How to sell a veil in a China shop

By Raymond Zhou ( China Daily ) Updated: 2007-01-25 10:25:55

You may go watch The Painted Veil for Edward Norton or Naomi Watts, but you're actually helping the Chinese film industry unless you buy a pirated disk, in which case you chip in only to the underground economy, the guys who grease the machine of the business so much that the wheels drip with oil and threaten to spin out of control.

The movie is partly a Chinese production, and judging by word of mouth it should have grossed some decent box office gloss. But, no! The Chinese investors could not even recoup their marketing costs.

What went wrong? Obviously, to come under the curse of the golden flower is to put it delicately a curse. The force unleashed by Double Zhangs (director Zhang Yimou and producer Zhang Weiping) pulverized most competitions that happened to be in their way. But there're more factors at play.

During a recent forum at Peking University, to which I was invited, a line-up of experts attempted a diagnosis. The consensus was, it is a nice picture with international ambitions, done with polish and style, but it could not have survived the take-no-prisoners environment of Chinese cinema.

The academic guys pinpointed one deficiency: not enough Chinese elements. The story is too focused on the English couple that the Chinese are reduced to virtually walk-on roles. "For all I know, it could have happened in Vietnam," noted one.

The accusation is both right on and not fair. The original Somerset Maugham tale uses China as an exotic locale to enhance the marriage crisis. Think of it. The first adaptation, starring Greta Garbo, did not even venture out of the Hollywood soundstage. John Curran, director of the current version, did tons of research and added a wealth of background material to enrich details.

Unlike the professors who were all very serious, the representatives from Web companies were much younger (in their early 20s) and oozed cool. The lad from Sina gave the impression that he was participating in a hip-hop concert. Wearing his beanie hat so low that his eyes peeped out nonchalantly from his slouched position, he said he could not relate to the movie. There's absolutely nothing in the movie we can hype as a marketing hook, added another. And they stand for the bulk of filmgoers.

"Right, the husband in the movie is not pleased with his wife figuratively reaching out the wall with red flowers, but today's kids don't have that annoyance. You guys can change girlfriends every week," scoffed an older guy.

Then came the climax of the panel discussion, delivered by someone from a media institution some would describe as stolid, bloated and out of touch with reality. He disagreed with both camps. The movie has lots to do with China if only one knew how to spin it, he insisted.

The gentleman went on to re-interpret the plot: The wife cheats while in Shanghai, but once she realizes how noble her husband's work is, she gains respect for him and finds peace and harmony in the ultimate sacrifice. So, after he dies, she has an easier time resisting corporal temptations. What could be more Chinese than that? It's a positive response to the harmonious society.

(China Daily 01/25/2007 page20)