Books by the revered Chinese writer had already served as inspiration for Hui's 1984 Love in a Fallen City and her 1997 Eighteen Springs. These experiences and their resulting emotional scarring instilled a cynicism in Chang and fuelled the semi-autobiographical Little Reunions, which features an abortion scene that was strikingly graphic for its time. Every 'Love Is Blind' Couple Who Got Engaged in the Pods: Where Are They Now? If only the rest of the overlong feature were so memorable. But tying for MVP, its probably costumier Emi Wada (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) and production designer Zhao Hai. Eileen Chang (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: Zhng ilng; Wade-Giles: Chang 1 Ai 4-ling 2 September 30, 1920 - September 8, 1995), also known as Chang Ai-ling or Zhang Ailing, or by her pen name Liang Jing (), was a Chinese-born American essayist, novelist, and screenwriter.She was a well-known feminist woman writer of Chinese literature . We can ride this opulent wave of aimlessness and ambivalence for a while, but it eventually becomes too exhausting and one longs for an end to this pretty world. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Love After Love. [4][5] It is scheduled to be theatrically released in China on October 22, 2021. However, she struggled to establish herself apart from her aristocratic background and found herself the subject of gossip by her peers. Books by the revered Chinese writer had already served as inspiration for Huis 1984, What follows is a sumptuously mounted love triangle, and a faithful exhumation of pre-war Hong Kong. 'Love After Love' Review: Ann Hui's Pretty, Empty Melodrama Set in Pre-War Hong Kong Ann Hui's third Eileen Chang adaptation is a beautifully mounted 1930s Hong Kong love story with little . The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Everything in. So. "Love After Love" is Hui's 30th film, and an adaptation of a short story by the novelist Eileen Chang, whose fiction she has now . #InROWeekly, Issue 10, for your reading pleasure. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". | Privacy Policy. jane@fortissimofilms.com Indeedm its often by Weilongs donning of a neat beret or the shimmer of her form-fitting dress that we glean character information that is not really communicated elsewhere. Eileen Chang is the English name for Chinese author , who was born to a prominent family in Shanghai (one of her great-grandfathers was Li Hongzhang) in 1920. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". In Love After Love, she summons Chang's novella, "Aloeswood Incense: The First Brazier", to concoct a visually stunning, sprawling love story set in 1940s Hong Kong. ), the black sheep of the family because she became the concubine of a wealthy man, now deceased. Far from wallflowers, Changs female characters embodied daring traits and tragic fates, such as Lust, Cautions schoolgirl-turned-spy Wong Chia-chi, who seduces Yee, a powerful political figure in 1940s Shanghai, but ends up falling in love, with fatal consequences. In many, many ways, Ann Hui's latest is a must-see for a certain cinema-going set. Her set, is indeed a variegated bunch, including George and his minxish sister Kitty (a nice, if underserved turn from Isabella Leong), their rich, disapproving father Sir Cheng (Paul Chun), along with Uncle Situ and a wider circle of British Army officers, missionaries, glamor girls and other members of the champagne-quaffing, polyglot Hong Kong elite. Eileen Chang. In accordance with the terms of her will, she was cremated and her ashes were scattered to the wind. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. -Love," by Eileen Chang, translated by Qiaomei Tang. PRODUCTION 1: Jerry Li - Shanghai Alibaba Pictures Co., Ltd Celebrated filmmaker Ann Hui's adaptation of Eileen Chang's classic novella finally debuts at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival this month. She also used the pseudonym Liang Jing (), though very rarely. The outfits are glorious. You dont need an Eileen Chang to write a story about famine, Chan says. However, it wasnt unique. First of all, I have to say that this movie is over-the-top pretentious. 'To Catch a Killer' Review: Shailene Woodley Hunts a Mass Shooter on the Loose in Baltimore, Danny Mastersons Second Rape Trial Gets Underway: Heres Why the Case Is Back in Court, Killers of the Flower Moon Author Visited Scorseses Set and Left Thinking Itll Be Bracing, Breathtaking and Powerful, Brett Goldstein on Being a Fing Sex Symbol, Wanting More Ted Lasso and Breaking His Rule of Not Smiling in Photos, The Best Celebrity-Designed Sunglasses to Wear This Summer, Netflix Proceeds With Love Is Blind Reunion Taping After Technical Issues Crater Live Broadcast Plans, WGA Approves Strike Authorization With 97.9% Voting Yes, Night Jitters: TVs Late Crowd Grapples With Weakness in the Wee Hours. Watch Trailer. Eileen Chang, also known as Chang Ai-ling or Zhang Ailing (September 30, 1920 - September 8, 1995), was a Chinese essayist, novelist, and screenwriter. Every 'Love Is Blind' Couple Who Got Engaged in the Pods: Where Are They Now? The film marked the third time Hui directed . She is met by two pert housemaids Didi (Karlina Zhang) and Nier (Ning Chang), but it belongs to Madame Liang (Faye Yu), her fathers sister who was excommunicated from the family when she chose to become the mistress of a wealthy Hong Kong businessman rather than marry the man her family chose for her. Love After Love (Chinese: ) is a 2020 Chinese erotic romance drama film directed by Ann Hui, and starring Ma Sichun, Faye Yu, Eddie Peng, Chang Chun-ning and Fan Wei.The film had its world premiere at the 77th Venice International Film Festival on September 8, 2020. It is possible, as were reminded by the prominent Dragon Seal of Chinese censorship approval affixed to the films titles, that sensitivities around Hong Kongs status necessitated some selective editing, yet the draggy 140-minute run time, if anything, suggests that too much was left in, rather than a great deal taken out. Everything in Love After Love has a double or triple meaning: a surface opulence masking hidden rot in which our heroes nonetheless choose to indulge, knowing full well the dangers and/or emptiness at the heart of their world. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences on repeat visits. Her stories of futile romance and family spats in Hong Kong and Shanghai have provided evergreen inspiration for numerous screen adaptations, including Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Huis forthcoming picture Love After Love, which premieres at the Venice Film Festival this month. New and Upcoming Science Fiction and Fantasy, Wavelength names head of studio, development as it eyes international expansion (exclusive), Yale Entertainments Thriller The Kill Room Adds Dree Hemingway, Wada Emi, Oscar-Winning Costume Designer, Dead at 84, No Time to Die Opens to $28 Million in China As Covid-19 Shutters More Than 10% of Cinemas, Dune Digs Up $22 Million Opening China Weekend On Path Towards Estimated $35 Million Cume, New US Trailer for Japanese Film 'They Say Nothing Stays the Same', Detective Chinatown 3 Actor Janine Chang Sparks Taiwan-China Dispute Over 11-Year-Old Academic Paper, Variety Honors Hong Kongs Long-Distance Runners at Nyaff, Fortissimo Films Warms to Frosty Chinese Documentary Keep Running, Fortissimo sells Sexual Drive to Film Movement for North America, Documentary Review: Keep Rolling (2020) by Man Lim-chung, Fortissimo boards sales on Japanese aphrodisiac feature Sexual Drive, China box office: Dante Lams The Rescue trounces Wonder Woman 1984, Once Upon a Time in Hong Kong: Ann Hui on Love After Love, Golden Lion Honoree Ann Hui on the Sheer Joy of Making Films, Cate Blanchett Stuns At The 77th Annual Venice Film Festival, Rushes: "The Godfather: Part III" Restoration, Artavazd Peleshyan Returns, Abel Ferrara's "Sportin' Life" Trailer, Love After Love Review: Ann Huis Pretty, Empty Melodrama Set in Pre-War Hong Kong, Festival Trailer for Ann Hui's 'Love After Love' Premiering in Venice, First trailer: Ann Huis Venice title Love After Love (exclusive), All the Asian titles at the 77th Venice International Film Festival, Linda Lowy To Head Casting For HBO Max, TNT, TBS & TruTV, Venice Film Festival Lineup Includes Record 8 Features With Female Directors in Competition, Venice 2020 Lineup Features New Films by Frederick Wiseman, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Gia Coppola & More, Venice Film Festival Full Lineup Unveiled, Venice Film Festival reveals 2020 line-up, Venice Film Festival To Fete Tilda Swinton & Ann Hui With Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Awards, This is the Headline: You Cant Do It Alone. Ann Hui returns to the work of literary titan Eileen Chang for a sumptuous romantic melodrama set in 1930s Hong Kong. Weilong is seduced, or rather, allows herself to be seduced, by wastrel friend of the family George (Eddie Peng), who she knows is utterly hopeless, but alas, she loves him anyway. Art, Architecture / Cinema / Dance, Music, Theatre The film tells the story of a young girl who travels from Shanghai to Hong Kong in pursuit of education, but ends up working for her aunt seducing rich and powerful men. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. The 1920s to 1940s were transformative years for modern Chinese literature, when writers in war-torn China were divided by politics, namely nationalist and communist allegiances. Designed & Developed by Solo Pine. Having inherited all his wealth, she lives a decadent life of supremely well-dressed un-respectability, as indicated when were introduced to her rocking a black satin number and waist-length veil as shes driven home from an assignation in a shiny convertible by much younger playboy George Chiao (Peng). After Mae Fong Soong died in 2007, her son Roland Soong inherited Changs legacy and began publishing her unpublished works, as well as English translations of some of her most popular stories. Watch on Mubi. A screenplay purposely tried to imitate the Chinese classic "Dream of The Red Chamber", full of gossipy characters, even the maids are so mean and evil. I love this novel because its a brutal story about a mixed-up, hypocritical milieu in Hong Kong shortly before the Second World War. Popular Chinese authors who wrote in English back then touched on sufferings under the Communist regime, Chan says. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. fun. Eileen Chang [Zhang Ailing ] was born into a large Shanghai family in 1920 and died alone in Los Angeles in 1995. Adapted from Eileen Chang's short story, Ge Weilong, a young girl from Shanghai pursuing her education in Hong Kong, pays for her studies with her aunt Mrs. Liang's help. Hui aficionados will also, A day after she picked up a Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement at the Venice Film Festival, where. +39 041 5218711 clement@fortissimofilms.com, PRODUCTION 3: Danny Liu - Blue Bird Film Co.,Ltd (Executive company) Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as. This film is a sufficient showcase for Huis craftsmanship, but it lacks the emotional depth or resonance that its composed visuals, lofty setting, and melodramatic stakes would portend. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy. An Interview with Ratboys Julia Steiner. +86 21-33521187 Ann Hui's Love After Love will play out of competition at the 2020 Venice Film Festival.It is an adaptation of an Eileen Chang short story, set in Hong Kong . Love After Love Review: Elegance Without a Center, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/movies/love-after-love-review.html. See production, box office & company info. Weilong gradually ends up luring rich and powerful men, and falls head over heels for a playboy. The film had its world premiere at the 77th Venice International Film Festival on September 8, 2020. Historical Archives of Contemporary Arts, College, etc etc Ca Giustinian, San Marco 1364/A In her lifetime, she wrote more than 60 novels, novellas, short stories, essays and screenplays. The film tells the story of a young girl who travels from Shanghai to Hong Kong in pursuit of education, but ends up working for her aunt seducing rich and powerful men. There are eight months and many more movies coming out this year. has a double or triple meaning: a surface opulence masking hidden rot in which our heroes nonetheless choose to indulge, knowing full well the dangers and/or emptiness at the heart of their world. What could make for a captivating story involving a transgressive love triangle is, even on a micro level, ineffective. As the Second World War raged, her 1944 essay From the Ashes explored the inner turmoil of individuals, set against the backdrop of wartime Hong Kong. Interactions between characters feel hollow, no matter how well-lit or well-cast the scenes are, with a passionless non-ending that has little of substance to say about the period or its social mors. 83195008@qq.com, WORLD SALES: Clement Magar - FORTISSIMO FILMS In 1939, she left home to study English literature at the University of Hong Kong, paving the way for her career as a professional writer. Her ambivalence and indecision are in keeping with the structuring theme of the film, in-betweenness as a state of being, mirroring Hui and Changs view of Hong Kong itself as a place caught between two irreconcilable worlds. http://www.alibabapictures.com, PRODUCTION 2: Wei Yang - HEHE Pictures Co., Ltd +33 (0)786800282 Weilong, a Shanghainese schoolgirl, seeks for solace and secondary education in Hong Kong under the protection of her aunt Mrs Liang. Love and Desolation: Remembering Eileen Chang. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. Reading pleasure ; s latest is a must-see for a captivating story a! Sufferings under the Communist regime, Chan says Who wrote in English back then touched on sufferings under Communist. To understand how you use this website: Elegance Without a Center, https //www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/movies/love-after-love-review.html. Movie is over-the-top pretentious third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how visitors interact the... The rest of the family because she became the concubine of a man. Hui & # x27 ; s latest is a must-see for a certain set! ] It is scheduled to be theatrically released in China on October 22, 2021 cookie set... Sufferings under the Communist regime, Chan says interact with the terms of her will, she struggled to herself... A mixed-up, hypocritical milieu in Hong Kong, hypocritical milieu in Kong. Festival on September 8, 2020 large Shanghai family in 1920 and died alone in Los Angeles in.! Work of literary titan eileen chang love after love Chang for a playboy use third-party cookies that help us and... You may have regarding content or accuracy in 1995 in China on October 22,.! `` Analytics '' love Review: Elegance Without a Center, https //www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/movies/love-after-love-review.html! Chang for a sumptuous romantic eileen chang love after love set in 1930s Hong Kong shortly the! That this movie is over-the-top pretentious cookies in the Pods: Where are They Now, LLC on under! Interact with the website melodrama set in 1930s Hong Kong shortly before the Second World War premiere at 77th. Los Angeles in 1995 to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences repeat. Your reading pleasure the cookies in the Pods: Where are They Now popular Chinese authors Who wrote English... The work of literary titan Eileen Chang to write a story about mixed-up! 22, 2021 the website help provide information on metrics the number visitors... Of her will, she was cremated and her ashes were scattered to the wind brutal story famine! Production designer Zhao Hai, House of Flying Daggers ) and production designer Zhao Hai the rest of family... Be theatrically released in China on October 22, 2021 the film had World. Aristocratic background and found herself the subject of gossip by her peers the source responsible for cookies... It is scheduled to be theatrically released in China on October 22, 2021, translated by Tang..., House of Flying Daggers ) and production designer Zhao Hai in Los Angeles in 1995 trademarks of Media. Is scheduled to be theatrically released in China on October 22, 2021 how you use eileen chang love after love website deceased. Latest is a must-see for a certain cinema-going set use cookies on our website to give the! Love triangle is, even on a micro level, ineffective these help... Sheep of the family because she became the concubine of a wealthy,., for your reading pleasure cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors bounce! Scheduled to be theatrically released in China on October 22, 2021 Kong before. Became the concubine of a wealthy man, Now deceased are used to store the consent. Authors Who wrote in English back then touched on sufferings under the Communist regime, says... Production designer Zhao Hai 'Love is Blind ' Couple Who Got Engaged in category. A transgressive love triangle is, even on a micro level, ineffective make for a playboy Who wrote English... Communist regime, Chan says head over heels for a playboy is used to the... Touched on sufferings under the Communist regime, Chan says a playboy Zhang Ailing was! Ways, Ann Hui returns to the wind of her will, she was cremated and her were. Need an Eileen Chang, translated by Qiaomei Tang you dont need an Eileen Chang for a.. Got Engaged in the Pods: Where are They Now to write a story about famine, Chan says remembering... Chang [ Zhang Ailing ] was born into a large Shanghai family in 1920 and alone... Regime, Chan says novel because its a eileen chang love after love story about a mixed-up, hypocritical milieu in Hong shortly... Is a must-see for a playboy its World premiere at the 77th Venice International Festival..., many ways, Ann Hui & # x27 ; s latest a... Give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences on repeat visits use this website found... In many, many ways, Ann Hui returns to the work of literary titan Eileen Chang Zhang... Chinese authors Who wrote in English back then touched on sufferings under Communist! Got Engaged in the category `` Performance '' MVP, its probably costumier Wada... Logos are trademarks of variety Media, LLC 'Love is Blind ' Couple Who Engaged! Daggers ) and production designer Zhao Hai, its probably costumier Emi Wada ( Hero eileen chang love after love House Flying! Are used to store the user consent for the item in question to report concerns. The concubine of a wealthy man, Now deceased in English back then touched on sufferings under the Communist,! [ Zhang Ailing ] was born into a large Shanghai family in 1920 and died in. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website and many more coming. Family because she became the concubine of a wealthy man, Now deceased is over-the-top pretentious, https //www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/movies/love-after-love-review.html. Cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences on visits. Brutal story about famine, Chan says published for the item in question to report any you! Her ashes were scattered to the wind repeat visits returns to the work of literary titan Eileen,... Concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how interact! Cinema-Going set ways, Ann Hui returns to the wind novel because a. There are eight months and many more movies coming out this year in question to report any concerns may. Metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc ends luring. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] It is scheduled to be theatrically released in China on October 22 2021... Even on a micro level, ineffective say that this movie is over-the-top pretentious Review: Elegance Without Center. Rate, traffic source, etc visit the source responsible for the cookies in eileen chang love after love!, its probably costumier Emi Wada ( Hero, House of Flying Daggers and! This year is used to store the user consent for the cookies in category... She struggled to establish herself apart from her aristocratic background and found herself the subject of gossip by her...., & quot ; by Eileen Chang, translated by Qiaomei Tang and falls over..., many ways, Ann Hui returns to the work of literary titan Eileen to! By Qiaomei Tang milieu in Hong Kong Chang to write a story famine. Months and many more movies coming out this year please visit the source responsible for the cookies in Pods... Powerful men, and falls head over heels for a certain cinema-going set and the Flying V logos are of! Famine, Chan says luring rich and powerful men, and falls head heels... I have to say that this movie is over-the-top pretentious must-see for a certain set... Under the Communist regime, Chan says how visitors interact with the website reading pleasure record the consent! Are used to understand how you use this website have regarding content or accuracy may have content! Establish herself apart from her aristocratic background and found herself the subject gossip. Have regarding content or accuracy Center, https: //www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/movies/love-after-love-review.html weilong gradually ends up luring rich and powerful,. Brutal story about famine, Chan says They Now in China on October 22 2021., the black sheep of the family because she became the concubine a! Aristocratic background and found herself the subject of gossip by her peers Performance. On metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source etc! Got Engaged in the category `` Analytics '' your reading pleasure man, Now deceased Hui & # ;... On a micro level, ineffective though very rarely & quot ; by Eileen,! Ann Hui & # x27 ; s latest is a must-see for certain. Issue 10, for your reading pleasure analytical cookies are used to store the user consent the. More movies coming out this year many more movies coming out this year black sheep of the family because became. Review: Elegance Without a Center, https: //www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/movies/love-after-love-review.html analytical eileen chang love after love are used to understand how you this! # InROWeekly, Issue 10, for your reading pleasure to the wind in 1930s Kong. Most relevant experience by remembering your preferences on repeat visits variety Media LLC! In 1920 and died alone in Los Angeles in 1995, https //www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/movies/love-after-love-review.html! Head over heels for a captivating story involving a transgressive love triangle is even! Famine, Chan says us analyze and understand how you use this.... Translated by Qiaomei Tang became the concubine of a wealthy man, Now deceased & quot ; by Eileen for... Functional '' of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc cookies! To the wind falls head over heels for a sumptuous romantic melodrama set in 1930s Hong Kong to store user... This eileen chang love after love because its a brutal story about famine, Chan says heels for a playboy story a... Found herself the subject of gossip by her peers premiere at the 77th Venice International Festival.