As the first animated work to adapt the classic Chinese love story of the same name, Butterfly Lovers: Leon and Jo (
It is an acceptable film. As a tragedy, it makes you cry. And as a story about Chinese culture and sentiment, it has also got the right feel. There are even two Mando-pop divas singing love songs in the movie, adding more touching sentiment.
However, it is not hard to find some obvious problems.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CMP
The story of Liang Shan-po (
In order to pursue her studies, Jo dresses as a boy when she meets Leon on the way to school. They quickly become best friends, carrying on a flirtation that hints at Jo's sex. When Jo is revealed as a woman, Leon immediately falls in love with her, only to find out she is about to married, forced by her father to couple with the son from a rich family.
Those familiar with Disney animations will find the animation work in this movie a little raw and the movement of the characters a bit stiff.
Those seeking a Pixar-standard of 3D animation may be a little disappointed. Fortunately, the music and the dubbing has added some class to the movie.
Both Rene Liu (
The music for the movie adapts the world-famous Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, by Chinese composers Chen Gang (
The flowing Chinese-style violins represent the "falling in love" segment; and the high and rapid tones represent the
"refusing to marry part."
At the end, the powerful sounds of gongs represents the climax of the tragedy -- as the protagonists metamorphose into butterflies.
The picture also improves when the pair are ready to sacrifice their love. The colors are glowing and their use is wilder, making for a more imaginative section of the movie.
One of the biggest sore spots in Taiwan’s historical friendship with the US came in 1979 when US president Jimmy Carter broke off formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan’s Republic of China (ROC) government so that the US could establish relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Taiwan’s derecognition came purely at China’s insistence, and the US took the deal. Retired American diplomat John Tkacik, who for almost decade surrounding that schism, from 1974 to 1982, worked in embassies in Taipei and Beijing and at the Taiwan Desk in Washington DC, recently argued in the Taipei Times that “President Carter’s derecognition
JUNE 30 to JULY 6 After being routed by the Japanese in the bloody battle of Baguashan (八卦山), Hsu Hsiang (徐驤) and a handful of surviving Hakka fighters sped toward Tainan. There, he would meet with Liu Yung-fu (劉永福), leader of the Black Flag Army who had assumed control of the resisting Republic of Formosa after its president and vice-president fled to China. Hsu, who had been fighting non-stop for over two months from Taoyuan to Changhua, was reportedly injured and exhausted. As the story goes, Liu advised that Hsu take shelter in China to recover and regroup, but Hsu steadfastly
You can tell a lot about a generation from the contents of their cool box: nowadays the barbecue ice bucket is likely to be filled with hard seltzers, non-alcoholic beers and fluorescent BuzzBallz — a particular favorite among Gen Z. Two decades ago, it was WKD, Bacardi Breezers and the odd Smirnoff Ice bobbing in a puddle of melted ice. And while nostalgia may have brought back some alcopops, the new wave of ready-to-drink (RTD) options look and taste noticeably different. It is not just the drinks that have changed, but drinking habits too, driven in part by more health-conscious consumers and
On Sunday, President William Lai (賴清德) delivered a strategically brilliant speech. It was the first of his “Ten Lectures on National Unity,” (團結國家十講) focusing on the topic of “nation.” Though it has been eclipsed — much to the relief of the opposing Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) — by an ill-advised statement in the second speech of the series, the days following Lai’s first speech were illuminating on many fronts, both domestic and internationally, in highlighting the multi-layered success of Lai’s strategic move. “OF COURSE TAIWAN IS A COUNTRY” Never before has a Taiwanese president devoted an entire speech to
RSS