Cherry Blossoms
Ya Tafu (older): Chow Yun-Fat
Ya Tafu (younger): Wong Kwok-ling
IMDb link: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0096489
other links:
Version reviewed: VCD
Ratings:
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DVD Audio: 6 of 10
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DVD Video: 3 of 10
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Subtitles: 2 of 10
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Story: 5 of 10
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Performances: 5 of 10
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CYF: 5 of 10
Chow Yun-Fat has a small role in the beginning and ending of this film about
the Chinese poet Ya Tafu who was a young man during the Japanese occupation
of China. The story, which moves very slowly and ponderously, is of the
young Ya Tafu's days living as a Chinese man in Japan and the contrast
between his personality and that, as perceived by writer and director Eddie
Fong, of Ya Tafu's Japanese contemporaries.
To those who have an extensive background in Asian pre-War politics
this might prove to be an interesting film, if for nothing else than as an examination
of the stereotypes which have persisted from that time even until 1987 (when this film
was made). For someone such as myself, who is easily lost in the subtle references
to politics and events of the period, it is, frankly, a bit boring. The print
which I own on VCD is dark and has that familiar greasy quality so often seen on
"art-house" titles which were never produced on very good source material to begin
with due to budgetary constraints. Couple this with those white subtitles which
meander around (and off of) the screen, truly abominable translation of Japanese
words and phrases (and total lack of translation at times, even for simple chit-chat)
and a very muddy soundtrack and you don't have the most pleasant of casual film
experiences.
For those simply looking for Chow Yun-Fat's performance, he appears only in the
first eight or nine minutes in the beginning (the setup for the
rest of the film - one huge flashback) and about two minutes at the very end in
which he is unceremoniously shot.
In the book Hong Kong Babylon (page 205) it's stated that Fong has disowned
this film due to unauthorized editing by the studio.
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