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W E D N E S D AY, M AY 1 7 , 2 0 0 6"Summer Palace" -- The Popsurfing Review** 1/2This Chinese film came to Cannes without the official approval of theChinese censors. That's hardly a surprise. What is a surprise is the factthat they signed off on the script in the first place. This sexually explicitfilm features students protesting at Tiananmen Square in 1989, frontalnudity of both men and women, a great big dose of Western ennui andafter the massacre by the government it shows one disconsolatestudent shouting out "Fucking bastards!" before collapsing into tears.The story focuses on one girl's journey from a small-ish town to Beijinguniversity. She has sex with her cute local boyfriend before leaving himbehind. And University quickly transforms her into a relatively worldlygirl. Im always amazed by the small details of life in countries likeChina -- the students read by candlelight and have no indoor plumbing.(At one point, our heroine pulls out a small bowl and squats in thecorner to go to the bathrom while her roommate continues to practiceher music a few feet away.) She falls for another student who we're toldis her soulmate, though it's hard to know why since we rarely see themdo much at first except have sex. One very erotic scene shows themclimaxing. He stays on top of her as they giggle over a silly moment,they playfully laugh and then suddenly get very serious again and hestarts making love until they climax again -- all in one take and verybelievable. her metamorphosis is very convincing and magnetic.Politics appear, but meetings and rallies are just an excuse for the girlto make her boyfriend jealous. he cheats on her; she sleeps with ateacher. They break up; they get back together. Tiananmen Square isquite moving -- not just because of what happens but because of theexciting sense of the Chinese themselves actually depicting it onscreen.The tanks and the gunshots are offscreen. To this point -- maybe halfway through -- the movie has been focused and involving. Suddenly, inwalks melodrama. This friend moves to Germany. That friend moves toanother province. The Berlin Wall falls. Gorbachev. None of thisreverberates as politics are ignored for sexual politics. Our heroinestops being interesting, really, since all she does is have sex with menand then break their hearts and walk on. The lead is very good but shecan only do so much. Her one-time boyfriend gets married; she getsmarried (though we never see her husband). A mutual friend killsthemself in a plot twist that puts the movie into melodrama for good.Next Blog»sal1mineo@hotmail.comSEARCH BLOG FLAG BLOGFOLLOW BLOGP O P S U R F I N G . C O MS U R F I N G T H E WAV E S O F P O P U L A R C U LT U R EB Y M I C H A E L G I LT Z & F R I E N D SPOPSURFING.COM: "Summer Palace" -- The Popsurfing Reviewhttp://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/05/summer-palace-popsurf...
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FAV O R I T E L I N K SAmericablogFive O'Clock Lightning baseball blogDeep Pop -- Lori Lakin's BlogThe Back Page -- Jason Page on ESPNRadioCine-Blog -- George Robinson's BlogDocuments On Art & Cinema - DarylChin's BlogBrucie G's Wondrous Blog OfAdventure and Mystery -- BruceGreenspan's BlogB L O G A R C H I V E▼ 2009 (17)▼ July (3)1939 -- The Greatest Year ForMoviesSwimming Bans Those Hi-TechSuits!Best Movies Of The Year -- TheMaster List► June (3)► May (1)► March (2)► February (1)► January (7)► 2008 (86)► 2007 (781)► 2006 (2412)► 2005 (5)C O N T R I B U TO R SAaronBiboyMichael in New York POPSURFING.COM: "Summer Palace" -- The Popsurfing Reviewhttp://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/05/summer-palace-popsurf...
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POPSURFING.COM: "Summer Palace" -- The Popsurfing Reviewhttp://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/05/summer-palace-popsurf...
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