For those who would rather not spend seven dollars on Absolute
Power, the all-new overrated Eastwood extravaganza, please allow me to
make a video recommendation: Life on a String. Adapted from a short
story by Chinese novelist Shi Tiesheng, this dramatic tale of wandering
musicians turned saviors takes an artistic and critical look at how human beings
quarrel amongst (and within) themselves. Internationally acclaimed director Chen
Kaige (Farewell my Concubine) combines symbolic cinematography with
philosophical narrative-songs in presenting tragic ironies of human conflict.
The film's opening scene exhibits a young blind male sitting near his master.
Under his dying breath, the boy's master reveals to him that after the 1000th
string of his banjo has broken, the prescription to restore his vision will be
revealed. 60 years pass and the old master is still counting the strings as he
wanders from village to village playing and singing songs with his young teenage
apprentice, Shidou, who is also blind. Shidou is becoming more and more curious
about his blindness. Why is empty space white? he asks. The old
master is hesitant to give a straight answer, and wonders himself whether or not
the world is actually worth seeing.
After entering a rural village the musicians are welcomed by a group of young
girls. The blind men have arrived! they yell, as they drag
Shidou and his master down a hill and begin playfully bathing
the old master in sand. As the old master begins to charm the girls with a song,
one girl notices Shidou sitting away from the group on a sandy slope. The girl,
Lanxiu, runs over and begins pouring sand on Shidou's head. The fun is
interrupted by two far away men trading insults about their respective families.
Lanxiu yells at them to stop quarreling and the men turn and notice the girls
with Shidou and his master. The Saint has arrived! one of them
yells.
After being carried into the village high on a chair, the Saint
(Shidou's
master) and Shidou settle in for the evening. Before retiring to their beds, the
Saint and Shidou perform for the village. It is not so much a performance, but a
method of helping the villagers to realize that separate families quarreling
with one another is a human endeavor that must be curbed. The Saint’s words ring
loud and true with the onlookers who have surrounded the two wanderers, torches
in hand.
The week goes by peacefully as the Saint plays his Chinese banjo from morning
until night, hoping to finally break the 1000th string (at this point he only
has two more to go). The presence of the Saint has helped ease the villager's
tensions. Meanwhile, Shidou is being teased by other pre- teenagers in the
village because of his blindness. Lanxiu, however, has developed a crush on
Shidou and the other children are aware of her fondness for him. The children
play a game where Shidou is led to find Lanxiu with his hearing
alone. Although Shidou touches Lanxiu's face, Lanxiu shyly pulls away. The next
morning, Lanxiu leads Shidou out of his bed and they spend the day together,
eventually becoming romantically involved. Shidou begins asking his master about
girls and receives a strong warning: We don't need women, the
Saint advises. We have our banjos. Shidou quickly points out
that a banjo is not a woman and continues to see Lanxiu
regularly.
Problems arise however when the Saint discovers Shidou and Lanxiu curled up
on a haystack together. Although there is no indication in the film that the
couple had gone any further then kissing, the Saint felt otherwise. What
did you do with that girl? he demands. Shidou replies, you're
jealous, thus provoking a slap to his face. Shidou holds this against
his master until the 1000th string is broken and the Saint journeys to the
nearest urban area to get the proscription filled for his sight to be restored.
Upon leaving, the Saint apologizes to Shidou and says that he will bring a kite
back for the young lovers.
While Shidou's master is away, Lanxiu's uncle (the head of the family)
discovers the two together and along with a group of torch-bearing villagers,
throws Shidou out of his berth and begin beating him while a gagged and
horrified Lanxiu looks on. Lanxiu's uncle will not allow any blind man access to
his niece, nor to any women in his village for that matter. The incident
separates the two lovers for good, and Lanxiu cannot bare to continue her life
knowing that she will never be allowed to marry Shidou. She commits suicide in a
heart-breaking scene that is better seen then described.
More then just a love story, Life on a String attempts to show
how music can be a powerful influence on human perception. The scene in which
the villagers surround Shidou and the Saint is a perfect example. The tension
begins to build between the two warring clans, but the villagers are mesmerized
by the Saint and his banjo. The lyrics ring true and the Saint is eventually
carried high above the crowd in triumphant fashion. The villagers are not
triumphant in the sense that they have won a war; rather they have triumphed in
finding peace within themselves. When the families begin battling on the open
plains, Lanxiu convinces the ailing Saint (much to the chagrin of a worried
Shidou) to ease tensions once again. The same result occurs, with the Saint
being carted off by the singing families.
Another notable aspect of the film is Chen Kaige's use of symbolic backdrops.
A depot where food is prepared for travelers is situated on a cliff with raging
rapids behind it. While Shidou and the Saint sit quietly, the servant woman
brings them food and tea for payment of their entertainment. Fate brings the
Saint back to the depot during his return journey to the village where Shidou
(after suffering the loss of Lanxiu) awaits. In both of these scenes the raging
waters are a powerful presence (even when camera angles change, the sound of the
water remains). In Chinese philosophy (Taoism in particular), water symbolizes
the natural flow of our surroundings. It dictates that in order to conform to
the natural flow of things you must be like water: soft and ever-changing. The
river in these scenes rushes swiftly and violently, and is used effectively to
symbolize the swift alteration of the protagonists?roles. The character of the
Saint evolves from musical savior to almost gandhi-esque martyr. After being the
inquisitive learner, Shidou's character develops into the role of musical savior
(the Saint's role).
Although not supporting the more well known cast of the superb Farewell
my Concubine (Leslie Cheung and Gong Li), Life on a String
stands out as one of Chen Kaige's finer works. Liu Zhongyuan's portrayal of the
Saint is compelling and yet remarkably restrained. Huang Lei also performs
adequately in the role of young Shidou. Along with these performances comes
excellent cinematography (obviously one of Kaige's strong suites) and a fine
grasp of symbolic visuals and sound. Life on a String should not
remain unnoticed at your local video rental outlet.¡¡
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