky and Qin. Young Blacky’s father, Liu, is unable to make accurate predictions and is ridiculed for it. When describing Qin’s mother, Third Fairy, making predictions, Zhao says she “claimed to be a heavenly spirit” and that she “pretended” to channel the spirit. Anything resembling the old traditions was portrayed in a very comedic light.
These examples of popular culture tell us that both Jiang Wen and Zhao Shuli wanted to make social criticisms and did so through the use of comedy. They focused on individuals and their lives in a light and enjoyable media. Instead of merely voicing their opinions and being outright with their criticisms and attacks on society, they present their arguments in stories that focus on the characters so that they are not so aggressive. I’ve heard it said that comedians hold a special place in society because they are the only ones who can openly comment and question society because they do so through comedy.
I think in the film The Marriage of Young Blacky is full of a lot of superstition, which is characteristic of the culture China on that time.
DeleteI agree with your idea that instead of attacking the governmental powers directly, Jiang Wen used the comedic absurdity to subtly critique the old propaganda movies. People may ignore criticism in their bias if they feel threatened. But if the story instead shows the foolishness of the characters and the societal forces they represent, readers may be lulled into agreeing with the inherent criticism of the characters. It is hard to consciously disagree when one is laughing in agreement.
DeleteI really like your viewpoint of the two articles. It is true that comedians are the only ones who can truly get way with having an opinion in society, without having to endure harsh criticism.
DeleteIn the first article we learned of Jiang Wen's film the Devils on the Doorstep. The article mentioned the film is based on Long Fengwei's novel "Sheng Cun". In this story about such: Jiang Wen plays Ma Dasan, a farmer, living in a village. One night, some people gave two Japanese prisoners to him, since then, the village has a series of problems. At the end of the film, the Japanese kill the people who were living in this village, Ma Dasan wanted to revenge, finally died in the Japanese sword. In fact, the film tells the story of the war of resistance against Japan at the end of the story, the story wanted to tell us the old Chinese were pedantries and ignorance. In the page 110 "Jiang was influenced by their use of black and white photography." at the end of the film Jiang Wen is keen to highlight the color of blood so that the whole film is made into a black and white movie. I think he is very significant. I think this movie use people dialogue with comedy techniques, so to achieve the effect of the tragedy.
ReplyDeleteIn the second article, we know that The Marriage of Young Blacky. In fact, I think the story is a story around the traditional feudal superstition and Chinese old age. At page 517, the Young Blacky said: "I asked a comrade in the district government. He said any boy and girl who want to get married can go to the district office and register. No one can stop them." in this sentence, we can see that they are a longing for freedom of marriage, at the same time, we also know that they for a revolt against the traditional culture at the time.
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DeleteYea that's good to point out, that Jiang's comic success in this film is largely through dialogue.
DeleteI like hwo you analize the end of the movie.(red sorghum)
Deleteyeah, its a good point to remember what time period little blacky took place in, I think during that time period culture was definitely constricted by traditional mores.
DeleteThe 2000 film approached trauma in a comical way by means of the captured soldier and the translator. The movie is a direct response to the black and white propaganda the director saw as a child. The chinese translator purposefully mistranslated the japanese soldier so as not to incur the wrath of the villagers and gain their sympathy. The villagers are given a task to interrogate the soldiers but are provincial and have very little experience. Their ignorance combined with the interplay of the soldiers helps to highlight the absurdity of the time. (p3) Both the content and tone of Guizi Laile are very different from the films about the anti-Japanese war made during the early years of Communist China. His film is neither a standard war film of epic battle scenes, nor a work touched by the unambiguous certainties of Socialist Realism, but concentrates instead on the quotidian struggles of a group of Chinese peasants. Jiang has criticized some Chinese films for being slow and full of beautiful women and beautiful costume, “to the extent that once you’ve peeled away all the packaging, there’s nothing left inside.” (p5)
ReplyDeleteThe 1943 story presented the comical amidst ongoing historical trauma by the actions of the parents. The father is an astrologer and the mother is a mystic. Their machinations and plans to marry off the daughter to a japanese officer provide for most of the comedy. These two ridiculous figures represent the old traditional china and are thwarted by the appearance of communist officials who embody the new progressive china. The victory of the young progressives over the old superstitious villagers and japanese invaders foreshadows the actual events of Chinese history.
Director JIANG Wen is a unique popular cultural phenomena as actor and director because he “sought to move away from the simplistic conventions of Socialist Realist film-making, adopting a more challenging approach to a subject that remains all too sensitive in China.” Writer ZHAO Shuli is a unique popular cultural phenomena in that his works signified the break from the old traditional values into a new literary atmosphere marked by Chinese nationalism.
I really liked how Jiang Wen chose to focus on how the anti-Japanese war effected the peasants. I like being able to see his portrayal of the every-day people's reaction to the tragedy.
Deleteyou made a great point and I think Jiangwen is the best
DeleteI agree with you. Jiang Wen chose a different angle of view portraying his idea towards the Sino-Japanese War. Compared with the other films on the same topic, Guizi Laile causes the audience to think deeply about the war and humanity while laughing.
DeleteI think I agree that sometimes we need to laugh a bit at our past but when something is still so traumatic and fresh on the minds of the people, I can see where it would be very inappropriate in their minds. Kind of like Inglorious Basterds, while a complete farce, is hilarious and untrue but pokes a little fun at the war. It can be taken as an affront or as just a silly comedy. I choose to believe both Devils on the Doorstep and Inglorious Basterds as just silly movies that are well made and do say something about our past but also tell us that it is okay to laugh a little at ourselves to lighten the mood even a bit while still staying true to the victims of the tragedy.
DeleteI think Jiang Wen is a good director, his films always have metaphors about the social facts in humorous technique of expression. I also think the content and tone of Guizi Laile are very different from the earlier and later films about the anti-Japanese war made in China.
DeleteMaybe Jiang Wen was not wanting us to laugh at the traumatic experience (at least I hope not) but rather the comedy placed us in a different atmosphere so that people will begin talking about it. Sometimes it is hard to dig up old wounds but if we pretend those events and feelings do not exist, history is bound to repeat itself. People may have been uncomfortable with how the film is presented but at least they acknowledged to themselves why such a traumatic event is important to be respected and remembered
DeleteThe 2000 film, Guizi Laile, used comedy as a way to soften the overlying tragedy. The main way this was achieved was by the portrayal of the peasants. The film depicted the peasants as humorously doltish and seemingly untouched by most of the war (pg. 111). To me it seems that the reason for Jiang Wen’s popularity through this film was due to how he chose to portray such a sensitive subject. The comedy used in the film softened the tragedy just enough to make it palatable even to audiences who may have a real connection to the story.
ReplyDeleteThe 1943 story is a superstition-themed satire that focuses on outdated traditions. Zhao Shuli ridicules both mysticism and astrology through the characters of Liu and Third Fairy. The author humorously emphasizes the fraud of the two mystics by coining phrases for each of their failures (pg.507)—these phrases being “Is the rice overdone?” and “Not right for sowing.” The story constantly makes fun of Liu and Third Fairy’s superstitions and traditions, showing just how silly and outdated they are. I think the reason that Zhao Shuli was seen as a popular culture phenomenon was both due to his timing and his message. He wrote this story during a time when people were becoming more independent and less superstitious. Consequently, Zhao Shuli’s message about the value of personal freedom over outdated traditions fell on very receptive ears.
"The comedy used in the film softened the tragedy just enough to make it palatable even to audiences who may have a real connection to the story."
DeleteI agree with you here. It would be interesting to listen to the critique from one who has a real connection to these events and has seen the film.
I completely agree with what you said on how he depicted the peasants as humorous. I too think that the popularity of his film was due to how he chose to portray sensitive subjects
DeleteI like your response about Guizi Laile. And I also think he chose to portray such a sensitive subject is a reason for his film popularity, but I think the most important reason for it is his used many comedies and ridiculous plots to play the tragedy and serious and sensitive history.
DeleteBased on the article discussing Guize Laile I can understand the perspective of Jiang Wen's critics, thinking the film altogether too comical while depicting Chinese as “ignorant fools” in addition to the Film Bureau claiming it as “insufficiently patriotic” and distorting China’s history. World War 2 is only sixty years gone and sensitivity in any direction has not wholly dissipated but Jiang Wen's success should be partly contributed to the story's unique perspective and comic sensibility. It is refreshing and new yet losing none of that time's reality. And Guize Laile seems to follow a trend within Jiang's directorship as the author points out of another movie that “Rather than presenting stock images of a traumatized nation, Jiang’s film is a rites of passage story told by a middle-aged man looking back nostalgically at an adolescence largely unfettered by normal forms of social control. By challenging the accepted picture of the Cultural Revolution, Jiang Wen played with notions of individual and collective history, redefining memory, in Braester’s words, ‘as yet another form of myth-making’” (pg 3).
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement about WWII, any time there can be a story about the differences between China and Japan, or to poke fun at the two states.
DeleteSomeone usually jumps at the opportunity to talk about the two states in a comical, or gruesome way.
I think thats a good point that you bring up, with how individual and collective history really is a key component of the collective social memory.
DeleteJiang Wen uses the film "Devils on the Doorstep" to poke fun at the relationship between China and Japan.This film is related to the anti-Japanese war films during the time. "Jiang’s film is a rites of passage story told by a middle-aged man looking back nostalgically at an adolescence largely unfettered by normal forms of social control" (p. 109, Ward). Jiang makes his film in black in white so the importance of the story is told, instead of the focus being on minuscule factors like what the people look like, and the clothes they wear. He uses two characters to approach trauma in a comical way in the beginning of the film. When Dong Hanchen is translating Japanese into Chinese for Hanaya in front of villagers. Wen uses comedy by having Dong say different things instead of what Hanaya is truly saying.
ReplyDeleteThe story 'The Marriage of Young Blacky' depicted historical accounts of Chinese culture with superstition and tradition. Zhao Shuli makes fun of superstition, and arranged marriage. Young Blacky's father Liu Sage avidly believed in horoscopes. He believed that Qin and Young Blacky's horoscope did not match, so he tried to pull the two apart. The story was told in a comical way, where Young Blacky was after the "pretty" girl in the area. Qin's mother, Third Fairy was jealous of her daughter, and despised the fact that all the young men were after her. So, Third Fairy tried to get rid of her daughter by arranging a marriage for her with Wu. This story was popular during the time because a lot of children were dealing with arranged marriages. Young Blacky and Qin broke the stereotype by pursuing a marriage together that they wanted, instead of doing what their parents wanted for them.
Jiang wen has always been one of my famous actors in CHina, all the movies that he performed in or direced are very interesting, a lot o his films are comedies, owever, when we have watched them, they make us think.
ReplyDeletethe film Red Sorghum talks about how Chinese people fight with the Japanese, however, the beginning of the film does not lead the audience to think that way, the beginnning of the film is a funny and happy wedding scence, nobody is ever going to think this is a film about wars.
For the anti-Japan war, I am from Nanjing, I knwo this period of history, Id say that, I understand, and I respect diffenret cultures, and I also know that there is always killing in the wars, however, what I do not like about Japanese now is that they refused to admit that they have done this, there were 300000 people killed in one week when they came to my city, and you can still find all the names of the people that were killed in the museum in Nanjing. But the Japanese people refused to admit and they changed histoy in their books for shcool, teaching their kids that they did not do such a thing.
I agree with what you said about the stories taking unexpected turns and going into directions that the audiences couldn't believe would happen at the beginning.
DeleteIn the first reading, the 2000 film Guizi Laile is looked at a tragedy viewed in a comical way. There is a scene that depicts the comedy where there is a Chinese man and a Japanese man that have been captured. They comedy is showed when the Japanese man says he wants to die and the Chinese man translates it for the Chinese men as he doesn’t want to die. Everything the Japanese man says, the Chinese man says the opposite. “Music is also used as a means of enhancing the atmosphere of Guizi
ReplyDeleteLaile. Following its initial use over the opening credits, the jaunty Japanese
naval tune is heard several more times in the course of the film” (pg. 112). Jiang criticized some Chinese films to be slow and full of beautiful women and costumes. This heavily influenced him to film the movie in black and white (pg. 110).
In the second reading, the 1943 story is based on superstition and satire on old Chinese ways. Zhao Shuli makes fun of arrange marriages and Liu and Third Fairy’s superstitions and traditions. He does this to show that these views are ridiculous and are outdated in today’s society. "I asked a comrade in the district government. He said any boy and girl who want to get married can go to the district office and register. No one can stop them." (pg. 517). This shows that he doesn’t believe in arrange marriages and that we are free to marry whom every we want to.
The fact that the traditions are outdated is true. I think we see a lot of people poking fun at old traditions or old ways of doing things, especially when as a society we see these changes.
DeleteI liked how you mentioned the music in Guizi Laile. It definitely adds to the comedic affect. I also agree that the 1943 story is a satire on old Chinese superstitions.
DeleteIt is strange how people laugh at the "old ways" but it is those beliefs that gives the reality we live in a sense of mysticism.
Deleteit was the 1st time i watch that film in the class on Tuesday, it is really funny that the Chinese translator translate thing which does not the exactly mean of the Japanese said,which reminds me an old Chinese saying"答非所问"
DeleteDevils on the Door Step and The Marriage of the Young Blacky use comical elements that focus on social stereotypes in order to present the trauma of the Japanese War in Chinese history. On page 107, we gain an understanding of Jiang Wen’s perspective of how the black and white film played a crucial role for his appreciation in being a director. Jiang Wen literally takes the phrase, “everything is not black and white.” With the no color element and stereotyping the “poor” and “unintelligent” Chinese farmer, the audience is invited in whether they agree with Jiang Wen’s approach or not because this is a character that most of the world is introduced to. Reading the introduction to “Filming the anti-Japanese war: the devils and buffoons of Jiang Wen’s Guizi Laile,” we see that Jiang Wen purposefully chooses to view the trauma of the anti- Japanese War through the faces of the unseen. While Jiang Wen goes against the norm in terms of whom the audience sees the story through, Zhao Shuli focuses on the constant ridicule of the protagonists. It is illustrated on page 508 where the Third Fairy told her daughter to take the rice off because “the rice is overdone.” She was turned into a joke by the townsfolk because she is supposed to be a figure who can communicate with the god’s. Instead, she is publically ridiculed which is meant to be “comedy” to the audience.
ReplyDeleteI believe they were so successful in the 2000’s and present day culture because both approaches have been used in many other movies and texts that make them relevant. Jiang Wen uses social stereotypes that many people, both Chinese and non-Chinese can relate to while Zhao Shuli uses the “laugh at my pain” approach. It is easy to laugh at others ridicules when they are not targeted at us. Because the protagonists were said to have godly gifts, it places them on a pedestal for public ridicule. Sadly but successfully marketed, our society still finds others pains comedy. Furthermore, history is usually seen from one perspective and we only see the truth in that perspective when in reality there are many truths. Jiang Wen successfully portrayed the trauma of the Japanese War but from a less expected vision.
I completely agree about the laugh at my pain part of your response. I think that it was meant to be portrayed that way in a sense that sometimes you have to laugh at the past in order to make it a little less painful. It is very difficult to take such a traumatic point in history and turn it into comedy. But as time goes on, it becomes easier. Had a movie like this one or Quintin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds come out in the 50's or 60's when the wounds were still fresh, the comedy would not be appreciated. But today, we are much further removed so it works and is hilarious but we still are able to appreciate the trauma.
DeleteI agree with you there at the end, it is sad that people get so much comic relief from others pain, especially when it is about real events.
DeleteI liked how you mentioned the use of black and white to represent Jiang's focus that "the world is not black and white." I agree that the laugh at my pain approach is a way to accept and come to terms with traumatic events in the past.
DeleteI agree with you that history only sees one perspective from one side of the story. There are many truths to each side of the story.
Deleteyou have mention the black and white which means the world is not black and white, because that time people living in a war
DeleteThe 2000 film "Devils on the Doorstep" used comedy as a way of softening the trauma of the time by inserting sort of fumbling and bumbling idiots in the way of peasants as well as the duo, the interpreter and the Japanese captured soldier. Their back and forth repertoire was hilarious to the viewer but not known at all to the other characters. This repertoire continues throughout the film and as the film progresses we see more of the trauma of the war rather than the comedy. Especially in the end with Ma Dasan is executed by the very man he himself could not bring himself to kill. Those last moments of the film are when the black and white turns to color. This was specifically done by the director because in his view, he did not want to distract from the "real" people but rather just show black and white as a way to show the real world. As stated in the reading "Jiang has criticized some Chinese films for being slow and full of beautiful women and beautiful costume, ‘to the extent that
ReplyDeleteonce you’ve peeled away all the packaging, there’s nothing left inside'".(Wang Tong 2000: 3; Cheng and Huang 2002: 76). (4) The reasoning used to make the film in black and white and then color at the very end was powerful indeed. In the end the comedy was balanced out with the trauma of the time and the writer and director were able to adequately portray both. While it is a very sore subject still in China and Japan, even when this movie came out, it is something that sometimes needs to be said. It is controversial possibly because of the comedic parts but in life there is comedy and trauma and I believe the director and writer were able to seamlessly combine the two.
You attempted to lighten the humor because the topic of war was very dark and in regards to those dark parts, he attempted to lighten the mood. “the doctor cures the ailments of the Japanese soldiers by lining up the Chinese peasants to urinate on their feet.” “when the Japanese run after a group of fleeing Chinese villagers, they are unable to catch up because, the narrator informs us, their legs are shorter.” P. 109 In my personal opinion it is not right to lighten the mood of such dark events because it does not do them justice and makes for a poor movie when comedy is mixed in. In the second reading, the writer uses satire to make light of old superstitions and arranged marriages. Both stories seemed to have a unique spin on traditional tales and I think this is what made them stand out. I did like the Marriage of Young Blacky, but I did not care much for the use of satire in Devils on the Doorstep.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement of You lightening up the topics of war, I think it made the store really enjoyable.
Delete“Devils on the Doorstep” is a tragic movie but played in a comedy, having many jokers. This movie was played a lot of ridiculous and funny plots to tell very serious Chinese history. Ma was ordered to house two captives, one is a Japanese soldier and the other is a traitor”, in the Japan controlled district. To our surprise, after about half a year, Ma and his fellow villager use these two captives to change food with Japanese commanding officer. Except the ridiculous plots, this film also has some thought provoking points, such as the “me”, who gave order to Ma. The film doesn’t point out who is the “me”, we just know it is an unknown anti-Japanese organization, and we can say that this “me” makes this tragic story happening. But the thought-provoking thing is this unknown anti-Japanese organization makes the peasants fear as same as the Japanese soldiers. It also includes many comical amidst ongoing historical trauma, and the most impressive plot for me is that when the Japanese soldier prepare to kill Ma, the Japanese helped Ma to take an ant away on his neck. “The article argues that Jiang, far from intending to portray the Chinese people as foolish collaborators, as charged by the Chinese Film Bureau, instead made a film that set out to show the absurdity and arbitrary cruelty of war.” (p.107, Julian Ward)
ReplyDelete“The Marriage of Young Blacky” tells a story about freedom of marriage versus the feudalistic superstition in countryside in China. Young Blacky and Xiao Qin fall in love with each other and they want to get married. But their marriage was stopped by their parents who believe in feudalistic superstition and the blackguardly village head Wang. “He had three reasons: First, their horoscopes didn’t match. Young Blacky was “metal”, while Qin was “fire”, and fire could consume metal. Second, Qin was born in the tenth month, which was unlucky. Third, the girl’s mother had a bad reputation”. (p.513, Zhao Shuli) At the beginning of “The Marriage of Young Blacky”, Zhao Shuli tells two stories about “Liu the Sage” and “Third Fairy” to satirize the feudalistic superstition. “Liu the Sage” abhorred “Not right for sowing” and delayed the date to cultivate rice, and “Third Fairy” abominated “The rice is overdone”. Zhao wrote about the feudalistic superstition in humorous technique of expression and approached trauma in a comical way.
The 2000 film approached trauma in a comical way by exposing the weakness of the villagers and the interpreter’s characters. In the film, the villagers are kind but also ignorant and selfish. When they interrogate the two hostages, the way they interrogated the suspects included demanding the two suspects document their thumbprint exactly the same as was done in the Qing dynasty. Considering the time of the film, it is hilarious. Even the “hero” is not as brave and patriotic as the war heroes in the other films about the Anti-Japanese war. The interpreter who is a collaborator mistranslated the Japanese soldier’s words in order to save his own life. Compared with the Japanese soldier who sought out death after being captured, the translator not only helped the enemy but also told the villagers about military secrets without asking.
ReplyDeleteIn most of the films about the anti-Japanese war, the protagonists are brave war heroes killing tons of despicable Japanese soldiers even when they have already been shot a few times. Different from these handsome heroes who speak standard mandarin, the peasants in the 2000 film are closer to reality. While laughing at their ignorance and foolishness, the audience cannot help thinking about why China with such a large population and a long prosperous history was invaded and governed by the Japanese military as fast and easily as they were in the Second World War. Instead of telling the audience what they should believe, Guizi Laile depicts the common Chinese weakness of humanity in a comical way which has a deeper influence than the propaganda.
The Marriage of Young Blacky is a comedy with a happy ending. The writer Zhao Shuli exposed some social problems by making fun of young blacky’s father and Qin’s mother. While the district chief told Liu the sage he could not decide the marriage for his son, he said: “Be merciful, I beg you.”(p 522) It vividly illustrates the relationship between people and government officials although China was not a hierarchical society any more at that time. At the end of the story, at the meeting of exposing the evil Xing and Wang’s bad behavior, no one spoke at first. A few of the more timid even whispered:“Enduring in silence brings peace.”(p 526) It also depicts the so-called the Chinese psychological trait.
The writer Zhao Shuli was very comical in his story “The Marriage of Young Blacky”. The story itself had a lot of superstitions and had these oracle characters that were perceived as characters that weren’t favored. But what made the story so comical was the way the author said or described thing. “Unfortunately powder couldn’t smooth over her wrinkled face. It only made it look like a frosted donkey turd.” (pg 509) Even when the villagers were making sure of the Third Fairy, Shuli depicted her as being embarrassed but not hysterical or tragic. There was more emphasis on what they others were saying.
ReplyDelete“Devils on the Doorstep” provides comical aspects to a tragedy by the characters of the peasants and focusing on them and their actions. But it was also said that this movie provoked a lot of thought into the viewers and change their views on the war. Such as when the translator poked fun and taught the prisoner phrases that would save him rather than what he wanted, which was to say awful things to get himself killed. “Aware of the position of power that the language barrier has place him in, Zhou instead teaches him honeyed, respectful phrases,” going against what the Japanese prisoner wanted. Putting more emphasis on what the translator had done rather than the prisoner himself.
These two films both represent two traumas in humorous and comical ways.like on page 109“when the Japanese run after a group of fleeing Chinese villagers, they are unable to catch up becaue, the narrator informs us, their legs are shorter.” which personally i think its humorous. i also thinks it show us the history between China and Japan(especially Japan wants to deny the what they have done in the past, they also try to change the history book that students are been used. )
ReplyDeleteThe Marriage of Young Blacky tells us a story about free love which personally i think really like the story of Liang Zhu. there was also a government office said that "it was really rare to have an easy understanding story that from our lives and people"
I agree with what you said about the history of Japan and China being reflected in the way he portrayed humor in the story. It was quite crude the way it was done.
DeleteI found this article about Jiang Wen and You Fengwei very interesting. In the article it mentions that You was affected by the stories about the war published in China during the same period. These served as his inspiration to write his own stories. From the article, Filming the anti-Japanese war: the devils
ReplyDeleteand buffoons of Jiang Wen’s Guizi Laile', it states that,"You's stories contain many examples of grotesque cruelty on the part of the Japanese" One of his main stories was about a Chinese doctor who was forced to treat wounded Japanese soldiers because his wife was taken hostage. He used a unique method to mask all of the grotesque and horrible images of what happened while he was a doctor for the Japanese. The way that he hid these things and lightened the mood was by using different forms of humor, despite the fact that it was crude. Some of the humor he used was very stereotypical. He would write about the fact that the Japanese can't run as fast as everyone else because their legs were shorter. I found this a bit shocking that he would say something that went against the Japanese just so that he could lighten the mood of his story and throw some humor in there.