Beauty and Ugliness: Mona Lisa Smile v.s. And the Spring Comes
Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 12:55 am
Wu Yiran
Here are two movies from different cultures and period, showing the common theme. Mona Lisa Smile directed by Mike Newell, who always used kind of elegant British style, presented the audience with a scroll of beauty, where the heroin was acted by Julia Roberts. In contrast, And the Spring Comes whose director Gu Changwei was adept in employing inconspicuous details to express creative ideas, bestowed a melody of desperation upon the viewers, in which the heroin was performed by Jiang Wenli. Different from Julia, Jiang, a good-looking actress was purposefully uglified in the film.
An art history teacher Katherine, who had just graduated, was introduced to a traditional girl school, where she imparted her progressive thoughts to her students. Though confronted with tough barriers, she used her innocent heart and exclusive teaching techniques, succeeding in free some girls’ ingrained notions. Nonetheless, Wang Cailing held a great dream with poor conditions. She was eager to be a singer in Beijing, or even in Paris, yet becoming a vocal music teacher in a small town where none understood her talents. And here were some others with the similar destiny, through ups and downs, could not get close to their aims at last.
What is beauty? What is ugliness? Attention caught by the surface could lie sometimes. Generally, the former demonstrates more beautiful an image than the latter from settings since it is more bright in color unlike the dark and dim style in the other. But the bright might signify the formidable conventions, seemingly marvelous but intangibly strangling. The dark and dim should serve as a foil to the art worker’s tough struggle under the heavy pressure. Also, such the pretty smiling Katherine versus the purposefully uglified Wang was definitely engraved. However, was Katherine beautiful when she forced her thoughts on Joan to choose career? Was Wang ugly in her dreams with kindness and fortitude? Beauty and ugliness could be converted to each other, in which the directors did an impressive job.
What is beauty? What is ugliness? “I would rather have one bite of a fresh peach than a whole basket of rotten ones.” answered by Wang. In other words, even if someone was covered in dirt, she should have her right to be pure and clean, to pursue the beauty. And Betty could not help wondering, “Mona Lisa is smiling. Is she happy?” when she was restricted by her families’ demands. Beauty here means freedom of the women. And it could have other meanings if applied to others, like Hu Jinquan the acceptance, Joan the independent option. In this way, it is not difficult to define the beauty and ugliness. When someone believed what she court was true and worthy to spare no effort to procure, what was beauty; otherwise, what was ugliness.
What is beauty? What is ugliness? It depends on the standard of situation. To be more specific, this must be accounted not only the intrinsic character of the object but also the extrinsic aptitude of the subject. During the 1950s in America and the 1980s in China, it was believed that a good wife must be a girl’s ultimate. But how could the women in the USA managed to fight for their values whereas those in China did not? After all, China had been reforming and opening up. Or maybe the enlightenment of feminism in America had more power? The reasons can be picked out from the movies. Wellesley’s tradition was no doubt the most conventional but its education was extraordinarily impressive, begetting the last scene of students escorting teacher’s car going away in great gratitude and worship. Compared to the upper class cultivation, the small town could not have much access to the art, let alone the progressive feminism. Admittedly, the innocent folks should not be to blame in this way since they were so distant from the few Wangs who held great dreams. They could not discern beauty from ugliness. And that is why they left away from beautiful show performed by art workers one after another when facing the snow.
Beauty can be one’s appearances and virtues; also can be one’s unyielding spirits. Ugliness can be one’s envy and innocence; also can be one’s inactive instincts. It must be too demanding that everyone was able to scent out the beauty from ugliness in time. Nonetheless, that could not be an excuse. If the beauty is definitely beautiful in itself, it will ends with beauty acknowledged. What the ones who are not accessible or able to understand the beauty require doing is keep the heart of reverence and try to perceive the beauty’s beauty in any way possible. Regardless of Mona Lisa smile or And the Spring Comes, they both have beauty and ugliness, which is why the writer recommends you to watch.
Here are two movies from different cultures and period, showing the common theme. Mona Lisa Smile directed by Mike Newell, who always used kind of elegant British style, presented the audience with a scroll of beauty, where the heroin was acted by Julia Roberts. In contrast, And the Spring Comes whose director Gu Changwei was adept in employing inconspicuous details to express creative ideas, bestowed a melody of desperation upon the viewers, in which the heroin was performed by Jiang Wenli. Different from Julia, Jiang, a good-looking actress was purposefully uglified in the film.
An art history teacher Katherine, who had just graduated, was introduced to a traditional girl school, where she imparted her progressive thoughts to her students. Though confronted with tough barriers, she used her innocent heart and exclusive teaching techniques, succeeding in free some girls’ ingrained notions. Nonetheless, Wang Cailing held a great dream with poor conditions. She was eager to be a singer in Beijing, or even in Paris, yet becoming a vocal music teacher in a small town where none understood her talents. And here were some others with the similar destiny, through ups and downs, could not get close to their aims at last.
What is beauty? What is ugliness? Attention caught by the surface could lie sometimes. Generally, the former demonstrates more beautiful an image than the latter from settings since it is more bright in color unlike the dark and dim style in the other. But the bright might signify the formidable conventions, seemingly marvelous but intangibly strangling. The dark and dim should serve as a foil to the art worker’s tough struggle under the heavy pressure. Also, such the pretty smiling Katherine versus the purposefully uglified Wang was definitely engraved. However, was Katherine beautiful when she forced her thoughts on Joan to choose career? Was Wang ugly in her dreams with kindness and fortitude? Beauty and ugliness could be converted to each other, in which the directors did an impressive job.
What is beauty? What is ugliness? “I would rather have one bite of a fresh peach than a whole basket of rotten ones.” answered by Wang. In other words, even if someone was covered in dirt, she should have her right to be pure and clean, to pursue the beauty. And Betty could not help wondering, “Mona Lisa is smiling. Is she happy?” when she was restricted by her families’ demands. Beauty here means freedom of the women. And it could have other meanings if applied to others, like Hu Jinquan the acceptance, Joan the independent option. In this way, it is not difficult to define the beauty and ugliness. When someone believed what she court was true and worthy to spare no effort to procure, what was beauty; otherwise, what was ugliness.
What is beauty? What is ugliness? It depends on the standard of situation. To be more specific, this must be accounted not only the intrinsic character of the object but also the extrinsic aptitude of the subject. During the 1950s in America and the 1980s in China, it was believed that a good wife must be a girl’s ultimate. But how could the women in the USA managed to fight for their values whereas those in China did not? After all, China had been reforming and opening up. Or maybe the enlightenment of feminism in America had more power? The reasons can be picked out from the movies. Wellesley’s tradition was no doubt the most conventional but its education was extraordinarily impressive, begetting the last scene of students escorting teacher’s car going away in great gratitude and worship. Compared to the upper class cultivation, the small town could not have much access to the art, let alone the progressive feminism. Admittedly, the innocent folks should not be to blame in this way since they were so distant from the few Wangs who held great dreams. They could not discern beauty from ugliness. And that is why they left away from beautiful show performed by art workers one after another when facing the snow.
Beauty can be one’s appearances and virtues; also can be one’s unyielding spirits. Ugliness can be one’s envy and innocence; also can be one’s inactive instincts. It must be too demanding that everyone was able to scent out the beauty from ugliness in time. Nonetheless, that could not be an excuse. If the beauty is definitely beautiful in itself, it will ends with beauty acknowledged. What the ones who are not accessible or able to understand the beauty require doing is keep the heart of reverence and try to perceive the beauty’s beauty in any way possible. Regardless of Mona Lisa smile or And the Spring Comes, they both have beauty and ugliness, which is why the writer recommends you to watch.
