The film which I want to talk about is “Echoes of the Rainbow 歲月神偷”, which is directed by Alex Law with the stars Simon Yam 任達華 and Sandra Ng 吳君如. “Echoes of the Rainbow” is focusing on a family with four members. Yam acts father, Ng acts mother, Lee Chi Ting acts Desmond who is elder brother and Chung Siu To acts younger brother. They are living in Wing Lee Street with their shoes shop. Desmond is an excellent student in Diocesan Boys' School and fall in love with a girl called Flora. Younger brother is a naughty boy, his father always angry with the bad academic results of younger brother. Unfortunately, Desmond got blood cancer and died in the film. Then younger brother is enlighten because of brother’s death and became an excellent student in Diocesan Boys’ School also.
Actually the story of this film is very simple. A hard family oppressed by corruption, earn money hardly to rise up their son, elder son is great but having an unfortunate fate, and so the younger son is enlighten and become great too. For the story, there is nothing for audience to self-examine, but I believe 60s people can taste their life again through the film. The director has putted much effort in describing the time of 60s. Such as the trend of “fighting fish”, habit of breeding fish, hair cutting shop, school on the roof, shop opened by Shang Hai people, also the “famous” Wing Lee Street.
Why I quote “famous” to describe Wing Lee Street? May be we can talk about the sub-idea of “Echoes of the Rainbow” first. Wing Lee Street is a scene of this film, which is a street preserving many old style stuffs. And the director of this film also claimed to preserve this street in order to protect Hong Kong people’s collective memory.
I have heard the terms “collective memory” during the lecture, and I have found some definitions of “collective memory” from Wiki. “The collective memory is shared, passed on and also constructed by the group, or modern society.” Okay, I can see the words “shared”, “constructed by the group, or modern society”. I believe Star Ferry Pier is a collective memory, because it can be a symbol of Hong Kong, a pier which connects Hong Kong Island and Kowloon before MTR existed, but how about Wing Lee Street? I have found some information of Wing Lee Street, and discovered this street is a place for children who are living in there to play, also with some old buildings and items. And the main point is, how can this street be a collective memory? I can’t see any element of sharing, at least I don’t have. The reason why people support not to redevelop this street is mainly because of watched this film? I believe some traditional things are needed to be preserved, but I also believe something needs to be modified or reconstructed in order to catch up the development.
May be I am not living in Wing Lee Street or simply I'm rude, I still unable to see this street as a collective memory. which the terms “collective memory” has abused.
Back to the film, my comment to this film is detail description of old era but very simple story. Whole story is unable to match up with the title “Time, the thief”. Elder brother is killed by caner, but not time. Typhoon destroyed the home of characters, but it is an accident. The first image of thing which can be stolen by time is usually age. Director wants every character have lost something in the story, such as mother lost her elder son and husband, flora lost her lover, younger brother lost his brohter and father, Desmond lost his life. However, all the things which they lost are not caused by time, that’s why I say the story is not matching up with the film title, may be it has matched in 60s people's and the director's view.
Also, there is one funny point in this film. Is it so difficult to find another guy rather than the one acting Desmond to act the younger son in secondary school period? In the cinema, most audience laughed for the last funny scene which the younger brother in secondary school period comes out with exactly his brother’s face, only the hair style is changed, what a joke……
Kwan Yat Hin, Yoshi 10421538
This is the third review on “Echoes of the Rainbow”! It seems that the whole class had watched this film and “Love in a Puff”!!! Anyway, you have adopted a very critical perspective in examining the central theme (also its selling point) of the film, which is collective memory. I totally agree with one point you made, “some traditional things are needed to be preserved” while “something needs to be modified or reconstructed “. We need to strike a balance between preserving old memories and facilitating urban development.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, it is understandable that you don’t regard Wing Lee Street as a kind of “collective memory” to you (and so do I) , but you have to keep in mind that the term “collective” can refer to a particular group of people (and you are not necessarily one of them). It maybe of specific age, class, region…that’s why even you don’t have the sense of belonging to this group, collective memory can still exist among that particular group of people. In this case, many people growing up in the 60s belong to this community.
Lastly, I guess the title of the film reflects the director’s inner feelings and emotions. All these happened in his childhood, in the harsh but happy time he experienced, which constitutes an invaluable and unforgettable memory of him, shared by other members in the group…