2017年4月25日星期二

洋人看京戏及其他001

洋人看京戏及其他


http://www.saohua.com/shuku/zhangailingquanji/001-37.htm

Peking Opera and other tales through the eyes of clueless onlookers
written by Eileen Chang, originally published in 1943

If we examine affairs of all things Chinese as if we were foreigners watching Peking Opera, it could be fun and meaningful again.  With bamboo cloth line and baby diapers hanging over viewers' heads; Glasses over the counter top filled with "longevity spirit from Ginshen";  Radio playing famed Mei Lanfang operatic voices over the wavelength from one corner; and from another, advertisement of miracle ointment to cure and sooth contagious scabies or itching ... that's all what it means to be living in Chinese atmosphere, their multiplicity, poignancy, mysterious or too funny for words.

Many young generation worldly men loved China but had no idea what attracted them to its culture.  Unconditional love is quite admirable -- the only danger is that sooner or later,  when reality bites, they are unprepared for its deadly touch, inhaling into their chests its full blown coldness and their hearts gradually turned into icicles. We are unfortunately to live among local Chinese populace, unlike other expatriates, safely worshiped their motherland afar with awe and affectionate undying love. So come and take a much closer look!  Re-examine Chinese life through clueless foreigner's glasses while they listen to our Peking opera, with big surprises and intrigues, we might gain loving insights that otherwise we don't know it is always there.

Whenever I had a conversation longer than three sentences, I couldn't continue without mentioning Peking opera. And why is that, you may wonder. That's because I don't make a living to sing Peking opera yet I am full of curiosity towards it. As far as living a life, who wouldn't admit that they only have half of the clues? I am particularly fond of using Peking opera to set a proper attitude towards life as how Chinese live in it.

Those fair ladies from Peking opera troops who've played big roles on stage, when they learned that you like watching Peking opera, they would smile and say: " You know Peking opera, that is a sophisticated showbiz all in itself. Directing each stage and scene setting with proper costumes, that involves much subtleties and minute details, you could probably spend your whole life to understand what it might entail. "  Of course, I wouldn't have any clue if they were put on wrong costumes for a historical period of time; and if their tunes were a bit off the scores, I wouldn't notice anything either. I only love to sit in front rows, totally immerse myself into actors' actions on stages;  let myself being blown away by those colorful blue and golden painted face under bulky armories, long capes flowing up and showing its red inlines,  jade green trousers flipping out purple underlines.

Opinions by outside observers are sometime invaluable, or else whenever American journalists interview some big shots,  why they always like to pick topics that is totally unrelated to their professed expertise? For example, when they interview a female murder suspect, they want to know if she was optimistic on how our world might end; interviewing a boxing champion, they ask him if he approves adaptation of Shakespearian play into modern fashion show. Of course, they need to attract viewers, to make them laugh and feel good about themselves, thinking: "I know even more than these social celebrities.  Famed people can be dumber than me!"  On the other hand, outsiders might have a fresher and simpler outlook, that is worth uncovering.

In order not to take myself too serious, let's talk about 话剧里的平剧罢。《秋海棠》一剧风魔了全上海,不能不归功于故事里京戏气氛的浓。紧跟着《秋海棠》空前的成功,同时有五六出话剧以平剧的穿插为号召。中国的写实派新戏剧自从它的产生到如今,始终是站在平剧的对面的,可是第一出深入民间的话剧之所以得人心,却是借重了平剧——这现象委实使人吃惊。


🏆  We the Internet TV won a Webby! 🏆

Beating Conan O'Brien and others...
View this email in your browser
We the Internet TV won Best Film & Video – Variety category in the 21st Annual Webby Awards!

The Moving Picture Institute is proud to announce that our comedy news channel, We the Internet TV, has won Best Film & Video – Variety category in the 21st Annual Webby Awards

So thank you to you and all of our fans who watch, like, comment, and subscribe

The Best Film & Video – Variety category is a coveted Webby Awards category. Selected as the official category winner by the Webby's elite panel of judges, We the Internet TV beat out stiff competition from Conan O'Brien's Serious Jibber-Jabber, Elite Daily's Gen Why, and Independent Films' Kidspiration.

The Webby Awards is the Internet's most respected symbol of success. With 13,000 entries from all 50 U.S. states and over 70 countries—and 3.5 million votes cast in The Webby People's Voice Awards—the 21st Annual Webby Awards is the biggest in their history. As a Webby winner, We the Internet TV truly sets the global standard for Internet excellence.

From head writer Lou Perez: "All of us at We the Internet TV are honored to receive this Webby award. In a world oversaturated with political comedy content, we've always believed the way to break through and be seen was to keep hammering home our truly unique perspective on politics, culture, and life. Every day we're seeing more fans discovering us; this Webby award is validation that the industry is watching, too."

We the Internet TV will be honored at the star-studded Webby Awards ceremony on Monday, May 15, 2017, at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

We the Internet TV fans can watch the award ceremony on The Webby Awards YouTube channel at 9am on Tuesday, May 16, 2017.
In other news:
  • Calling all filmmakers! The 2017 Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge kicks off May 16th. This is a chance to win major prizes, including a $5,000 Feature/TV pilot development deal with Adi Shankar's Infinite Ammo Productions!
  • Mama Rwanda, an MPI documentary from Laura Waters Hinson about entrepreneurial mothers in Rwanda, is now available for campus and community screenings! Email nicole@thempi.org to bring the film to your group.
  • We are HIRING! Currently, we are looking for a Director of Major Gifts. Interested parties should email Steve.Ankney@roberthalfes.com for more information.
The Moving Picture Institute is a modern-media production house and talent incubator that creates and supports high-impact film and video content designed to entertain, inspire, and educate audiences with captivating stories about human freedom.

Copyright © 2017 Moving Picture Institute, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
375 Greenwich Street
New York NY 10013

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list
 

2017年4月20日星期四

Help We the Internet TV Win a Webby—Vote TODAY!

It's your last chance...
View this email in your browser
Get your votes in for We the Internet TV before the Webby polls close!

You may have heard that the Moving Picture Institute's comedy news channel, We the Internet TV, has been nominated for Best Film & Video – Variety category in the 21st Annual Webby Awards. 

Well, TODAY is the LAST DAY to cast your vote online and help We the Internet TV win the internet's top honor!

The Best Film & Video – Variety category is one of the most coveted nominations in the Webby Awards. For this year's nomination, We the Internet TV beat out stiff competition from CBS, ABC, the Guardian, and Yahoo! News' The Katie Couric Interview, among others.

The Webby Awards is the internet's most respected symbol of success. The 21st Annual Webby Awards received 13,000 entries from nearly all 50 states and 70 countries worldwide. Being nominated means We the Internet TV is one of the five best in the world in its Variety category (and among the top 9% of all work entered).

From head writer Lou Perez: "In a world oversaturated with political comedy content, we've always believed the way to break through and be seen was to keep hammering home our unique and independent perspective on politics, culture, and life. This Webby nomination is a validation of something we've believed from day one: there is a bigger audience thirsting for our content."

As a nominee, We the Internet TV is also eligible to win a Webby People's Voice Award, which is voted online by fans across the globe. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, and honored at a star-studded ceremony on Monday, May 15, 2017, in New York City.

We the Internet TV fans have until the end of TODAY to cast their votes at VoteWTI.com!
In other news:
  • Check out these upcoming programs from our friends at Taliesin Nexus!
  • Calling all filmmakers! The 2017 Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge kicks off May 16th. This is a chance to win major prizes, including a $5,000 Feature/TV pilot development deal with Adi Shankar's Infinite Ammo Productions! Be sure to register before May 1st for early bird rates.
  • Mama Rwanda, an MPI documentary from Laura Waters Hinson about entrepreneurial mothers in Rwanda, is now available for campus and community screenings! Email nicole@thempi.org to bring the film to your group.
  • We are HIRING! Currently, we are looking for a Director of Major Gifts. Interested parties should email Steve.Ankney@roberthalfes.com for more information.
The Moving Picture Institute is a modern-media production house and talent incubator that creates and supports high-impact film and video content designed to entertain, inspire, and educate audiences with captivating stories about human freedom.

Copyright © 2017 Moving Picture Institute, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
375 Greenwich Street
New York NY 10013

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list
 

2017年4月18日星期二

A perfect film for today...

Break the code.
View this email in your browser
Tackle Tax Day with An Inconvenient Tax!

Did you know that the average American spends 57 hours working on their taxes? Even Albert Einstein once wrote, "The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax."

An Inconvenient Tax, a documentary from Moving Picture Institute-supported filmmakers Christopher Marshall and Vincent Vittorio, reveals how Congress uses our impossibly complex tax code to achieve political goals that have nothing to do with raising revenue

Featuring economic experts, commentators, and political voices such as Steve Forbes, Mike Huckabee, Noam Chomsky, David M. Walker, and others, the film traces the evolution of the income tax through wars, economic booms and busts, and presidencies.

Political favoritism, ineffective social programs, and economic manipulations all reveal the need for tax reform. As America faces an ever-growing financial crisis, this timely and engaging film transcends partisanship and offers Americans a chance to unite in a grassroots movement for change.

Catch An Inconvenient Tax on Hulu, Amazon, or here.
In other news:
  • We the Internet TV, the Moving Picture Institute's comedy news channel, has been nominated for Best Film & Video – Variety category in the 21st Annual Webby Awards. Cast your vote online today to help We the Internet TV win the Internet's top honor! Voting ends April 20th.
  • Calling all filmmakers! The Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge 2017 kicks off May 16th. This is a chance to win major prizes, including a $5,000 Feature/TV pilot development deal with Adi Shankar's Infinite Ammo Productions! Moving Picture Institute filmmakers will have their entry fee waived.
  • Mama Rwanda, an MPI documentary from Laura Waters Hinson about entrepreneurial mothers in Rwanda, is now available for campus and community screenings! Email nicole@thempi.org to bring the film to your group.
  • We are HIRING! Currently, we are looking for a Director of Major Gifts. Interested parties should email Steve.Ankney@roberthalfes.com for more information.
The Moving Picture Institute is a modern-media production house and talent incubator that creates and supports high-impact film and video content designed to entertain, inspire, and educate audiences with captivating stories about human freedom.

Copyright © 2017 Moving Picture Institute, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
375 Greenwich Street
New York NY 10013

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list