Late showing

On the basis that I have been dragging myself out of my sick bed all week to teach people, last night I decided that I was damn well going to drag myself out to do something for me instead. So I went out to a late showing of The Wicker Man at the Queen's Film Theatre with captainlucy. The bargain was that if I was still awake at 11pm, and had a temperature of anything under 38, I would go. Well, I made sure I was awake (not too hard, with the prospect of a Wicker Man screening at stake), and the thermometer said 37.9, so I downed some Neurofen and off I went.

( Longer version vs. shorter version )

( Always something new to spot )

At the end of the film, I worried for a moment that I might have seen the powerful and chilling climactic scene enough times now that it wouldn't really have much effect on me. But I needn't have. My mouth fell open with the sheer emotional impact of what was happening, and both of us sat still in our seats afterwards, gaping and silent in wonder.

Meanwhile, today I am a little tired thanks to staying up until nearly 2am. But I had the best night's sleep I've had in ages, and woke up with a normal temperature! Maybe it was the restorative power of The Wicker Man, or maybe rather I was able to go out to The Wicker Man last night because I am genuinely starting to feel better. But either way, I think there is a real chance now that I am finally recuperating. A little more rest over the weekend, and I hope I'll be properly back on my feet again.

About to be substantially cross-posted to christopherlee_

The World of Suzie Wong

This afternoon, after a nice lie-in to recover from last night's cinema trip, I happened to catch the opening credits of The World of Suzie Wong on Channel 5, while channel-hopping. I hopped no further - I was hooked.

I'd heard of the film before, and knew it was a legend amongst Hong Kong movies, while the opening credits wowed me with scenes of the harbour and the Star Ferry that transported me right back to my visit there last Easter.

The film is set in Hong Kong in 1960, and is about an American architect who goes there to try to make it as an artist, and a prostitute, Suzie Wong, who starts posing as his model. They go through all sorts of trials and tribulations, including of course a lot of prejudice from his white friends, but eventually they come through them all, realise that they should be together and decide to marry at the end of the film.

Both characters were dynamic and very three-dimensional, and their interactions together complex and quite heart-rending in places: I found myself crying at the end! It also didn't hurt that the actress playing Suzie Wong, Nancy Kwan, was a visual delight if ever I saw one. But what really made it special for me was the fact that the film-makers had obviously decided to make a point of capturing the sights and sounds of Hong Kong. The ramshackle apartments in the poorer areas of the city were all there; the washing and banners hanging out into the streets; the sampans in Aberdeen harbour; stepped streets climbing steeply up the hill-sides; temples full of incense, hot food stalls and places selling exotic dried produce. And of course also many things which have changed between the 60s and the city I saw last year - the film featured rickshaws and people carrying baskets on poles over their shoulders, for example, which have both all but disappeared, and a sky-line which was virtually unrecognisable due to the myriad sky-scrapers which had sprung up since it was made. And the harbour - I've heard people in Hong Kong say it gets narrower and narrower every year as the shore-line on each side gets extended out into the sea for more building space, and having seen this film I fully believe them. The trip across the water on the Star Ferry which was featured at the beginning of the film seemed to take twice as long as I remember it taking last year, and the far shore looked impossibly distant when they first set off.

But what made watching this film really nice was that my Dad actually happens to be out there right now - lucky devil! I'm not sure quite what he's doing - some kind of Engineering conference I think. But I am jealous to think he's there, anyway, and it was nice to watch the film and think of him walking essentially the same streets (if forty-five years later). I shall look forward to hearing his traveller's tales when he gets back.

Finally, this has reminded me to share one of my favourite photos from my own trip to Hong Kong, which I don't think I've got round to posting in this journal before (apologies if I have):

( All roads lead to Hung Hom station )