Midnight Song or Song at Midnight
1937
So this is actually pretty embarrassing. In one of my earlier posts, I was bragging about having seen all the versions of Phantom of the Opera. Then this Chinese version comes along and spoils everything. Well, now I have seen all the versions (I think)!
My version of this film was incredibly awful. It made my version of Things to Come look like 3D. The subtitles were inaccurate/choppy and the picture was shaky. I probably would have hated it anyway, though. The film making was really elementary. For instance, at one point someone is singing about a girl being like a tree standing alone and a shot of a tree is shown. Then he sings about how she is like the moon and a shot of the moon is shown. We don't need everyt metaphor illustrated, buddy. We can use our imaginations.
This movie is about an extremely twisted love story. The acting is pretty poor. Chinese is not the prettiest language either. Two hours of Chinese and I was actually craving German. Crazy, right?
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
Holy shit! There are about 30 different versions of this movie. How ethnocentric of me!
Ah, you have done this one..
ReplyDeleteWell, it is sitting on my shelf awaiting being watched.. but, as that is the last one.. yes, my 1001st, in my book, I'm putting it off.
I had wanted to share it with someone who would appreciate it, and I had a friend (who has studied film at Uni, and is the most film literate person I know). But, dammit, her partner has gone and had a baby.. so that's her film watching reduced to Alvin and the Chipmunks for the next 18 years,
Anyway.. I will be back when I have seen it.. if I'm still alive, having done the 1001...
Ray
Oh my goodness, Ray, how can you put off your last one? I am pretty sure you won't die unless you finished the 1001 album and 1001 book list. If that is the case, then yes you are doomed.
ReplyDeleteJust for accuracy and being up-to-date..
ReplyDeleteIdisd at last watch this one about 2 or 3 months ago, thus officially finishing both my 'default' list of 1001 (Psycho cover).. and also the most up to date (Life of Pi cover).. and still alive.
Feeling decidedly abandoned by my friend as, somehow, i'm really not interested in seeing baby pictures taken about 2 hours apart that show "look how she has grown!", I watched it. On my own (unsubtle play for sympathy there)
And oh dear.. how dissapointed I was with my big finale I had had rather great hopes for this.. A Chinese ghost story! Sounds great... Not as bad as you found it.. but still rather hard going...
I am proud of you that you finally watched this one! I was disappointed as well. Sympathy granted!
DeleteI had a similar experience as you did with my version of the movie (they are probably the same). The awkward subtitles and the poor acting combined actually made it a hilarious watch, but then again, I am a sucker for Engrish. Spelling mistake intended.
ReplyDeleteYes, I don't understand this being on The List at all. As you said, the acting was terrible. And I am obviously an authority on this one, as I had virtually no idea what was going on.
DeleteI downloaded a separate set of subtitles which were better than the default set that came with the video.
ReplyDeleteI confess that there is something in the atmosphere of this film that I quite liked, but both the acting and the direction of the actors were diabolical. I've seen plenty of Chinese TV soap operas and their notoriously bad acting, but this was a whole new level.
I suspect that there is a good film to be made of this story, but this wasn't it. Perhaps one of the other 59 nails it?
Smart move on the subtitles!
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