Forever Enthralled

This is my review which was aired on CKUT this morning. 

 

For those of us who are not familiar with Peking Opera, listening to the shrill falsettos of male singers impersonating women in the spectacle of acting, poetry accompanied by dance and martial art might seem strange. Western opera during Baroque era was highlighted by castrati such as Farinelli who sang with a soprano voice, bright and clear, whereas in Peking Opera the theatrical performance of the male singer seems more important than his voice.

“Forever enthralled” is the story of “Mei Lan”, one of the most important figures of Peking Opera who made it known to the rest of the world.

Though discouraged by his uncle to continue the family tradition of singing opera, young Mei chooses his path with confidence. Though he highly reveres his master, he doesn't follow him obsequiously. Instead he challenges him. This challenge is not welcome by the master who believes the focus should be on him, but in the end, it's Mei's subtlety that makes him win over his master.

 «Characters should be flesh and blood; actors mustn't stick to the old ways both on stage and in life. Chinese women were taught to follow the rules whereas great theatre shows how to break rules. »  These were the words he learned from Qui Rubai, the man who quit his job as a lecturer after he saw Mei Lanfang's performance, to become his mentor. « Only one, whose mind is clean and pure, could express passion in such an exquisite manner » he told Mei after the performance.

The strange thing for me in this movie was the fact that women played a role of men in Opera as well. This mutual impersonation, led to a mystifying attraction of a man and a woman, Mei and Meng to each other.

It is after the invasion of Japan, that we understand the importance of Peking Opera in China. Mei refuses to sing during the war which caused him an impoverished lifestyle in that period. « No matter who wins this war, Mei Lanfang must live on. », a Japanese soldier told his commander who wished to force Mei to sing for them but didn't succeed. He was right. War ended and Mei Lanfang lived on.