Jiang Wen's DEVILS ON THE DOORSTEP

[arsaib4]

.

[hengcs]

Hi,
You won't believe this ...

When it was screened in San Francisco International Film Festival a few years back, I actually asked my friends to go along. The other 3 were -- a girl from China, a girl from Japan and a guy from France.

After the movie, we do NOT know what to say ...
:(
Why?

Initially, I read from various sources that
-- it was a comedy with the events happening away from the warfront ... So, I presume it was not gruesome like most war movies and it would be okay for them to watch ... Frankly, after watching, I would not like to call it a comedy, esp. the ending scenes ... Even if it were a comedy, it was really a very very very dark one ...
-- it was banned in China because the film humanized the Japanese ... So, I presume it would be okay for the Japanese to watch ... Again, the ending scenes were not exactly very humane ... they were very disturbing ...

So,
-- the Japanese girl did not know what to say after that ...
-- the Chinese girl also did not know what to say ...
-- the guys did not know what to say either ...
In sum, none of us really wanted to talk about the film (nor the war), whether the film portrayed events correctly, or whether it was bias toward any nation, etc ...


Back to the film, what is commendable ...
-- it was definitely very thought provoking ... were people to blame? or simply "war" to blame?
-- the initial take (apart from the ending) was really very unique and different, at least for a "war" movie ...
-- the main cast was very good, and they looked "real" in their roles (not like actors) ...

My only qualm was ...
-- I did NOT think the casting of David Wu (I had nothing against him) as Major Gao (in the end) was appropriate. As he had appeared in too many comical works and carried himself that way when he hosted various TV shows, his comic presence amidst the graveness of the ending scenes left me with a weird feeling ...


PS: oh no ... For the US DVD, I hear that they have edited the original 162 min to 140 min ...
;(

[arsaib4]

Hey,

First of all, thanks for your post.

Originally posted by hengcs
Frankly, after watching, I would not like to call it a comedy, esp. the ending scenes ... Even if it were a comedy, it was really a very very very dark one ...[/B]

I agree. Without revealing too much, I think there were a few scenes missing after the nightmarish "party" sequence that perhaps might've helped as the film switched gears for a bit. But if you look carefully, you'll see a couple of soldiers (I'm trying to be discreet) acting like gangsters in the background even at the end.



My only qualm was ...
-- I did NOT think the casting of David Wu (I had nothing against him) as Major Gao (in the end) was appropriate. As he had appeared in too many comical works and carried himself that way when he hosted various TV shows, his comic presence amidst the graveness of the ending scenes left me with a weird feeling ...

Interesting. Obviously I haven't seen his other work (at least nothing that I remember) so I'll have to go with your take. I thought he was quite effective early on (remember the donkey/mare sequence?), and, of course, quite menacing at the end (something you didn't like).


Did you see the full version of the film?


;(

[oscar jubis]

Devils on the Doorstep is the second film by actor-turned-director Wen Jiang. Besides directing and casting himself in the lead, Jiang is credited as co-writer and co-producer. The film received a 2-week commercial run at Film Forum in NYC in late 2002, and has recently been released on dvd with an introduction by an admiring Steven Soderbergh. It's worth a rental, and that's coming from one who liked the film less than others whose comments and reviews are available on line. You might want to stop reading further because of possible spoilers.

I decided to buy into the original if somewhat far-fetched premise: in the middle of night, two sacks containing a Japanese soldier and his Chinese interpreter are entrusted to Ma Dasan (Wen Jiang), at gunpoint, by an unidentified man. The villager doesn't even catch a glimpse of him, who has promised to return. It's 1945 and the small village in Northern China is under Japanese occupation, without visible resistance. The mysterious man never returns. The first half of the film concerns Dasan and other villagers mulling over what to do with the captives, with frustrating results. This is where Jiang establishes the film's major characters, which include the hot-blooded soldier and the diplomatic translator. The scenes are not entirely successful as Jiang employs too many close-ups of wildly gesticulating faces, but the set-up is intriguing and each character makes a lasting impression. Eventually, the villagers decide to hire a reputed killer but he botches the task, inexplicably (in deference to Jiang, it's possible the film was poorly edited in this shortened version). Then again, Jiang forgets to reveal the identity of "mystery man"; perhaps it doesn't matter.

Devils on the Doorstep grows both increasingly suspenseful and comedic. The comedy is often satirical, but veers sometimes into slapstick territory (a soldier briefly riding on the back of a huge pig, for instance). Somehow the inconsistent tone fails to dilute the relentless anti-war message, a message that is most laudable because of its evenhandedness. A final chapter, once the Japanese have surrendered, is particularly ironic. On the evidence of this film, Jiang is an undeniably powerful filmmaker. One who seems to have incorporated a wide variety of influences_the incongruously uplifting music used to score tragic or violent scenes reminded me of Emir Kusturica. Jiang is also a filmmaker practically devoid of subtlety, made most apparent by the rolling-chopped-head p.o.v. of the final shot.

[hengcs]

Originally posted by arsaib4
Did you see the full version of the film?
;(

I watched it at San Francisco Intl Film Festival.
But that was quite some time ago.
So, I am not sure if it was the full version.