Chinese: 青蛇
Year: 1993
Director: Tsui Hark
Producer: Tsui Hark
Writer: Tsui Hark, Lillian Lee
Action: Yuen Bun
the events in a story, play, etc. （故事、戏剧等中的）情节
The action takes place in France.
这个故事发生在法国。
Cast: Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk, Joey Wong Cho-Yin, Zhao Wen-Zhou (Chiu Man-Cheuk), Wu Xing-Guo, Lau Kong
all the people who act in a play or film/movie （一出戏剧或一部电影的）全体演员
The whole cast performs/perform brilliantly.
全体演员都表现出色。
members of the cast
剧组成员
an all-star cast (= including many well-known actors)
明星云集的演员阵容
the supporting cast (= not the main actors, but the others)
配角演员
a cast list
演员表
The Skinny: A movie that’s probably as reviled as it is beloved. Tsui Hark’s over-the-top romantic fantasy/political allegory is a potentially alienating experience, but it’s also an intensely interesting and even beautiful ride1.
Review
by Kozo:
Tsui Hark puts himself into “great director” mode to retell the ancient Chinese story of the Green Snake (Maggie Cheung) and sister White Snake (Joey Wong). The two snakes are immortal creatures who manage to attain human form after hundreds of years of practicing their sorcery. However, this disrupts the natural order, meaning many Buddhist boosters are soon after the two sisters.
a person who gives their support to sb/sth, especially in politics （尤指政治上的）支持者，拥护者
a meeting of Republican boosters
共和党支持者的会议
Meanwhile, the two snakes contend themselves with human lives.
content yourself with something
/kənˈtent/
to do something or have something although it is not exactly what you want:
I wanted to take two weeks’ vacation, but had to content myself with one because the office was so busy.
The elder, more mature White Snake marries a scholar (Wu Xing-Guo), but the younger Green Snake finds herself puzzled by this notion of being human. While attractive to her, she still relishes her snake form, and chooses to use it occasionally.
Things get complicated when all the monks start showing up to take down our snake heroines.
take someone down
to defeat or kill someone, or to stop someone from causing harm:
Chief among these is Fa-Hoi (Zhao Wen-Zhou), a die-hard monk who finds himself torn between earthly desires and the spiritual pull of his religion.
the ~ (of sth)the fact of sth attracting you or having a strong effect on you 吸引力；诱惑；影响
The magnetic pull of the city was hard to resist.
都市的强大魅力难以抗拒。
He initially lets the snakes have their way since they aren’t really harming anyone. However, circumstances won’t allow the snakes to get on with their lives. Fate, love, sex, hate, religion and desire all play a role in eventually bringing down the world that the two snakes attempt to build. And, in trying to end their unnatural existences, Fa-Hoi reveals the hypocrisy at the heart of his strict Buddhist life2.
Tsui Hark’s direction is a lurid mishmash of comedy, slow-motion eroticism, and obvious political allegory (meaning it’s typical Tsui).
the instructions given by sb directing a film/movie （电影导演的）指点，指示
There is some clever direction and the film is very well shot.
由于导演指导有方，影片拍得非常成功。
The variety of themes let loose in this overdone art-house fantasy flick3 could fill a small book. The snakes are portrayed as beings who simply want to live their chosen lives in the human world, but are denied and persecuted by strict societal mores4 and overzealous individuals enforcing the “natural order.” The main enforcer of these rules is Fa-Hoi, who’s also revealed as given towards desire, anger and even hypocrisy.
to regard or accept (something) as true or real认为…是真实的
I think we can take their support as given. = I think we can take (it) as given that they will support us. [=I think we can assume that they will support us]
我觉得我们可以假定他们会支持我们。
Since what the snakes want is love, family and hope, Fa-Hoi and his Buddhist Gestapo are denying the very humanity they are supposedly trying to uphold.
Made in 1993, this movie allowed Tsui Hark plenty of time to ruminate on what would happen post-1997.
later than or after something 后，以后:
the postwar years (=the years after a particular war)
战后的年月
the post-1979 Conservative government
1979 年以后的保守党政府
The political allegory is obvious when you look closely (Fa-Hoi’s large red surplice can mean only one thing: China). In that respect, the film has debatable merit. Also in question is the film’s success at being a simple cheesy fantasy.
a particular aspect or detail of sth （事物的）方面，细节
In this respect we are very fortunate.
在这方面，我们是很幸运的。
There was one respect, however, in which they differed.
然而，他们在一点上有分歧。
The large rubber snakes and poor special effects don’t help matters, as they relegate the film to a low-budget fantasy spectacle. That, added to Tsui’s usual over-the-top direction and the bizarre histrionics, could induce snickering in more than a few audience members.
audience member
These words are often used together.
He hasn’t even mentioned an audience member that he’s observed, let alone questioned.
Still, there are more moments of sheer beauty in this overdone art-house wuxia than in any other Hong Kong film in recent memory. Tsui Hark isn’t a great director because he makes cohesive films - he’s a great director because his films manage to elicit the full gamut of emotions in ninety minutes or less. His pet political themes could easily be ignored, and the plight of the snakes would still register as one of simple humanity.
pet
that you are very interested in
his pet subject/theory/project, etc.
Bringing weight to the proceedings5 are Joey Wong and Maggie Cheung, who turn in fine, lovely performances.
turn in
to perform or produce (something)表演；产生
She turned in [=gave] a fine performance.
她完成了一次精彩的演出。
The company has turned in a healthy profit for the third year running.
公司已经连续三年获得了可观的收益。
weight
importance, influence or strength 重要性；影响力；实力
The many letters of support added weight to the campaign.
许多声援信增加了这场运动的影响力。
The President has now offered to lend his weight to the project.
总统现已主动表示支持这个项目。
Your opinion carries weight with the boss.
你的意见对老板有影响。
How can you ignore the sheer weight of medical opinion?
你怎么能忽视医生意见的绝对重要性呢？
The weight of evidence against her is overwhelming.
对她不利的证据确凿，无法抵赖。
The art direction, astounding musical score, and beautiful costume designs all add to the spectacle. Green Snake may not be a great film, but it’s most definitely great cinema. (Kozo 1995/1999)
Availability: DVD (Hong Kong)
Region 0 NTSC
Mei Ah Entertainment
16x9 Anamorphic Widescreen
Cantonese and Mandarin Language Tracks
Dolby Digital 5.1 / DTS 5.1
Removable English and Chinese Subtitles
Find this at YesAsia.com
image courtesy of Tai-Seng Video Marketing, Ltd.