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Session 24—Wed, March 14: Chinese (Hong Kong) film: 2046 (screening then very brief discussion), First session • Assigned Film Info Quiz—AMQ04
Topics for this session
❖ AMQ04
❖ Recent cinema from China (Hong Kong): 2046, first session of five
Overall, persistent topics for this film:
- Characteristics, qualities, methods, completedness and reliability of communication between lovers
- Layering: role of memories in romance
- Layering: blending of boundaries of individuals (status of individual)
- Layering: Non-linearity (narrative structure, experience of the presence as tied to the past and future, especially the past—memories).
- Comparisons: Dreams in 2046 and Genji.
- Comparisons: Money in 2046 and Story of the Stone.
Today:
- Sound as context
- Comparisons: longing in Genji, 2046 and Flying Daggers
Thoughts*
This film requires good preparation. Arrive well-informed.
In House of Flying Daggers, it seems the outside forces keep the lovers apart, whether you think that is the political situation, Leo's personal actions or Mei's choice to pull the dagger from her chest (on purpose or in error?). In 2046, it seems that individuals themselves are what is preventing love. Like The Tale of Genji everyone is longing for someone and everyone seems to be adrift on an ocean of fate and in that sense the mood is similar. But in Genji, lovers long for more time together because they are, in fact, sometimes together physically and spiritually. In 2046 lovers seem apart even when together physically. This, to me, seems "modern". 2046 explore the contradiction of longing but not wanting, for whatever reason, to become intimate.
Reminder that our many discussions done in conjunction with the films are meant to be start points not conclusive positions on the topic whatever it is. However, over the course of the term, some of these discussions begin to resonate with one another. I encourage you to take one or two of these topics of particular interest to you farther, when exploring your films or just thinking about the class.
Is love a journey forwards or a journey backwards?
External / internal: House of Flying Daggers has external reference points that situate the story in a specific situation. In contrast, 2046 has internal, subjective reference points that drift about in a real world that seems less important than the emotional state of the characters. (These types of films, it seems to me, often have a sensual and/or transgressive feel to them.) Whether the narrative is grounded in external or internal reference points creates entirely different romantic story lines that could be said simply as: romance with a public goal (marriage/status) and romance with an internal goal (solving emotional issues).
Screening details
DVD menu scenes 1-7 (0:00:00-0:34:00, elapsed time 0:34)
The entire film is screened in class. If you have missed a class session, the movie is available as follows:
- Netflix: DVD
- Media Resources Center (Moffitt): DVD 4876
Required—to be completed for today's session
Access through sidebar tab FILM MODULES:
✓ 2046: General Comments
✓ 2046: Director
✓ 2046: Main Characters
✓ 2046: First session questions and Scene 1 summary (other scene summaries optional)
(✓) 2046: Release data (optional)
Texts, multimedia notes, links*
nothing yet ...
Other*
nothing yet ...
*THOUGHTS: Reading before class probably helps follow session content, reading afterwards might help consolidate notes, revisiting for tests is recommended. Content might be added before class or anytime up until about 24 hours ahead of a midterm.
*TEXTS, MULTIMEDIA NOTES, LINKS: If I have read from something, shown something or presented audio that is not elsewhere mentioned, I usually include that information here for the curious, sometime after the class (since I often make last-minute decisions about including something). It might take a while and sometimes I forget. You can email me.
*OTHER: When possible I note here names, places, and other details that I have mentioned in a lecture that would otherwise not be accessible in the assigned materials or easily located on your own. As with "TEXTS ..." this is usually sometime after class and, again, I might not be able to get around to doing it.