With an Oscar-winning director and the latest technology of 3D, 4K, and 120 frames per second, Ang Lee's new work Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk has been one of the most anticipated films of this year.
Despite critical voices from abroad, Lee enjoyed a very warm welcome in China when he came for a series of promotional activities in Beijing and Shanghai earlier this week. While Lee said some of his own ideas were reflected in the film's lead figure Billy Lynn, it is also true that Lee is regarded by many as a national hero in China, as is Lynn in the film by his fellow Americans. And when an emotional bond is already established, how the film performs becomes secondary.
Not much surprise
From the personal perspective of 19-year-old Billy Lynn, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk tells us how the young man realizes the big gap between soldiers like him and civilians back in the US homeland on the concept of war. Because of an unprepared close combat with an enemy in Iraq, Lynn was regarded as a hero by his countrymen and the whole squad was invited back for a victory tour. To their disappointment, while soldiers suffered from psychic trauma after living in Iraq where they might even have lose their lives, people back in the US do not really understand them and many even see the war as something of a glory. Though the film has a critical theme, very much like the character of Lee, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk reveals it in a mild tone.
As one of the audiences of the preview, I watched Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk in Beijing. While the use of the most advanced technologies - 3D, 4K, 120 frames per second - is one of the biggest marketing points, I was not informed it was the highest version until the film was over. And I have to say that I do not think a much clearer screen gives audiences as tremendous a viewing experience as the 3D format once brought. The pictures of the film do seem clearer than previous films but I felt a little dizzy at the very beginning during a street market scene in Iraq when the camera moves fast from one side to another (or maybe just because I was sitting in the first row).
As for the story of the film, which is what many US media were critical about, I would say it is much less a surprise compared to Lee's earlier works like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Life of Pi.
More than a film
The film currently is rated 6.4/10 on IMDB and 4.8/10 on Rotten Tomatoes. Yet on Douban, one of the most famous film websites in China, the same film is given a higher grade of 8/10, and 58.1 percent of 2,418 raters gave the film a full five stars and 20.1 percent a four star on the social media platform Sina Weibo.
"Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk had a grand premiere in Beijing yesterday. Positive reviews from the first group of audiences have already spread on social networks," the Sina Weibo official account of magazine Vista Story posted.
Chinese audiences are enthusiastic about Lee's new work, even though a lot of them have not yet watched the new film. And speaking of the use of 120 frames per second, there is even a feeling of pride - the word "revolution" is very frequently used to describe that.
Affectionate bonding
"Uncle Ang" is how many young Chinese filmgoers address 62-year-old Lee, which not only shows their respect to the veteran filmmaker, but also a way to prove their close relationship with the director. The first Chinese to win three Oscar awards, Lee now stands for not just a director with a Chinese background but more like an icon of Chinese culture. At a time when the Chinese economic boom has gained worldwide admiration, people are eager to see their culture being appreciated by the rest of the world as well. And Lee's success at Oscars, especially with his Chinese martial arts story Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, made him a national hero who helped to fulfill such a desire.
Therefore, when it comes to the fact that this very director brought in a new technology, just the news itself is able to thrill the nation.
"It is like an idol-making movement," Chen Changye, a veteran film industry insider remarked, explaining that compared with the impetuous film-producing atmosphere, Lee's previous successful works that were made slowly but carefully have made him an immaculate film god.
"And using his Chinese background as a symbol is a very effective way for the media to promote their reports," Chen added.
He also pointed out that China has a very different cultural consumption environment when it comes to the film and TV drama industries - before a work has its nationwide release, it has already been publicized among the people. "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is now being brought into an environment that welcomes no critics," Chen noted.
"What you did that day no longer belongs to you. It's an American story now." This line from Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk points to one core theme of the film. And now Lee has a similar situation in China - what he does is a Chinese story.
