By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Lou Ye
Starring: Bai Xueyun | Cui Lin | Guo Xiaodong | Hao Lei
Original language title: Yihe Yuan
Country: china, france
Year: 2008
Running time: 140
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0794374/
Bruce says: “SUMMER PALACE created quite a sensation when director Lou Ye defied Chinese censorship and refused to edit this film before screening it at the Cannes Film Festival. I do agree with the Chinese government that SUMMER PALACE needs a stronger hand in the editing department. However it was not the sultry sex scenes to which I object. Director Lou Ye is overly ambitious, cramming too much in his work. The film has too much – a political backdrop that includes the Tiananmen Square massacre, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the turnover of Hong Kong from Britain to China – that detracts from the central story of inner torment.
“As the film begins, Yu Hong (Hao Lei) gets a letter from the University of Beijing and her life changes dramatically. She already has a boyfriend in her rural village. They make love in clandestine moments, outdoors in the cool night air. When she arrives in Beijing Yu Hong feels out of place until she is befriended by a girl in her dorm who introduces her to Zhou Wei (Guo Xiaodong). They soon find themselves in the throes of passion. First loves, those all-consuming types of love, can be both blessing and curse. In this film the latter holds true. The lovers are tormented by their feelings and behave hurtfully, putting each other to ridiculous tests because they are frightened by their passion. In the aftermath of Tiananmen Square, Yu Hong and Zhou Wei drift apart as Zhou Wei is sentenced to attend a military camp. She drifts to Hong Kong and he moves to Berlin. Both have new but unsatisfying relationships, longing for the passion they experienced together. After the Berlin Wall collapses, Zhou Wei returns to China. He and Yu Hong are reunited. By now both have changed considerably. Their great passion is but a distant memory and they cannot rekindle what used to be.
“‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You’ and ‘Seven Little Girls (Sitting in the Backseat)’ are an odd pairing of songs borrowed from American culture and used in scenes during Yu Hong’s University years. Comparisons to THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING are inevitable; however, SUMMER PALACE has less cohesion. Absolutely fascinating and breathtaking during the best moments, it is ultimately a scattered mess. 3 cats”