《国际电影影片词典》（英文版）DAHONG DENGLONG GAOGAO

DAHONG DENGLONG GAOGAO Lee, Joann, "Zhang Yimous Raise the Red Lantern: Contextual GUA Analysis of Film through a Confucian/Feminist Matrix, in Asian nema(Drexel Hill), Spring 1996 Kong, Haili, "Symbolism through Zhang Yimous Subversive Lens Raise the red lantern in His Early Films, ' in Asian Cinema(Drexel Hill), Winter 1996-1997 Hong Kong-China, 1991 Wei,Y,""Music and Femininity in Zhang Yimou's Family Melo Director: Zhang yimou drama, in CineAction(Toronto), no 42, 1997. Production: Era International, Hong Kong, in association with China Film Co-production Corporation; colour, 35mm; running time: 125 Raise the red lantern was one of the rare chinese films success- fully marketed in America and its success has been ascribed to its play:Ni Zhen, based on a short story by Su Tong: photography: sao tic formula of a man with five wives and the radiant beauty of the Producers: Chiu Fu-Sheng, Hou Xiaoxian, Zhang Wenze; screen- Gong Li. The film has certainly capped the international reputa- Zhao Fei; editor: Du Yuan; assistant directors: Zhang Hanie, Gao tion of its director Zhang Yimou and made him the most successful Jingwen; art directors: Cao Jiuping, Dong Huamiao; music: Zhao director among the"Fifth Generation"filmmakers(including Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Wu Ziniu) who first made their mark in costumes: Huang Lihua. Chinese cinema in the mid-1980s Cast: Gong Li (songliao Jingwu( Chen Zuogian): He Caifei Superficially at least, Raise the Red Lantern has all the hallmarks Meishan); Cao Cuifeng(Zhuoyun); Jin Shuyuan(Yur); Kong Lin of a sizzling soap-opera melodrama featuring the beautiful Gong li as (Yan'er); Ding Weimin(Mother Song); Cui Zhigang(Doctor Gao); the fourth wife of Master Chen, a wealthy, traditionalist husband of Zhou Qi(head servant the Chinese gentry class Master Chens mansion is divided into four quarters or courtyards--each occupied by one of his wives, who an all enjoined to live harmoniously under one roof. It is a manor Publications dominated by the observance of arcane rituals, family rules and regulations-a central ritual being the hanging of red lanterns in the quarters of the master's choice of sleeping partner for the night. The plot ingredients of a melodrama come into play as three of the Chute,David.""Golden Hours"in Film Comment(Denville, New wives--Zhuoyun( the second wife), Meishan( the third wife, an opera Jersey), March/April 1991 singer), and Songlian(the fourth and most recent wife, played by Reynaud, Berenice, ""China-On the Set with Zhang Yimou"in Gong Li), -become rivals for the master's affections(the first wife Sight and Sound (London), July 1991. being too old to be a serious rival) Variety(New York), 7 October 1991 Zhuoyun is deceptively friendly, showing her true colours in the Reynaud, Berenice, Ghosts of the Future, in Sight and Sound, course of the film. as the most treacherous of the master's wives London ), November 1991 Meishan hides her tragic vulnerability beneath a bitchy, cunning Niogret,H,""Rouge, noir et blanc"in Positif( Paris), January 1992. veneer, while Songlian is equally vulnerable but much less equipped Bassan, R, Revue du Cinema(Paris), January 1992. to handle the politics of rivalry and jealousy. The object is not only to Glaessner, V, Sight and Sound (London), February 1992. Garcia, M, Films in Review(London), May-June 1992 win the masters affections but to exert authority over the wider Fortin, P, Sequences(Montreal), September 1992 household of other concubines and servants. As a servant says Younis, R, Cinema Papers(Victoria), October 1992 authority is where the lantern is hung. To complicate matters Sutton, D.S.,""Ritual, History and the Films of Zhang Yimou, Songlian's servant, Yan, has ambitions of her own to become one of East-West(Honolulu), July 1994 the masters mistresses. Y an taunts Songlian by being mildly rebel- Klawans, S, "Zhang Yimou, in Film Comment(New York), voL. lious and insolent(going against regulations, she hangs up torn and 31, September-October 1995 patched red lanterns in her own room), and informs on her mistress Young-Sau Fong, Suzie, ""The Voice of Feminine Madness in Zhang activities in Zhuoyun Yimou's Dahong Denglong Gaogao Gua. "in Asian Cinema The story works as a kind of gothic melodrama when Songlian (Drexel Hill), Spring 1995 discovers a locked room on the roof of the mansion and is told that it

285 DAHONG DENGLONG GAOGAO D GUA (Raise the Red Lantern) Hong Kong-China, 1991 Director: Zhang Yimou Production: Era International, Hong Kong, in association with China Film Co-production Corporation; colour, 35mm; running time: 125 minutes. Producers: Chiu Fu-Sheng, Hou Xiaoxian, Zhang Wenze; screen￾play: Ni Zhen, based on a short story by Su Tong; photography: Zhao Fei; editor: Du Yuan; assistant directors: Zhang Haniie, Gao Jingwen; art directors: Cao Jiuping, Dong Huamiao; music: Zhao Jiping, Naoki Tachikawa; sound: Li Lanhua; make-up: Sun Wei; costumes: Huang Lihua. Cast: Gong Li (Songlian); Ma Jingwu (Chen Zuoqian); He Caifei (Meishan); Cao Cuifeng (Zhuoyun); Jin Shuyuan (Yuru); Kong Lin (Yan’er); Ding Weimin (Mother Song); Cui Zhigang (Doctor Gao); Zhou Qi (head servant). Publications Articles: Chute, David, ‘‘Golden Hours’’ in Film Comment (Denville, New Jersey), March/April 1991. Reynaud, Berenice, ‘‘China—On the Set with Zhang Yimou’’ in Sight and Sound (London), July 1991. Variety (New York), 7 October 1991. Reynaud, Berenice, ‘‘Ghosts of the Future,’’ in Sight and Sound, (London), November 1991. Niogret, H., ‘‘Rouge, noir et blanc’’ in Positif (Paris), January 1992. Bassan, R., Revue du Cinéma (Paris), January 1992. Glaessner, V., Sight and Sound (London), February 1992. Garcia, M., Films in Review (London), May-June 1992. Fortin, P., Séquences (Montreal), September 1992. Younis, R., Cinema Papers (Victoria), October 1992. Sutton, D.S., ‘‘Ritual, History and the Films of Zhang Yimou,’’ in East-West (Honolulu), July 1994. Klawans, S., ‘‘Zhang Yimou,’’ in Film Comment (New York), vol. 31, September-October 1995. Young-Sau Fong, Suzie, ‘‘The Voice of Feminine Madness in Zhang Yimou’s Dahong Denglong Gaogao Gua,” in Asian Cinema (Drexel Hill), Spring 1995. Lee, Joann, ‘‘Zhang Yimou’s Raise the Red Lantern: Contextual Analysis of Film through a Confucian/Feminist Matrix,’’ in Asian Cinema (Drexel Hill), Spring 1996. Kong, Haili, ‘‘Symbolism through Zhang Yimou’s Subversive Lens in His Early Films,’’ in Asian Cinema (Drexel Hill), Winter 1996–1997. Wei, Y., ‘‘Music and Femininity in Zhang Yimou’s Family Melo￾drama,’’ in CineAction (Toronto), no. 42, 1997. *** Raise the Red Lantern was one of the rare Chinese films success￾fully marketed in America and its success has been ascribed to its exotic formula of a man with five wives and the radiant beauty of the star Gong Li. The film has certainly capped the international reputa￾tion of its director Zhang Yimou and made him the most successful director among the ‘‘Fifth Generation’’ filmmakers (including Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Wu Ziniu) who first made their mark in Chinese cinema in the mid-1980s. Superficially at least, Raise the Red Lantern has all the hallmarks of a sizzling soap-opera melodrama featuring the beautiful Gong Li as the fourth wife of Master Chen, a wealthy, traditionalist husband of the Chinese gentry class. Master Chen’s mansion is divided into four quarters or courtyards—each occupied by one of his wives, who are all enjoined to live harmoniously under one roof. It is a manor dominated by the observance of arcane rituals, family rules and regulations—a central ritual being the hanging of red lanterns in the quarters of the master’s choice of sleeping partner for the night. The plot ingredients of a melodrama come into play as three of the wives—Zhuoyun (the second wife), Meishan (the third wife, an opera singer), and Songlian (the fourth and most recent wife, played by Gong Li),—become rivals for the master’s affections (the first wife being too old to be a serious rival). Zhuoyun is deceptively friendly, showing her true colours in the course of the film, as the most treacherous of the master’s wives. Meishan hides her tragic vulnerability beneath a bitchy, cunning veneer, while Songlian is equally vulnerable but much less equipped to handle the politics of rivalry and jealousy. The object is not only to win the master’s affections but to exert authority over the wider household of other concubines and servants. As a servant says, ‘‘authority is where the lantern is hung.’’ To complicate matters, Songlian’s servant, Yan, has ambitions of her own to become one of the master’s mistresses. Yan taunts Songlian by being mildly rebel￾lious and insolent (going against regulations, she hangs up torn and patched red lanterns in her own room), and informs on her mistress’ activities in Zhuoyun. The story works as a kind of gothic melodrama when Songlian discovers a locked room on the roof of the mansion and is told that it

DAHONG DENGLONG GAOGAO GUA FILMS. 4 EDITIoN Dahong denglong gaogao gua was the place where two women had died tragically by hanging device accentuates the distance of the one significant male character, hemselves. It is this room that rounds off the films climax(as third both from the perspectives of the audience as well as those of the key mistress Meishan, discovered for her infidelity, is dragged and locked female characters up there)and precipitates Songlian's tragedy. The chronology of the The long shot is a trait shared by Zhangs Fifth Generation arrative takes place over the seasons of the year; the events are colleagues( Chen Kaige, in particular, for whom Zhang served as confined to the settings of a single household, done in the elaborate director of photography on his first two films )and is a manifestation style of a Chinese manor-house complete with multiple courtyards, of the objective eye. In Fifth Generation work, the objective eye rooms, antechambers, and servants quarters, separated by walls and functions primarily as a visual endowment of film narratives. It points lanes. This architectural marvel is as much a part of the story as are the ip the stunning visual qualities of the directors compositions, and haracters, who often seem minuscule against the grand setting of the fills in" the narrative space that is not covered by dialogue On the building(alone in a courtyard, or standing behind a towering facade) other hand. the long shot tends to reinforce the structural look of a film Indeed, the film is distinguished by Zhang Yimous penchant for and gains a semiotic, symbolic function as well. long shots which take full advantage of his marvellous location and In Raise the Red Lantern, the structural compositions and thei interior sets. There are almost no close-ups in the film-the camera symbolic derivatives shore up the sense of distance in time and spac getting no closer to the characters than the medium shot. When closer and the psychology of the female characters as they engage in what shots are employed, Zhang almost always favours his female modern feminists would consider absurd rivalry and power-play. The characters-the one overtly conscious sign of the directors story- strength of the Fifth Generation directors lies in the ability to exploit telling sensibility motivating his series of films, beginning with Red historical objectivity and a highly personal approach to narrative Sorghum, that are all centred around women(all played by Gong Li). filmmaking, thus breaking with the tradition of didacticism and The master of the household is, in fact, always in long shots, with the literary approaches in Chinese cinema. That Zhangs success in the camera deliberately avoiding showing this character in full face. The West is attributed to exoticism is a price he must pay as his films

DAHONG DENGLONG GAOGAO GUA FILMS, 4th EDITION 286 Dahong denglong gaogao gua was the place where two women had died tragically by hanging themselves. It is this room that rounds off the film’s climax (as third mistress Meishan, discovered for her infidelity, is dragged and locked up there) and precipitates Songlian’s tragedy. The chronology of the narrative takes place over the seasons of the year; the events are confined to the settings of a single household, done in the elaborate style of a Chinese manor-house complete with multiple courtyards, rooms, antechambers, and servants’ quarters, separated by walls and lanes. This architectural marvel is as much a part of the story as are the characters, who often seem minuscule against the grand setting of the building (alone in a courtyard, or standing behind a towering facade). Indeed, the film is distinguished by Zhang Yimou’s penchant for long shots which take full advantage of his marvellous location and interior sets. There are almost no close-ups in the film—the camera getting no closer to the characters than the medium shot. When closer shots are employed, Zhang almost always favours his female characters—the one overtly conscious sign of the director’s story￾telling sensibility motivating his series of films, beginning with Red Sorghum, that are all centred around women (all played by Gong Li). The master of the household is, in fact, always in long shots, with the camera deliberately avoiding showing this character in full face. The device accentuates the distance of the one significant male character, both from the perspectives of the audience as well as those of the key female characters. The long shot is a trait shared by Zhang’s Fifth Generation colleagues (Chen Kaige, in particular, for whom Zhang served as director of photography on his first two films) and is a manifestation of the objective eye. In Fifth Generation work, the objective eye functions primarily as a visual endowment of film narratives. It points up the stunning visual qualities of the director’s compositions, and ‘‘fills in’’ the narrative space that is not covered by dialogue. On the other hand, the long shot tends to reinforce the structural look of a film and gains a semiotic, symbolic function as well. In Raise the Red Lantern, the structural compositions and their symbolic derivatives shore up the sense of distance in time and space and the psychology of the female characters as they engage in what modern feminists would consider absurd rivalry and power-play. The strength of the Fifth Generation directors lies in the ability to exploit historical objectivity and a highly personal approach to narrative filmmaking, thus breaking with the tradition of didacticism and literary approaches in Chinese cinema. That Zhang’s success in the West is attributed to exoticism is a price he must pay as his films

FILMS. 4th EDItION LES DAMES DU BOIS DE BOULOGNE assume more formalized and realist, down-to-earth properties(as Sloan, Jane, Robert Bresson: A Film Guide, New York, 1983 may be seen in The Story of Qiu Ju and his latest, To Live) Hanlon, Lindley, Fragments: Bresson's Film Style, Cranbury, 1986 Quandt, James, editor, Robert Bresson, Toronto, 1998 Stephen Teo Reader, Keith, Robert Bresson, Manchester, 2000 Articles. LES DAMES DU BOIS DE Sadoul in Lettres Francaises(Paris), 29 September 194 BOULOGNE Becker, Hommage a robert Bresson, in Ecran francais aris), 17 October 1946. Lambert, Gavin, * Notes on Robert Bresson, in Sight and Sound (Ladies of the Bois de boulogne) (London), Summer 1953. Truffaut, Francois, in Arts(Paris), 22 September 1954. france. 1945 (London), December 1957. Director: robert bresson Baxter, Brian, Robert Bresson, in Film(London), September October 1958 Production: Films Raoul Ploquin; black and white, 35mm; running Roud, Richard, "The Early Work of Robert Bresson, "in Film ime: originally 96 minutes, but edited down to 84 minutes for initial Culture(New York ), no 20, 1959. release, current versions are usually 90 minutes. Released 21 Septem- Roud. Richard, French Outsider with an Insider Look, 'in Filr ber 1945. Filmed summer 1944 in france and Filming(London), April 1960. lew York Times, 4 April 1964 Producer: Robert Lavellee: screenplay: Robert Bresson; dialogue Sarris. Andrew. *Robert Bresson 'in Interviews with Film Direc- Jean Cocteau, from a passage in"Jacques le fataliste et son maitre tors. New York. 1967 by Denis Diderot; photography: Philippe Agostini; editor: Jean Sontag, Susan, ""Spiritual Style in the Films of Robert bresson, i Feyte; sound: Rene Louge, Robert Ivonnet, and Lucien Legrand Against Interpretation, New York, 1969 production designer: Max Douy; music: Jean-Jacques Grunenwald. Skoller, Donald S, ""Praxis as a Cinematic Principle in the Films of Robert bresson, in Cinema Journal (Evanston, Illinois). Fall 1969 Cast: Paul Bernard (ean): Maria Casares(Helene ) Elina Labourdette Robert bresson, in Current Biography Yearbook, New York, 1971 (Agnes ]); Lucienne Bogaert(Madame D): Jean Marchat (Jacques) Samuels, Charles Thomas, Robert Bresson, in Encountering Direc- Yvette Etievant(Chamber maid); with Bernard Lajarrige, Nicole ors. New York. 1972. Regnault, Marcel Rouze, Emma Lyonnel, Lucy Lancy, Marguerite de Polhemusin, H. M, ""Matter and Spirit in the Films of Robert Morlaye, and the dog Katsou Bresson, in Film Heritage(Dayton, Ohio), Spring 1974 Les dames du bois de boulogne issue of Avant-Scene du cinema Awards: Louis Delluc Award. france. 19 Paris), 15 November 1977 'Robert Bresson Issue"of Camera/Stylo( Paris), January 1985 Signorelli, A, "Les dames du bois de boulogne di robert bresson Cineforum, vol. 27, no 9, 1987. Publications Predal, R, in Avant Scene du Cinema(Paris), January-February 1992 Michalczyk, J.J., and Paul Guth, in French review, no. 4, 1992. Botermans, Jan, in Film en Televisie Video(Brussels), Octo Bresson, Robert, and Jean Cocteau, Les Dames du bois de boulogne. Books. Les dames du bois du boulogne, robert Bresson's second film premiered just at the moment of the Liberation of France. Considered he Films of robert Bresson, New York, 1969 difficult and client of Armes, Roy, French Cinema Since 1946. Volume 1: The Great Louis Delluc Award for the years most important French film. what Tradition, New York, 1970. was it that made this film so difficult. and how could Bresson's severe Cameron, lan, The Films of Robert Bresson, London, 1970 style have attracted the attention it did? Schrader, Paul, Transcendental Style on Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer First of all, the stifling studio look, by which Bresson was able to Los Angeles. 1972 shadow, was perfectly suited to the hermetic era of the resson, Robert, Notes sur le cinematographe, Paris, 1975; as Notes Occupation in which the f on the Cinema. New york. 1977. of the films literary source. The story was culled from Diderot's de Pontes Leca, C, Robert Bresson o cinematografo e o sinal, 18th-century classic Jacques le fataliste. Seemingly updated to in- Lisbon. 1978. clude automobiles, electric lights, etc, Bazin once claimed that 287

FILMS, 4 LES DAMES DU BOIS DE BOULOGNE th EDITION 287 assume more formalized and realist, down-to-earth properties (as may be seen in The Story of Qiu Ju and his latest, To Live). —Stephen Teo LES DAMES DU BOIS DE BOULOGNE (Ladies of the Bois de Boulogne) France, 1945 Director: Robert Bresson Production: Films Raoul Ploquin; black and white, 35mm; running time: originally 96 minutes, but edited down to 84 minutes for initial release, current versions are usually 90 minutes. Released 21 Septem￾ber 1945. Filmed summer 1944 in France. Producer: Robert Lavellée; screenplay: Robert Bresson; dialogue: Jean Cocteau, from a passage in ‘‘Jacques le fataliste et son maître’’ by Denis Diderot; photography: Philippe Agostini; editor: Jean Feyte; sound: René Louge, Robert Ivonnet, and Lucien Legrand; production designer: Max Douy; music: Jean-Jacques Grunenwald. Cast: Paul Bernard (Jean); Maria Casares (Hélène); Elina Labourdette (Agnès J); Lucienne Bogaert (Madame D); Jean Marchat (Jacques); Yvette Etievant (Chamber maid); with Bernard Lajarrige, Nicole Regnault, Marcel Rouzé, Emma Lyonnel, Lucy Lancy, Marguerite de Morlaye, and the dog Katsou. Awards: Louis Delluc Award, France, 1945. Publications Script: Bresson, Robert, and Jean Cocteau, Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne, in Avant-Scène du Cinéma (Paris), 15 November 1977. Books: The Films of Robert Bresson, New York, 1969. Armes, Roy, French Cinema Since 1946, Volume 1: The Great Tradition, New York, 1970. Cameron, Ian, The Films of Robert Bresson, London, 1970. Schrader, Paul, Transcendental Style on Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer, Los Angeles, 1972. Bresson, Robert, Notes sur le cinématographe, Paris, 1975; as Notes on the Cinema, New York, 1977. de Pontes Leca, C., Robert Bresson o cinematografo e o sinal, Lisbon, 1978. Sloan, Jane, Robert Bresson: A Film Guide, New York, 1983. Hanlon, Lindley, Fragments: Bresson’s Film Style, Cranbury, 1986. Quandt, James, editor, Robert Bresson, Toronto, 1998. Reader, Keith, Robert Bresson, Manchester, 2000. Articles: Sadoul, Georges, in Lettres Françaises (Paris), 29 September 1945. Becker, Jacques, ‘‘Hommage à Robert Bresson,’’ in Ecran Français (Paris), 17 October 1946. Lambert, Gavin, ‘‘Notes on Robert Bresson,’’ in Sight and Sound (London), Summer 1953. Truffaut, François, in Arts (Paris), 22 September 1954. Gow, Gordon, ‘‘The Quest for Realism,’’ in Films and Filming (London), December 1957. Baxter, Brian, ‘‘Robert Bresson,’’ in Film (London), September￾October 1958. Roud, Richard, ‘‘The Early Work of Robert Bresson,’’ in Film Culture (New York), no. 20, 1959. Roud, Richard, ‘‘French Outsider with an Insider Look,’’ in Films and Filming (London), April 1960. New York Times, 4 April 1964. Sarris, Andrew, ‘‘Robert Bresson,’’ in Interviews with Film Direc￾tors, New York, 1967. Sontag, Susan, ‘‘Spiritual Style in the Films of Robert Bresson,’’ in Against Interpretation, New York, 1969. Skoller, Donald S., ‘‘Praxis as a Cinematic Principle in the Films of Robert Bresson,’’ in Cinema Journal (Evanston, Illinois), Fall 1969. ‘‘Robert Bresson,’’ in Current Biography Yearbook, New York, 1971. Samuels, Charles Thomas, ‘‘Robert Bresson,’’ in Encountering Direc￾tors, New York, 1972. Polhemusin, H. M., ‘‘Matter and Spirit in the Films of Robert Bresson,’’ in Film Heritage (Dayton, Ohio), Spring 1974. ‘‘Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne Issue’’ of Avant-Scène du Cinéma (Paris), 15 November 1977. ‘‘Robert Bresson Issue’’ of Caméra/Stylo (Paris), January 1985. Signorelli, A., ‘‘Les dames du Bois de Boulogne di Robert Bresson,’’ in Cineforum, vol. 27, no. 9, 1987. Predal, R., in Avant Scène du Cinéma (Paris), January-February 1992. Michalczyk, J.J., and Paul Guth, in French Review, no. 4, 1992. Botermans, Jan, in Film en Televisie + Video (Brussels), Octo￾ber 1996. *** Les Dames du Bois du Boulogne, Robert Bresson’s second film, premiered just at the moment of the Liberation of France. Considered a difficult and extraordinary work, it was the first recipient of the Louis Delluc Award for the year’s most important French film. What was it that made this film so difficult, and how could Bresson’s severe style have attracted the attention it did? First of all, the stifling studio look, by which Bresson was able to control every shadow, was perfectly suited to the hermetic era of the Occupation in which the film was made and to the strict moral drama of the film’s literary source. The story was culled from Diderot’s 18th-century classic Jacques le fataliste. Seemingly updated to in￾clude automobiles, electric lights, etc., Bazin once claimed that

LES DAMES DU BOIS DE BOULOGNE FILMS. 4 EDITIoN F Les dames du bois de boulogne Bresson's adaptation is in fact back-dated, that it is the aesthetic oralized. a good example of this process is found when Jean enters equivalent of Racine. Bresson has indeed essentialized a picaresque, Agnes's room. He takes in this closed space and then transforms it in ironic drama into a tragic struggle of absolutes. More accurately, he words: This is her lamp, her flowers, her frame, her cushion. This is has pitted the absolute and tragic world view of Helene, the injured, where she sits to read, this, her piano. And yet throughout this icy heroine played elegantly by Maria Casares, against the more recitation we see only his face. The dialogue sums up and closes off modern and temperate world views held by the lover who has left her, sentiments, cooling passions, abstracting emotions. We observe Helene and by the two women she vengefully introduces him to in the bois du lying wrathful on her bed for some time before she leans forward to Boulogne peak her incredibly cold, Je me vengerai Here is the crux of the film's difficulty, for 20th-century spectators Although this style insists on the overpowering strength of Helene are required to identify with the hardened Helene as she spins the web response to life (in which a single errant word warrants death and of her trap, using modern, attractive characters as bait. Yet the film damnation). the plot supports the more ordinary characters whom she succeeds because Bresson has supported her with his style, if not his has manipulated to the end. For after her plans have run their course, moral sympathy. We experience her anguish and determination after she has announced to Jean at the church that he has married within the decisive clarity of each shot and within the fatal mechanism a loose woman, her power is spent. The grace of love, of the love born made up by the precise concatenation of shots. No accident or between these two humble and minor mortals, points to a life or spontaneous gesture is permitted to enter either Helene's world a purpose beyond Helene. Bresson's Jansenism mixes severity(style) Jean Cocteau's dialogue pressed like some dense radioactive Only the dead-time of the Occupation could have permitted such element, continually points up the absolute stakes at play; further a refined and distant love story. Its timeless values, though, reflect on more,the lines he has written play antiphonally with the images to that period, particularly its concern with weakness, forgiveness, and produce a reflective space in which every perception has already been the future in a world controlled by absolute political powers. More

LES DAMES DU BOIS DE BOULOGNE FILMS, 4th EDITION 288 Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne Bresson’s adaptation is in fact back-dated, that it is the aesthetic equivalent of Racine. Bresson has indeed essentialized a picaresque, ironic drama into a tragic struggle of absolutes. More accurately, he has pitted the absolute and tragic world view of Hélène, the injured, icy heroine played elegantly by Maria Casares, against the more modern and temperate world views held by the lover who has left her, and by the two women she vengefully introduces him to in the Bois du Boulogne. Here is the crux of the film’s difficulty, for 20th-century spectators are required to identify with the hardened Hélène as she spins the web of her trap, using modern, attractive characters as bait. Yet the film succeeds because Bresson has supported her with his style, if not his moral sympathy. We experience her anguish and determination within the decisive clarity of each shot and within the fatal mechanism made up by the precise concatenation of shots. No accident or spontaneous gesture is permitted to enter either Hélène’s world or Bresson’s mise-en-scène. Jean Cocteau’s dialogue, compressed like some dense radioactive element, continually points up the absolute stakes at play; further￾more, the lines he has written play antiphonally with the images to produce a reflective space in which every perception has already been oralized. A good example of this process is found when Jean enters Agnès’s room. He takes in this closed space and then transforms it in words: ‘‘This is her lamp, her flowers, her frame, her cushion. This is where she sits to read, this, her piano.’’ And yet throughout this recitation we see only his face. The dialogue sums up and closes off sentiments, cooling passions, abstracting emotions. We observe Hélène lying wrathful on her bed for some time before she leans forward to speak her incredibly cold, ‘‘Je me vengerai.’’ Although this style insists on the overpowering strength of Hélène’s response to life (in which a single errant word warrants death and damnation), the plot supports the more ordinary characters whom she has manipulated to the end. For after her plans have run their course, after she has announced to Jean at the church that he has married a loose woman, her power is spent. The grace of love, of the love born between these two humble and minor mortals, points to a life or a purpose beyond Hélène. Bresson’s Jansenism mixes severity (style) and the disclosure of grace (plot). Only the dead-time of the Occupation could have permitted such a refined and distant love story. Its timeless values, though, reflect on that period, particularly its concern with weakness, forgiveness, and the future in a world controlled by absolute political powers. More

FILMS. 4th EDItION DANCE, GIRL, DANCE important is the full expression of a style that demands to be taken Johnston, Claire, editor, The Work of Dorothy Arzner: Towards morally. Even if Bresson has since rejected this effort as too theatrical (with its music, acting and studio lighting), the fact is that Les Dames Kay, Karyn, and Gerald Peary, editors, Women and the Cinema: du bois du boulogne showed the world the value of his search A Critical Anthology, New York, 1977 a search that is at once stylistic and metaphysical, and one his later Slide, Anthony, Early Women Directors, South Brunswick, New work has justified. It is a tribute to the French film community that Jersey, 1977 they recognized the presence and importance of something truly Heck -Rabi, Louise, Women Filmmakers: A Critical Reception, different Metuchen, New Jersey, 1984 Penley, Constance, editor, Feminism and Film Theory, London, 1988 -Dudley Andrew Mayne, Judith, Directed by Dorothy Arzner, Bloomington, 1995 THE DAMNED Crowther, Bosley, in New York Times, 11 September 1940. See LA Caduta dEgLi del Kine Weekly(London), 12 September 1940 Monthly Film Bulletin(London ) vol 7, no 81, 1940 Feldman. J. and H. Feldman. *Women Directors. in Films in Review(New York). November 1950. DANCE GIRL DANCE Pyros, J,"Notes on Women Directors, in Take One(Montreal) November-December 1970 USA.1940 Henshaw, Richard. Women Directors. ' in Film Comment(New York), November 1972 Director: Dorothy Arzner Parker, F, "Approaching the Art of Arzner, in Action (Los Ange les), July-August 1973 Velvet Light Trap(Madison, Wisconsin), Fall 1973 Production: RKO-Radio Pictures: black and white: running time: 90 Castle, W," Tribute to Dorothy Arzner, in Action(Los Angeles), minutes. Released September 1940 March-April 1975. Kaplan, E. Ann, Aspects of British Feminist Film Theory, 'in Jump Producers: Erich Pommer and Harry Edington; screenplay: Tess Cut(Berkeley ), nos. 12-13, 1976 lesinger, Frank Davis, from the novel by Vicki Baum; assistant Glaessner, Verina, in Focus on Film(London), Summer-Autumn 1976 director: James H. Anderson; photography: Russell Metty, editor: Laemmle, Ann, in Cinema Texas Program Notes, 28 February 1978 Robert Wise; sound: Hugh McDowell, Jr; art director: Van Nest Bergstrom, J, ""Rereading the Work of Claire Johnston, " in camera Polglase: associate art director: Al Herman; gowns: Edward Ste Obscura(Berkeley), Summer 1979. venson: music director: Edward Ward; dances: Ernst Matray Forster, A, in Skrien(Amsterdam), September-October 1984 Chell, S L, Dorothy Arzner's Dance, Girl, Dance, in CineAction Cast: Maureen O'Hara (udy): Louis Hayward (Jimmy Harris) oronto), Summer-Fall 1991 Lucille Ball(Bubbles): Ralph Bellamy(Steve Adams): Virginia Field (Elinor Harris): Maria Ouspenskaya (Madame Basilova): Mary Carlisle(Sally): Katherine Alexander(Miss Olmstead); Edward Brophie (Dwarfie): Walter Abel (udge ) Harold Huber(Hoboken Gent); Ernest Truex (Bailey 1): Chester Clute (Bailey 2): Vivian Fay Dance, Girl, Dance is one of the few films directed by a woman i (Ballerina); Lorraine Krueger( Dolly); Lola Jensen(Daisy): Emma what is known as the"classical Hollywood era, when, it has been Dunn(Ms. Simpson); Sidney Blackmer(Puss in Boots); Ludwi gued, the conventional narrative codes of cinema were fixed. This Stossel (Caesar); Erno Verebes( Fitch) unique position has inevitably informed the ways in which the film has been studied. Although Dorothy Arzner herself nist. it is due to feminism that she has been reassessed. In the mid- 970s feminist critics argued that while Dance, Girl, Dance may Publications appear to be just one example of the popular musical comedies and ens pictures produced by rKoin the 1930s and 1940s, Arzne Books ironic point of view questions the very conventions she uses. The film was made in the relative flexibility of RKO's production Johnston, Claire, Notes on Women's Cinema. London 1973 system, whereby independent directors were contracted to work Rosen, Marjorie, Popcorn Venus: Women, Movies and the American under minimal supervision. It was in this context that Arzner was reputedly able to rework a confusing and scrappy script to focus on Haskell, Molly, From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women the ambivalent relationship between the two strong, but very differ- in the Movies, New York, 1974. ent, main female characters, Judy, an aspiring ballerina, and bubbles, Smith. Sharon. Women Who Make Movies. New York. 1975 a gold-digging showgirl. Bubbles, after finding work in burlesque

FILMS, 4 DANCE, GIRL, DANCE th EDITION 289 important is the full expression of a style that demands to be taken morally. Even if Bresson has since rejected this effort as too theatrical (with its music, acting, and studio lighting), the fact is that Les Dames du Bois du Boulogne showed the world the value of his search, a search that is at once stylistic and metaphysical, and one his later work has justified. It is a tribute to the French film community that they recognized the presence and importance of something truly different. —Dudley Andrew THE DAMNED See LA CADUTA DEGLI DEI DANCE, GIRL, DANCE USA, 1940 Director: Dorothy Arzner Production: RKO-Radio Pictures; black and white; running time: 90 minutes. Released September 1940. Producers: Erich Pommer and Harry Edington; screenplay: Tess Slesinger, Frank Davis, from the novel by Vicki Baum; assistant director: James H. Anderson; photography: Russell Metty; editor: Robert Wise; sound: Hugh McDowell, Jr.; art director: Van Nest Polglase; associate art director: Al Herman; gowns: Edward Ste￾venson; music director: Edward Ward; dances: Ernst Matray. Cast: Maureen O’Hara (Judy); Louis Hayward (Jimmy Harris); Lucille Ball (Bubbles); Ralph Bellamy (Steve Adams); Virginia Field (Elinor Harris); Maria Ouspenskaya (Madame Basilova); Mary Carlisle (Sally); Katherine Alexander (Miss Olmstead); Edward Brophie (Dwarfie); Walter Abel (Judge); Harold Huber (Hoboken Gent); Ernest Truex (Bailey 1); Chester Clute (Bailey 2); Vivian Fay (Ballerina); Lorraine Krueger (Dolly); Lola Jensen (Daisy); Emma Dunn (Ms. Simpson); Sidney Blackmer (Puss in Boots); Ludwig Stossel (Caesar); Erno Verebes (Fitch). Publications Books: Johnston, Claire, Notes on Women’s Cinema, London 1973. Rosen, Marjorie, Popcorn Venus: Women, Movies and the American Dream, New York, 1973. Haskell, Molly, From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies, New York, 1974. Smith, Sharon, Women Who Make Movies, New York, 1975. Johnston, Claire, editor, The Work of Dorothy Arzner: Towards a Feminist Cinema, London, 1975. Kay, Karyn, and Gerald Peary, editors, Women and the Cinema: A Critical Anthology, New York, 1977. Slide, Anthony, Early Women Directors, South Brunswick, New Jersey, 1977. Heck-Rabi, Louise, Women Filmmakers: A Critical Reception, Metuchen, New Jersey, 1984. Penley, Constance, editor, Feminism and Film Theory, London, 1988. Mayne, Judith, Directed by Dorothy Arzner, Bloomington, 1995. Articles: Crowther, Bosley, in New York Times, 11 September 1940. Kine Weekly (London), 12 September 1940. Monthly Film Bulletin (London), vol. 7, no. 81, 1940. Feldman, J., and H. Feldman, ‘‘Women Directors,’’ in Films in Review (New York), November 1950. Pyros, J., ‘‘Notes on Women Directors,’’ in Take One (Montreal), November-December 1970. Henshaw, Richard, ‘‘Women Directors,’’ in Film Comment (New York), November 1972. Parker, F., ‘‘Approaching the Art of Arzner,’’ in Action (Los Ange￾les), July-August 1973. Velvet Light Trap (Madison, Wisconsin), Fall 1973. Castle, W., ‘‘Tribute to Dorothy Arzner,’’ in Action (Los Angeles), March-April 1975. Kaplan, E. Ann, ‘‘Aspects of British Feminist Film Theory,’’ in Jump Cut (Berkeley), nos. 12–13, 1976. Glaessner, Verina, in Focus on Film (London), Summer-Autumn 1976. Laemmle, Ann, in Cinema Texas Program Notes, 28 February 1978. Bergstrom, J., ‘‘Rereading the Work of Claire Johnston,’’ in Camera Obscura (Berkeley), Summer 1979. Forster, A., in Skrien (Amsterdam), September-October 1984. Chell, S. L., ‘‘Dorothy Arzner’s Dance, Girl, Dance,’’ in CineAction (Toronto), Summer-Fall 1991. *** Dance, Girl, Dance is one of the few films directed by a woman in what is known as the ‘‘classical Hollywood’’ era, when, it has been argued, the conventional narrative codes of cinema were fixed. This unique position has inevitably informed the ways in which the film has been studied. Although Dorothy Arzner herself was not a femi￾nist, it is due to feminism that she has been reassessed. In the mid- 1970s feminist critics argued that while Dance, Girl, Dance may appear to be just one example of the popular musical comedies and women’s pictures produced by RKO in the 1930s and 1940s, Arzner’s ironic point of view questions the very conventions she uses. The film was made in the relative flexibility of RKO’s production system, whereby independent directors were contracted to work under minimal supervision. It was in this context that Arzner was reputedly able to rework a confusing and scrappy script to focus on the ambivalent relationship between the two strong, but very differ￾ent, main female characters, Judy, an aspiring ballerina, and Bubbles, a gold-digging showgirl. Bubbles, after finding work in burlesque

DAOMA ZEI FILMS. 4 EDITIoN brings Judy'sclassy act" into her show, where Judy is humiliated as tragically realised. Steve, in a humiliating tirade, asserts that Judy has her stooge. One night, Bubbles announces that she has married Jimmy been a silly, stubborn" girl. " The incongruously huge hat that she Harris, a weak heavy-drinking millionaire divorce with whom Judy wears in this scene hides her face until, as Steve embraces her and tells has fallen in love. Consequently, in a scene that has been much her to"go ahead and laugh, it is revealed that she is, in fact, discussed, Judy, overwhelmed with frustration, furiously confronts weeping. Arzner's final irony offers the potential for a critique of the her heckling audience. The standing ovation she receives infuriates traditional boy-gets-girl resolution, and, implicitly, of the classical Bubbles, and they fall into a vicious fight. Judy, unrepentant, is sent to Hollywood text itself. ail,but the next day, Steve Adams, a ballet director who has been pursuing her, pays her bail and summons her to his office. He intends -Samantha Cook to train her to be a professional ballerina and, it is implied, his wife. Arzner's portrayal of the complex relationship between the two women is one or the ways in wnicn the apparent opposition set up DAOMA ZEL ing exploitation) is undermined. The ways in which each womans dance numbers are presented subvert the stereotypes of a sexual (Horse Thief Bubbles and an artistic Judy. For example, when Judy dances at the ight-club, Fitch, Steve's associate, comments in surprise at her China, 1986 impressive (i.e, artistic) footwork. Steve, however, leers that"her eyes aren't bad either. Arzner pinpoints with terrible clarity the Director: Tian Zhuangzhuang tension between a woman s struggle for integrity and a male gaze that by its very nature undermines that struggle. Where, then, does this Production: Xi' an Film Studio; Eastmancolour, Scope, 35mm;run- leave Bubbles? When she dances at the burlesque, the ironies of her ning time: 96 minutes. Filmed in Tibet. Distributed in the United performances are a real delight for the cinema audience. When she States by China Film Import and Export alls and points to her audience she is challenging them, from within the licensed confines of burlesque conventions, in a way that parallels Executive producer: Wu Tianming: screenplay: Zhang Rui; pho- judy' s later outburst. Both women challenge, from the stage, the men tography: Hou Yong, Zhao Fei; assistant director: Pan Peicheng who watch them, and thereby resist their passive status. So while we production manager: Li Changqing; editor: Li Jingzhong; art are invited to gaze upon Bubbles as a non-artistic spectacle, she is also director: Huo Jianqi; lighting: Yao Zhuoxi; music: Qu Xiaosong knowing, controlling, with a voice of her own. It is the sheer power of this"voice, ' Bubbles's potent screen presence, that subverts her Cast: Tseshang Rigzin(Norbu); Dan Jiji(Dolma); Jayang Jamco plied position as less worthy than judy. (Tashi); Gaoba(Nowre): Daiba( Granny); Drashi (Grandfather) Much of the critical attention paid to Judys furious speech has suggested that the artistic and moral m of the lecherous gaze of the burlesque audience also functions as a not-so-veiled attack on the Publications cinema audience. However. the film has much invested in drawing in its audience to enjoy the display of s bodies, and this impulse Book arguably triumphs over the conflicting impulse to alienate the audi- ence,or to chastise it for its voyeurism. Judys gesture is thus defused Berry, Chris, Perspectives on Chinese Cinema, London, 1991 by being applauded, and leading into the titillating catfight. But the rony is that she has found a voice and can defiantly assert, " I'm not Articles ashamed. not within the structures of the ballet but in those of the Variety(New York), 2 September 1987. As in Arzner's earlier work. and within the conventions of the Combs, R, Monthly Film Bulletin(London), September 1987 women's film, it is the scenes featuring women that are the most Stanbrook, A, "Sky-burial, 'in Sight and Sound(London), striking and subtle, and in contrast, the heterosexual romance appears Autumn 1987 hollow. Although a weak love-story element runs through the film, Bourgignon, T, ""Documentaire magique, ' in Positif(Paris),Decem- the women,'s desires are channelled less towards coupledom than ber 1991 nmy, Judy wishes on a star that she Cheng, Scarlet, ""Directors: A Rebels Cause, Asiaweek, February might become a dancer too. She wants it all, romance and artistic 16,199 integrity, and the latter is never submerged in the former. Bubbles, or Sklar, Robert, ""People and Politics, Simple and Direct, in Cineaste the other hand, desires economic rather than artistic independence (New York), vol 20, no 4, 1994 Both her dancing and her sexual desires are grounded in a cynicism Gladney, D. C," Tian Zhuangzhuang, the 5th Generation, and minori- about heterosexual relationships that affords her one of the films ties in Film in China. in Public Culture, vol 8, no 1, 1995. finest throwaway lines, describing the burlesque owner as"a great Buchet, J M, "Le voleur de chevaux, "in Les Cine-Fiches de gran big capitalist in the artificial limbs business. Angle, May 199 However, the position of strong female protagonists in a Holly wood text is a precarious one, and it is in the final scene that this is

DAOMA ZEI FILMS, 4th EDITION 290 brings Judy’s ‘‘classy act’’ into her show, where Judy is humiliated as her stooge. One night, Bubbles announces that she has married Jimmy Harris, a weak heavy-drinking millionaire divorcé with whom Judy has fallen in love. Consequently, in a scene that has been much discussed, Judy, overwhelmed with frustration, furiously confronts her heckling audience. The standing ovation she receives infuriates Bubbles, and they fall into a vicious fight. Judy, unrepentant, is sent to jail, but the next day, Steve Adams, a ballet director who has been pursuing her, pays her bail and summons her to his office. He intends to train her to be a professional ballerina and, it is implied, his wife. Arzner’s portrayal of the complex relationship between the two women is one of the ways in which the apparent opposition set up between art (offering ‘‘self-expression’’) and entertainment (impos￾ing exploitation) is undermined. The ways in which each woman’s dance numbers are presented subvert the stereotypes of a sexual Bubbles and an artistic Judy. For example, when Judy dances at the night-club, Fitch, Steve’s associate, comments in surprise at her impressive (i.e., artistic) footwork. Steve, however, leers that ‘‘her eyes aren’t bad either.’’ Arzner pinpoints with terrible clarity the tension between a woman’s struggle for integrity and a male gaze that by its very nature undermines that struggle. Where, then, does this leave Bubbles? When she dances at the burlesque, the ironies of her performances are a real delight for the cinema audience. When she calls and points to her audience she is challenging them, from within the licensed confines of burlesque conventions, in a way that parallels Judy’s later outburst. Both women challenge, from the stage, the men who watch them, and thereby resist their passive status. So while we are invited to gaze upon Bubbles as a non-artistic spectacle, she is also knowing, controlling, with a voice of her own. It is the sheer power of this ‘‘voice,’’ Bubbles’s potent screen presence, that subverts her implied position as less worthy than Judy. Much of the critical attention paid to Judy’s furious speech has suggested that the artistic and moral criticism of the lecherous gaze of the burlesque audience also functions as a not-so-veiled attack on the cinema audience. However, the film has much invested in drawing in its audience to enjoy the display of women’s bodies, and this impulse arguably triumphs over the conflicting impulse to alienate the audi￾ence, or to chastise it for its voyeurism. Judy’s gesture is thus defused by being applauded, and leading into the titillating catfight. But the irony is that she has found a voice and can defiantly assert, ‘‘I’m not ashamed,’’ not within the structures of the ballet, but in those of the burlesque. As in Arzner’s earlier work, and within the conventions of the women’s film, it is the scenes featuring women that are the most striking and subtle, and in contrast, the heterosexual romance appears hollow. Although a weak love-story element runs through the film, the women’s desires are channelled less towards coupledom than independence. After a date with Jimmy, Judy wishes on a star that she might become a dancer too. She wants it all, romance and artistic integrity, and the latter is never submerged in the former. Bubbles, on the other hand, desires economic rather than artistic independence. Both her dancing and her sexual desires are grounded in a cynicism about heterosexual relationships that affords her one of the film’s finest throwaway lines, describing the burlesque owner as ‘‘a great big capitalist in the artificial limbs business.’’ However, the position of strong female protagonists in a Holly￾wood text is a precarious one, and it is in the final scene that this is tragically realised. Steve, in a humiliating tirade, asserts that Judy has been a silly, stubborn ‘‘girl.’’ The incongruously huge hat that she wears in this scene hides her face until, as Steve embraces her and tells her to ‘‘go ahead and laugh,’’ it is revealed that she is, in fact, weeping. Arzner’s final irony offers the potential for a critique of the traditional boy-gets-girl resolution, and, implicitly, of the classical Hollywood text itself. —Samantha Cook DAOMA ZEI (Horse Thief) China, 1986 Director: Tian Zhuangzhuang Production: Xi’an Film Studio; Eastmancolour, Scope, 35mm; run￾ning time: 96 minutes. Filmed in Tibet. Distributed in the United States by China Film Import and Export. Executive producer: Wu Tianming; screenplay: Zhang Rui; pho￾tography: Hou Yong, Zhao Fei; assistant director: Pan Peicheng; production manager: Li Changqing; editor: Li Jingzhong; art director: Huo Jianqi; lighting: Yao Zhuoxi; music: Qu Xiaosong. Cast: Tseshang Rigzin (Norbu); Dan Jiji (Dolma); Jayang Jamco (Tashi); Gaoba (Nowre); Daiba (Granny); Drashi (Grandfather). Publications Book: Berry, Chris, Perspectives on Chinese Cinema, London, 1991. Articles: Variety (New York), 2 September 1987. Combs, R., Monthly Film Bulletin (London), September 1987. Stanbrook, A., ‘‘Sky-burial,’’ in Sight and Sound (London), Autumn 1987. Bourgignon, T., ‘‘Documentaire magique,’’ in Positif (Paris), Decem￾ber 1991. Cheng, Scarlet, ‘‘Directors: A Rebel’s Cause,’’ Asiaweek, February 16, 1994. Sklar, Robert, ‘‘People and Politics, Simple and Direct,’’ in Cineaste (New York), vol. 20, no. 4, 1994. Gladney, D.C., ‘‘Tian Zhuangzhuang, the 5th Generation, and Minori￾ties in Film in China,’’ in Public Culture, vol. 8, no. 1, 1995. Buchet, J.-M., ‘‘Le voleur de chevaux,’’ in Les Cine-Fiches de Grand Angle, May 1997. ***

FILMS. 4th EDItION DAWANDEH It is 1923, on the remote Tibetan plains. Two horsemen dressed not well received in China, selling just seven prints, Tian himself heepskin gallop over a ridge on their way to rustle a coral of horses. dismissed the lack of audience. As he said in a controversial interview Half drama and half reconstructed documentary on a life long past with Yang Ping for the magazine Popular Cinema:"I shot Horse Horse Thief is director Tian Zhuangzhuang's romantic peaen Thief for audiences of the next century to watch. Chinas Noble Savage Norbu is the Savage in question. With his long mass of tangled -Scarlet Cheng hair, his well-tanned and sinuous torso, and his dark flashing eyes, he rides a horse with as much dignity and naturalness as he strides the arid plains. He may steal horses and way lay Muslim travelers in the desert, but he is, nevertheless, a devoted husband to his wife, dolma, and doting father to his young son, Tashi. In this film we become DAWANDEH witness to the rites and passages of traditional Tibetan life-the ritualistic offerings to the gods: a funeral wake that ends with the corpse being laid out to be pecked apart by vultures; a visit by Norbu, (The Runner his wife, and son to a temple to spin a row of vertical prayer wheels mounted on colum Iran. 1984 In one especially stunning scene, a crowd of men gather in the ley to worship the Mountain God. They set up an endless wailing Director: Amir naderi as they push the sacred sheep ahead of them. They toss wads of votive paper into air. Caught by gusts of wind, the papers swirl forward, like giant snowflakes, blanketing the valley amidst a spooky chorus of Production: Tehran Institute for the Intellectual Development of voices. In another hypnotic scene Norbu and Dolma stand, pray, and Children and Young Adults; colour, 35mm; running time: prostrate themselves across the plain against a series of superimposed religious objects and temple architecture. The sound of bells, the Executive producer: Fathola Dalil; screenplay: Amir Naderi, Behruz drone of chanting, the rhythm of a single drum--all help transport us Gharibpur; photography: Firuz Malkzadeh: editor: Bahram Beyza'i into the primeval world of legend. assistant director: Mohammmad Hassanzadeh; production design Horse thievery is one thing-but desecration is another. One day Gholam Reza Ramezani sound: Nezam-e-Din Kia'i Norbu and his outlaw partner come upon a sacred ground, where offerings have been left strewn about. They begin to pick through the jewelry and ornaments. "The big pile is for the temple, the small ones Cast: Majid Nirumand(Amiro): Musa Torkizadeh(Musa):A well split between us, says Norbu. Then something catches his eye Gholamzadeh(Uncle Gholam); Reza Ramezani(Ramzan something of his own. Returning home, he gives it to his chortlin boy: but here in the pristine, primeval world, everything is linked, and Publications there is no crime without punishment. As the village elder says, Norbu has offended God. He stole the officials temple gifts. He continues, The officials demand a serious punishment, but no matter Articles hat, he's a member of my clan. According to our rules, he is to be driven out forever Variety(New York), 2 October 1985 As Noble Savage, Norbu manfully accepts his fate and leaves at Sabouraud, F,"L'enfant double. in Cahiers du Cinema(Paris) once. Exile, however, is not the worst punishment. His young son December 1986 soon falls ill. Norbu brings back Holy Water from the temple to dab Glaessner, Verina, in Monthly Film Bulletin(London), august 1988 his son's forehead; he rocks the sick child in his arms, singing, Go to Skrien(Amsterdam), April-May 1990 leep and I will give you a horse/ There's a saddle ready for you, and I have a bridle, too/ I will catch a star just for you. But for all of Norbu's tenderness, the boy dies. Even the land itsel is sick. As stock animals die off in droves. Norbu's tribe is forced move west, and Norbu himself must steal again. In the end, he pays a desperate price for his transgressions Dawandeh follows the day-to-day life of 13-year-old Amiro.The ving amongst the underclass of an Iranian po Director Tian (b. 1952) entered the Beijing Film Academy in community. Depicting the details of his life-collecting bottles 1978, and yet he had to go elsewhere to make the two films on which discarded from ships, shining shoes, and at home on a derelict boat on his reputation is based--to the Inner Mongolia Film Studio for On the the shoreline--this is a remarkable story of a boy who rises above all Hunting Ground(1985; a film about Mongolian horsemen)and to odds to better himself. Xian Film Studio for Horse Thief. In Horse Thief, using only spars Amiro is charged with a will to survive: in addition to struggling to dialogue, Tian has created a stunning poetry with visuals, editing, and earn enough money to feed himself, he takes himself to school for sound that convey the very experience of living in an ancient tribal literacy classes. Everything to the boy is a challenge, and the almost universe, a world of myth and immutable laws. Although the film was palpable spark within him drives him onward in his quest for triump 1

FILMS, 4 DAWANDEH th EDITION 291 It is 1923, on the remote Tibetan plains. Two horsemen dressed in sheepskin gallop over a ridge on their way to rustle a coral of horses. Half drama and half reconstructed documentary on a life long past, Horse Thief is director Tian Zhuangzhuang’s romantic peaen to China’s Noble Savage. Norbu is the Savage in question. With his long mass of tangled hair, his well-tanned and sinuous torso, and his dark flashing eyes, he rides a horse with as much dignity and naturalness as he strides the arid plains. He may steal horses and waylay Muslim travelers in the desert, but he is, nevertheless, a devoted husband to his wife, Dolma, and doting father to his young son, Tashi. In this film we become witness to the rites and passages of traditional Tibetan life—the ritualistic offerings to the gods; a funeral wake that ends with the corpse being laid out to be pecked apart by vultures; a visit by Norbu, his wife, and son to a temple to spin a row of vertical prayer wheels mounted on columns. In one especially stunning scene, a crowd of men gather in the valley to worship the Mountain God. They set up an endless wailing as they push the sacred sheep ahead of them. They toss wads of votive paper into air. Caught by gusts of wind, the papers swirl forward, like giant snowflakes, blanketing the valley amidst a spooky chorus of voices. In another hypnotic scene Norbu and Dolma stand, pray, and prostrate themselves across the plain against a series of superimposed religious objects and temple architecture. The sound of bells, the drone of chanting, the rhythm of a single drum—all help transport us into the primeval world of legend. Horse thievery is one thing—but desecration is another. One day Norbu and his outlaw partner come upon a sacred ground, where offerings have been left strewn about. They begin to pick through the jewelry and ornaments. ‘‘The big pile is for the temple, the small ones we’ll split between us,’’ says Norbu. Then something catches his eye. From a pile he picks out a golden medallion, which he exchanges for something of his own. Returning home, he gives it to his chortling boy: but here in the pristine, primeval world, everything is linked, and there is no crime without punishment. As the village elder says, ‘‘Norbu has offended God. He stole the official’s temple gifts.’’ He continues, ‘‘The officials demand a serious punishment, but no matter what, he’s a member of my clan. According to our rules, he is to be driven out forever.’’ As Noble Savage, Norbu manfully accepts his fate and leaves at once. Exile, however, is not the worst punishment. His young son soon falls ill. Norbu brings back Holy Water from the temple to dab his son’s forehead; he rocks the sick child in his arms, singing, ‘‘Go to sleep and I will give you a horse/ There’s a saddle ready for you, and I have a bridle, too/ I will catch a star just for you. . . .’’ But for all of Norbu’s tenderness, the boy dies. Even the land itself is sick. As stock animals die off in droves, Norbu’s tribe is forced to move west, and Norbu himself must steal again. In the end, he pays a desperate price for his transgressions. Director Tian (b. 1952) entered the Beijing Film Academy in 1978, and yet he had to go elsewhere to make the two films on which his reputation is based—to the Inner Mongolia Film Studio for On the Hunting Ground (1985; a film about Mongolian horsemen) and to Xian Film Studio for Horse Thief. In Horse Thief, using only sparse dialogue, Tian has created a stunning poetry with visuals, editing, and sound that convey the very experience of living in an ancient tribal universe, a world of myth and immutable laws. Although the film was not well received in China, selling just seven prints, Tian himself dismissed the lack of audience. As he said in a controversial interview with Yang Ping for the magazine Popular Cinema: ‘‘I shot Horse Thief for audiences of the next century to watch.’’ —Scarlet Cheng DAWANDEH (The Runner) Iran, 1984 Director: Amir Naderi Production: Tehran Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults; colour, 35mm; running time: 94 minutes. Executive producer: Fathola Dalili; screenplay: Amir Naderi, Behruz Gharibpur; photography: Firuz Malkzadeh; editor: Bahram Beyza’i; assistant director: Mohammmad Hassanzadeh; production design: Gholam Reza Ramezani; sound: Nezam-e-Din Kia’i. Cast: Majid Nirumand (Amiro); Musa Torkizadeh (Musa); A. Gholamzadeh (Uncle Gholam); Reza Ramezani (Ramezan). Publications Articles: Variety (New York), 2 October 1985. Sabouraud, F., ‘‘L’enfant double,’’ in Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), December 1986. Glaessner, Verina, in Monthly Film Bulletin (London), August 1988. Skrien (Amsterdam), April-May 1990. *** Dawandeh follows the day-to-day life of 13-year-old Amiro. The boy ekes out a living amongst the underclass of an Iranian port community. Depicting the details of his life—collecting bottles discarded from ships, shining shoes, and at home on a derelict boat on the shoreline—this is a remarkable story of a boy who rises above all odds to better himself. Amiro is charged with a will to survive: in addition to struggling to earn enough money to feed himself, he takes himself to school for literacy classes. Everything to the boy is a challenge, and the almost palpable spark within him drives him onward in his quest for triumph

DAYS OF HEAVEN FILMS. 4 EDITIoN Amiro yearns for things outside his grasp: he runs along the DAYS OF HEAVEN shouting and waving at the great ships; he's fascinated by a lig he sees at a local aerodrome and is overjoyed to see it seemingly able to whisk people away from his reality of grinding USA,1978 poverty to a new world. To overcome the difficulties of his life. amiro learns to outrun his Director: Terrence malick adversaries. When he joins a gang of boys collecting bottles dumped from ships and bobbing about in the shallows, he learns the quickest Production: O P. Productions; Metrocolor, 35mm, Dolby sound; running time: 95 minutes. Released 13 September 1978. Filmed as his speed at this task leads to a fight with one of the regular location in the Midwest: cost: $2.5 million collectors. Another of his attempts to earn a living is selling iced water to the dock workers. This involves buying ice some distance away Producers: Bert and Harold Schneider; executive producer: Jacob from the port and running back with it. Amiro's running skills and Brickman; screenplay: Terrence Malick; photography: Nestor determination are proven when he is able to wrest the melting ice Almendros with additional photography by Haskell Wexler; editor: away from an adult thief. Billy Weber; sound mixers: George Ronconi, Barry Thomas: special sound effects: James Cox art director: James Fisk: music: Ennio float out into the bay for the bottle collection. the ice to sell on the Morricone and Leo Kottke; special effects: John Thomas and Mel port, and even a burnt-out light bulb with which to decorate his Merrells; costume designer: Patricia Norris. makeshift home in an attempt to emulate theglamour'of the outdoor cafe where he is a shoeshine boy. When one of the customers Cast: Richard Gere(The Brother); Brooke Adams(The Girl); San at the cafe accuses Amiro of stealing his lighter, the boy is aghast at Shepard (The Farm owner): Linda Manz(The sister); Robert wilke this allegation, as he is innately honest. This story of a poverty-ridden existence is superbly realised by Bell; Doug Kershaw(Fiddle player). director Amir Naderi, not only because it is an autobiographical ccount of his childhood. but also because the filmmaking is of such Awards: Oscar for Best Cinematography, 1978; New York Film high standard. Majid Nerimand as Amiro is wonderful, bringing real Critics Award for Best Director, 1978: Cannes Film Festival, Best feeling and acting skill to his role. Naderi obviously knows his locale Director. 1979 timately and this shows in the film. We see life from Amiro's point of view and accept it for what it is. We have the insiders view of this world and the film gains from that-the unpretentious, yet intimate, Publications forum is Dawandeh's strongest quali Lee sellars Schreger, C, in Variety(New York), 13 September 1978. Fox, T C, in Film Comment(New York), September-October 1978 A DAY IN THE COUNTRY Riley, B, Nestor Almendros Interviewed, in Film Comment(New York), September-October 1978 See UNE PartIE DE campagne Films in Review York), November 1978. Insdorf, A, in Take One(Montreal), November 1978 Hodenfield, Chris, Terrence Malick: Days of Heaven's Image Maker, in Rolling Stone(New York), 16 November 1978 DAY OF WRATH Films and Filming(London), December 1978. See VrEdENS dAG Christian Century(Chicago), 3 January 1979 Schlesinger, Arthur M,""Days of High Seriousness, in Saturday Review(New York), 6 January 1979. Corliss, Richard, in New York Times, 8 January 1979 DAYBREAK Maraval, P, Dossier: Hollywood 79-Terrence Malick, in See le joUr se leve Cinematographe(Paris), March 1979 Combs, Richard, " The Eyes of Texas: Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven, in Sight and Sound (London), Spring 1979 Carcassone, P, in Cinematographe(Paris), June 1979. DAYS AND NIGHTS IN THE Coleman, John, in New Statesman(London), 1 June 1979 FOREST Morris, M, in Cinema Papers(Melbourne), September-October 1979 Alpert, Hollis, The Rise of Richard Gere, in American Film See Aranver din ratri (Washington, D.C. ) October 1979 Ciment, Michel, and B. Riley, Le Jardin de Terrence Malick, in Positif (Paris), December 1979 DAYS OF BEING WILD Perez Turrent, T, Dias de Gloria y Badlands: Terrence Malick, nueva personalidad del cine norteamericano, in Cine(Mexic See AHFeI ZHENG ZhUan City), March 1980

DAYS OF HEAVEN FILMS, 4th EDITION 292 Amiro yearns for things outside his grasp: he runs along the shoreline shouting and waving at the great ships; he’s fascinated by a light plane he sees at a local aerodrome and is overjoyed to see it take off, seemingly able to whisk people away from his reality of grinding poverty to a new world. To overcome the difficulties of his life, Amiro learns to outrun his adversaries. When he joins a gang of boys collecting bottles dumped from ships and bobbing about in the shallows, he learns the quickest worker can collect the most—a lesson not without cost, he discovers, as his speed at this task leads to a fight with one of the regular collectors. Another of his attempts to earn a living is selling iced water to the dock workers. This involves buying ice some distance away from the port and running back with it. Amiro’s running skills and determination are proven when he is able to wrest the melting ice away from an adult thief. Amiro must pay for everything in his life: the inner-tube he uses to float out into the bay for the bottle collection, the ice to sell on the port, and even a burnt-out light bulb with which to decorate his makeshift home in an attempt to emulate the ‘‘glamour’’ of the outdoor cafe where he is a shoeshine boy. When one of the customers at the cafe accuses Amiro of stealing his lighter, the boy is aghast at this allegation, as he is innately honest. This story of a poverty-ridden existence is superbly realised by director Amir Naderi, not only because it is an autobiographical account of his childhood, but also because the filmmaking is of such a high standard. Majid Nerimand as Amiro is wonderful, bringing real feeling and acting skill to his role. Naderi obviously knows his locale intimately and this shows in the film. We see life from Amiro’s point of view and accept it for what it is. We have the insider’s view of this world and the film gains from that—the unpretentious, yet intimate, forum is Dawandeh’s strongest quality. —Lee Sellars A DAY IN THE COUNTRY See UNE PARTIE DE CAMPAGNE DAY OF WRATH See VREDENS DAG DAYBREAK See LE JOUR SE LEVE DAYS AND NIGHTS IN THE FOREST See Aranyer din Ratri DAYS OF BEING WILD See AHFEI ZHENG ZHUAN DAYS OF HEAVEN USA, 1978 Director: Terrence Malick Production: O.P. Productions; Metrocolor, 35mm, Dolby sound; running time: 95 minutes. Released 13 September 1978. Filmed on location in the Midwest; cost: $2.5 million. Producers: Bert and Harold Schneider; executive producer: Jacob Brickman; screenplay: Terrence Malick; photography: Nestor Almendros with additional photography by Haskell Wexler; editor: Billy Weber; sound mixers: George Ronconi, Barry Thomas; special sound effects: James Cox; art director: James Fisk; music: Ennio Morricone and Leo Kottke; special effects: John Thomas and Mel Merrells; costume designer: Patricia Norris. Cast: Richard Gere (The Brother); Brooke Adams (The Girl); Sam Shepard (The Farm owner); Linda Manz (The Sister); Robert Wilke (The Foreman); Jackie Shultis; Stuart Margolin; Tim Scott; Gene Bell; Doug Kershaw (Fiddle player). Awards: Oscar for Best Cinematography, 1978; New York Film Critics Award for Best Director, 1978; Cannes Film Festival, Best Director, 1979. Publications Articles: Schreger, C., in Variety (New York), 13 September 1978. Fox, T. C., in Film Comment (New York), September-October 1978. Riley, B., ‘‘Nestor Almendros Interviewed,’’ in Film Comment (New York), September-October 1978. Films in Review (New York), November 1978. Insdorf, A., in Take One (Montreal), November 1978. Hodenfield, Chris, ‘‘Terrence Malick: Days of Heaven’s Image Maker,’’ in Rolling Stone (New York), 16 November 1978. Films and Filming (London), December 1978. Christian Century (Chicago), 3 January 1979. Schlesinger, Arthur M., ‘‘Days of High Seriousness,’’ in Saturday Review (New York), 6 January 1979. Corliss, Richard, in New York Times, 8 January 1979. Maraval, P., ‘‘Dossier: Hollywood 79—Terrence Malick,’’ in Cinématographe (Paris), March 1979. Combs, Richard, ‘‘The Eyes of Texas: Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven,’’ in Sight and Sound (London), Spring 1979. Carcassone, P., in Cinématographe (Paris), June 1979. Coleman, John, in New Statesman (London), 1 June 1979. Morris, M., in Cinema Papers (Melbourne), September-October 1979. Alpert, Hollis, ‘‘The Rise of Richard Gere,’’ in American Film (Washington, D.C.), October 1979. Ciment, Michel, and B. Riley, ‘‘Le Jardin de Terrence Malick,’’ in Positif (Paris), December 1979. Pérez Turrent, T., ‘‘Dias de Gloria y Badlands: Terrence Malick, nueva personalidad del cine norteamericano,’’ in Cine (Mexico City), March 1980

FILMS. 4th EDItION DAYS OF HEAVEN Days of Heaven Bedoya, R, in Hablemos de Cine (Lima), November 1980 focus-shifts as an instant signifier of"beauty"(flowers in focus in Donough, M, West of Eden: Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven the foreground, out-of-focus lovers in the background shift focus to in Post Script (acksonville, Florida), Fall 1985 the lovers behind a foreground of out-of-focus flowers). Bo widerberg Taubin, A, in Village Voice(New York), 8 June 1993 use of this in Elvira Madigan(the decisive influence) had a certain Wondra, Janet, "A Gaze Unbecoming: Schooling the Child for authenticity and originality, but it quickly lapsed into automatic Femininity in Days of Heaven, in Wide Angle(Baltimore), vol. cliche. Within such a context the sharp-etched, crystal-clear, depth 16. no 4 October 1995 of-field images of Malick and his magnificent cameraman, Nestor Sequences(Haute-Ville), March/June 1997. Almendros, in Days of Heaven assume the status of protest and Positif (Paris), March 1999 manifesto. They restore the concept of"beauty" from its contempo- There is a further consequence of this-what one might call the resurrection of mise-en-scene theorized in the 1950s and 1960s as the essential art of film, and seemingly a lost art since. In place of the Of Terrence Malick's two feature films to date, Badlands is "one-shot-one point""of the flat, perfunctory images derived from perhaps the more satisfying, Days of Heaven the more remarkable. television, Malick suddenly has a frame within which to compose in Malick's achievement must be seen first and foremost in terms of its depth, where every segment of the image potentially signifies. The opposition to the dominant Hollywood shooting and editing codes of desire for precision and definition within the image here combines es are centred on the television-derived naturally with a most delicate feeling for nuances of emotion and and overuse of the telephoto(plus zoom)lens, in the interests of speed interchange between the characters. Joseph Conrads description of and economy rather than from any aesthetic interest in its intrinsic Henry James as"the historian of fine consciences"comes to mind properties; this is seconded by the lyrical use of shallow focus and Aptly enough; for what is Days of Heaven but a re-working of the

FILMS, 4 DAYS OF HEAVEN th EDITION 293 Days of Heaven Bedoya, R., in Hablemos de Cine (Lima), November 1980. Donough, M., ‘‘West of Eden: Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven,’’ in Post Script (Jacksonville, Florida), Fall 1985. Taubin, A., in Village Voice (New York), 8 June 1993. Wondra, Janet, ‘‘A Gaze Unbecoming: Schooling the Child for Femininity in Days of Heaven,’’ in Wide Angle (Baltimore), vol. 16, no. 4, October 1995. Séquences (Haute-Ville), March/June 1997. Positif (Paris), March 1999. *** Of Terrence Malick’s two feature films to date, Badlands is perhaps the more satisfying, Days of Heaven the more remarkable. Malick’s achievement must be seen first and foremost in terms of its opposition to the dominant Hollywood shooting and editing codes of the period. Those codes are centred on the television-derived misuse and overuse of the telephoto (plus zoom) lens, in the interests of speed and economy rather than from any aesthetic interest in its intrinsic properties; this is seconded by the lyrical use of shallow focus and focus-shifts as an instant signifier of ‘‘beauty’’ (flowers in focus in the foreground, out-of-focus lovers in the background, shift focus to the lovers behind a foreground of out-of-focus flowers). Bo Widerberg’s use of this in Elvira Madigan (the decisive influence) had a certain authenticity and originality, but it quickly lapsed into automatic cliché. Within such a context the sharp-etched, crystal-clear, depth￾of-field images of Malick and his magnificent cameraman, Nestor Almendros, in Days of Heaven assume the status of protest and manifesto. They restore the concept of ‘‘beauty’’ from its contempo￾rary debasement. There is a further consequence of this—what one might call the resurrection of mise-en-scène, theorized in the 1950s and 1960s as the essential art of film, and seemingly a lost art since. In place of the ‘‘one-shot—one point’’ of the flat, perfunctory images derived from television, Malick suddenly has a frame within which to compose in depth, where every segment of the image potentially signifies. The desire for precision and definition within the image here combines naturally with a most delicate feeling for nuances of emotion and interchange between the characters. Joseph Conrad’s description of Henry James as ‘‘the historian of fine consciences’’ comes to mind. Aptly enough; for what is Days of Heaven but a re-working of the

DE CIERTA MANERA FILMS. 4 EDITIoN ubject of James's The Wings of the Dove, with the sexes reversed and Publications Given the films concern with the realities of democratic cap- Books. italism---manifest inequality, poverty, class oppressionthe""beauty is a potential problem. Indeed it comes perilously close(especially in Adelman, Alan, editor, A Guide to Cuban Cinema, Pittsburgh, 1981 its opening sequences)to aestheticizing misery in the manner of, for Chanan, Michael, The Cuban Image: Cinema and Cultural Politics example, Leans Doctor Zhivago, where the response""Isn't that terrible? is completely superseded by"Isn,t that beautifully photo- phed? The distinction of Days of Heaven lies partly in its careful Article separation of its sense of beauty from the human misery and tension depicted. The pervasive suggestion is that human existence could Chijona, Geraldo, in Cine Cubano(Havana), no 93 correspond to the natural and aesthetic beauty the film celebrates, Lopez, Rigoberto, "Hablar de Sara: De cierta manera, " in Cine were it not for the oppressive systems of organization that men [sicl Cubano(havana). no 93 have developed: the films sense of tragedy is firmly grounded in an Special Sections"of Jump Cut(Berkeley), December 1978 and awareness of class and gender oppression. As in Heaven's Gate, the May1980. woman expresses her ability and freedom to love both men. It is the Lesage, Julia, One Way or Another: Dialectical, Revolutionar nen who precipitate catastrophe by demanding exclusivity and Feminist, in Jump Cut(Berkeley), May 1979 ownership as their right, and as a means of bolstering their threat Marrosu, A, in Cine al Dia(Caracas), June 1980 ened egos. Pym, John, in Monthly Film Bulletin(London), July 1980 Badlands explicitly acknowledged, in its final credits, the influ Chanan, M, ""Otra mirada, in Cine Cubano(Havana), no. 127, 1989 nce of Arthur Penn: in fact, its relation to bonnie and Clyde is at once Lezcano. J. A."De cierta manera con Sara Gomez. in Cine obvious and tenuous, restricted to its subject. Far more important Cubano(Havana), no. 127, 1989 seemed the influence of Godard, especially in Les Carabiniers and Lopez, A M,""Parody, Underdevelopment, and the New Latin Pierrot le fou. The films counterpointing of verbal narration and American Cinema, in Quarterly Review of Film and Video(New image is extremely sophisticated and, in relation to classical Holly Davies, Catherine, " Modernity, Masculinity and neima Dod narrative, audaciously unconventional. Days of Heaven simul taneously modifies and develops this strategy: the verbal narration of Cuba. in Screen(Oxford), winter 1997. represents a less jarring dislocation than the use of Spacek's diary in the earlier film, but provides a continuous and ubtle distancing which contributes significantly to the films flavor, in which irony co-exists with intense involvement. Here is a revolutionary film: dialectical in form and content, humble in the face of real human experience, proposing no final answers except the unending struggle of a people to make something -Robin Wood out of what history has made of them. De cierta manera is that powerful hybrid-the fictional documentary set to a tropical beat- for which the cinema of revolutionary Cuba is justifiably famous. In this instance, the documentary deals with the destruction of slum DE CIERTA MANERA housing and the struggle against the culture of marginality generated in such slums through the creation of a new housing project (Miraflores) (One Way or Another and an accompanying educational program. The fictional embodi- ment of this historical process is seen in the clash of attitudes between Mario(a product of the slums), his lover Yolanda(a teacher who has Cuba. 1977 come to Miraflores to help integrate such marginal elements into the revolution), and his friend Humberto(a fun-loving slacker). In the Director: Sara gomez ourse of telling these stories and others De cierta manera demol- ishes the categories of fiction and documentary, insisting that both Production: Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematograficos forms are equally mediated by the intention of the filmmaker, and that (ICAIC) 16mm; running both thus require a critical stance time: 79 minutes; length: 2147 meters. Released 1977. This insistence on a critical attitude is conveyed, first of all, in the dialectical resonance of the film. a structure characteristic of the best Producer: Camilo Vives. scenario: Sara Gomez and Tomas gonzalez of the Cuban cinema. Visually this resonance is achieved through Perez: screenplay: Tomas Gutierrez Alea and Julio Garcia Espinosa a rich blending of fictional present and historical recreation with documentary and semi-documentary. In fact, it becomes impossible assistant directors: Rigoberto Lopez and Daniel Diaz. Torres: pho. to distinguish the different forms; fictional characters are set in tography: Luis Garcia; editor: Ivan Arocha:: sound: Germinal Hernandez: production designer: Roberto Larraburre; music: Sergio documentary sequences where they interact with real people and real people re-enact historical re-constructions which are not visually in Vitier; songs: Sara gonzalez. accordance with their own telling of the stories. Further, the film repeats various sequences several times, twisting the film back on Cast: Mario Balmaseda(Mario): Yolanda Cuellar(Yolanda): Mario itself and requiring the audience to participate actively in analyzing Limonta(Humberto) the different perspectives offered on the problems posed by the film

DE CIERTA MANERA FILMS, 4th EDITION 294 subject of James’s The Wings of the Dove, with the sexes reversed and the protagonists transposed to the working class? Given the film’s concern with the realities of democratic cap￾italism—manifest inequality, poverty, class oppression—the ‘‘beauty’’ is a potential problem. Indeed it comes perilously close (especially in its opening sequences) to aestheticizing misery in the manner of, for example, Lean’s Doctor Zhivago, where the response ‘‘Isn’t that terrible?’’ is completely superseded by ‘‘Isn’t that beautifully photo￾graphed?’’ The distinction of Days of Heaven lies partly in its careful separation of its sense of beauty from the human misery and tension depicted. The pervasive suggestion is that human existence could correspond to the natural and aesthetic beauty the film celebrates, were it not for the oppressive systems of organization that men [sic] have developed: the film’s sense of tragedy is firmly grounded in an awareness of class and gender oppression. As in Heaven’s Gate, the woman expresses her ability and freedom to love both men. It is the men who precipitate catastrophe by demanding exclusivity and ownership as their right, and as a means of bolstering their threat￾ened egos. Badlands explicitly acknowledged, in its final credits, the influ￾ence of Arthur Penn; in fact, its relation to Bonnie and Clyde is at once obvious and tenuous, restricted to its subject. Far more important seemed the influence of Godard, especially in Les Carabiniers and Pierrot le fou. The film’s counterpointing of verbal narration and image is extremely sophisticated and, in relation to classical Holly￾wood narrative, audaciously unconventional. Days of Heaven simul￾taneously modifies and develops this strategy; the verbal narration of Linda Manz represents a less jarring dislocation than the use of Sissy Spacek’s diary in the earlier film, but provides a continuous and subtle distancing which contributes significantly to the film’s unique flavor, in which irony co-exists with intense involvement. —Robin Wood DE CIERTA MANERA (One Way or Another) Cuba, 1977 Director: Sara Gómez Production: Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC); black and white, 35mm, originally shot in 16mm; running time: 79 minutes; length: 2147 meters. Released 1977. Producer: Camilo Vives; scenario: Sara Gómez and Tomas González Pérez; screenplay: Tomas Gutíerrez Alea and Julio García Espinosa; assistant directors: Rigoberto López and Daniel Diaz Torres; pho￾tography: Luis García; editor: Iván Arocha; sound: Germinal Hernández; production designer: Roberto Larraburre; music: Sergio Vitier; songs: Sara González. Cast: Mario Balmaseda (Mario); Yolanda Cuellar (Yolanda); Mario Limonta (Humberto). Publications Books: Adelman, Alan, editor, A Guide to Cuban Cinema, Pittsburgh, 1981. Chanan, Michael, The Cuban Image: Cinema and Cultural Politics in Cuba, London, 1985. Articles: Chijona, Geraldo, in Cine Cubano (Havana), no. 93. López, Rigoberto, ‘‘Hablar de Sara: De cierta manera,’’ in Cine Cubano (Havana), no. 93. ‘‘Special Sections’’ of Jump Cut (Berkeley), December 1978 and May 1980. Lesage, Julia, ‘‘One Way or Another: Dialectical, Revolutionary, Feminist,’’ in Jump Cut (Berkeley), May 1979. Marrosu, A., in Cine al Día (Caracas), June 1980. Pym, John, in Monthly Film Bulletin (London), July 1980. Chanan, M., ‘‘Otra mirada,’’ in Cine Cubano (Havana), no. 127, 1989. Lezcano, J. A., ‘‘De cierta manera con Sara Gómez,’’ in Cine Cubano (Havana), no. 127, 1989. Lopez, A. M., ‘‘Parody, Underdevelopment, and the New Latin American Cinema,’’ in Quarterly Review of Film and Video (New York), no. 1–2, 1990. Davies, Catherine, ‘‘Modernity, Masculinity and Imperfect Cinema in Cuba,’’ in Screen (Oxford), Winter 1997. *** Here is a revolutionary film: dialectical in form and content, humble in the face of real human experience, proposing no final answers except the unending struggle of a people to make something out of what history has made of them. De cierta manera is that powerful hybrid—the fictional documentary set to a tropical beat— for which the cinema of revolutionary Cuba is justifiably famous. In this instance, the documentary deals with the destruction of slum housing and the struggle against the culture of marginality generated in such slums through the creation of a new housing project (Miraflores) and an accompanying educational program. The fictional embodi￾ment of this historical process is seen in the clash of attitudes between Mario (a product of the slums), his lover Yolanda (a teacher who has come to Miraflores to help integrate such marginal elements into the revolution), and his friend Humberto (a fun-loving slacker). In the course of telling these stories, and others, De cierta manera demol￾ishes the categories of fiction and documentary, insisting that both forms are equally mediated by the intention of the filmmaker, and that both thus require a critical stance. This insistence on a critical attitude is conveyed, first of all, in the dialectical resonance of the film, a structure characteristic of the best of the Cuban cinema. Visually this resonance is achieved through a rich blending of fictional present and historical recreation with documentary and semi-documentary. In fact, it becomes impossible to distinguish the different forms; fictional characters are set in documentary sequences where they interact with real people and real people re-enact historical re-constructions which are not visually in accordance with their own telling of the stories. Further, the film repeats various sequences several times, twisting the film back on itself and requiring the audience to participate actively in analyzing the different perspectives offered on the problems posed by the film