R E V I E W

Para Para Sakura

Golden Harvest. 2001. 101 minutes.
Directed by Jingle Ma Choh-Sing
Written by Susan Chan Suk-Yin

With Aaron Kwok, Cecilia Cheung

B A C K G R O U N D
director, in cinemas, recent and related films

The films of Jingle Ma Choh-Sing usually look good, although reaction to them has varied. They include the "Hollywood action" films Hot War and Tokyo Raiders, the romances Fly Me to Polaris and Summer Holiday, and the triad flick Goodbye Mr. Cool earlier in the year 2001.

The film opened in Hong Kong cinemas at the end of July 2001 and enjoyed a multi-week run. It grossed HK $6.8 million.

M O V I E

plot
Color-blind dance instructor Philip tries to hold on to the lovely Yuri.

performances
Unfortunately it's impossible to watch Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi running and dancing around without remembering that she was recently (at the time of this writing) seriously injured in a stunt gone wrong for a television show. Nevertheless, she is unfailingly, perhaps over-the-top, cheery as Yuri in the opening scenes, yet also able to handle the shift to a more serious tone later. And she really shines in two scenes in particular.

Aaron Kwok Fu-Sing may have as many detractors as he does admirers; I don't imagine his performance here as Philip will change anyone's mind. Malaysian actor Chan Hing Cheung (memorable in the otherwise forgettable Take 2 in Life) provides life and humor as Philip's best friend Henry.

In a return to Hong Kong movie screens after a 10-year absence, Tien Niu plays Yuri's mother as a very imposing woman. Yip Tsui and Wong Yue Suen are apparently newcomers; I believe one of them plays Coco (Philip's would-be girlfriend), and the other plays Nancy, a fellow dance instructor, but I'm not sure who plays who. Nishimura Kazuhiko is Yuri's Japanese fiancee.

production
Consider this film as a sequel -- in tone only -- to director Jingle Ma's Tokyo Raiders. It's a light and airy confection, filled with gorgeous photography and silly, goofball humor. The humor may make some people roll their eyes, but it made me laugh. And some unexpected emotional depth adds to the pleasures of the film. But if you're expecting a lot of Para Para dancing, look elsewhere.

Aaron Kwok plays Philip Wong, the lead instructor and co-founder of a dance studio in Shanghai. When he's not dancing, he's filled with insecurities. Part of this is due to his color-blindness. To a greater degree, though, it's because of his lack of success with women -- a failure he attributes to a curse placed upon him in childhood by his mother, due to her anger about his father. She told little Philip that if he tells a woman "I love you," the relationship would fail. Because of his insecurities and his resultant cool outward appearance, Philip has earned the nickname Dreamy.

Enter the perpetually cheerful Yuri. After two brief chance encounters with her, Philip is smitten. When she enrolls in one of his dance classes, he feels heaven has answered his prayers. Yuri proceeds to invite him on a sightseeing trip to Suzhou, but Philip's hopes for a romance are apparently dashed when she reveals that she is engaged. It turns out that she is the daughter of the powerful head of a large department store in Japan. Despite some misgivings, Philip accompanies Yuri on her trip, in which he falls in love with her. She leaves him, though, and returns to Japan for her impending marriage.

Time passes, and Philip's roommate and longtime friend Henry encourages Philip to consider dating Coco. She co-founded the dance studio with Philip and has long harbored a crush on him. Before anything can develop between them, though, Yuri breezes back into town, and Philip is enraptured once again.

The film takes on a more serious tone as Yuri confronts Philip head-on about his insecurities. This is one of two touching scenes in which Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi (as Yuri) really stands out for her performance.

Para Para Sakura may disappoint those looking for explosive dance numbers. Both the opening and closing sequences have some good potential, but are cut short before they become memorable. The highlight of the musical numbers comes about an hour in, as a fender bender in Shanghai provides the backdrop for a lyrical group dance sequence that integrates character and humor amongst the stopped cars.

It's too bad the ending was botched, but mostly the film engenders good feelings and is worth a viewing.

As you would expect from cinematographer turned director Jingle Ma, the film looks great, from the scenery to the costumes to the backgrounds. The trick of black-and-white photography to demonstrate Philip's POV is used sparingly and effectively.

Bruce Yu Ka-On was the art director; he was a costume designer on films such as Swordsman II, and art director on a number of projects, including last year's Wu Yen. Kwong Chi-Leung edited the film; he too has a lengthy and distinguished resume.

Peter Kam Pau-Tat composed the gentle and lyrical musical score. He has worked on action films such as Big Bullet, Downtown Torpedoes, and Full Alert, as well as the recent Final Romance and You Shoot, I Shoot.

rating
Category IIA. No violence or profanity, a little sexually suggestive dialogue.

D V D

look
The letterboxed presentation looks very handsome indeed. Colors are saturated and vibrant, black levels are deep, and flesh tones appear (mostly) natural. The source print is pristine.

sound
The Cantonese DD 5.1 audio track (which includes Japanese and Mandarin dialogue) sounded as though it was recorded entirely in post-production. It displayed a fine dynamic range with limited use of surrounds but a fair amount of LFE rumbling. Also included is a Mandarin DD 5.1 track.

subtitles
The white (with black backing) removable English subtitles were easy to read and well timed, with no distracting misspellings. Too bad neither the concluding song nor the outtakes were subtitled, especially the outtakes appeared to be mostly spoken miscues! Also included are traditional and simplified Chinese subtitles.

features
Surprisingly, there is no chapter selection available from the main menu. The disk is divided into at least 8 chapters. Two trailers for the film, both presented in Cantonese DD 5.1, are included, as is a trailer for You Shoot, I Shoot. Another bonus is the 22-minute "Making Of." Too bad it doesn't have English subtitles, but those who can read or understand Chinese will enjoy.

R E C O M M E N D A T I O N
buy, rent, or pass?

Rent. Slip off your dancing shoes and enjoy a pleasant romantic diversion.

(Reviewed January 17, 2002)

THIS DVD IS AVAILABLE AT HKFLIX.COM