#804: YANG, Edward: A Brighter Summer Day (1991)
YANG, Edward (Taiwan)
Yang’s statement concludes with this universally-understood sentiment:
A Brighter Summer Day [1991]
Spine #804
Blu-ray
Blu-ray
Among the most highly praised titles in all contemporary film, this singular masterpiece of Taiwanese cinema, directed by Edward Yang, was unavailable for years and much sought after. Set in the early 1960s, A Brighter Summer Day is based on the true story of a crime that rocked Taiwan. A film of both sprawling scope and tender intimacy, this novelistic, patiently observed epic enters on the gradual but inexorable fall of a young teenager (Chang Chen, in his first role) from innocence to delinquency, and is set against a simmering backdrop of restless youth, rock and roll, and political turmoil.
236 minutes
Color
Color
Monaural
in Mandarin and Taiwanese
1:85:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2016
Director/Writers
Edward Yang was 44 when he directed A Brighter Summer Day.
Other Yang films in the Collection:
#879: Taipei Story (1985)
#339: Yi Yi (2000)
Disc One
Other Yang films in the Collection:
#879: Taipei Story (1985)
#339: Yi Yi (2000)
Disc One
The Film
Airplane, Cat and Si’r
A film with over 100 speaking roles!
These are the main ones:
Xiao Si’r (Zhang Zhen) [Chen Chang] … his first film role, he was only 14-years-old when Yang took him under his wing and tutored him on how to act in this film (which also features his real-life father and brother!) … his acting is all the more remarkable because he is almost always stone-faced and completely introverted.
Ming (Lisa Yang) … never acted again. She became an accountant. However, she is superb in this film — like Si’r, almost always a completely blank slate … in fact, she is the one character who almost never shows any type of emotion whatsoever. An American, her Mandarin had to be dubbed by another actress.
Father (Kuo-Chu Chang) … real-life father of Chen Chang and Han Chang (see below) … an experienced actor, he was born in Taiwan, although his character is a “mainlander.” His character is a quiet, thoughtful man until his mind is torn up by a disturbing politically-related incident.
Mother (Elaine Jin) … very experienced actress, she is a steady presence in the film … perhaps the strongest member of the Zhang household, having to prop up her husband and five children.
Eldest sister (Chuan Wang) … a minor, but important role, she takes charge when she has to (usually doling out money to her brothers who keep pawning their mother’s expensive watch!) This was her first major film, and she continued to have a good career in Taiwanese television.
Lao Er (Elder brother) (Han Chang) … real-life brother of Chen Chang and son of Kuo-Chu Chang … his first film, and went on to have a successful career mostly in Taiwanese television.
Middle sister (Hsiu-Chiung Chiang) … the Christian whose influence on her troubled younger brother is only truly realized towards the very end of the film … she never acted again, but became a writer and director.
Youngest sister (Stephanie Lai) … her sole IMDb credit … she has only a few important scenes, but they are unforgettable (she is the cause of a beating Lao Er receives, but does not deserve) …
Cat (Chi-tsan Wang) … an unforgettable character, he is — like all the other young actors here — completely natural as the wannabe Taiwanese Elvis! He appeared in two more future Yang films.
Airplane (Lawrence Ko) … member of the Little Park gang … Ko has a role in Ang Lee’s terrific film, Lust, Caution.
Ma (Chih-Kang Tan) … an important role. Ma, like Si’r, does not belong to either gang, but is from a rich and respected family (his father is a General). His friendship with Si’r is a plot point which will turn out to be very significant by the end.
**
A Brighter Summer Day is 236 minutes long (I don’t know why Yang couldn’t find four more minutes to make it exactly four hours!) … seriously, it’s not a minute too long.
And the funny thing is — if you’ve got plenty of time — the second viewing will reveal all the carefully-plotted details you’ll miss the first time around!
And these are not just details germane to this particular film — they are universal aspects of lives lived, emotions felt and expressed or not, and all the little things that make up our daily routines.
However — unless you are Chinese — much of this will be unfamiliar and bewildering to you. It is important, of course, to know the history of Taiwan; the difference between native Taiwanese and what are referred to as the “Mainlanders” — those Chinese who escaped with the Nationalists in 1949 from the Communists led by Mao — and who thought it would only be a matter of time before they could return to their homeland.
It is important to know the difference between the two gangs — the “217” gang and the “Little Park” gang; one is composed of native Taiwanese who use weapons like samurai swords which they found in the attics of their homes, once owned by the Japanese during their 50-year long Occupation of Taiwan; the other of delinquent high-school students, who are children of the Mainlanders.
But regardless of how well you understand the situation, Edward Yang’s gorgeous tapestry of a film just continues to unfold — thread by thread — with stunning visual images, ranging from the crowded frame of different groups of people, performing crucial plot scenes simultaneously, to the Ozu-like shots of still objects framed naturally by some vertical — while important conversation takes place off screen (like the shot at Ma’s house when Si’r comes to confront him about Ming — Yang keeps the camera focused on a beautiful decorated wall) …
We all owe Martin Scorsese a great debt of gratitude for rescuing this film from oblivion.
Commentary
featuring critic Tony Rayns.
Rayns, who was close with Yang, is an inexhaustible resource in furtherance of a deep understanding of this long masterpiece. He talks for the entire four hours (with one break during the massacre scene) and only in the fourth hour do I detect a little tickle in his throat.
featuring critic Tony Rayns.
Rayns, who was close with Yang, is an inexhaustible resource in furtherance of a deep understanding of this long masterpiece. He talks for the entire four hours (with one break during the massacre scene) and only in the fourth hour do I detect a little tickle in his throat.
Seriously, Rayns is invaluable; indispensible.
Film Rating (0-60):
58
Disc TwoCheshire correctly points out that Yang’s visual style is influenced by his friend and contemporary, Hsiao-hsien Hou (Flowers of Shanghai) [1998] {Spine #1077}:
“ . . . With its concentration of long shots, avoidance of close-ups, repeated compositions in certain settings (especially in the Zhang home), use of doors and windows as framing (and obscuring) devices, and naturalistic lighting … critics have seen in these the deliberate articulation of a Chinese or Asian cinematic style derived from models in Chinese literature and visual arts, as well as the work of Japanese master Yasujiro Ozu.”
Yang’s statement concludes with this universally-understood sentiment:
“This film is dedicated to my father and his generation, who suffered so much for my generation to suffer less. I hope they, the forgotten, can be made unforgettable.
Interview
With actor Chang Chen.
Now all grown up and able to thoughtfully reflect on this experience, as a young teenager. Delightful and informative interview.
Documentary
Documentary
Our Time, Our Story, a 113-minute documentary from 2002 about the New Taiwan Cinema movement, featuring interviews with filmmakers Hou Hsiao-hsien, Sylvia Chang, and Tsai Ming-liang, among others.
Great history lesson about Taiwanese cinema — its ups and downs — and the men and women who made it what it is today.
Video-taped play
Video-taped play
1992 performance of Yang’s play Likely Consequence.
Must see 45-minute drama featuring three actors (one with no lines) who play on a completely empty stage, using pantomime to express the action. A delicious peek into another facet of Yang’s genius.
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