Bodyguards and Assassins Trailer

China: The Roots of Madness (1967) Documentary Film

The “Madness” Chinese Revolutionary

History can be analyzed in thousands of ways. Films bring the past alive in front of us as reality and undeniable evidence. China the Roots of Madness is produced in the cold war era. It is a documentary shows American view of modern Chinese revolutionary history. It carries a message of anti communism People’s Republic of China. The writer and narrator of the movie, Theodore White, believed that Chinese people are taught to hate westerns. He tries to reach the mind of Chinese people who “have madness and hate in their nature.”  By contrast Bodyguards and Assassins is a motion picture viewed from insider views of China. It’s a snapshot of Chinese revolutionary in a four days event. A group of normal Chinese people has different background, which sacrificed them to protect, Sun Wen. The film shows the motion beauty of martial art and emotional challenges to characters during the dangerous task. In the film Bodyguards and Assassins, The character, Chinese revolutionary, Sun Wen says, “Desire happiness of civilization, had been suffering in civilization, and that pain is called the revolution (Chen)!” No one can sum up a personality of a nation by one point of observation and without deeply understanding the insider social and cultural roots. China the Roots of Madness and Bodyguards and Assassins, take different way to approach the roots of Chinese culture. Comparing these two films, we can view Chinese revolution history from different point of view, and get a better understanding of the roots of Chinese culture.
The two films talk about the revolutionary approaching to modern China in the first half of the 20th century. These films take different ways to express the history.  “China the Roots of Madness” is a documentary in realistic style. It realistically shows history by using Historical film footages, and historical photographs. It analyzes history facts, and expresses political messages by interviewing historians and foreigners who lived in the disaster time of China. It also organizes the film by following realist historical time line to reviews the whole 50 years of Chinese revolution. In a word, The Roots of Madness tries to understand Chinese madness as though eyes were there (Stuart).”
By contrast, Bodyguards and Assassins is more like a tale. It brings audience extremely close to a history event, and allows audiences breathe in with characters’’ lives. Bodyguards and Assassins set in 1905, Hong Kong, when Sun Wen intends to come to Hong Kong to discuss his plans for revolution with fellow Tongmenghui members to overthrow the corrupt and crumbling Qing Dynasty. As Sun Wen’s arrival day draws near, trouble begins brewing in Hong Kong. The film start at four days before Sun Wen arrives, Yan Xiaoguo a general of Qing Dynasty leads a group of assassins to kill Sun. Revolutionary Chen Shaobai meet merchant Li Yutang who provides financial aid for the revolutionaries. After Chan is kidnapped, Li rallies a group of men, including rickshaw pullers, hawkers, and a beggar… to server as bodyguards for Sun Wen, when he arrives. Li’s only son, Li Chongguang, is chosen to act as a decoy for Sun went to divert the assassins away while Sun attends the meeting and leaves Hong Kong safely.
China the Roots of Madness was made in 1967, it is the time China was a great enemy with American. The writer of the film, Theodore White, came to China as an official of the United States Information Agency. He soon became Time’s Far East chief correspondent (White Theodore). Theodore White believes, the reason for China suffered 50 years of disaster in the first half of 20th century because Chinese have madness in their roots. He pointed out that China moves from terrorism to terrorism, from terrorism of Confucianism Empire to communism Mao. : It sounds mad, It how Chinese is (Stuart). His motive to make this film is to educate or alert American audience. There is a country called China; it had one quarter of world population, and the whole country hated westerns. Through Theodore White’s historical analyze, China the Roots of Madness, actually, gave reasons for American to hate Chinese people too.
To understand Chinese madness attitude to western in the first 50 years of 20th century, we have to face some “why” questions. Why did Chinese protest foreigners, and why did they begin to kill foreigners? In Bodyguards and Assassins. A bodyguard asks, “Who will we fight with? Westerns?” … “No, we fight with bad people (Chen).” Chinese people are not mad at westerns, they are mad at the colonialism. There is a scene in China the Roots of Madness, which Theodore White talks about how mad Chinese gangster killed foreigners in Opium War era. But he didn’t show how foreigners punished Chinese in their own land. They forces Chinese government to open trade ports; sold Opium all over the country, and ship thousands of treasures back home. China was western country’s colony “friend” back then, that’s why Chinese people were full of anger.
Western countries maintained a policy of laissez-faire towards China’s political situation; in fact they encouraged Chinese civil war and supported whoever was in power to be their puppet government. In Bodyguards and Assassins we can get a better view on how British colonial power reformed Chinese society. A businessman Li Yutang, he used to provide financial aid for the revolutionaries, only because revolutionary Chen Shaobai was his old friend. He was strongly influenced after 30 Chen Shaobai’s acquaintances were murdered and the assassins kidnapped Chen. Hong Kong was the land of British back then. British colony authorities keep “One eye open, and close another”. Instead of finding murders, they close the revolutionary newspaper agency. Li Yutang officially declared his support by joining the protest Chinese people. The scene he spoke out in front of the Chinese officer, who worked for British authorities was very powerful. He denounced to colonist, “We are not slaves of westerns.” He was on a mission to become a revolutionary leader rallied a group of bodyguards to protect Sun Wen.
Theodore White says in an interview in China the Roots of Madness, “They are looking for some kind of entrance to the modern world, and none of their ancestral culture can give them any guide for the turbulence they found. There is one question: For the fifty years of searching some new kind of government, and some new kind of order (Stuart). Why do both films show Sun Wen as an important revolution leader? Sun Wen was called as “a symbol of all protests and a dangerous dreamer“ by America media. However, Chinese people called him “The father of modern China”. Sun Wen created “San-Min-Zhu-Yi (three principles)-nationalism, democracy, socialism”(Sun Wen). After years of search and suffer in the bloody truth of revolution. Sun Wen realized that ides and guns must go together. China has to go its own way, and organize the national revolution to free China to the modern world. Sun Wen said that China is a slave of dragon empiricism (Sun Wen). Qing empiricism extending from Confucian ideology and legalist pragmatism… Punishing and restraining those perceived as a threat to the political and sociology moral orders, it enforces an omnipresent hierarchy (Norman). To free China goes to modern democracy world, revolutionary must take the first step, overthrow the corrupt and crumbling Qing Dynasty.
In Theodore White’s view, China is a land of changeless wonders. It’s a place, human are used as beast in the street as field. He even doubts that is China a real country or just a geographic place where full of madness people (Stuart). In fact, “Nationalism” (or Minzhuzhuyi in Chinese, literally, “ideology of the nation”) has becomes one of the central issues in the cultural and intellectual history of modern China. The question of nationhood never failed to engage the Chinese film circle (Zhang). Kong fu film is a typical Chinese way to express nationalism. Usually Kong fu story is configured in the alien space, with a changed vocabulary of culture, customs, and humanity. Kong fu film is a self-reflexivity of nationalism ideology. It creates a space empower people to understand the self.
Bodyguards and Assassins is a typical nationalism genre film, which interacts with roots searching. Harry H. Koushu said in his book Lightness of being in China that the configuration of the new masculinity is merged into an allegory of national fate: both masculinity and nationality call for empowerment and revival (Koushu 121). Bodyguards and Assassins displays dramatized characters and plots in revolutionary romance-film style. They voluntarily join a mission to protect revolutionary Sun wen. They are normal people from different classes of Chinese society. Every character has their unique emotional desires, but they can be nationalism heroes when the country needs them. One of the bodyguards, Shen Chongyang is a policeman who is addicted to gambling. He is eager to do anything for money. He helps Yan Xiaoguo to kill 30 revolutionaries. But he decides to join the bodyguards after his ex-wife persuades that he is a father. There is a long street fighting scene in the film, Shen Chongyang vicious fight with a highly-skilled enemy martial artist. He defeats his opponent eventually but is gravely wounded. To be able to finish his task, he sacrifices himself to disable Yan Xiaoguo's horse. Theodore White calls them mad Chinese revolutionaries in China the Roots of Madness. These Bodyguards look like mad revolutionary, but they are hero who passionate in love with their country and willing to sacrifice everything to serve the country.
Chinese films portray nationalism heroes as Kong fu master, who combine the physical and mental power to fight for the country. In traditional Chinese philosophy, the body was examined and treated both as an interrelated whole and as a feature of exterior and environmental conditions (Koushu 98). Swordsmanship (Kongfu or knight-errantry) in the early 20th is a fundamental concern with the fate of the nation as a whole (Zhang). For example, one of the Bodyguards, beggar-Liu Yubai, who used to come from a rich family, is highly skilled in martial arts and fights with an iron fan. The traditional family value makes him lost his lover and destroyed himself to be a beggar. He voluntarily takes the hardest part of the job, holding off the assassins alone at the residence of Sun Wen’s mother for fifteen minutes. The slow motion shots show he fights like dancing. .In the final fighting, Yan Xiaoguo and other assassins kill him in the silent environment. The emphasized killing sound draws the killing scene like extremely powerful poetry. From a dirty beggar, to a fine gentleman who fights for the nation, His death proves a Chinese root - rather to die with pride than to live with shame. This value is shared with most of the revolutionary heroes. Liu Yubai, is a symbol to show that Chinese people are awaked from their personal struggles, and reach out to fight together for the country.
The political and social backgrounds decide that China the Roots of Madness ‘s understanding to Chinese roots is limited. China the Roots of Madness is regretful that there is no interview with any Chinese people in the documentary. Are those news records of photograph and film images in China the Roots of Madness can provide enough sources to understand a nation’s ideology? Miss understanding creates disaster, and it sprays out become a hate to a whole nation as a group. For example, after the 911 attacking, some Americans hated Muslim population, because both those Muslim and the terrorists believe the same religion, even these Muslims are USA citizens and love this country as others. Communicate is the most important tool for people from different culture to understand each other. We may take off our judgment, which based on our cultural and experiences, and open mind to accept other’s uniqueness. The 20century in China did begin with mystery, as one American historian said. But he was wrong about the end: China doesn’t end in mystery. The Chinese people open to the entire world with brave, open heart.
Works Cited
Chan Teddy. Bodyguards and Assassins. Beijing Polybona Film Distribution Co. 2009. Fiction film.

Koushu, Harry H. Lightness of Being in China: Adaptation and Discursive Figuration in Cinema and theater. Peter Lang publishing, Inc. New York. 1999. Print.

Norman Vivien. Madness in Late Imperial China: From Illness to Deviance. London: University of Oklahoma Press, 1990. Print.

Stuart Mel. China: the Roots of Madness. National Archives and Records Administration. Documentary.

“Sun Wen”. Wikipedia. Web. 16 July. 2010.
“Theodore White”. Wikipedia. Web. 14 July. 2010.
Zhang Yingjin. From “Minority Film” to “Minority Discourse”: Questions of Nationhood and Ethnicity in Chinese Cinema”. Cinema Journal, August. 1991. Web. 16 July. 2010.

JINGLISH documentary proposal

TITLE: JINGLISh
Film Summary: A participatory personal dairy in which a young Chinese female immigrant pursuing passion of life by adopting another culture, seeking college education and learning a new language.
Treatment
Jinglish is a personal dairy documentary film with cute, quirky comedy style. The movie begins with a blue screen of computer based English test. A Standard English voiceover says an introduction of the exam. Learning English is a test for immigrants who want to peruse American dreams in United States. The examination includes four parts: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing. A shot of a Chinese girl in her late twenties, takes the test in front of the computer. Camera follows her exit the classroom, and walks in to a busy New York street.

Jinglish is a personal diary documentary film about my four Years’ journey of English study in America. Jinglish is the symbol of confidence in my identity. Jinglish is the sign of independent thought and action. It is a sample of a young female immigrant, pursuing her passion of life by adopting another culture, learning a new language and seeking college education. It is not only about learning new language, but also a voice to make me to be individuals.

Director’s Statement (1-2 pages):
I am the best person to make this film is because this is a story I am live in, and I understand the most. I grew up in a society always looking for common. Everyone should abbey social norms. People are looking for to become part of organization. I was a follower, who never think independently what I want to be? I choose this subject to indicate thousands of young immigrants like me. There is lots of hard working girls travel far away from home to pursue a dream. We lost our voice in the new environments, but on the same time we learn and develop our individual voice. In my Four years learning journey in America, I explore my life with thousands of possibilities. America frees me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life. As a new Chinese immigrant, I feel culture conflict, and passionate in communication in the same time. Learning to accept our accent, to identify myself is a hard but necessary lesion for all of immigrants. Research in the Asian Immigrants issues always be my favorite topics. American identity and communication between eastern-western cultures always fasnating to me. There are three research papers I have written in this kind of topic, Made in China explores issues concerning cheap labor and contemporary immigrant culture; Chinatown Voting Issues reflects Asian American’s political approach in American democracy; and The Song of Chang-Gan, the critical thinking of Ezra Pound's translation about the eight century ancient Chinese poem. The Song of Chang-Gan is selected in CUNY library research paper content, and the Chinatown Voting Issues is selected as a sample essay by Urban Sociology department.
This is a hard life experience, But I will make this a comedy film full of positive actions. I prefer contemporary documentary style, Like Favelas Rising. Jinglish will be a documentary poetry which full of young energies. I plan to Use a lot of fast pasting jumping cut images, and animation effect on the reaction frames.


Part1- Listening
Director’s voice over, “I am not a good listener. In china, we are happy to follow the social norms and are proud to belong to an organization. “Footages of different groups of Chinese girls wear uniform in elementary school, middle school, High school and a group of Chinese women in business suit. An animation communism hero character Lei feng says, “We are all accessories of the big machine.” My mom says in her Interview, “Jing has too much fantasy in her head. I named her “Jing” because Its my wish for her. I wish she can be a grace lady. I dream she can be a good student in school, find a stable office job, have a simple marriage and a happy kid.” Animation character Jing Doll changing in to different customs. But no matter what my parent’s wishes are, I do the opposite. Images of me acts, learn arts, sing rock & Roll. One day, I decided to run across the world, so I don’t need to listen to mom’s old talk anymore. An animated me land by statue liberty.
Voice over, “In fact, I was landed on Connecticut country side. Suddenly I was around by sounds of perfect English.” Jing listens to American’s conversation on street, in the store… Shots of Jing make phone calls. She listens to the machine talks for half hour to wait it breathe so she can talks to it. Footages of me stop someone on the street to ask direction, I nod and say thank you all the time. But I go to opposite direction right after. Animated Jing Doll becomes a stupid potato. Interview with my friend Yong, he says, “We all thought that Jing attending college in America, and supporting herself was a joke four years ago. She even can’t speak a full sentience at that time.” A voice over says, “I have to be a good listener in America. “ Footage of Jing watches Kids show for 3 years old children. Jing goes to language school, smiles, nods and she is excited as Elmo. I learn black street talk and Spanish accent on the subway. Shots of me use my face and body expressions to pretend that I understand American conversations.
Part2-Reading
Shots in a literature class, Teacher asks everyone to read 100 pages for next class and writes reflection papers based on reading. Jing runs between three jobs after the class. At night, she sits down for 2 hours with help from translator machine, she reads on page5. One of the best ways to learning reading is when I drive alone for interviewing a babysitter job. Jing is driving with a map on my hand and read signs on the high way in the same time. Doing research to find jobs and read from immigrants’ website is also very helpful for improving my reading too. Reading is not only helps me understand signs, moreover reading enlighten me appreciate American culture. I am really enjoy reading and I am eager to read more, Shots of my books collection under my bed. Varieties of books open the door to understanding America.
Part3-Speaking
On Yong”s interview, he says, “Jing is always eager to talk, since she first comes to America. I remember she smiles to everyone on street. People have to stop and say hi. Then she will call her mom, “Americans are so friendly everyone talks with me.” Jing barely speaks English, But She never afraid of speaking. ” A voice over with moving photo images. “When Jing just arrived CT, She talks to everyone who has an Asian face. After a month she knows most of the Chinese people in the little town. This is how I find my first job as a mandarin teacher. Teaching American Kids is a great way to practice speaking and self confidents. Shots I teach in my mandarin classroom, but Kids laugh at my accent in the sometime. I create a lot of chance for me to speak in public. I always sit in the front of the classroom, I ask question to my favorite film director. I stand up to be a volunteer translator in film festival….
Part4-Writing
Some shots of my face book posters. Yong reads my face book poster. He makes fun of my grammar. “One time I read Jing’s face book, I can’t bear her grammar mistake. I write to her, don’t think your English is good. Do you know you do not use English? W Hat you use should call JINGLISH.” Shots in Jing’s script writing class, classmates set part to read Jing’s script. They has trouble to read through, and they don’t understand what I am talking about. I try to express deep thought with an elementary level English writing skill. My formal English teacher reads her comments on my first draft, and last draft of the poetry research paper. Images of Jing standing on research competition stage and reading paper with Jinglish Accent.
Jing drive a car crossing the white stone bridge. The skyline of Manhattan slowly appear behind the huge bridge gate. Jing drives pass the gate.






Media160

Just finish the final exam for MEDP160. It's so fast before I settle down feel it, It's finished. The knowlege we learned in this class are very useful in our future career and study. As a student in media major, known Final Cut Express and flash are great strength for our future.
Professors and lab teacher are very nice, I am very appreciate their kindly help. A technical blind person like me learning tough softwares like final cut, and Flash. I can't imagine how can I past the test.
On the same time, i feel we don't have enough time to discuss and develop our ideas in this class. May be it's only me. I am too busy to run between class and jobs. I feel I didn't understand alot of the information in class. For example, review for the final is very painful. We have 14 chapters and a lot of questions. Chapters also cover information from daversity topics. It's very hard for me to review them and memory all the questions. Before final I receive 3 phone calls from classmates. They fell the same as me, they scared...
In a word, This is a great class with dedicate teachers, just we don't have enough time to understand all information in class.

marilyn says.mov

HM432.mp4

The process making this short horror movie was a great experience for me. We have 2 weeks to plan, 1 hour to shoot, and forever to editing. I am so glad Christina Lee and I made such a wonderful team. Without corporation we can’t make this happen.

 When we were grouped together, we were very confused what 2 Asian girls could make in one hour terrible lighting hunter night. Christina’s long black hair and black nails flashed me with the idea of horror movie. Asian young women ghost-Pretty, Dangerous. The most important quality in Asian women ghost is they are haunting real people to kill their soul without bloody mess. We are so click in this idea. We made a plot list and drew story board, these little pro-production work help a lot in the shooting day.

In the production day Christina called her friend Jewel Hise to help. She saved our shot on that day, because Christina and I all acted and shoot in the production night. We were so messy on the shooting day. We ideally thinking our shooting list will direct out action perfectly, actually little details we didn’t plan ahead almost destroy our shooting. For example, we didn’t think about how much footage we need shoot for editing, we ran out of saving space in the card in the middle of the shoot.  It also changed our shooting plan because we run out of time. However, we have a lot of fun shooting and acting.

Since us both have super busy schedule, and Final cut express was new for both of us. Get together edit movie and learn the new software were so hard for us.  After crushed in first 2 drafts, finally Christina holds all the pieces together. I was so exciting to see our film shows on the big scream. It’s means a lot to us. Audiences’ reactions to our story are the best judgment for our hard work.

Doll Face

Andy Huang directed Doll Face when he was a student in the University of Southern California. He. This is one of my favorite animation short films. It’s a 3-D animation film mix with live acting. The style of the work looks very contemporary. An animated TV set with real life TV show images on it. The space takes place in a gray lab, factory like place. A silver metal box sits on the right corner of the frame. A spider like robot comes out from the box, it has a female face. The robot keep putting make up on to make her self looks like the face percent on TV. She ends up drag her body so far from the box. She destroyed herself with a half human face.
This is an animation that grabs my imagination. This is a nice finished animation with deep ironic thought. It reminds me Viktor Shklovsky's Theory of Ostranenie (“making it strange,” or defamiliarization). In seminal essay “Art as Technique” (1917),Shkovsky argues that: "The purpose of art is to impart the sensation of
things as they are perceived and not as they are known. The technique
of art is to make objects ‘unfamiliar,’ to make forms difficult to increase
the difficulty and length of perception because the process of perception
is an aesthetic end in itself and must be prolonged." (Shklovsky 16)
Seems “Doll face” Takes place in an animated space. Huang use very simple element. A robot and a TV, fade out space. The way Andy Huang analyzes the creative elements and story structure, link this animation piece with audience life experiences in modern society. It was accepted into the Official Selection at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France, as well as the Electronic Theater at SIGGRAPH 2006 in Boston.

The opening scene of Roman Pulaski’s Roserosemary's baby

The opening scene of Roman Pulaski’s film Roserosemary's baby, is a great scene with dramatic terms and turning point. The editing has made a significant contribution to the storytelling and the feel of the piece.

The scene beging with smooth classical cutting. It’s start with helicopter wide shots of up-town, and stop in front of Tacota. It is cut to a young couple walks in the building. Camera tracking them enter the hallway with medium shots. Buy the time they enter the house, Camera fallow them with close up shots.

Editor also plans a lot of details in this scene as key clue for the whole movie. These nice pasted details lead the whole movie with horror feeling. For example, the plot of which is also the dramatic turning point of the scene. It shows three times in the first 8 minutes of the movie. The editor successfully drag audiences’ attention, by repeat the simple memorable images.

There are some important jump cuts after the characters find the hiding closet. The time is speeded up to serve the Story telling. The film is cut to an exterior New York street, they make decision to take the apartment. Another jump cut to Rosemarry’s friend, Hitch’s house. Hitch delivers the historical background of the building.Most of the out side logic questions are Soviet in 2 minutes. The rest of the movie isolates Rosemary in the apartment deal with all evils.
When the movie cut back to the apartment, we can feel the time is slowed down. The lighting is getting dark. Camera fallows characters in low angle shots, and the real world is blocking away from the old apartment.

The editing helps the story develops more intensively.  by limited unrelated information, and  enlarge important details. 

Rosemary's Baby (1968) Tradus In Romana Part 1/14

Living by the Digital Medias

Prof. Miranda talks about “a fundamental cultural shift due to the Internet, “ in our first lecture of Med160 class. I agree his conclusion of all these mass media formats that were highly specialized and expensive toProduce are now generated via the personal computer. We are living in a Digital media era, personal computer already become our eyes to observe and interact with this world. In my opinion personal computer is one of the greatest inventory in 20^th century, and will continually changing our life.

Computer as a muti-digitial media, play a lot of important roles in my life. For example, I spent at list 1 hour write email everyday, I using 4 email addresses to manage  my  personal relationship, academic studies, find jobs, and social life approach. Gmail and hot mail always the first two pages I open in the morning and open in the night. I also have face book account to share thought with friends and interact with them. It’s somehow become my useful channel for keeping my friendship. I organize two blogs both in Chinese and English; it’s my way to link friendship between two country. Beside that the online chatting softwares like MSN, Google chat, and Skype, allow me chat with friend from the entire world, face to face. People live in 50 years ago can't imagine what we have now.

The personal computer is also a play station for music, movies, television, radio, book, newspaper and magazine.... This is a huge step for people like me. It’s not just the combination of physical machine; it does create digitalization effective to our life. For example, people can link in together by internet; you can share words, music, movie, and all kind of information. Its not only make the whole world become a world market, more importantly. Common people as us, have excesses to become a media maker, we have power to create news and let the whole world know. This even changes the function of the countries and society.