{"id":2116,"date":"2011-01-11T14:11:32","date_gmt":"2011-01-11T19:11:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=2116"},"modified":"2011-01-11T14:11:32","modified_gmt":"2011-01-11T19:11:32","slug":"dvd-maos-last-dancer-2009","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=2116","title":{"rendered":"DVD: Mao’s Last Dancer (2009)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Return to: <\/strong>Home <\/a>\/\u00a0Blu-ray, DVD, Film Reviews<\/a> \/ <\/em>M<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Film: Good \/ DVD Transfer: Very Good<\/p>\n

Label: Mongrel (Canada) \/ Region: 1 (NTSC) \/\u00a0Released:\u00a0January 4, 2010<\/p>\n

Genre: Docu-Drama \/ Biography \/ China<\/p>\n

Synopsis: Chinese dancer Li Cunxin creates an international incident when he requests to stay in the United States in 1981.<\/p>\n

Special Features: n\/a<\/p>\n

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Review:<\/p>\n

The main focus of this film version of Li Cunxin\u2019s best-selling autobiography is the international incident the world-class ballet dancer caused in 1981 whereby Cunxin married an aspiring American dancer, and was held by diplomats in the Chinese embassy during an attempt to request<\/em> permission to remain in the United States.<\/p>\n

Cunxin, one of the first Chinese dancers permitted to travel to the U.S. and study with choreographer Ben Stevenson for three months, eventually won his bid to stay, mostly due to the bad publicity that literally surrounded the embassy in Houston, and embarrassed the Chinese government.<\/p>\n

From a dramatic standpoint, the incident lasted less than a day, which gave the filmmakers a major anchor around which they could build the story of Cunxin\u2019s early childhood, being selected for training at the Peking Dance Academy, coming into his own as a charismatic dancer, and meeting Stevenson during a U.S.-Chinese cultural exchange \u2013 the latter the pivotal event which stoked a friendship between the two men, and gave Cunxin hope there was more to dance than government-decreed, political ballets about revolutionary class struggles.<\/p>\n

The politics of the Cultural Revolution<\/a> are felt peripherally, but certainly during the training flashbacks, they\u2019re felt by Cunxin (dancer Chi Chao) when doctrine mandates a tortuous training regime, the politicization of the art, and the dismissal and arrest of a sympathetic teacher for going thinking too much about art instead of the revolution\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

The early flashback structure is clich\u00e9d, but it works in terms of providing a contrast to Cunxin\u2019s early culture clashes with America, a country demeaned by his Peking teachers as a capitalist basket case where people are miserable, poor, and live in the darkness due to a lousy standard of living and economy.<\/p>\n

Once Cunxin falls for pretty dancer Elizabeth Mackey (Amanda Schull) and begins a romance filled with secret dinners and beach walks, screenwriter Jan Sardi is stuck with pure clich\u00e9d melodrama – either because the reality of Cunxin\u2019s love affair was genuinely banal, or the creative choice was to indulge in predictable scenes, because Mackey (generally a cardboard character) is only important for being the girl Cunxin marries to stay in the U.S. Once that goal is realized, their relationship predictably fractures \u2013 her more humble dancing aspirations pale compared to Cunxin\u2019s immediate fame – and she\u2019s gone from a narrative that\u2019s already lost its steam.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s left after the embassy incident is Cunxin accepting Stevenson\u2019s contract as a headliner, and making a big splash with his debut performance of Stravinsky\u2019s The Rite of Spring<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s at this point where the audience should finally realize Mao\u2019s Last Dancer<\/strong> has been configured into cardboard melodrama, capped by feel-good reunions mandatory to every audience-pleasing film.<\/p>\n

Cunxin\u2019s parents \u2013 previously seen in an incoherent, pseudo-nightmare montage that\u2019s presumed to have occurred during the Cultural Revolution (which officially ended before<\/em> Cunxin\u2019s trip to Houston in 1981) \u2013 have been flown to Houston, not only see their son dance, but greet him on stage.<\/p>\n

Soon after, Cunxin\u2019s ban from re-entering China is lifted, and the film closes with his return to his family\u2019s village, and meets his once-disgraced teacher, granting his wish by performing a quick dance while the mighty mountain winds blow a storm – symbolic of the fiery power residing in Cunxin.<\/p>\n

Director Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy<\/strong>, Shine<\/strong>) manages to integrate plenty of elegant dance moves and vignettes in modest widescreen, letting the choreography impress audiences in full, but by adopting a classical Hollywood film structure, the clich\u00e9s and melodrama are pushed to the forefront and create a lumbering pace; had Mao\u2019s Last Dancer<\/strong> been crafted with a docu-drama style, the drama would\u2019ve been far more impressive and satisfying, never overstaying its welcome, and forcing the actors to mutter clich\u00e9s and look rather pouty.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the problem also stems from partially filming on location in China, mandating certain finesse to any criticism of the prior regimes.<\/p>\n

Key Maoist aspects \u2013 the denigration of capitalism, the assured goal of eliminating class struggles, and Lady Mao\u2019s<\/a> visit t to the dancer school and scolding the instructors for the lack of overt political imagery \u2013 are safely criticized within the film.<\/p>\n

The leading embassy figures also feel redressed as humanized staunch Communist figures: the embassy official attempts to convince Cunxin to reconsider his desire to remain in the U.S. by presenting arguments, whereas one suspects there was probably a high-pitched, ideologically saturated yelling match.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the replacement diplomat who manages to bring Cunxin\u2019s parents to the Rite of Spring<\/strong> premiere feels like dramatic license, only because the script doesn\u2019t bother explaining how Cunxin\u2019s parents – previously seen kneeling with a revolutionary guard putting a gun to their temples for some unknown \u2018cultural violations or offence\u2019 – show up at Cunxin\u2019s Houston debut all happy and excited in evening attire.<\/p>\n

At least the dancing is properly filmed, and Mao\u2019s Last Dancer<\/strong> is a handsome production. Peter James\u2019 cinematography is lush while giving Cunxin\u2019s early childhood scenes a gritty look akin to old documentaries shot on reversal film. Christopher Gordon\u2019s score fluidly incorporates traditional, classical and original thematic material, and avoids being saccharine \u2013 a clever touch, considering the music is ideally supposed to be as manipulative as the film.<\/p>\n

The performances are fair, and Bruce Greenwood is somewhat fascinating to watch as Ben Stevenson, playing a possibly gay choreographer with just a bit of overt swagger without going completely into caricature. Stevenson never develops into anything memorable \u2013 we learn nothing about him beyond being Cunxin\u2019s figurative sponsor, mentor, teacher, and friend \u2013 so Greenwood does the best with a another of the script\u2019s underwritten characters.<\/p>\n

Replicating the Australian releases, Mongrel\u2019s DVD includes a clean transfer, although there\u2019s some odd high-end distortion when the orchestra during the ballet performances reach peak volume. There are no extras (the DVD contains an interminable stretch of 10-15 mins. worth of trailers), which unfortunately robs the viewer of comparing history with filmic indulgences, but the Blu-ray contains deleted scenes and a making-of featurette. Those wanting a detailed account of the Cultural Revolution and the climate of Maoist China should examine the superb PBS documentary series China: A Century of Revolution<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 2010 Mark R. Hasan<\/p>\n

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Related links:<\/em><\/p>\n

CD \/ MP3: Mao’s Last Dancer<\/a><\/strong> (2009)<\/p>\n

DVD \/ Film: \u00a0China: A Century of Revolution<\/a> <\/strong>(1989-1997)<\/p>\n

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External References<\/em>:<\/p>\n

IMDB <\/a>—\u00a0Li Cunxin Site<\/a> —\u00a0Official Film Site<\/a> Soundtrack Album<\/a> — Composer Filmography<\/a><\/p>\n

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Buy from:<\/em><\/p>\n

Amazon.ca<\/strong> –\u00a0Mao’s Last Dancer [Blu-ray]<\/a><\/p>\n

Amazon.co.uk <\/strong> –\u00a0Mao’s Last Dancer (Blu-Ray)<\/a><\/p>\n

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Return to<\/strong>:\u00a0Home <\/a>\/\u00a0Blu-ray, DVD, Film Reviews<\/a> <\/em><\/em><\/em>\/\u00a0M<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Return to: Home \/\u00a0Blu-ray, DVD, Film Reviews \/ M . Film: Good \/ DVD Transfer: Very Good Label: Mongrel (Canada) \/ Region: 1 (NTSC) \/\u00a0Released:\u00a0January 4, 2010 Genre: Docu-Drama \/ Biography \/ China Synopsis: Chinese dancer Li Cunxin creates an international incident when he requests to stay in the United States in 1981. Special Features: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[18],"tags":[250],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8nuyW-y8","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2116"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2116"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2133,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2116\/revisions\/2133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}