Together: New Chen Kaige Film Opens in Los Angeles
Screening at the Cecchi Gori Fine Arts Theater
Wednesday, June 04, 2003
1:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Cecchi Gori Fine Arts Theatre
8556 Wilshire Blvd.
Chen Kaige's newest film, Together, opens today, Friday, May 30, at the Cecchi Gori Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills.
Chen (who directed Farewell My Concubine, The Emperor and the Assassin, Temptress Moon, and Yellow Earth), co-wrote and co-stars in his latest film.
His his own words, Chen describes the movie as:
a story about the loves and conflicts between a young violinist and his father. A story about his friendship with his music teacher. A story about his first love and his doubts about materialism in society. He is silent but he is good at expressing his feelings and thoughts through his music and his music enlightens and warms those hearts trapped in the same deep hole. At the end of the film he has to make a choice, a choice between happiness and success.
In my film, I have picked part and parcel of various pieces of great music. My objective is to reveal the true feelings of the characters in the film. Apart from understanding these characters, audiences will be easily moved by the music. The selected music plays a vital part in pushing the film to another level. It brought me back to my youth, as if old friends were smiling at me in the dark of my memory.
At the age of fourteen, I was plunged into the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Forced into making the choice of betraying my father or being spurned in public, I had chosen the former. To my regret, I did not enjoy the happiness gained by the acceptance of revolution after hurting my father. When I was lost in saving my soul, I heard Bach's music.
All forms of western arts were forbidden in China at that period of time. This included western classical music. However, one of my schoolmates managed to save a couple of records in the midst of a major demolishment and Bach's works were part of the collection. Hiding ourselves in a dark room, we played the music secretly in the rain. Before long, we indulged in the music silently. In tears, we stared at each other. Apart from consoling our little souls, the music had relieved us from pain and given us hope. After a few months of secret gatherings, the records were finally discovered and destroyed. What was left behind eternally in my mind was the rhythm, which accompanied me throughout my growing up.
A long, and interesting, interview of Chen by Terry Gross was aired on the National Public Radio program "Fresh Air" on May 29. The full interview can be heard on the Fresh Air website.
The official website of the film is www.togethermovie.com
Tel: (310) 652-1330
