oscar@utcsrgv.UUCP (Oscar M. Nierstrasz) (05/13/84)
If I Were for Real (T'ung, Wang; Taiwan; 1982; 98m) I mentioned this movie briefly last fall after seeing it at the annual Toronto film festival, but I didn't expect it to obtain general release. Well, it's showing in Toronto now, and I expect it will turn up elsewhere, so ... (I'm rusty on the details, but here's a summary of the film:) This film has been banned in China and in Hong Kong, and it's easy to see why. The film is a retelling of Gogol's satiric play "The Inspector General", set in current-day (Red) China rather than 19th century Russia: A young man working on a farm out in the countryside wants leave to visit his sweetheart in the big city. He finds the only way he can do this is by a little bribery. When he gets there, his girlfriend's father shuns him because he is a poor peasant without any hope for the future. Without connections he won't even be able to live in the same place as his beloved. Our hero is desperate. He masquerades as an important official's son in order to get `in' with the right people just long enough to get what he needs. Unfortunately the masquerade gets more and more involved and our hero gets deeper and deeper into the quagmire ... The picture painted of China is one of a country entrenched in bureaucracy and corruption. Not so bad in itself, perhaps, but the film goes out of its way to show how this affects the lives of the powerless and unconnected. This is a satire very much in the tradition of the play it borrows from -- there is much humour here, but the subject matter is quite serious. Although I have nothing concrete on which to base this feeling, I got the impression also that the way of life in China that is presented is quite authentic. The film also plays some interesting games with the audience; there is a performance of "The Inspector General" within the movie, just in case anybody missed the connection, and there is a fabulous Hollywood-style "happy ending" fantasy sequence. As you can probably guess, however, the happy ending is only in the fantasy (the film ads give it away). However intelligent and witty "If I Were for Real" is, one should still acknowledge that this is counter-propaganda. The Taiwanese are scarcely likely to make a film presenting China in a favourable light. And you can bet that *any* film the Taiwanese make about China will be banned in there and in Hong Kong. All the same, this is an entertaining film and a fascinating one for anyone interested in that part of the globe even if the presentation is anything *but* impartial. Highly recommended. Oscar Nierstrasz @ utcsrgv!oscar