RAMble, the University Libraries' blog

Following up on my last post, I decided this week to feature an actress who had a couple movies on my movie list and who was being featured on our DVD display in the IMC. So this week I decided to feature Gong Li in her breakout role in Raise the Red Lantern [IMC DVD 951 R159 2007]. I also watched two other movies she was in: Red Sorghum [ILL request] and Farewell My Concubine [IMC DVD 158.25 F222 1990?].

Gong Li is a Chinese actress who has been in many movies, most notably in America Memoirs of a Geisha.  Rumors are that she is being cast in Disney’s upcoming live action movie Mulan. We decided to feature her on our display with the movie Raise the Red Lantern which, while it wasn’t her first movie, it helped her to gain attention as an actress. The film itself has stunning cinematography, and Gong Li does a wonderful job as the fourth mistress to a wealthy landowner. Throughout the movie she slowly realizes the politics of the family and takes action to try to assert herself. In the end, all actions have consequences and Li’s character loses herself in the process.

I also got to watch Red Sorghum, which was Gong Li’s first ever film. This movie follows the story of a woman who is sent to marry a man who is leprous but wealthy. On the way, one of the men escorting her falls in love with her and kills her husband so she won’t become sick as well. She becomes master of his estate, which produces a type of wine made from red sorghum, a local plant. Throughout the movie, she deals with various conflicts, but resolves them with dedication and graciousness. The first half of the movie is very much a comedic film, with some drama thrown in to further the plot line. The second half, however, features the Japanese invasion of China, and at this point the movie takes a much darker turn. Wonderful acting by Gong Li, and very impressive for her first ever film.

My last movie featuring Gong Li was Farewell My Concubine. She played a smaller role in this movie than the other two that I watched, but still shone as an actress. This movie follows two Chinese boys growing up together while learning how to act in Chinese operas. The viewer watches their relationship grow, and their continued friendship while acting together. However, when the one decides to marry a prostitute (Gong Li), their relationship suffers. This movie takes the viewer throughout many turbulent periods in China’s history, including the Japanese invasion, as well as the beginning of Communism which sought to destroy the idealist Chinese opera. I was very impressed by this film—by its breadth of so many different characters that seamlessly intertwined. The music played an integral part in this movie, with the same Chinese opera music playing throughout (Farewell My Concubine), but still managing to keep the viewer from being bored by showing new scenes from the opera.

This was a great opportunity to explore Gong Li as an actress. Next week we will be featuring Song and Dance movies on our DVD display, so come check it out! Don’t forget to keep following along on your own film travelogue at https://letterboxd.com/peterstanley/list/1001-movies-you-must-see-before-you-die/by/release/ .

This week I wanted to do something a bit different for my film posting. The IMC has a new DVD display featuring actors’ and actresses’ break-out roles, and while I watched a couple movies from our new display, I thought it would be more fun to feature one of the actors, and then talk about some of their other movies that weren’t necessarily on my list, but that I thought were worth watching. Thus, this week I decided to feature Alan Rickman in his breakout role in Die Hard [IMC DVD 363.2 D559 2007]. I also watched two other movies he was in: Galaxy Quest [IMC DVD 001.942 G147 2009] and Sense and Sensibility [IMC DVD 823 S478 1999].

Believe it or not, I had never gotten around to watching Die Hard, but it was just as enjoyable as everyone told me it would be. This movie features Alan Rickman in his first movie as the villain Hans Gruber whose plan to steal money from a Japanese company is foiled by Bruce Willis’s character. Rickman does a wonderful job in his first role, and it is easy to see why, throughout his acting career, he was cast many times as a villain.

These next two movies were not on my list, but both were recommended to me, and they featured Alan Rickman in different types of roles besides the villain. The first movie, Galaxy Quest, is a science fiction comedy where the leads of a sci-fi TV show (think Star Trek) get mistaken for real starship crew members and are taken aboard an alien spacecraft. Rickman plays one of the crew members who is constantly undercut by the captain (Tim Allen). This movie boasts a great cast, including Sigourney Weaver, Tony Shalhoub, and Sam Rockwell. On top of all that, it is just a fun movie—none of the actors take themselves too seriously and it was great to watch Alan Rickman play a comedic role. I would definitely recommend it.

Our second additional Rickman movie is the adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. First of all, this movie has a wonderful screenplay which kept the spirit of the novel completely intact. This movie also features a great cast, including Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, and many others. Rickman plays Colonel Brandon, who falls in love with Winslet’s character, who unfortunately is in love with someone else. While I wish Rickman could have had more screen time, he did quite well with this role. If you have a chance, check out this movie—the acting is superb!

It was wonderful to get a chance to see some of the movies from the first half of Alan Rickman’s career. Now that our new DVD display is out, come find your favorite actor or actress and watch their breakout role! Keep following along on your own film travelogue at https://letterboxd.com/peterstanley/list/1001-movies-you-must-see-before-you-die/by/release/ .

This week I decided to feature monster movies, as there were several early classic monster movies that I had never seen. I watched Frankenstein [IMC DVD 791.437 F829 2006], The Bride of Frankenstein [IMC DVD 791.437 B851 1999], and Dracula (1931) [IMC DVD 791.4367 D757 2006].

The tale of Frankenstein features a doctor who decides to try to create life from the dead parts of various bodies. Some don’t realize, but Frankenstein is actually the name of the doctor who creates the monster, not the monster himself. Frankenstein and his assistant scout out cemeteries and the surrounding landscape for body parts to use, but Frankenstein is unable to find a brain which hasn’t started to deteriorate. He sends his assistant to the University where he used to work to take one of their brains. As fate would have it, his assistant brings back the criminal brain, not the normal brain as the doctor assumes. He creates his monster, who begins to wreak havoc among the locals. Boris Karloff pays the monster wonderfully, and he is well-known in the part. They manage to bring the monster back to the laboratory and the townspeople attempt to kill him, but not before Frankenstein’s life is in danger.

The tale continues in The Bride of Frankenstein, where a colleague of Frankenstein wishes to create life as Frankenstein did, and blackmails Frankenstein into helping create a female monster. It is interesting to see the differences that the doctors make when creating the female monster. As was noted in the first movie, there is difficulty in finding an intact dead brain, so the doctors decided to try to grow organs needed for life. Eventually, they realize that this is not going to work and send the assistant off for a brain. They are successful and a female monster is created, but she rebuffs the original monster’s advances. Again, it is interesting to compare the original and the sequel: the original movie had much more action involving the monster, whereas the sequel featured scenes showing the monster becoming smarter, but hardly any action scenes with the female monster. Both the male and female monster actors did great in their parts, but Frankenstein’s fiancée was replaced by a different female actress (who seemed to be a little more believable). I especially enjoyed the scene where Frankenstein becomes friends with a blind man and begins to gain some aspect of humanity—to me, this made the sequel better than the original.

Finally, I watched the movie Dracula, directed by Tod Browning which was made in 1931. This is the earliest Dracula interpretation and, while Dracula himself did very well, I was a little disappointed with the adaptation. Having read Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the movie is completely different from the book, and even its portrayal of main characters (such as Johnathon Harker) is very different. However, as a stand-alone film, the acting was very good, and I thought the editing was very concise. I am excited to compare this original adaptation to other versions (especially the Francis Ford Coppola version).

This is the last week for our director-themed DVD display, featuring Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen. Next week we’ll be showcasing actors’ big breaks. As always, keep following along on your own film travelogue at https://letterboxd.com/peterstanley/list/1001-movies-you-must-see-before-you-die/by/release/ .