Shoplifters
Friday, October 13, 2023
Are You Looking At Me?
Mirrors are everywhere in Farewell My Concubine: we see a scene by looking at its reflection in a mirror, characters see things in a mirror (such as when Dieyi sees his replacement as the Concubine) and we see characters in the mirror. Furthermore, images are obscured by screens, fire and smoke, and even the water of an aquarium. What is going on with mirrors and other indirect or obscured images?
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Mirrors in Farewell My Concubine show different sides of the story or give a new angle to a situation. As mentioned in the prompt, there's a scene where Dieyi sees his replacement as the Concubine in the mirror. It's not just about losing a role; it's about him losing a part of himself. He feels replaced, left out, and it makes him think about his value. Another significant use of mirrors that I can think of off the top of my head is the scene where Dieyi and Xiaolou prepare backstage. As they apply their makeup and get into their costumes, we see their reflections in the mirror, a representation of their transformation into their respective roles.
ReplyDeleteThen there's the use of screens, fire, smoke, and even the water of an aquarium to blur out parts of the film. Each of these adds its own twist to the story. Screens can hide things, fire and smoke can make things hard to see, and water can change how things look. The movie uses these to show that life has many layers. Sometimes, it's hard to understand what's happening, or things can feel distorted. The movie also takes us through times of change and trouble in Chinese history. The fire and smoke during these parts might be showing that history can be chaotic. All these elements obscuring images through Farewell My Concubine tell us that life is complicated and remind us that life isn't always clear and can be filled with many challenges.