Chinese Cinema

Saturday held my interest, starting with an unusually long walk around West Lake. For no other reason than to get a little more exercise, I spent several hours wandering the surrounding streets of the area. Near the end of my walk I discovered a cinema that I had not been to before and decided to take part in the Chinese movie experience. There was only one film with English subtitles, called “The Message.”

In the theatre I sat next to an older couple that felt it necessary to both talk and smoke through the entire film. Movie theatres in China are assigned seating – I was trapped. The smoking only made the WWII-era film seem a little more authentic as it hovered over us in the glow of the silver screen, but the talking was definitely unnecessary. To top it off, some young punks behind me thought it would be amusing not only to kick my seat through several scenes, but also to leave their cell phones switched on. As I watched violent interrogation and Asian espionage on the screen, intermittent tones of Chinese pop music kept chiming in.

Despite these unpleasant atmospheric nuances, the film held my attention. If it makes it to the States, I’d suggest a viewing. But by all means, feel free to rent the DVD and enjoy it on your sofa, sans public interruption and white noise of the cinema.