| RED
FIRECRACKER, GREEN FIRECRACKER/B+, A
CHINA/1994/YELLOW ENGLISH SUBTITLES/COLOR/ Fullscreen 1.33:1/STEREO SURROUND/116 MINUTES/DIRECTED BY HE PING/STARRINGNING JING, WU GANG/OCTOBER/28 CHAPS/CLV/$49.99 Purely distilled from the mysterious essences and elixirs of the East and mixed with the magic of romance, Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker is a film that has a direct link to the tradition of fairy and folk tales. When a beautiful daughter is bequeathed the fireworks factory of her deceased father, a proviso is attached that she never marry. Enter a roving artist with a roving eye and an independent spirit. The artist and the daughter are immediately attracted to each other, but it is a forbidden situation. Yes, but that’s what makes it interesting. There are a number of confrontations spawned by the spirit of the artist and the jealousy of the factory hierarchy. The artist and the girl become passionate lovers, only to fall out with each other owing to circumstances. The final test of their love is set within the bounds of a traditional firecracker contest with pending disaster at every level for the suitors of the beautiful daughter. Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker is highly effective filmmaking. They are turning out some brilliant film people in China. How is it that they can make a film look so good. This is a beauty of a disc. The colors are vibrant and the sound clear and exciting. The intense colors are very stable. The transfer feature dynamic contrast ratios and vitally sharp images. The entire production captures the feel of a fairy tale world. You jump with each explosive pop from the graceful trail of firecracker tails. |