China in the 20th
Century experienced a myriad of cultural and social pressures. The films Yellow
Earth (Chen Kaige, 1984), and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee, 2000)
play upon the themes of these pressures and the effect that they play upon the
character’s lives. Within these films, marriage and gender roles, tradition’s
merits and downfalls, and Cultural Revolution reforms contribute stress to the
main characters. Often the main character’s true selves in these films are
unable to be expressed under the constraints of their society, and thus as
expressed through the film, characters are only able to live half a life;
unable to exist within their culture or as an individual. Often, thus
culminates in their death, as the character is unable to truly live within the
world.
In Yellow Earth,
the viewer is shown both the struggles of tradition and the failures of
upcoming reform. Gu Qing, a soldier from a propaganda section of the Communist
Eighth Route Army, encounters Cui Qiao, her brother, Hanhan, and father, Da
Shu, a peasant family. Cui Qiao is forced into marriage with an older man in
order to obtain a dowry to pay for her mother’s funeral and brother’s future
dowry. However, Cui Qiao greatly fears her upcoming method and looks to the
‘modern’ Brother Gu as a means of escape. Yellow Earth shows us the faults of
the modern and traditional, and Cui Qiao’s decision of which to base her life
around.
Yellow Earth contrasts
both traditional and modern pressures. Da Shu represents tradition and at first
seems very gruff; he sees the marriage/sacrifice of Cui Qiao to an old suitor
as his best option to sustain his family. However, this is later contrasted by
the great love he is shown to have for his children. This is evidenced by the
scene in which he tells Cui Qiao of her upcoming marriage date; although he is
not shown, his tone of voice dramatically changes to reveal his sadness. Faced
with the heavy expenses of his wife’s funeral and is son’s future dowry, Da Shu
goes against his moral standing and allows the marriage to a much older man. The
viewer is shown that as Da Shu succumbs to traditional cultural pressures, he
sacrifices his daughter. Under the pressures of his culture, Da Shu is unable
to reach a fortuitous conclusion.
Brother Gu falls to the modern communist
pressures in China. After spending time with the family, he bonds with Cui Qiao
and Hanhan and wishes to remove Cui Qiao from her current situation. However,
Brother Gu is unable to enlist Cui Qiao f army due to regulations and red
tape. Because of these restrictions, Cui
Qiao’s hope in the Communist’s future Cultural Revolution is left unfulfilled.
Brother Gu also ultimately must leave behind Cui Qiao in order to conform to
modern pressures.
Cui Qiao also must
now make a choice. Confined to a culturally traditional world with Brother Gu
gone, she consents to the marriage in order to uphold her families’ status and
her brother’s future. However, having tried to exist within the constraints of
the traditional culture, Cui Qiao finds that she must sacrifice herself in
order to do so. Unwilling, Cui Qiao thus defies her culture by running away
from her husband. In attempts to join the Cultural Revolution’s modern culture,
she solidifies her break with her own culture by crossing the river in attempts
to reach a communist camp. However, due to its restrictions, Cui Qiao cannot
belong there either. Unable to exist in either, she disappears into the river,
and removes herself from this world. Through Cui Qiao, the viewer is shown that
both traditional and modern cultures have their own pressures and rules.
In attempting to remove herself from these pressures in order to stay true to
herself, Cui Qiao removes herself from this world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=YQB2CBEI2es#t=217s
In Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Li Mu Bai, Shu Lien, and Jen each struggle with their conflicting
societal duties and their desires. Unable to reach enlightenment, Mu Bai seeks
to give up his life as a Wuxia warrior. In order to place his sword, Green
Destiny into good hands, he journeys with the warrior Shu Lien. Mu Bai and Shu
Lien harbor feelings for each other, but cannot express them due to honor for
Shu Lien’s deceased husband. Shu Lien delivers Green Destiny to a mutual
friend, and encounters Jen, an aristocrat, who is placed in an arranged marriage and
is envious of the warrior lifestyle. It is revealed that Jen has also been trained
in Wuxia, and that she too has a love that cannot be realized due to cultural
pressures.
Shu Lien and Mu
Bai both struggle with their love for each other. Tied down by upholding the
honor of Shu Lien’s deceased husband, the two are unable to realize their true
selves. Unable to be true to himself, and tied down by desire, Mu Bai cannot
reach enlightenment, and thus cannot further his Wuxia training, which encompasses
his whole life. Shu Lien is also unfulfilled, with no chance for marriage or intimacy.
As the events of the film unfold, Mu Bai changes as he sees Jen question the culture that defines her. In turn, Mu Bai question himself, and
decide to show his feelings to Shu Lien. However, Mu Bai dies attempting to redeem Jen. Thus, Mu Bai and Shu Lien are left unfulfilled. Mu Bai’s
regret is so great that he chooses to remain with Shu Lien as a ghost. Shu Lien is left
to live on, forced to remain within her cultural boundaries. Both characters
deviations against their culture lead to their punishment, however their
inability to live life as they desired was a greater wrong.
Jen’s position is
also that of one who cannot realize their desires without breaking cultural rules.
Desiring both freedom and to be true to her parents, Jen cannot be true to
herself. Young Jen was attacked by desert bandits, and ultimately fell in love with their leader, Lo. However,
loyalty for her family drives her to leave him. From this point on, Jen is
divided between freedom and duty, and ultimately breaks on the day of her
arranged marriage. At Mu Bai’s death, she is forced to find a true resolution,
following his advice to live a life true to herself. Replicating an old myth,
Jen calmly jumps from the top of a mountain and disappears from sight. In this
manner, she carves a new space in which she can be true to herself. Again, it
is shown that those who cannot exist within the constraints of their culture
cannot exist at all; yet being true to oneself is still presented as a better
option than living half a life.
Through Yellow
Earth and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, we see that one must reject their
culture, or reject themselves. Often the pressure from marriage, gender roles
and one’s culture forced them to live either half a life, or no life all. Cui
Qiao and Jen, trapped between desires, remove themselves from this world. It is
apparent from Yellow Earth that some change to culture is necessary; however traditional
pressures are only replaced by modern ones, which fails to make a difference. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon shows that the
repercussions to defying ones culture are great; but that the repercussions for
sacrificing one’s nature are greater.
