Film Review

[Jiancai X.]

Film Review

180203；许健才 Jiancai Xu

This week I watched two films. The first one shot in China is named And the Spring Comes. And the second one, Mona Lisa Smile, was made in America in 2003.

And the Spring Comes, which was directed by Gu Changwei in 2007, tells us the story about Wang Cailing, who was a music teacher in a small town in 1980s. She had a good talent for singing and wanted to sing operas in Beijing and even Paris, because few people in this small town could appreciate operas. She also met Huang Sibao, Zhou Yu and Hu Jinquan, who also struggled between ideal and reality. But sadly, none of them could achieve their ideals in final, they all made compromises to reality and led an ordinary life.

This movie shows the life condition of many ordinary people. For instance, Wang could only maintain her honor in the hearts of the people in this small town by telling a lie that she's going to work in Beijing. Not only she, but also other people in this town consciously or unconsciously build their value by comparing with people who had worse suffering. For example, Wang's neighbor, Xiao Zhang, cried to her for psychological balance after being abandoned by her husband, just because Wang hadn't married.
Directed by Mike Newell, Mona Lisa Smile tells us the story about Catherine Watson, who graduated from University of California at Los Angeles in 1953 and lectured on the history of art in Wellesley College later. In Wellesley, the girls studied mainly to get good marks and marry a good man and become a good wife. But Watson didn't hope so, she wanted them to find their own value. Finally, her effort paid off and the girls understood her purpose.

What impressed me most is the way Watson taught her students. After she had known that the girls had a good command of the knowledge in the textbook, she decided to combine theory with practice to let them truly understand the artists' thinking. She was really a creative teacher.

From my perspective, both of the movies focus on a woman who had a special dream and lived in a period of time when the society was greatly changing. But their fates were very different, which can be predicted through the details of the films. There are lots of cold tone and dark background used in And the Spring Comes. And the operas the protagonist sang sound extremely sad, the lyrics also describe Wang's unpleasant experience. In fact, these techniques all foreshadow her unfortunate fate. While Mona Lisa Smile always uses warm tone, and there are many happy scenes such as games, sing and dance in it, which indicates that things would not be bad at last.

From the cultural aspect, the two films convey us different concepts of China and America. In China, most of the people think that a nobody could not change the world and we should lead a life following the majority of people. For example, Hu Jinquan, who loved ballet very much, was a gay. He said his existence just like "the sixth finger" on people's hands and fishbone in people's throat, because he knew he's unusual in hobby and sexual orientation and this small town would not accept someone like him. However, American is quite independent. For instance, Watson said she wanted her students to be leaders but not leaders' wives, which shows her thought that women don't have to lead a life as others suppose. And Joan, who approved of Watson early, still chose to give up the chance to be a lawyer and marry. She knew what Watson taught, but she also knew what she needed so she didn't follow her teacher blindly.

From my point of view, the gap between ideal and reality is always difficult to cross for everyone. So these two films are meaningful for us to think how to realize our dream and how to face the reality even if it is cruel.

[Sang K.]

Hi Jiancai!

I really enjoyed reading your essay. I think you've done a phenomenal job explaining the external details of the movies that portray internal significances. The examples you gave in to reinforce your essay are convincing and very relevant. While the flow of your essay is well sound, I would recommend you to have a little more attention on inner mindsets of Katherine and Cailing. I believe you'd be able to add various interesting colors to your essay by doing so. Great essay!

[Ryan I.]

Dear Jiancai,

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and analysis. Generally, I appreciate your attention to detail with both films, through which you cite specific character traits and key themes. Based on your comments, the core focus of your essay appears to be the conflict between the ideal and the real, with which protagonists in both films contend. To add clarity to your essay, I would suggest writing an explicit thesis statement in your opening lines which describes how you will, overall, be approaching both films with respect to that focus.

In your first paragraph on And the Spring Comes, you introduce the ideal vs. real dichotomy. I would state more explicitly in the beginning of the paragraph in a single topic sentence all of the ideals Wang Cailing aspires toward but cannot achieve (e.g. opera singing, marriage to a good man, beauty, respect from the community, wealth, etc.). You may also wish to include more specifically what ideals Huang Sibao, Zhou Yu and Hu Jinquan hold. What societal factors are holding them back from achieving their ideals? How do they respond to them (for example, Wang adopts a child in place of having a child with a husband)? With respect to Mona Lisa Smile, I would also add a topic sentence that explains what the ideal (e.g. women’s liberation from patriarchal norms and constraints) and what the real is (e.g. women are forced into rigid gender roles that Watson struggles to combat), explicitly, throughout the movie. I would additionally cite even further evidence from the film itself to support your descriptions (e.g. how did Watson combine theory and practice to make her point?).

In your third section, you discuss how the aesthetic (artistic) effects of the film expressed through color and music reflect the tone of the films (I think this is a very intriguing approach and one that I had not considered). One thing that concerned me was that you described Wang Cailing’s song selections as “extremely sad,” though if I recall correctly, those songs refer to the rejuvenation and joy of spring time. Perhaps pointing out the contradiction of the juxtaposition between those songs and the tone of the film would be more accurate? Or if I am mistaken, it would be helpful to add some of the song lyrics to establish your point more fully. I would additionally provide examples of (or more detail on) the “cold tone and dark background” and the “warm tone” you mention.

Finally, I enjoy your analysis of the difference between Chinese collectivism and American individualism in your last body paragraph. One grammatical point: I would write that Hu Jinquan is either “a gay man” or “a homosexual” rather than “a gay,” because “gay” is used as an adjective and not as a noun. I would also add “is” in between “existence” and “just” in the next sentence as a connector. These are minor corrections and ultimately inconsequential. I think you generally write with proper grammatical control throughout. I further appreciate that in the very final portion of your essay you re-state your main focus.

Overall, I would again focus on providing more direct evidence from the movie and expanding upon your analyses. Otherwise, I believe you offered some interesting and novel insights on both films and I appreciate your creativity.

Best of wishes,

Ryan Insley

[Jiancai X.]

Dear Jiancai,

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and analysis. Generally, I appreciate your attention to detail with both films, through which you cite specific character traits and key themes. Based on your comments, the core focus of your essay appears to be the conflict between the ideal and the real, with which protagonists in both films contend. To add clarity to your essay, I would suggest writing an explicit thesis statement in your opening lines which describes how you will, overall, be approaching both films with respect to that focus.

In your first paragraph on And the Spring Comes, you introduce the ideal vs. real dichotomy. I would state more explicitly in the beginning of the paragraph in a single topic sentence all of the ideals Wang Cailing aspires toward but cannot achieve (e.g. opera singing, marriage to a good man, beauty, respect from the community, wealth, etc.). You may also wish to include more specifically what ideals Huang Sibao, Zhou Yu and Hu Jinquan hold. What societal factors are holding them back from achieving their ideals? How do they respond to them (for example, Wang adopts a child in place of having a child with a husband)? With respect to Mona Lisa Smile, I would also add a topic sentence that explains what the ideal (e.g. women’s liberation from patriarchal norms and constraints) and what the real is (e.g. women are forced into rigid gender roles that Watson struggles to combat), explicitly, throughout the movie. I would additionally cite even further evidence from the film itself to support your descriptions (e.g. how did Watson combine theory and practice to make her point?).

In your third section, you discuss how the aesthetic (artistic) effects of the film expressed through color and music reflect the tone of the films (I think this is a very intriguing approach and one that I had not considered). One thing that concerned me was that you described Wang Cailing’s song selections as “extremely sad,” though if I recall correctly, those songs refer to the rejuvenation and joy of spring time. Perhaps pointing out the contradiction of the juxtaposition between those songs and the tone of the film would be more accurate? Or if I am mistaken, it would be helpful to add some of the song lyrics to establish your point more fully. I would additionally provide examples of (or more detail on) the “cold tone and dark background” and the “warm tone” you mention.

Finally, I enjoy your analysis of the difference between Chinese collectivism and American individualism in your last body paragraph. One grammatical point: I would write that Hu Jinquan is either “a gay man” or “a homosexual” rather than “a gay,” because “gay” is used as an adjective and not as a noun. I would also add “is” in between “existence” and “just” in the next sentence as a connector. These are minor corrections and ultimately inconsequential. I think you generally write with proper grammatical control throughout. I further appreciate that in the very final portion of your essay you re-state your main focus.

Overall, I would again focus on providing more direct evidence from the movie and expanding upon your analyses. Otherwise, I believe you offered some interesting and novel insights on both films and I appreciate your creativity.

Best of wishes,

Ryan Insley

Dear Ryan,
Thank you for your detailed comments! They really help me a lot. And I want to explain a problem you mentioned, that is I said "the operas the protagonist sang sound extremely sad", I describe it as extremely sad according to the plot that Wang Cailing wanted to be a member of a literature party in Beijing, but finally she was rejected mercilessly. Then she began to sing with great sadness, "Why, Dear Lord, why are you so unkind to me". I didn't mention it clearly in my essay, I will revise it later.
And thank you for correcting the grammatical mistake I made in the essay. I am sorry for my poor English, sometimes I couldn't express what I think accurately, I should work hard to improve it.

Best wishes,
Jiancai Xu

[Ryan I.]

Dear Jiancai Xu,

Thank you for responding back and explaining your analysis of the opera. I actually went back to the movie, listened to the opera, and read the lyrics. I better understand where you are coming from now. Cailing is definitely expressing woe and despair toward the abuse being dealt against her by fate. I interpret it as a sort of ironic juxtaposition. In the dream sequence, she has finally achieved her ultimate goal of singing in the Beijing opera, and yet the song's lyrics are reflective of her actual experience (of serving as a butcher in the town's square because fate refused to gift her with her dreams). I think integrating an extra layer of clarity to your essay by explaining your understanding of this song is a helpful addition, as you noted.

As for grammar, I completely understand. English is full of unnecessary complexities. I have tried, myself, to learn a second language in the past through my Spanish classes, and I recognize the difficulties with switching into a new mode of communication. You are far more talented than I am, I can only competently write in one language. You can, with fairly high proficiency, write in English as well as Chinese. I wish I had the same ability. Not to mention that many Americans make a number of grammatical errors in their own writing all the time, and they were raised in English-speaking households!

Sincerely,

Ryan Insley

[Jiancai X.]

Hi Jiancai!

I really enjoyed reading your essay. I think you've done a phenomenal job explaining the external details of the movies that portray internal significances. The examples you gave in to reinforce your essay are convincing and very relevant. While the flow of your essay is well sound, I would recommend you to have a little more attention on inner mindsets of Katherine and Cailing. I believe you'd be able to add various interesting colors to your essay by doing so. Great essay!

Hi Sangyeop!
Thank you for your suggestion! I will try to add some inner mindset of Cailing into my essay. For example, Wang Cailing told a lie to her neighbor that she would go to work in Beijing soon, which shows that she wanted to gain the admiration from others and she hoped to distinguish herself from other ordinary people in the small town.

Best wishes!

[Sang K.]

Hi Jiancai!

I really enjoyed reading your essay. I think you've done a phenomenal job explaining the external details of the movies that portray internal significances. The examples you gave in to reinforce your essay are convincing and very relevant. While the flow of your essay is well sound, I would recommend you to have a little more attention on inner mindsets of Katherine and Cailing. I believe you'd be able to add various interesting colors to your essay by doing so. Great essay!

Hi Sangyeop!
Thank you for your suggestion! I will try to add some inner mindset of Cailing into my essay. For example, Wang Cailing told a lie to her neighbor that she would go to work in Beijing soon, which shows that she wanted to gain the admiration from others and she hoped to distinguish herself from other ordinary people in the small town.

Best wishes!

Hi Jiancai,

Yes. Cailing's mindset of deceiving herself and others about her career definitely is something you could elaborate as it is an important feature that explains the course of behaviors and decisions of her. I would also, if you have more space to write, try to study her mindset when she decided to use her money to help the swindler instead of using that money to realize her longing dream. It seemed like an irrational decision to me when I watched the movie and i think you could make a really good point using this example too.
Thank you!

[Jiancai X.]

Reflection on Border Crossing Activity
Although I have learned English for over ten years, it's the first time I could share my idea with foreigners, so I highly appreciate this activity. I have gained different opinions about the two films. And I am really grateful to Ryan, his suggestions and encouragement help me a lot. Sangyeop also does a good job, his essay provides me with a new way to think about the social and cultural background that these movies show. All in all, this activity is of great benefit, idea exchange makes progress.