Summer Palace (2006)

Raunchy

This story takes place during the student riots and seeks to give you a taste of the student life at the time by following a young chinese girl's journey. There is a lot of sex in this movie and almost showboating in a way. The amount is so much I question whether it's a realistic picture of the student life during that time because all the time having sex where did they find the time to protest? September 8, 2008

Fails to replicate Suzhou River

Summer Palace tries but falls short of replicating the magical balance, symmetry and focus of Lou Ye's previous 'Suzhou River.' The lovemaking scenes are certainly effective but way too long, the story rambles and the impact of the politics of the times is not clear and sometimes seems contrived. Still a nice movie, but if you have seen 'Suzhou River' this one doesn't quite reach that level. August 15, 2008

chinese soft porn big chill

this movie is the big chill chinese version-- w tiannamin sq instead of our kent state etc--- following (like the slightly better but also overrated big chill ) a bunch of young soon to be free spirits --in college---discovering their bodies, orgasms -- the protagonist girl esp- she really likes her newfound pleasure principle at it were and we see her attaining new heights in this categroy quite a bit- in fact most scenes devolve into sex scenes as she hops around like most college kids i guesss discovering themselves and who they are--what they like how they like it etc- but alas that never lasts too long- society and govt and the staus quo beats them/us into submission soon enough---the movie is a bit ludicrous tho-- the so called politics are never explored at all---- which i fine cuz i hate politics anyway---- but to have a rep as a movie about politics is ridiculous as this movie is really a soft porn flick disguised as something else---the guy who gives her the best sex-- she spends the whole movie regretting having blowning him off- but she finds him again--like 2o yeaRS LATER at the very end--- and not much happens even then---anti climactic to say the least despite all the other climaxes we glimpse so often in this fairly predictable coming of age type movie- the backgrounds to the plethora of sex scenes are minimal -any serious themes ignored and/or under explored -tiannenam sq- a blur of fire smoke armed men w mean guns- kids rushing all about---its totally whitewashed of any seriousness or reality or brutality- its like a disney version of tianneman sq- dreamlike in its slapdash and sophomoric look--but if we remember that the movie is told and seen thru the eyes of a self obsessed horny young lady--its probably just how she saw it----shallow! the most interesting thing about the movie i think-- was my own realization while watching -- that in life kids who seek it find liberation at first-- only for society to punish and repress and oppress them into submission -- and the sublimation of all their greater instincts and passions and lust for life is sublimated w their individuality----returning them to the objects instead of people they could be-- so society -- can use them and abuse them for their own nefarious means---just like this country in the sixties-- the whole movement of freedom -- squashed really--successfully--- as the hippies became yippies then yuppies--- and finally more like guppies i guess u could say---i feel like i get 5 stars for making these revelatory connections and epiphanies--because if the director had this in mind--- he displayed it only competently enough to liberate me from the tedium of watching it-to muse on my own -what he barely hinted at-----the directors focus- the diarist-- her sexual life--his seemimg obsession w it--at the cost of any other themes here--- and that one guy she spends most of the movie pining after- dreaming about him while having sex w whoever --all her other lovers husbands or what have you- take precedence -----but to be fair-- there are moments in the movie -- that are very poignant-----the moments that seemed to freeze time-- the moments that made me think about youth- liberation freedom and rearing its head-- how society invariably succeeeds in its repression /sublimation-- the way societies crush individuality-because they have no use for it-- and it in fact threatens their whole existence---there a a few of those moments----no one in the movie certainly shows any understanding/appreciation of this ---- like i say the movie is really mostly the story of a girls sexual life--and her and the directors seemingly shallow obsession w it-- the rest just backdrop----i truly do not beleive even the director saw such themes consciously in this movie- i think therefore that w this movie-- there is more said than even the director imagined----but he presented it all enough for the connections to be made----and tho the plot-- flimsy as it is-barely kept our interest---spiced up by the young ladys active libido every ten minutes or so---it did haVE THESE FEW MAGIcAL MOMENTS-- WHERE THE CAMERA TAKES ITS TIME- AND WE ACTUALLY GLIMPSE A REALITY HERE-- one scene i remember-- in germany-berlin i think---where after tianneneman sq- some of the gang move on to -other places of political upheaval-- just in time for that wall to come down --- the guy the diarist pines after- her best long lost lover--- in conversation w an american - she spoke english-- them talking about his going back to china--- us thinking of the re union that might finally take place w our horny self obsessed diarist-- there are a few moments in this scene that hint at the despair of waning youth--- loss-- things going and moving on-- but at a price----- theres a suicide in the movie-- moments there ring true too--- and penetrate and resonate off the much explored eros theme--- the young suicide off a building-in view of her young lover-- our diarist's lover-the one and same----the suicide-also a friend of our diarist--the seeming causual self obsessed concerns and unconcerns we all had in youth----not committing to anything involvng intimacy--being unable--unready-- unaware----as i re play the movie in my mind i actually give it 5 stars-- but i was always on the brink while watching it--of shutting it off out of frustration--every scene devloving into soft porn and fairly loveless meaningless sex----so i actually think it was what i brought to the movie-and what you may bring -in the themes it got me to explore in my own head--and maybe yours-even tho the movie didnt explore them that well----and what the title summer palace means-- i have no idea---i re dub it chinese soft porn big chill---and by the time the lovers finally re hook up-- thats what we get-- a big chill-----the thrill seems gone and passion fire gone out----an existential moment----and the credits catch us up w the characters-- much as we have done here ad infinitum-- and have mostly moved on to mocking such conceits---in this thing we arent really much interested-- the thoughtless lover-- our horny onery diarist--- the world has seemingly well tampered them & the fire of their passions---i have to watch the end of the big chill again--- were the people in that movie-heading down the path of entropy and the seeming oblivion of lost youth and a dead life--- or is it only here in this movie where it's so strkingly apparent? interesting questions and i guess the movie resonates more in retrospect that upon its intial viewing-----i guess i like it after all---or MORE what it made me think uopn ANYWAY ! SEE WHAT YOU THINK--- its not a total waste of time - July 21, 2008

Too much sex.

I got through about half an hour of this movie. It has way too much graphic sex. The movie is in my trash now. I don't like the sexual direction that Chinese cinema is heading towards with movies like this. It seems that an era of Chinese cinema is ending while a new one is beginning, and I don't like what has started with movies like this, Lust Caution, and 2046. No more Lou Ye movies for me. July 5, 2008

Not to be missed!

Here's a film that's absolutely not to be missed! Fabulous concept, screenplay, direction, production and magnificent star-making performances. Best love story I've seen in years! April 22, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...