China Cry
buy dvd movies, videos
|
 |
List Price: $19.99
Our Price:
$19.99
Features
• Closed-captioned
• Color
• DVD-Video
• NTSC
In Theaters : 1990
DVD Release : 01 July, 2002 |
| [ + Zoom ] [ Buy Now ] |
DVD : Usually ships in 24 hours |
|
China Cry Customer Reviews
|
|
|
|
♥♥♥♥♥ |
Very Awkward and Unrealistic Portrayal
|
Sadly; this is not a movie about Christianity in China. It is not a movie about the persecution of Christians; nor about the growth and spread of Christianity in China. I only watched it because I was told that the movie addressed these issues that I have a powerful connection to and experience with. Parts of the movie may appeal to the fundamentalist, bolt of lightening miracle seeking fringe of American Christianity; but that's about it. There are approximately three scenes in the movie where religious belief or practice is a theme and is presented in what felt like a provocative, opportunistic manner to enflame viewers' religious loyalties in a politically manipulative ploy.
Although the serious, traumatic, and unfortunate events and issues presented in this clunky and disjointed movie really did happen to China and to all of the Chinese people who were alive during those time periods, they are portrayed throughout this movie from a non-Chinese viewpoint and without sensitivity to Chinese culture. Character development is minimal, adolescent, and the main characters are portrayed too much as "special victims". Western ideas, behaviors, and attitudes are injected into scenes of Chinese family or romantic life where they still do not exist today, let alone in the mid-20th century. It seems as though most of the actors are foreign-born (away from China) Chinese and their body language, facial expressions, culture, and style of expressing ideas through dialogue is so non-Chinese that it makes for an absolutely bizarre viewing experience. The storyline, which with a slightly less myopic focus could have expressed the injustice and suffering experienced so universally in China during the periods depicted, might have been admirable to share; but the motive behind making the movie is so obviously questionable as to give the feel of a thinly veiled political propaganda flick. By remembering what this movie is not it reveals what it really is. This really just seems to be a dissident "anti-Chinese communism" movie. Since it claims to represent someone's true-life story there may also have been the goal of making a large sum of money through exploiting the strong political feelings held by some Hong Kongese and Taiwanese people. The ongoing themes are "how can we get out of here", "how can this be happening to me and my family", "we were once wealthy and affluent; so this is worse for us", "how can we get away from them", and the movie portrays complex political themes in a very black and white manner. Maybe this movie was seen as "a story worth a million dollars" by someone; but I wish that I had not wasted my money and a part of my evening watching it. What happened to the family portrayed in this movie was wrong; but so was the making of this artless production! The movie has a story to tell; but is equally without heart, soul, or culture as the invading Japanese army portrayed in the opening scenes and the oppressive Red Guard shown in the closing scenes; just prior to the depiction of the leading lady crawling through a non-existent desert no-man's-land between China and "freedom" in Hong Kong. At a time when we need to develop a greater cultural sensitivity to our brothers and sisters in China this movie serves to confuse and confound our ability to develop the empathy and understanding that will lead us toward a more peaceful and cooperative relationship. |
|
China Cry dvd movie.