Dreams Die First
At this moment by common consensus South Korea and Brazil make the most innovative, insane and influential movies anywhere in the globe. I try to watch each and every Brazilian film I can get my hands on coz I’m just in love with the kinetic yet organic feel of their cinema. My samba heroes are Fernando Meirelles, Glauber Rocha, Walter Salles, Hector Babenco, Cesar Charlone and Walter Carvalho. One of the most brilliant films I have seen in 2008 is “Tropa de Elite” which recently won the Golden Bear at Cannes. Last year I fell in love with an absolute gem of a movie called “The Year my Parents went on Vacation‘.
The same adulation and reverence that is accorded to these two cinematic powerhouses today was replicated for the sole benefit of one nation about 15-20 years ago. Those guys were the absolute darlings and changed cinematic language forever with their incredible array of genres and techniques. That entity was Hong Kong and had 3 reigning deities ie Ringo Lam, Tsui Hark and John Woo.
The holy trinity of Blockbuster Hong Kong Cinema were making incredible film after incredible film. While Woo and Lam were the Alpha Omega of the utterly unique “Heroic Bloodshed” genre, Hark was a somewhat different case. He was a genre bending maestro who was a much better producer than a director but he did both at an astounding rate. Hark produced beloved classics like “A Better Tomorrow” and “A Chinese Ghost Story” while also directing the incredible “Peking Opera Blues”
Their influence on cinematic language and grammar is incalculable with hordes of devotees spanning the globe. Tarantino was a huge fan and his debut film was inspired from Lam’s “City on Fire“. The trio were the toast of the entire world and then the inevitable happened. Exodus.
Woo was the first to cross the seven seas and try to weave his magic in Hollywood. He was followed shortly after by both Hark and Lam. What happened next was nothing short of a massacre.
The trio whose recent films in Hong Kong were “Hard Boiled“, “Full Contact” and “Butterfly Lovers” presented on their Hollywood debuts films like “Hard Target”, “Maximum Risk” and “Double Team”. All 3 starred my homeboy Jean-Claude Van Damme and only “Maximum Risk” can be considered watchable. “Double Team” is CIA torture material while “Hard Target” though being mined endlessly by Bollywood for it’s action sequences, is a very pedantic rehash of “The Most Dangerous Game” which is one of the finest short stories ever.
How the mighty fell and the rot continued for a number of years. Absolute gems like “Knock Off”, “Replicant” (Check out the inspiration for Salman’s Tere Naam hairstyle) , Mission Impossible II, and Windtalkers transformed our men from demi-gods to journeymen.
The reason for such a spectacular fall from grace was simple. These men were idiosyncratic artists who couldn’t get to terms with the film making by committee which is the norm in mainstream American films. The Studio holds all the cards and the director has to play a constant game of musical chairs just to keep the project afloat. Something our boys weren’t experienced enough in doing well. Hark and Lam returned to HK to regain their lost glory while Woo persevered in Hollywood making one bad film after another. It’s actually quite painful to see the man who made “The Killer” and “Bullet in the Head” reduced to insipid duds like “Paycheck”.
Hark resumed his place as the Asian Spielberg while Lam made one of the best Van Damme films “In Hell” which acted as a catalyst of the resurgence of the Muscles from Brussels. Sure his
films are direct to video but he has now finally started to act with films like “Until Death” and “The Shepherd”. Daniel Day-Lewis he ain’t but he gets an A for effort. Woo hopefully should make a comeback soon with his epic film. I’m hoping as much.
Why the history lesson ? Well coz as we all know history has the habit of repeating itself. Outside of the heroic trio there was another figure who was slowly making his bones and a name for himself. That man was Wong Kar Wai who is arguably the best active art film director in the world. I have not met a single person who has seen “In the Mood for Love” and not loved it. The climax of the film amongst the ruins of Angkor Vat is one of the most heartbreakingly romantic yet infinitely sad in the history of cinema.
He too made the exodus from the land and people he knew so well and made a superficial film like “My Blueberry Nights”. It’s gorgeous to look at with breathtaking cinematography but lacking the soul the world has come to expect of a WKW film. Could it be explained by the fact that Chris Doyle is no longer his partner in crime ? Perhaps but maybe the reason is a lot simpler.
Cinema may be a universal language but one caveat still reigns supreme which filmmakers constantly disregard to their peril. Only make films on a culture / land / people / idea one understands. How can you depict a life you have never lived or understood.
Hong Kong isn’t alone to lose it’s best and brightest only to see them go up in a puff of smoke.
Oliver Hirschbiegel came up with a series of brilliant films in Germany only to make his Hollywood debut with “The Invasion”. Even the presence of Daniel Craig couldn’t save that god awful mess of junk. Lee Tamahori made “Once were Warriors” and then did “Tomb Raider 2″. Sigh
Ironically the only expats who have seemed to make it big in Hollywood have come from Latin Countries like Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro González Iñárritu. There have been other notable successes as well like Susanne Bier and Emir Kusturica but while garnering immense critical acclaim missed out on box office receipts.
So now I can only pray and hope that Christian Alvart , Roger Schwentke , Niki Caro , John Hillcoat and a long list of others do justice to their talents and not just be a mere footnote in history. As the New York film community is so fond of saying “In Los Angeles dreams die first”.
Tags: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Alfonso Cuaron, Cesar Charlone, Fernando Meirelles, Glauber Rocha, Guillermo del Toro, Hard Boiled, Hector Babenco, Hong Kong Cinema, John Hillcoat, John Woo, Oliver Hirschbiegel, Ringo Lam, Roger Schwentke, the Invasion, Tomb Raider, Tropa de Elite, Tsui Hark, Walter Carvalho, Walter Salle
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Onir
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Keep up the good work.
Loved in the mood for love.”The climax of the film amongst the ruins of Angkor Vat is one of the most heartbreakingly romantic yet infinitely sad in the history of cinema.” – cudnt agree with you more. I liked 2046 too and one of his early works, “Fallen Angels”. It had its flaws but oh, what a treatment for a typical, almost non-existent plot!And the cinematography… it is always a treat to watch his films even only for those breath-taking shots.
Mithun – why does a filmmaker make such an attempt at crossover? Of going to a new land and make movies in a language alient to him/her. I know it’s not a right comparison but no author makes this switch no matter how conversant s/he is with the English language just to reach a wider audience. They would rather have their works translated. So, does a filmmaker gets taken in by the idea of being an excellent technician who can transcend language/culture barriers rather than artist who needs a certain anchor to tell his/her stories?
@Rabindro and Rudro
Thanks Guys
@Subrat
I really couldn’t give you a definite answer. Maybe it’s the charm of reaching a much bigger audience. Maybe it’s the fact that a filmmaker gets seduced by the money. Or maybe it’s just the fact that after conquering their native land they want to pit themselves against the best in the world. Being a big fish in a small pond while being reassuring for some is complete anathema for others.
Hollywood is a very seductive place. Even celebrated superstar authors like F Scott Fitzgerald and William Faulkner moved here to write scripts which really pale in comparison to their prose. On the other hand I much prefer William Goldman’s scripts to his prose work.
Nice work! Expecting more informative posts!
@ subrat –
it’s the money honey and a certain ego satidfaction of having conquered Hollywood.
@ mithun -
“Only make films on a culture / land / people / idea one understands. How can you depict a life you have never lived or understood.”
i think there’s a universality of emotions that don’t need to be lived for a director to communicate it. my money’s on the filmmaking by consensus theory, and Ang Lee is a prime example. as also are european descent directors like roman polanski, milos forman, verhoeven.
almodovar however seems to adheer to your theory above. hollywood has been courting him for a long time.
curious to see the koreans crossover to hollywood.
Van Damme has to be given props. he discovered the HongKong trio from his kungfu days in HK, and brought them to hollywood.
excellent post. You have watched ALL these movies? awesome!
Mithun, i currently stay in one of those cinematic powerhouses, yep i am right now staying in S.Korea, since past 8 months in fact, and by looks of it, guess maybe for some more longer time. I have been watching Korean cinema, both on DVD as well in multiplexes, and they make some really awesome cinema for sure.
Some Korean cinema which i liked were
My Sassy Girl- cute rom com, though some of the comedy bits were gross. I believe Hollywood is comming up with an English version soon.
Public Enemy- Brilliant thriller here, about 2 guys on opposite sides of the law.
Shiri- More of a Hollywood style conspiracy action thriller, about a N.Korean plot to take over the S.Korean government.
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring – This is one of the best Korean movies i have seen. More like an European movie, very slow, very contemplative. Basically the story of a Buddhist monk, and each stage in his life is set against the season. Korea is famous for its 4 seasons, and here every stage of the persons life represents the mood of the season. This is a movie which speaks more through visuals, totally poetic. DO try to see this, it is a wonderful movie for sure.
Taegukgi- This is a movie about 2 brothers who find themselves on the opposite sides during the Korean war. Very moving and very touching. It is more about the angst of ordinary Koreans against the division of their nation.
I really have not seen many Korean directors make it to Hollywood. But seeing what happened to John Woo and co, i am sceptical. Because Korea is a totally different culture. The basic concept of Korean society lies in subtlety and gestures. It is crazy, but relationships and gestures in Korea are so multi layered and complex, that even ordinary Koreans at times find it frustrating. And most of their movies reflect that a lot.I really am sceptical about how it would fit in Hollywood.
@Mithun
Speaking of foreign directors, dishing out mediocre stuff in Hollywood, another name that comes to my mind is Wolfgang Pietersen. Das Boot was one of the finest World War II movies, i have ever seen so far. The submarine shots were freakingly realistic, giving you an acute sense of claustrophobia. Sadly Pietersen’s record in Hollywood does not do justice to his talent, all he has managed to come out with are totally mediocre stuff like Air Force One, Pefect Storm and Troy. The only Pietersen movie i liked in Hollywood was In the Line of Fire.
@dabba
Polanski and Forman are valid examples but they belong to a diff era. The golden age of Hollywood was kickstarted by the exodus of European directors fleeing from Nazism. Men like Wilder, Lang and Ophuls shaped cinema as we know it today. Earlier it was the person who in my opinion is probably the most influential and lyrical filmmaker ever, FW Murnau.
But I haven’t seen it happen recently. If you take the case of Ang Lee compare his Chinese themed films like “Eat Drink, Man Woman ” and “The Wedding Banquet” to his Hollywood output. My fav Lee film is Crouching Tiger. I thought Brokeback to be way overrated and it just got acclaim because it was pathbreaking by having mainstream Hollywood actors essaying gay roles. Personally I think “Kinsey” is a much more daring and measured film.
Make no mistake about it I’d love Hollywood to be as Polyglot as possible because quite frankly I’m bored of the cookie cutter style of mainstream film-making that prevails here. It’s people like Alfonso and Fernando who are churning things up and influencing the new generation of cineastes. Tarantino and Ritchie are passe now.
Having said that it just pains me no end to see an incredibly charismatic and gifted actor like Chow-Yun Fat reduced to cameos in Pirates of the Carribean and insults to humanity like “Bulletproof Monk”. Imagine the kind of films possible if he were to team up with Zhang Yimou, Johnnie To or Hsiao-hsien Hou.
@Neeraja
Yeah I have watched them. I picked up a few books on HK cinema and tried to watch all the films mentioned in them irrespective of the fact whether they were good or bad. Star Movies used to show a lot of HK films in it’s earlier avtaar and I think once there was a Jackie Chan festival and for 3 days I watched nothing but Jackie Chan films. It’s one of my dearest wish to work on a HK gangster film someday.
@Ratnakar
Great list. I’ve heard bout them but have only watched Spring, Winter… out of them. I’m kinda behind on my film watching these days coz I’ve just discovered the Helsinki School of Photography.
Peterson is def another addition to the ever growing list. Even Verhoeven for that matter. I much prefer “Turkish Delight”, “Flesh + Blood” and “Soldier of Orange” to anything that he’s done in Hollywood with the exceptions of “Robocop” and “Total Recall”. Soldier of Orange is hands down his best film and Rutger Hauer’s 2nd best performance ever after “Blade Runner”.
Mithun Da,
Its really awesome to read your posts. And I am really happy that you mentioned about Latin American and Korean movies coz I too believe that they are right now the most innovative and influential movies across the globe
I would like to recommend a few more films for everyone to watch and cherish them:
1. Sekai no ch
All incredible films. Haven’t gotten around to watching Love Letter yet though it’s one of my friend’s fav films.
Crying out Love feels like a Murakami book. I couldn’t give it a bigger compliment. As good as Tony Takitani.
i want 2 c korean action films. they cum with english subtitle?? got many titles here.:)
=8
Shiri- Shri like in india :d
@ ratnakar –
i am envious of you. i was saving money last year for a trip to SoKo but it never materialized. still planniong one. for now, i eat sam gyup sal, drink soju and watch korean movies.
please don’t miss the following korean movies –
Memories of Murder – way better than Zodiac
The Host – perhaps my fav recent Korean film
bad guy – ki duk kim is the man
Miracle on 1st street
can’t wait for the NYAsian film festival which is increasingly dominated by korean movies.
i heart korea
@Dabba
I swear, i think one of the few sensible decisions i had taken in my life was to accept the job offer and come to S.Korea. I am really loving this place, its people and its entertainment. Not to mention the Korean females, they rock.
Thanks for the reccos, will check em out. Koreans are generally pretty movie literate, and are passionate about movies. I generally check out the movies in a DVD Bang, its a kinda small home theater, where you can rent a movie and watch it. Scattered all around Seoul.
Cloverfield was also based on a Korean movie, but i wonder why it was not credited.
Also do try to watch 200 Pounds Beauty, it is a satirical look at the Korean pop industry and also the Koreans obsession for cosemtic surgery.
@Krishn
Shiri refers to the name of a fish which is found in Korean rivers and lakes. Basically its from a dialogue in the movie which says that waters from North and SOuth Korea flow freely, and how the fish can be found in either, without knowing where it belongs to. The Korean name is actually Swiri, but it has been changed to Shiri for international audiences. Though it is a conspiracy theory kinda thriller, it also carries an underlying message about reunification.
what movie is cloverfield supposed to be from? i think you may be mistaken. the closest thing i can think of is The Host, but the movies are very ifferent. the creature design is kinda similar though.
shiri was the first big blockbuster hit of korean cinema as the korean new wave was starting, and The Host was the first Korean movie to outdo Hollywood blockbusters.
You have to immediately watch all ki duk kim movies , and those of the actor kang ho song.
it’s interesting that you note those three mexican directors as the ones to make it big in hollywood but we still speak of south korean and brazil being the most innovative film-making countries at the moment. i feel like there are a few things that make this happen. the movies that have come from those three mexican directors in the 2006 year (and in competition for various awards in 2007) were films with content that transcended borders in a manner i think the world couldn’t help but relate to. speaking of east asian cinema (because i really don’t know anything about brasil) i think the decline in hong kong cinema might partially have something to do with economics and globalisation, as it does for south korea. there’s something special about the regional success that also extends to festival success that has only been possible with so much government endorsement (especially during kim dae jung’s presidency) of the film industry.
another point… should hollywood be the place where filmmakers should be aiming to hit? or should it be the world in general? i don’t really know about distribution politics but i feel like although hollywood dominance is unquestionable… there’s still room for other screening audiences/distributors/etc.
hollywood is over
hollywood is the place which made cinema for 20th century
this is 21st century
everybody will agree that sensibilities has changed.
either hollywood make cinema for new sensibility or others who make new cinema will replace hollywood.
you can not expect anything new or radical from ekta kapoor. no matter how hard she tries to be radical. it is going to be sas-bahoo.
same way no matter how hard hollywood try to keep pace. it is almost impossible to happen.
:((
some more rant about sensibility
in 20th century, work was still the most important aspect of a man’s life.
no matter what one wish to think. cinema was largely time pass.
hollywood excels in that. to supply time pass cinema. you can not spend your whole day engrossed
thinking about independence day or usual suspects or sting. these kind of movie don’t live with you.
and they are not supposed to. you are supposed to watch a movie think about it for few minutes than go to work.
21st century.
because of economic progress. the leisure time has increased. work is no longer the most important aspect of man’s life. now he has much leisure time . and in this leisure time he is not unwinding himself so that he can get to work next morning.
now this century needs cinema that lives with man. so that you can watch a movie and spend half day with it. thinking about it. sorrounded with the mileu created by it.
this is not possible with hollywood movies. to spend a whole day with hollywood movies means watching back to back movies. it is tiring. and don’t give any satisfaction.
now we need one single movie with which we can spend a whole day.
last life in universe can be an example for new movie. ‘history of violence’ doesn’t rise up to that mark.
it is good for cinema as art.
bad for hollywood
:o
i am not finished yet :(
race is a super hit
because india still needs time pass cinema.
b-(
i like what you said about hollywood being 20th century and less so in the 21st but i’m not sure if i agree with you about work/free time (as in not everyone has increasing leisure, much of the world has increasing economic burdens) and pass time cinema… i guess it goes into what different directors and producers and audiences feel about when discussing/marketing the purpose of film.
my prof’s film list for new korean cinema (title available with english subs anyways):
sopyonje (1993) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108192/
chilsu & mansu (1988) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0150113/
address unknown (2001) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0284815/
jsa (joint security area) (2000) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0260991/
sympathy for mr. vengeance (2002) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0310775/
peppermint candy (1999) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0247613/
happy end (1999) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0220507/
take care of my cat (2001) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0296658/
my wedding campaign (2005) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0492702/
asako in ruby shoes (2000) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0300525/
a lot of blood, and not all critically the best, but apparently the most representative of the last decade and a half or so of new korean cinema.
@Jessica
The 3 amigos as I like to call them are a very fascinating case study.
Alejandro made his best film in Mexico, came to Hollywood and followed up with 2 films while excellent can’t top his debut.
del Toro made films in Mexico , came to Hollywood and made Mimic where he got sodomised by Miramax, followed it up by 2 non mainstream comic adaptations and then made Pan’s Labyrinth which elevated him to the Hollywood A list.
Alfonso made films in Mexico, came to America and made the incredible A Little Princess, the flawed yet intriguing Great Expectations. He followed that by the mesmerizing “Y tu mama tambien” and the best film in the Harry Potter franchise. Then he made “Children of Men”.
My theory and it’s a pretty simplistic one at that is since Mexico is almost like a part of America with both cultures having a deep symbiotic relationship the transition was somewhat easier to make.
Especially in California you the hispanic influence on the culture is probably more than any other race.
Again my theory, might be talking out of my ass but seems the most logical to me.
Brazil is a whole diff culture so that’s why you get to see Walter Salles make a pretty weak “Dark Water” remake. Fernando hasn’t done any typically American subjects as both his English language films ie Constant Gardener and Blindness are based on books by non-American writers.
“My theory and it
Children of Men and Babel happened when they had sufficient clout. Don’t think it would have happened earlier in their career.
What I love bout the 3 amigos is that they exclusively use their original DP’s ie Chivo, Rodrigo and Navarro.
Have u seen this Charlie Rose interview of the amigos ? It’s phenomenal.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8155571489738252066
@Mithun
Loved the column as ever. Two correction worth noting
Jan de Bont made Tomb Raider 2. Passable flick. Lee Tamahori is responsible for the more horrific XXX 2.
The invasion was screwed up by Warner Brothers. I read so many posts online that Oliver Herschbeigel gave a cut that more to the tone a psychological thriller and devoid of action. We can thank the Wachowski brothers and James McTeguie (why oh why?) for the mess that is called The Invasion. It went through so many problems. Heres hoping for a directors cut like Oliver Stone’s Alexander (How many cuts are there?) and Wolfgang Peterson’s Troy.
P.S. Sorry if I got the spellings of the names wrong. A bit of a hurry. Bombay waits for no man. lol
Cheers