Qian xi man po (2001)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Hsiao-hsien Hou

Writer:

T'ien-wen Chu (writer)

Release Date:

31 October 2001 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Aisareru isshun ga watashi no subete ni naru [Japan]

Plot:

Hong Kong. A voice off-camera looks back ten years to 2001, when Vicky was in an on-again off-again relationship with Hao-Hao...

Plot Keywords:

Japan | Snow | Bar | Drugs | Magic Show

Awards:

6 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Qi Shu	...	Vicky
Jack Kao	...	Jack
Chun-hao Tuan	...	Hao-Hao
Yi-Hsuan Chen	...	Xuan
Jun Takeuchi	...	Jun
Doze Niu	...	Doze (as Chen-er Niu)

Also Known As:

Millennium Mambo (France) (USA)
Cian si man po (Taiwan)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, drug content and some sexuality.

Runtime:

119 min | 105 min (edited version)

Country:

Taiwan | France

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:MA | New Zealand:R18 | France:U | Hong Kong:IIB | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Taiwan

Company:

3H Productions

Trivia:

Chosen by "Les Cahiers du cinéma" (France) as one of the 10 best pictures of 2001 (#03)

Movie Connections:

References Città violenta (1970)

Soundtrack:

Fly to the sky

Poetic film with uninteresting characters

I saw this movie at Vancouver International Film Festival. As typical of a HHH movie showing, some audiences walked out, which means it is slow-paced. Again with his customary long shots, all the acting and actions appear quite realistic. Jack Kao is convincing and cool as always. Shu Qi brings a credible portrayal to a not-so-interesting character. And the movie has a lyrical feel (especially the opening tracking shot and the snow scenes), accompanied nicely by the atmospheric theme music.

However, the two main characters just don't have appealing personalities. Like the characters in "South Goodbye South", both Vicky and Hao are restless, aimless & not very bright. (Lifeless) Rebels without a cause. I am wondering whether this is how Hou and Chu (the screenwriter) perceive the twentysomethings in Taiwan. Since Vicky is narrating from 10 years into the future, I do realize she will mature. Her transformation that starts here was not shown convincingly though. I also know that this is the first of a series of films on this decade, but it doesn't feel fully realized on its own.

I also have a slight problem with the narration preceding the real events. It makes the expected events boring, when the real events don't bring anything extra (e.g. contradiction, irony) to the narration.

Compared to "South Goodbye South", this one may not be as ambitious thematically. While "South Goodbye South" has a lot of boredom and dread (possibly intentionally so), I like the poetic, reflective and semi-nostalgic mood of "Mambo" much more.