Raise the Red Lantern
In the Chinese film Raise the Red Lantern, the ‘mise-en-scene’ technique is used to construct scenes by manipulating settings, costumes, lighting, and objects to create meaning outside the narrative. In the film, such scenes are mainly used to create the meaning that the world of wives like Songlian is oppressive and wholly inescapable (Yeh 37). For example, when Songlian first meets the Master, she is seen in a position surrounded by many lanterns in her room. It appears that the filmmaker wants to establish personal attitudes and judgments. Songlian seats in a room with lit lanterns and a chandelier with other small lanterns above the bed. The location of furniture in the room, light from lanterns, and Songlian create some meaning about the culture of the time. In 1920s, the Chinese culture treated girls as less important to the master, highly dependent on the prevailing circumstances, and innocent. In addition, the largeness of the room makes the girl appear very small and portrays a feeling of loneliness and sadness, which in turn portrays how concubines lived a lonely, sad, and unhappy life.
Suzhou River
In the Chinese film Suzhou River, the application of the mise-en-scene technique is seen at the scene where the Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower is portrayed. The tower is used to encompass a dream world and a mighty transformation from the ordinary and mundane to the city’s future. The filmmaker drifts the camera towards the tower on the city’s waterways. When the characters are interacting on the foreground and attracting the attention of the viewers, the tower rises above the other objects in the background.
The cameraman and the characters do not reach the tower in the Pudong District because the river is between them, thus permanently remain in the poor districts. In this case, the filmmaker wanted to portray the lives of the poor in a fast-rowing, modernizing city. Both are within the vicinity, but the majority of poor and ordinary people are forbidden in the old, shanty region while the affluent move forward towards modernity and the future (Yeh 71). The director wanted to demonstrate the changing nature of the city as China was transforming from the old socialistic to a new system that facilitates a marked-based economy. At the same time, the film shows the differences created by this transformation, with the poor people left in their old ways of life while the affluent assume a modernized lifestyle.
Rouge
Stanley Kwan uses mise-en-scene to present some hidden meanings in the film Rouge, especially by presenting different lighting in different scenes. The director reflects lighting throughout the film on the characters differently based on the prevailing situations. When Fleur is a ghost, the lighting is dark, which is used to represent life after death. The flashbacks to Fleur’s life on earth are shown with brightly lit scenarios. The idea is to demonstrate that real life is better than in the expected life form following death. These flashbacks portray the happy relationships that Fleur had with her Master when still alive. In addition, it is evident that bright light is used to reflect the happiness she enjoyed during her lifetime.
Moreover, the director uses lighting to describe the prevailing moods of the character. When Fleur is a ghost, she appears sad and confused as she is looking for the master. She appears to have a lot of hatred, which is reflected by darkness. The film wants to show that life after death is lonely and sad and individuals rarely interact. It is possible that the director wanted to make the viewers realize the importance of life and appreciate the fact that they are alive. The viewers can see that after death life is not good and the souls are lonely. Therefore, people should enjoy themselves as much as possible while alive because the other world is not enjoyable.
Chungking Express
In Chungking Express, the mise-en-scene technique is used to portray street scenes and present some hidden meanings about the city of Hong Kong. When the police officer (Cop 223) is running after the criminal, the street nature is revealed through this technique. In the streets, there is a large crowd of people moving in different directions, which is used to portray the vibrant and busy nature of Hong Kong. It appears that the people are less concerned with the surrounding activities, including the officer running after the criminal. Everyone is busy, and no one seems to mind the business of the others, which is a representation of the fast-paced and anonymous life in the vibrant city. People in the city are going on different journeys but on the same path.
In addition, costumes used for different characters portray some hidden meanings. The indoor scene has a girl with a blonde wig while the police officer wears costumes similar to those of cops in the west. Throughout the film, the director portrays buildings with western designs and styles, people wearing western clothes, and writings in both English and Mandarin. Indeed, the director wanted to show the degree of western influence in the city and the changing state of relationships between people. It appears that this is a consumer society where everyone is busy going to and from work. Everybody wants to meet individual needs in the rather modernized society rather than engaging others in conversations and interactions.
Vive L’Amour
The film Vive L’Amour presents several scenes with minimal dialogue and large space between objects in rooms. For example, in an apartment, there is a large room with very few items like a bed, a tub, and a rag. All these items are separated by a large space and it appears that few people would like to live there. This scene portrays life in the part of the city where people have solitary lives without caring about others. In addition, male characters in the city creep and sneak into empty rooms of unsold buildings. There is minimal dialogue and characters note the presence of each other by reacting to changes in lighting and sound.
Moreover, buildings are portrayed as having dark windows and large, almost empty rooms. This is the side of Taipei’s eastern district where a middle-class and white-collar workers live. The buildings are designed through modernist architecture, with skyscrapers sprouting and spread throughout the area. People wander on dreary streets, passing without greetings or seduce each other in dark alleys as if hiding. It appears that the city is empty because of the lack of romance, love, and relationships between the dwellers. There is desire rather than love, which creates despair and poor communication. People like Mei are seen sitting or walking alone on the streets or parks, which appear to the viewers as wastelands. At the end of the film, Mei is seen sitting alone on a bench while crying. These scenarios and arrangement of objects and people portray the meaning that the city is a modern type of urban desert where people lack communication, love, and relationships.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
The various scenes portrayed in the film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon make use of the mise-en-scene technique to portray various themes and meanings. In this film, the scenes of the duel between the fighting characters are set with objects that represent the traditional Chinese culture and history. For example, in the duel between Jen Yu and Yu Shu Lien, both women are wearing traditional Chinese costumes, especially those worn by martial artists. The clothes worn are simple, light, and loose and allow the artists to make vibrant moves when fighting. In addition, in the background, the room has tables, chairs, a window, and wall hangings written in Mandarin. The tables and chairs are pieces of traditional Chinese furniture. In addition, the large room portrays the traditional Chinese martial arts schools and arenas, which gives the viewer a good understanding of Chinese history and traditions.
In addition, the outdoor scenes provide evidence of the sceneries in the customary village life in China. When walking outside, Li Mu Bai and his lover Yu Shu Lien are seen wearing traditional Chinese costumes carrying swords walking in plains and across some mountains. In the background, the viewers can see high mountains with rivers streams flowing down to form a river. It is clear that the filmmaker wanted to portray the unexploited nature that the customary Chinese enjoyed in their natural habitats.
Work Cited
Yeh, Emilie Yueh-yu. Early film culture in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Republican China: Kaleidoscopic histories. University of Michigan Press, 2018.