I Watch So You Don't Have To
[Ver. 11.0.0 - 13th May 2024]
Detailed Change Log
After falling in love with Mainland Chinese actress Sun Li's acting, I spent a
lot of time hunting for her past work only to find that there isn't a lot of
information about them in English. I know that she's a Mainland Chinese
actress whose work is mostly for the Mainland Chinese market and, I also know
that a lot of her past work was never meant to travel outside of their
domestic market, hence the paucity of information in English. So, since
I am keen to watch as much of her work as possible and I enjoy writing, I
thought that I would write as comprehensive a guide as I possibly can mostly
for my own pleasure and also to share with other fans of either Sun Li or
Chinese dramas whose main language of communication isn't Chinese.
This is a work in progress partly because she's still an active actress and partly also because I only just became a fan (since October 2018). I have a HUGE backlog to get through and the Mainland Chinese series are long!! Also, Mainland series tend to be slower-paced, especially older series, which make them a little harder to get through for someone who's more used to Western and Hong Kong fare.
I intend to provide short comments/capsule reviews, recommendations and links to any fuller reviews that I have written on this page. I hope to write either full reviews or capsule reviews of everything she has done but honestly, I don't know if I have the time to do it all, so I will just do what I can while I can. I may also include interesting pieces of information if I have time to write them up but we'll see.
I will also use a 5 star ranking system to rank the drama and films.
Just know that this ranking system will tend to prioritize recommendations
for Sun Li fans and not always what I think of the work as a whole.
[I have decided not to do any more 5 star ranks because I found out that I
don't really like rating series this way. This is also the reason why I
don't have any star rankings on my
Tong Yao page.]
Since this is an ongoing work in progress, this page will be edited and changed over time so some of what I write may change over time. I will keep a log of version numbers and the date I made changes.
Anyway, enjoy, I hope you find this guide useful. :)
UPDATE: Unfortunately, I suffered a external HDD failure and lost all the Sun Li dramas and films that I managed to gather. :( Which means this guide will probably never be completed. :( I'll try and update it though but I need to finish stuff on my Tong Yao Page first. Sun Li doesn't need one more fan but Tong Yao is a lot more unknown, so I feel kind of like I need to work on her page more. 😅
2001 - 情深深雨濛濛 - Romance in the Rain
2002 - 大染坊
This is a work in progress partly because she's still an active actress and partly also because I only just became a fan (since October 2018). I have a HUGE backlog to get through and the Mainland Chinese series are long!! Also, Mainland series tend to be slower-paced, especially older series, which make them a little harder to get through for someone who's more used to Western and Hong Kong fare.
I intend to provide short comments/capsule reviews, recommendations and links to any fuller reviews that I have written on this page. I hope to write either full reviews or capsule reviews of everything she has done but honestly, I don't know if I have the time to do it all, so I will just do what I can while I can. I may also include interesting pieces of information if I have time to write them up but we'll see.
Since this is an ongoing work in progress, this page will be edited and changed over time so some of what I write may change over time. I will keep a log of version numbers and the date I made changes.
Anyway, enjoy, I hope you find this guide useful. :)
UPDATE: Unfortunately, I suffered a external HDD failure and lost all the Sun Li dramas and films that I managed to gather. :( Which means this guide will probably never be completed. :( I'll try and update it though but I need to finish stuff on my Tong Yao Page first. Sun Li doesn't need one more fan but Tong Yao is a lot more unknown, so I feel kind of like I need to work on her page more. 😅
FILMOGRAPHY (jump links)
TV DRAMAS
2001 - 情深深雨濛濛 - Romance in the Rain
2002 - 大染坊
2003 -
玉观音 - Goddess of Mercy
2003 - 一双绣花鞋
2003 - 一双绣花鞋
2004 -
一米阳光 - One Metre Sunshine
2004 - 红粉世家
2004 - 血色浪漫
2005 - 风雨西关 - Turbulence at West Gate
2005 - 亮剑
2005 - 幸福像花儿一样 - Happiness as Flowers
2006 - 天和局
2006 - 屋頂上的綠寶石 - Emerald on the Roof
2006 - 新上海灘 - [The New] Shanghai Bund
2007 - 一世情缘 - The Best Time
2007 - 甜蜜蜜
2008 - 震撼世界的七日 - Seven Days that Shocked the World
2009 - 小姨多鹤 - Auntie Duohe
2004 - 血色浪漫
2005 - 风雨西关 - Turbulence at West Gate
2005 - 亮剑
2005 - 幸福像花儿一样 - Happiness as Flowers
2006 - 天和局
2006 - 屋頂上的綠寶石 - Emerald on the Roof
2006 - 新上海灘 - [The New] Shanghai Bund
2007 - 一世情缘 - The Best Time
2007 - 甜蜜蜜
2008 - 震撼世界的七日 - Seven Days that Shocked the World
2009 - 小姨多鹤 - Auntie Duohe
2012 -
屌丝男士第一季
2013 -
辣妈正传 - Hot Mom!
2015 -
芈月传 - The Legend of MiYue
2017 - 那年花開月正圓 - Nothing Gold Can Stay
2017 - 那年花開月正圓 - Nothing Gold Can Stay
2021 -
在一起 - With You
2021 -
理想之城 - The Ideal City
2021 -
功勋 - Medal of the Republic
FILMS
2006 - 霍元甲 - Fearless
2007 - 金山 - Iron Road
2008 - 画皮 - Painted Skin
2009 - 机器侠 - Kungfu Cyborg
2010 - 越光宝盒 - Just Another Pandora's Box
2011 - 關雲長 - The Lost Bladesman
2011 - 画壁 - Mural
2014 - 大话天仙 - Just Another Margin
2014 - 分手大师 - The Breakup Guru -- [cameo]
2015 - 恶棍天使 - Devil and Angel
2018 - 影 - Shadow
2001 - 情深深雨濛濛 - Romance in the Rain -- [extra] ⭐
2006 - 霍元甲 - Fearless
2007 - 金山 - Iron Road
2008 - 画皮 - Painted Skin
2009 - 机器侠 - Kungfu Cyborg
2010 - 越光宝盒 - Just Another Pandora's Box
2011 - 關雲長 - The Lost Bladesman
2011 - 画壁 - Mural
2014 - 大话天仙 - Just Another Margin
2014 - 分手大师 - The Breakup Guru -- [cameo]
2015 - 恶棍天使 - Devil and Angel
2018 - 影 - Shadow
TV DRAMAS
2001 - 情深深雨濛濛 - Romance in the Rain -- [extra] ⭐
Don't bother watching this series for Sun Li. She has no lines and only appears as a dancer in the background.
Look at this screen capture, she's right of Vicki Zhao, in the background.
So, unless you're a Vikki Zhao or Leo Ku fan or a fan of Qiong Yao dramas etc,
then you might be interested. If you're only in this for Sun Li, like I
was, then don't bother.
I haven't watched this yet but it seems like her screen time in this 24
episode series is limited. This is a male-dominated series. I
fast-forwarded it and it seems like she makes her first appearance in episode
7. When I do have time to watch this, I will write more about it.
2003 - 玉观音 - Goddess of Mercy FULL REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I do recommend this for all Sun Li fans even though the series has a few flaws. Please read the full review for details. She's very impressive in here. This is considered her debut series even though 大染坊 aired first. Both 大染坊 and Goddess of Mercy were shot in 2002 but I believe that she worked on 大染坊 after Goddess of Mercy even though 大染坊 aired first, hence why Goddess of Mercy is considered her debut.
2003 - 一双绣花鞋
I had trouble watching the first episode because the version I watched didn't have subtitles and the audio quality plus the Mandarin accent made it hard for me to understand. I have since found a version with Chinese subtitles which I found easier to watch so I watched episode one again. There is some Chinese history that I will need to do some reading up. While I did study history up till Junior College, it's mostly South-East Asian history. We did study Chinese modern history but it mostly only related to China's relations with the world.
At this point in time, as far as I can tell, Sun Li has a significant amount of screen time but as I haven't watched much of this drama, I cannot give any recommendations yet. I will edit this section once I have finished watching this drama.
2004 - 一米阳光 - One Metre Sunshine FULL REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐
Sadly, I cannot wholeheartedly recommend this drama. While Sun Li has a significant amount of screen time and she's pretty good in the series given her level of experience then, the series itself is quite flawed. So unless you are a dedicated Sun Li fan and you're willing to invest time in this 29 episode series, then by all means give this a shot. If you're just a casual fan, then you've been warned.
2004 - 红粉世家
2004 - 血色浪漫
2005 - 风雨西关 - Turbulence at West Gate
2005 - 亮剑
2004 - 血色浪漫
2005 - 风雨西关 - Turbulence at West Gate
2005 - 亮剑
2005 - 幸福像花儿一样 - Happiness as Flowers FULL REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I actually enjoyed this drama more than I thought I would. This isn't your typical idol drama nor do I really consider this to be a romance. It's more like a drama about the lives of a group of young people who grew up in a relatively enclosed community at the cusp of far-reaching changes. This well-paced drama boasts a more than competent cast. Sun Li fans should be interested in this part because this is the first time she collaborated with Deng Chao who would eventually become her husband in real life. She also puts in a delightful performance and has a lot of screen time. The story pretty much revolves around her character which should please our fans. So if you['re a Sun Li fan then I do recommend at least giving this a try but do read the full review first because I do have a few disclaimers.
2006 - 天和局
2006 - 屋頂上的綠寶石 - Emerald on the Roof
2006 - 新上海灘 - [The New] Shanghai Bund
2007 - 一世情缘 - The Best Time
2007 - 甜蜜蜜
2008 - 震撼世界的七日 - Seven Days that Shocked the World
2006 - 屋頂上的綠寶石 - Emerald on the Roof
2006 - 新上海灘 - [The New] Shanghai Bund
2007 - 一世情缘 - The Best Time
2007 - 甜蜜蜜
2008 - 震撼世界的七日 - Seven Days that Shocked the World
2009 - 小姨多鹤 - Auntie Duohe ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I completely and totally recommend this series to all Sun Li fans and even casual viewers of Mainland Chinese dramas. Sun Li is incredibly good in this series and the other main cast members, which include Jiang Wu and Yan Xuejing, are equally good. This is based on a Yan Geling novel of the same name and there are many differences between the novel and this adaptation. That said, I don't think it's a bad adaptation at all. I do suggest that if you've not yet read the novel, then don't read it till after you've watched this drama. That's just to remove any possible bias.
I really enjoyed this drama and would like to write a full review in the future. Hopefully, I will have time to do it because this is one of the dramas that really deepen my regard for her.
It seems like it used to be available for viewing on Netflix USA with English subtitles but unfortunately, it seems to have been removed. I also signed up for a free month on Netflix Singapore just to see if this series is still available for streaming but it seems like it no longer is. However, Empresses in the Palace, the US cut-down version is available.
2011 - 后宮甄嬛傳 - Empresses in the Palace ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Now, this is a series that I think no Sun Li fan doesn't know of. It's the series that made Sun Li extremely popular in the Mainland and also made her known among international fans who watch Chinese dramas.
If you're new to Sun Li, then I strongly recommend this series. This is truly one of the best 后宫 (harem) series that I have ever watched and I'm not even a fan of the genre. The performances are of a high standard all around, the pacing and the script are also very good. It has excellent character and plot development, and high production values. This is a series that's not to be missed and well worth the time invested in watching 76 x 40 min episodes.
By the way, LeTV has uploaded all 76 episodes of this excellent series on YouTube.
Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, not all the episodes are subtitled in English. I think part of the reason why LeTV has made this and Legend of MiYue available on YouTube is to welcome fansubbers to try their hand at subbing these series. I did a quick check through and it seems not all of it is done yet. Maybe sometime in the future, it might. Fingers crossed.
There is a version of the series on Netflix and some other streaming sites that have full English subtitles. But that version is severely edited down. It's 6 x 90 mins only. I've yet to watch this version but I do intend to in the future because I am curious about the differences. I read online though that they dropped some characters and some subplots. I actually think that the 76 episode series is already pretty tight so I have a feeling I might not like the US edit but I'll make my judgement when I have time to watch it.
2012 - 屌丝男士第一季 -- [as herself] ⭐
Sun Li only appears for a short portion of this TV series. Each episode of this series seems to consist of several comic skits thrown together. I think each episode invites a celebrity to participate in a short segment and in this episode, the invited guest is Sun Li. I actually didn't watch much of it, I was only interested in Sun Li's portion, hence, I won't comment on the series itself.
2013 - 辣妈正传 - Hot Mom! ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
This is actually a relatively light-hearted series if you compare it to the last few dramas that Sun Li was in and the next two as well. It's a good series to watch in-between some of the heavier ones. This is also the only modern-day drama that she's done since 2008.
I enjoyed this series and aside from Sun Li, I also liked the rest of the cast which boast the talents of Zhang Yi, Paul Chun Pui, Xi Mei Juan, Ming Dao Vivian Wu etc.
Although this series starts off quite cheerily, it will eventually touch on some more serious issues about motherhood and the difficulties of being a working mom etc in Shanghai. That gives this series a depth other similar series do not have.
I recommend this series unreservedly to Sun Li fans and I also think casual viewers of Chinese dramas may also enjoy it. Someday, I hope to write a full review on this series too. Till then, I leave you with this.
2015 - 芈月传 - The Legend of MiYue ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
This is a hard series for me to recommend without any reservations. I will say this though, Sun Li's performance in this series is excellent. She's youthful and petulant when Mi Yue was a teen, yet imposing and imperious when she became the Empress Dowager. She handled all the transitions that Mi Yue goes through with great skill and has a lot of memorable scenes in this drama. I enjoyed watching her a lot!
There are, however, a few problems with this series. After an interesting first few episodes, the series' pace drops off quite a bit as it takes its time laying the background of the characters, their relationships and the politics of the time. I feel, that the series took a little too much time with the exposition. By the time it's done with it and we get to the more interesting portions when Mi Yue leaves for the country of Qin and beyond, some viewers may already have dropped the series. Also, because this series is more heavily historical than Empresses in the Palace and also has the misfortune of coming after said highly popular drama, it can't escape unfair comparisons.
So if you're willing to be patient and to overlook some of the shortcomings of this series, you will be treated to some very fine acting from Sun Li and some other members of the cast like Liu Tao, Alex Fong, Gao Yunxiang etc. If you're new to Sun Li, then I suggest that you either watch Empresses in the Palace or Nothing Gold Can Stay before you consider this series. Those are easier series to get into. And if you've already watched these dramas and are looking for something else Sun Li to watch, then please do not go into this one expecting another Empresses in the Palace. It's not and it obviously doesn't want to be. With that in mind, you might find it easier to get into the series.
2017 - 那年花開月正圓 - Nothing Gold Can Stay ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I have a particular soft spot for this series because it's this series that made me a Sun Li fan. To be specific, it was episode 63 that got me to watch the whole series and it's this series that made me check out other Sun Li series, including Empresses in the Palace. So yes, unlike most of my friends who know of Sun Li from Empresses in the Palace, I know of her mainly because of Nothing Gold Can Stay.
But even if I didn't have a soft spot for this series, I still wholeheartedly recommend this to all Sun Li fans and even all casual Chinese drama viewers. Sun Li is amazing in this series and the range of emotions she has to go through and the transformation she goes through here is even wider than in Empresses in the Palace and The Legend of MiYue, in my opinion.
This is the third series in which she's collaborated with Peter Ho and their chemistry in this series is extremely good. I think till the very end, I still loved this pairing the most in the series. The series has very likeable characters, a strong cast, high production values, good character development, good plot development, good pacing and a heroine which you shouldn't find too much problem rooting for.
I did have issues with some of the ways they did things but I really rather write up a full review and discuss them in full. Still, these issues do not diminish my regard for this series. It's still a thoroughly enjoyable drama and Zhou Ying is one of my favourite Sun Li characters.
2020 - 安家 - I Will Find You a Better Home ⭐1/2
This series was quite popular in China, I think. I, however, didn't
really enjoy it. I think I got to about ep29 only because I like Sun
Li. If it had been someone else, I think I would have ditched this
series within the first 10 episodes. It started out quite
interesting. The main conflict between Sun Li's character Fang
Sijin and Luo Jin's character Xu Wenchang was initially
interesting. But they became friendly all too quickly and she forgot
about the main reason why she was sent to the branch office. In the
end, it was all "kumbaya", literally too, till I got bored. The entire
office was either singing happy songs together or all being cheerleaders for
each other and there was virtually no conflict. It was like Chicken
Soup for the Soul for a while. I was actually quite interested in the
storyline between Fang Sijin and her mother but that took so long to develop
that I lost interest too. Anyway, I tried to watch this last year and
gave up then. I'm writing this capsule review a year later so I don't
remember all the details. Suffice to say, I don't really recommend it.
For those who wish to try this series, Tencent Video's Youtube channel has
the full series with English subs online. I'm not sure if there are
restrictions but currently, viewers in Singapore should be able to view it.
2021 - 在一起 - With You
This drama series is a collection of stories centred around the Covid-19
pandemic in China. There are 20 episodes in total with each story
taking place over two episodes. Each story has a different cast and if
I'm not wrong, a different director too. Maybe even a different crew
but I'm not entirely sure about that. Sun Li appears in episodes 17
and 18 but isn't the protagonist in the story; she's a guest star. The
protagonist of this story is played by Hai Qing whom I quite like as an
actress too. I've only watched episodes 1,2, 17 and 18 so I can't
really review the entire series or make a proper comparison with the other
stories.
This particular story is actually quite interesting even though it's not
exactly hard to anticipate where this story might go. The reason why
this story worked for me was because Hai Qing's character Mei Aihua is quite
an interesting one and the pacing is quite good too. Mei Aihua is a
visionary person but is also a risk-taker that can sometimes take things to
the edge of a precipice. She's also quite the leader and her energy
and conviction can convince people around her to go along with her
plan. Sun Li plays Director Fang. who's the director for the
Administrative Committee of Development Zone. Mei Aihua will visit her
a few times to try and get approvals and funding for her factory.
I'll say this is worth a watch even for Sun Li fans. You'll just need
to know that her screen time isn't a lot. I'm not sure if the whole
series is worth a watch but for sure episodes 17 and 18 are. Episode 1
and 2 isn't bad too but it's more straightforward telling of the beginning
of the pandemic in Wuhan. If viewers wish to have some insight into
the Chinese perspective of the pandemic in China, then I think it might be
worth watching all 20 episodes. There are many well-known names in the
series so if you're a regular c-drama viewer, there's sure to be a few stars
that you'll be able to recognise.
Just some trivial for those amongst us who also like Hai Qing. Feng
Shaofeng also has a role in this story and both of them will be starring
together in a series with one of my other favourites
Tong Yao.
SMG has an English subtitled version of the full series uploaded on
YouTube. It's currently available for viewing for people residing in
Singapore. I'm not sure if it's currently region-restricted but you
can check it out and try.
2021 - 理想之城 - The Ideal City
I have finished this series and it's really good. I highly recommend
it. The production values are high for this series. The sets,
lighting and camerawork are all nice. The lighting is particularly
interesting to me, it's not overly bright and not too contrasty but they
still have nice shadows and good detail. It's quite suitable for the
tone of this series. I really like the opening theme and the
BGM. Music is used quite well and enhances a lot of the scenes without
being intrusive.
The cast is good. Everyone is cast well and performing well. The
characters are also interesting and not one dimensional. This is true
even for the supporting characters. The situations and personalities
depicted in the series are quite relatable. I would say that I have
met several similar people or situations in the various workplaces I have
worked at. The pacing is good too. The series doesn't feel like
it's lagging at all.
[added this section after I finished the series, the above two
paragraphs, except for the first two lines, was part of the midway review
of the series]
Sun Li plays the lead character Su Xiao and although the story is centred
around her, supporting characters and antagonists are all well developed and
aren't one dimensional. This series is one of the few series from
China that doesn't neglect its support characters at all. What
makes The Ideal City different from almost every Mainland
Chinese series I've watched is that many of the smallest support characters
leave you with an impression. You'll even remember Su Xiao's
colleagues, like Dong Lin and Lu Zhengming who feel like distinct characters
and don't feel like they are there just to fill out an office full of people
(looking at you, I Will Find You a Better Home). These
characters even have personalities and don't feel like they are there to be
a representative of an idea/ideal/archetype. I even have a soft spot
for Zhao Xiankun's secretary Xiao Tang and her character is really one of
the smallest of the support characters with very limited screen time, yet
the series managed to give her a personality.
What is also interesting about this series is that the overall story itself
isn't really that hard to guess. What I mean is that you'll almost
always be able to guess whether the relationships will work out or what the
general direction the script will take, for example, I don't think it will
be hard to figure out if Su Xiao will succeed or not etc. What keeps
this story interesting isn't the overall story progression, it's the
characters, their growth and the journey itself. The characters are
really interesting and sometimes they will make decisions that will surprise
you but after that when you think more deeply or when the script reveals
more details, you can't help but think that that's really what that
character would have done. Or at least, you won't think that's so out
of character. This series was really brilliant at making so many
characters so believable, so relatable or so understandable. Many of
the events and personalities depicted in the series are people or events
that you probably either have encountered in person or that you feel can
possibly encounter in real life. They feel like real people.
I also really did like the ending of the series. I felt that it was
very fitting. I also really liked that it wasn't long winded which can
be the case for quite a few series from China & other parts of
Asia (looking at you, Minning Town, sorry but that was a horribly
boring last episode.).
What some viewers may need to note is that the beginning of the series can
get a little confusing because there are lots of companies involved, so
trying to figure out the relationship each company has with each other and
to the Yinghai Group may take a little while. However, please persist
because it will become clear after a while and once the series really takes
off; it will fly.
I may try and write a Full Review at some point. I really did like
this series. However, Full Reviews and Commentaries take A LOT of
effort for me to write and I often have to watch the material at least one
more time or maybe even several more times like I did for
The Rebel. I will also often do a bit of research and watch interviews and
behind-the-scenes videos etc so it's pretty time-consuming. Sadly,
because it takes so much time, I often have a backlog of stuff and I
end up abandoning some planned reviews because of that. I really feel
that I need to finish my Additional Comments 2 for The Rebel first
because I have already written several paragraphs and I have several ideas
in my mind. I'll try and finish that first as soon as possible and
then maybe try and write a fuller review of The Ideal City. If
I manage to do that, I will rewrite this paragraph and provide a link.
2021 - 功勋 - Medal of the Republic
This series has a big budget and boasts many famous actors in the cast
including actors like Zhou Xun and Huang Xiaoming. This year is the
100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China and this was likely made
to celebrate that anniversary. So, right off the bat, without watching
this, you'll know that it will probably be very pro-CPC and very
celebratory/patriotic/propagandistic in tone. The adjective you pick
will depend on your view of certain political issues.
I'm not likely to watch this anytime soon not because I've got anything
against films/dramas of this sort. As in, I don't get worked up about
the "propaganda" in films/dramas from any country. It's just that it
seems heavy and docu-dramas aren't my favourite genre. Also,
currently, I'm not sure how much I like how Chinese drama makers deal with
docu-dramas. I thought Like a Flowing River S1 wasn't bad
because the characters and their stories were as important as the times they
live in. So I tried Minning Town because it scored so
high on Douban but this was a snore-fest most of the time. I only
managed to finish Minning Town because the information about poverty
elevation was actually interesting but it also meant that the drama part of
the docu-drama failed pretty badly for me. The characters, except for
Ma Debao and maybe Bai Chongli to some extend, were all pretty boring.
Narrative structure and character development weren't very good too.
But I shouldn't be ranting about another series here, so I'll stop. 😅
If I one day do get around to watching this, since it's unlikely to be too
long, I'll come back and write a capsule review. It just won't be
soon.
FILMS
2006 - 霍元甲 - Fearless FULL REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐
Now that I've watched it again, I've decided to write a review of it. If you just want a quick recommendation here, then yes, I think if you're her fan, it's worth watching for her even though her character is underdeveloped.
2007 - 金山 - Iron Road
2008 - 画皮 - Painted Skin
2009 - 机器侠 - Kungfu Cyborg
2010 - 越光宝盒 - Just Another Pandora's Box
2011 - 關雲長 - The Lost Bladesman
2011 - 画壁 - Mural
2014 - 大话天仙 - Just Another Margin
2014 - 分手大师 - The Breakup Guru -- [cameo]
2015 - 恶棍天使 - Devil and Angel
2018 - 影 - Shadow ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I really enjoyed this film but I also know that not everyone would because it can be a bit artsy and talky. I thought it was beautiful and I loved the soundtrack. The action sequences were brilliant and nicely choreographed. The sets were also gorgeous and the colour grading was perfect.
I thought the performances of the cast were all pretty good. And Sun Li was stellar in a role that required her to be nuanced, subtle and restrained. It's not an easy role to play since she has to express a lot of her feelings in her eyes and body language because Xiao Ai (Sun Li) knows many things and fears many things and feels many things but cannot let anyone else know that. A less skilled actress would most likely have overplayed this role.
Aside from the action sequences, the most impressive ones for me were the ones depicting the controlled yet intense emotions boiling under the surface every time Xiao Ai and the Commander (Deng Chao) and/or his "shadow" Jing (Deng Chao) are in the same scene together. The zither scenes were amazing and Sun Li and Deng Chao have a lot of chemistry onscreen.
I would say that this is a film that Sun Li fans should watch even though she doesn't have as much screen time as fans would like and her role isn't as central as we would like it to be. But that said, it's a pivotal role and she plays it expertly and any fan shouldn't miss this. For those who aren't Sun Li fans, I will still recommend this film. If you're a film fan, there is no reason to avoid this film. Whether you'll like it or not is debatable but I think the film will at the very least get you thinking about and appreciating or hating some of its aesthetics. At any rate, it should get you talking.
I loved a lot of Zhang Yimou films and have been a fan since I first saw Red Sorghum on television years ago. I also wrote a paper on Raise the Red Lantern and did a presentation of Judou in film school. I have watched so many of his films numerous times and I intend to buy the Bluray of this film as well. After the film is released on BD and I have the opportunity to watch it more than once, I may write a fuller review of it then.
4 comments:
Thank you for your blog post and updates. You inspire me. I shall attempt to do so during my undergraduate term break in June and December. 🤗☺️💪🏼
Hi Ripley,
Thanks for your kind comments. I'm glad you enjoyed checking out the page. I look forward to checking out your blog in the future.😄
Ganbatte! jiayou! 💪
cheers
I just whacked through 22 episodes of 一双绣花鞋 over this weekend! I don’t think we need to understand the history other than that era of China was when there was the internal fight between 国民党 and 共产党 (the Communist Party) and basically, 国民党 (kuomintang) lost and fled to Taiwan where it remains there.
It’s a very exciting series. More like a detective story with a political flavour. I enjoyed it very much. Lucky I could understand their conversation without much problem. 🤗
OH!!!! You watched 一双绣花鞋. Cool!! I never got around to it. I always have too many things to do and watch. 😅 Oh good to know that I don't need a lot of historical background to watch it. I may have to read the subtitles cos the accent was a bit hard for me. 😅 But since you gave it such a good review, I'll push it up my Sun Li to-watch list. 😁 Thanks!!!
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