Wayne Wang at the Aero Theatre
August 7th, 2008 by Andre Soares
Two Wayne Wang double features will be screened on Wednesday/Thursday, August 16–17, at the American Cinematheque’s Aero Theatre in Santa Monica.
The four features consist of two sneak previews and two "revised versions" of older Wang efforts. The sneak previews are A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, winner of the best film award at the 2007 San Sebastian Film Festival, and its companion piece, Princess of Nebraska. The revised versions are a "new cut" of Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985), and the director’s cut of The Chinese Box (1997).
Wayne, whose credits also include Chan Is Missing, The Joy Luck Club, Smoke, and Maid in Manhattan, has directed both classy (the aforementioned The Joy Luck Club) and hard-to-watch (Smoke, Because of Winn-Dixie) fare. The release cut of The Chinese Box was a meandering mess, but it’s hard to know who was at fault for that one.
As for A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, which was screened at last year’s AFI Film Festival, it is neither Wang at his best nor at his worst. This story about the difficult relationship between a Chinese father (played by American actor Henry O) and his Americanized daughter (Faye Wu) is at its strongest during its quieter, slice-of-life moments, and at its weakest when it slips toward melodrama. Henry O, however, is fully believable all the way. If there’s any justice, he should be up for critics’ and Academy awards later this year.
The Wayne Wang films are being presented in collaboration with the Asia Society of Southern California.
Schedule and synopses from the American Cinematheque’s press release.
Wednesday, August 6 - 7:30 PM
Sneak Preview! A THOUSAND YEARS OF GOOD PRAYERS, 2007, Magnolia Films, 83 min. Once again, director Wayne Wang beautifully explores the struggle between freedom and traditional family duty with the story of a father and daughter who’ve become strangers as a consequence of the censorship of Maoist China. Mr. Shi (a superb performance by Henry O), a retired widower from Beijing, comes to the United States to help his only daughter, Yilan (Faye Yu), through a divorce, but he soon learns that his goals are in direct conflict with her desire to move on. Winner of four awards at the San Sebastian Film Festival.
New Cut! DIM SUM: A LITTLE BIT OF HEART, 1985, 88 min. In this heartfelt gem, a young woman in Chinatown struggles between her desire to marry and her need to take care of her aging mother. One of Wayne Wang’s earliest and best examinations of the tension between individual desire and familial responsibility. Discussion in between films with director Wayne Wang.
Thursday, August 7 - 7:30 PM
Sneak Preview! PRINCESS OF NEBRASKA, 2007, Magnolia Films, 77 min. Director Wayne Wang, in his exploration of the young generation of the new China, conceived this film as a companion piece to A Thousand Years of Good Prayers. It follows 24 hours in the life of Sasha, a young Chinese woman who is four months pregnant and travels to San Francisco to have an abortion and confront her lover’s male friend.
Director’s Cut! CHINESE BOX, 1997, Lionsgate, 99 min. Dir. Wayne Wang. In the six months before the 1997 British handover of Hong Kong, cynical writer Jeremy Irons falls desperately in love with Gong Li while simultaneously obsessing over a mysterious, scarred Maggie Cheung. The sophisticated screenplay by ace screenwriters Larry Gross and Jean-Claude Carriere allows Wang to craft yet another of his masterpieces of cultural collision. Discussion in between films with director Wayne Wang.
American Cinematheque at the Max Palevsky Aero Theatre
1328 Montana Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(at 14th Street)
Ticket Prices:
General Admission: $10
Student/Senior (with ID): $8
American Cinematheque Member: $7
Advance Tickets:
www.fandango.com
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