Fleeing By Night Rating: Release Date: 04 February, 2003 Retail Price: $29.99 OUR Price: $26.99 You SAVE: $3.00! Cast: Rene Liu Lei Huang Shu Lei Complete Cast (5 total)

Fleeing By Night Reviews

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Slow pace, but a grand romantic heart
FLEEING BY NIGHT [Ye Ben] (China/Taiwan 2000): Tianjin, the late 1930's. A young cellist (Huang Lei) returns home from studies abroad and makes preparations to marry his childhood sweetheart (Rene Liu Re-ying), the daughter of a wealthy businessman. But the relationship is soured when Huang meets and falls in love with a male Chinese opera singer (Yin Chao-te) who is being pimped by his mentor to a local gangster (Tai Li-jen). Tragedy ensues.

Several key personnel from CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON were reunited for this Chinese/Taiwanese co-production, including co-director Hsu Li-kong (longtime associate of director Tsai Ming-liang) and co-writer Wang Hui-ling. And while it's a pleasant surprise to find a government-sanctioned Chinese film addressing a number of previously taboo subjects (corruption and hypocrisy in high places, gay romance, etc.), the results are decidedly mixed. Set against the backdrop of sweeping changes which transformed Chinese society during the first half of the 20th century, FLEEING BY NIGHT invites predictable comparisons with Chen Kaige's superior FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE, but the resemblance is superficial at best. Directors Hsu and Yin Chi employ the trappings of traditional Chinese melodrama - villainous gangsters, thwarted love, enduring loyalty, lifelong tragedy, etc. - though the film relies for much of its dramatic impact on a measured accumulation of intimate details, an approach which reaps dividends in the long run, despite the film's unsatisfying narrative structure. Huang's doomed relationship with Liu is allowed to dominate proceedings for a little longer than necessary, and the subsequent romance between Huang and Lin is thwarted at every turn, frustrating audience expectations and leading some critics to question the film's sexual politics. In fact, despite a lush orchestral score by Chris Babida, the movie lacks a formal visual grace, thanks to production design (by Sung Chun) which fails to generate an appropriate period ambience, and non-stylized cinematography by Tsai Cheng-hui (SWEET DEGENERATION, MURMUR OF YOUTH).

More a tragedy than a love story, the narrative builds to a genuinely heartbreaking conclusion: Few will be unmoved by a blunt, devastating sequence at the end of the movie in which Huang and Yin are 'reunited' after many years apart, all the more heartbreaking for the understated manner in which it is staged. Huang (LIFE ON A STRING, THE PHANTOM LOVER) makes an attractive and sympathetic protagonist, while Yin smoulders intensely in a difficult role, and Liu (who made an impressive debut five years earlier in the title role of SIAO YU) is quietly effective as the understanding wallflower laid low by her fiancee's deceit. Equally memorable is Tai, playing the nominal 'villain' as a sympathetic character hidebound by traditions and his place within Chinese society. Ultimately, some viewers will reject the film's deliberate pacing, while others will embrace its quiet dignity and grand romantic heart.

Strand Releasing's all-region DVD - which runs 119m 52s, despite a 123 minute running time quoted on the packaging - is letterboxed at 1.66:1. Colors are muted, and picture quality is compromised by an unforgivable lack of anamorphic enhancement. Unfortunately, like so many movies released on DVD by independent distributors these days, the theatrical Dolby Digital soundtrack has been downmixed to 2.0 stereo, and while the movie isn't affected too badly by this unwelcome audio revision, it doesn't represent the original theatrical experience. The Mandarin soundtrack is supported by optional English subtitles, which are excellent. There's no trailer for FLEEING BY NIGHT in the disc's meager supplemental section, but previews of other gay-themed releases from Strand are included as consolation.

You Will Thank Yourself for Seeing This Film!
This is a mesmorizing, story of a man who returns home to China to marry but is enthralled by the performance of a male opera star; a lyrically told story of two intersecting love triangles. Flawless!

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