By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.6
Director: Ming-liang Tsai
Original language title: Bu San
Country: taiwan
Year: 2004
Running time: 84
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377556/combined
Bruce says: “Ming-liang Tsai’s films are somewhat of an acquired taste, a delicious long-lasting taste once one gets in tune with his style. Not many directors go out of their way to capture the aesthetic of a deserted hallway or the echo of footsteps long after they are out of visual range. Such moments are what set Tsai’s films apart from most contemporary cinema. He allows the camera to linger, letting us see more than if it were engaged in a lengthy pan shot. Each scene is filmed not to give the viewer an idea of a particular moment but to make the viewer experience that moment.
“We catch a glimpse of the Fu-Ho Theater in its heyday, a full audience, all eyes glued to the cinemascope sized screen. Suddenly we are aware of a bad rainstorm, a downpour from which a Japanese tourist takes refuge in the Taiwanese theater. He looks for the ticket taker but no one is there so he enters the theater without paying. The corridors are in need of paint and the lobby entrance is already flooding from the rain. The heyday has passed.
“The camera finally locates the ticket lady who is making tea in a small kitchenette. She limps into the picture, an elevated shoe on one foot and a leg brace on the opposite leg. Her walk has a lopsided rhythm. She climbs front stairs, back stairs and a creaky metal spiral staircase; combs the corridors; checks out the ladies room; delivers a cake to the projectionist, and checks out the buckets which are catching the rain from the leaking roof. She exits a door right next to the screen, passing behind it. We see dots of light from the film on her face. By the time she makes her rounds, we could draw a floor plan of the theater.
“Meanwhile the Japanese tourist is checking out what is inside the theater. The film playing is DRAGON INN, a 1966 kung fu cult film. In the audience are two of the stars from the film, sitting in different sections oblivious to each other’s presence. One of the actors is with his grandson. Two women are slurping ribs. Suddenly a man moves down and sits next to the Japanese tourist. When he gets no attention he leaves and another man, much younger, takes his place. It seems the theater may have uses other than filmgoing, a pick up place for gay men. That notion is confirmed when the tourist goes to the men’s room. There are as many customers there as are in the seats of the theater. Two men have been sharing a stall. The tourist leaves and walks through the storage areas upstairs where other men are also cruising around. Almost 50 minutes have passed without a single word of dialogue other than from DRAGON INN on the big screen. When the Japanese tourist gestures for a light, the man with the cigarette lighter says ‘This place is said to be haunted.’ The Japanese tourist ultimately returns to the seats where a girl nearby is eating peanuts. With each bite we hear a click as the shell is broken, then hear the shell drop to the floor after she discards it. She does this over and over; it is so real and so unpleasant.
“GOOD BYE, DRAGON INN is one of the slowest moving films in history. At one point, when the film is over and the ticket lady is going through the seats, she disappears from view. We can hear her limp in the distance, then even that fades away. We are left by ourselves to have one very long last look at what was once a grand theater. Finally, the projectionist rewinds the reels and the ticket lady closes up. She takes all her belongings. The two actors meet as they leave the theater and one remarks, ‘No one goes to the movies anymore.’ The metal gate is lowered. A sign reads ‘Temporarily Closed.’ The old art house is gone.” 5 cats
Bob says in response to Bruce: “Nice review, Bruce. I saw the film about a week ago in NY, and I’m hoping a lot of us get to see it soon, because I think there’s going to be a lot to discuss. When I went to see it, I noticed that something like one-third of the audience (including the two people I convinced to see it with me) walked out during the screening. It’s obviously an acquired taste.
“I wasn’t aware that the two older men were from the cast of DRAGON INN until after the film, when I heard some people outside the theatre talking about it. That knowledge really changes your perspective on the shot of the man crying while he watches the film. But as far as I could tell, when the two men meet in the lobby after the screening, they’re identified as teachers, so I don’t believe they were actually playing themselves (unless I missed something).
“I’m still not sure what to make of the one and only shot that involves the movement (just one slow, short pan to the right) of the camera. Is it somehow a pivotal shot (no pun intended)?”
Ivy says in response to Bruce: “What a great review of the film – and a beautiful description of the action. I saw it at last year’s Toronto Film Festival. Tsai Ming-laing was there and all he asked of the audience was to please not leave the movie. Your write up made me yearn to see it again.
“Being an owner of a struggling theatre, it was a very personal experience to watch the film. I really do feel that theaters – well, let me say older theatres – have a heart, a personality, and the activity within them is precious. What the director is able to capture, if one can handle the pace at which he gives it, is really quite wonderful. I love your mention of the lingering shot on the empty theatre. Yes, one last good bye…
No personal plug here, though I have to say the number of people in the audiences for Bruce and Bob have me concerned, but the Brattle will be playing the film for a week at the end of October. So, this one hopefully will be viewable for most Chlotrudis members nationally and will be in the winning circle at next year’s awards.”
Chris says: “GOOD BYE DRAGON INN is Tsai’s most minimalist and austere gesture, centered around a decaying, neglected movie palace. Instead of focusing on his usual alter-ego, Lee Kang-Sheng (who does make a surprise appearance near the end), we observe a cavalcade of what in other films would be secondary or supporting figures: a leg brace-wearing ticket taker whom, apart from the projectionist seems to be the theater’s only employee; a Japanese man who spends more time cruising the theater’s secret crevices than he does watching the film; an elderly man and his grandson, the former poignantly identifying with DRAGON
GATE INN, the 35-year-old martial arts epic playing onscreen.
“Through it all, the theater itself emerges as the main character. The eighty-odd minutes Tsai spends wandering through the last night before its ‘temporary closure’ is a delicate, sad, meditative paean to a dying art, or as some theaters still put it, ‘watching movies the way they were meant to be seen.’ But Tsai is more an observer than an activist. While his deliberately stretched-out takes are challenging, they’re rewarding in what they capture (or, in some cases, do not show), whether it pushes the ‘narrative’ forward or simply lets it hang there. He allows the viewer to study something and deduce the meaning of it for themselves instead of necessarily telling them what to think and how to react.”
Diane says: “I saw this at the Brattle where the whole experience was like a showing of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. The audience was mimicking (albeit unintentionally) the action in the movie: a woman near me noisily opened her theater snack; a man went out to the bathroom and came back; a number of people left, never to be seen again…. A scene where the ticket seller looks out a door next to the screen, and seems to be part of the action, played out really well at the Brattle, where that could also happen.
“GOOD BYE DRAGON INN has only a few lines spoken by its characters, and a few more lines overheard from the film being shown within the film. The most evocative line for me was ‘You come to this wilderness for what purpose?’ overheard from the auditorium while people wander the back halls of the theater in search of…what? A great portrayal of people searching for connection in their isolation (also reenacted by the Brattle audience.) Loneliness, fantasies, disappointments…. Then I went out into the wet night.
“Noms for cinematography and direction.” 4 cats
Michael says: “Tsai Ming-Liang is one of my favorite modern filmmakers. His films are not for everyone, but his decidedly Asian/French fusion style of films has a very strong appeal to the film buff. He’s a fairly challenging filmmaker however, and while his films are often filled with humor and emotion, he allows simple events to play out… and play out… and play out… sometimes to the confusion and discomfort of his audience. His latest film, GOOD BYE DRAGON INN is in someways his most challenging, just as it is filled with emotion.
“This brief film (topping out at just over 80 minutes) tells the tale of a grand, old, single-screen movie theatre on its last day of business. We are introduced to various visitors to the theatre in brief and often amusing events, focusing principally upon a Japanese tourist seeking a connection, and one of the two employees of the theatre, a woman who staffs the ticket booth. We follow this nameless woman through the labyrinthine corridors of the theatre as she cleans bathrooms, delivers a steamed bun to the projection booth, peers through curtains into the audience, and prepares the theatre for closing. The Japanese tourist finds himself wandering crowded and surprisingly populated storage rooms encountering men also seeking a connection. Tsai Ming Liang’s recurring star Kang-sheng Lee takes a small but pivotal role as the theatre’s projectionist. Of course, the theatre itself is the film’s main character, with hints of its former glory, strong signs of aging, and flickering light streaming against floors and walls, the audience will certainly feel the heart of this theatre breaking at its disuse and impending closure.
“As usual, Tsai Ming-Liang is a master with the camera, setting up stationery shots through which characters move. The acting is strong and the dialogue minimal (not a word is spoken other than dialogue from the movie playing in the theatre for the first 45 minutes). If you’re a fan of Tsai Ming-Liang’s, or if you don’t need the stimulation of quick cuts and rapid edits, I highly recommend you check out GOOD BYE DRAGON INN.” 4 ½ cats
Tom says: “… … … … nothing happens nobody cares. Entertaining, well-paced but empty. The evil twin of BEFORE SUNSET.”
Barbara says: “I remember an earlier review that said GOOD BYE DRAGON INN was an acquired taste and that does ring true. I thought it was one of the slowest movies I have ever seen and it lost me half way through. 1 cat”