Conference bookie::movies

566.0. "Rouge" by DSSDEV::RUST () Tue Jun 07 1994 18:24

    "Rouge" is an icily beautiful story about love. No, wait, it's about
    doubt. And fear, too, mustn't forget the fear - fear of loving (or
    being loved) too much, of not loving (or being loved) enough, and
    (worst of all) fear of waiting for your date on one streetcorner while
    your date's waiting on a different one across town. [Don't you hate
    when that happens?]
    
    The story's fairly simple: in modern-day Hong Kong, a beautiful woman
    in old-fashioned dress tries to take out a personal ad, but has no
    money. The rather earnest young man (earnestness indicated by his
    pullover sweater and glasses) who tries to help her soon begins to
    suspect that there's something not quite right about this woman. In
    fact, he's spooked by her, and is immensely relieved when she leaves -
    until he runs into her at the bust stop. And again, at a restaurant.
    And again... 
    
    Eventually, he gives up trying to avoid her, and agrees to help her out
    until she can meet the person she's looking for. But first he must
    explain her presence to his girlfriend (also be-sweatered and earnest,
    but without glasses). The girlfriend is not pleased by the
    developments, but when the stranger - a glamorous courtesan called
    Fleur - tells her story, she wins the sweater set over completely, and
    they decide to help her find her lost love.
    
    The flashback segments of Fleur's exceedingly glamorous and hedonistic
    life are very beautiful. Early on, there's a scene where she, garbed
    in a severe costume that looks like that of a young male student,
    sings a beautiful love song to a man who has caught her eye; it's a
    knockout, and the guy just doesn't have a chance. And the opulence of
    the past contrasts nicely with modern-day crassness, as do past
    restrictions with modern-day freedoms - though the modern couple finds
    themselves envying the love-beyond-life romanticism of Fleur, while
    admitting that they themselves think all that dying-for-love talk is
    just too much. [But I'm sure I detected some wistfulness in the looks
    they exchanged, as if they would have liked to be able to make such a
    claim - as long as they were never called on it...]
    
    I liked the movie very much - all the more because I had no
    expectations of it at all, which I often find the best way to go in to
    a film. ;-) It was often amusing, often very sad, developed its story
    well, and had what I considered a near-perfect resolution. Watch for
    it.
    
    -b

    Directed by Stanley Kwan, who went on to make "Actress", another
    brilliant movie about love, theater, self-sacrifice, twentieth century
    Chinese history, and deception.  "Rouge" works off Chinese ghost story
    conventions; "Actress" works off the docudrama.  Fascinating to see how
    the same concerns work out in the different genres.  Also fascinating
    to compare the approaches of Anita Mui and Maggie Cheung in their
    "tragic heroine" roles.
    
    One of the best directors living, for sure; too bad John Woo seems to
    be the only HK guy getting attention.
    
    Ray

    And don't forget that it was produced by Jackie Chan, another HK
    director/actor.