It’s nearly March and I shouldn’t be sighing sighs of relief, nor should I be watching such films as Flight of the Red Balloon because they are too beautiful for multitasking (I will re-watch), but anyways…

The film concludes with the song “Tchin Tchin,” performed by Camille Dalmais, a French-language adaptation of Taiwanese singer Tsai Chin’s “被遺忘的時光” (Bei yiwang de shiguang or “Forgotten Time”). When I heard the first “Tchin Tchin,” it sounded immediately familiar and because of its sound and the film’s piano score, I thought it must be adapated from something seriously old school in Chinese cinema.  So I thought back to my courses in Chinese cinema, and other courses screening Chinese films, but it definitely wasn’t anything socialist realist or Fifth Generation… eventually I was forced to make a Google search (notice how I don’t verbify the brand) which led me to the blog of Paris-based artist Chow Shuen-Git.  She(?) links to performances by Tsai Chin and Camille (below) and I remembered where I’d heard it first.

In the first ten minutes of Infernal Affairs (also below), after their characters and capacities have already been set, Andy Lau comes in to check out some audio equipment for his new flat and Tony Leung is minding the store.   Not quite so old school…

“Human voices are drifting towards you,” he impresses, when testing out the set.  In the end, the three tracks (the oldie played in Infernal Affairs, the live clip of Tsai Chin, and Camille’s rendition) are very different.  I prefer the clarity and crackle as it is played in Infernal Affairs, but the French version is wonderful and fitting with Flight of the Red Balloon.  “Great lyrics, so precise, so careful so simple and good,” said the blogger.  Now I’m trying to track down the soundtrack to the film but malheureusement, it does not appear to be available.

Next I will try to see Café Lumière, another international co-production and homage by Hou Hsiao-Hsien which appears to give music a central role.  This is the first film I’ve seen from the director although his name is always around (I think I’ve seen other Taiwanese “New Wave” films though).  My departmental association was promoting a screening of 好男好女 Good Men, Good Women last week but I had to study for a midterm the next morning.  The film concerns history and memory and identity.  Despite my education, I forget about Japan…  =/  Interestingly, much of the fieldwork for the material I was studying from that night was done in post-war Taiwan and there was really not much mention of it.

Anyways, the film I watched tonight was wonderful, and I will watch it again.  It probably wasn’t clear from my post but the film is in French and takes place in Paris.  I think it is recognised as a French film, starring Juliette Binoche (who has been recently in Montreal- yay Montreal).  Song Fang, who plays a film student from Beijing, is actually a film student from Beijing.  Hou met her in Pusan a couple years ago.  Mentionned video embedded below, enjoy:

[Camille's interpretation set to excerpts from the Voyage]

[The trailer for Flight of the Red Balloon]

[The first ten minutes of Infernal Affairs:

The scene I speak of begins around 8:07 and the song begins to play at 8:56]