Persepolis

"Forgive me God"

Marjane Satrapi has published a series of personal memoirs in comic form. Persepolis became an international bestseller and a key work in the comic medium. It was probably a forgone conclusion that a story including biting criticism of the Iranian government would be adapted for film during this period of heightened US aggression. To find it as gorgeous, funny and profound as the books is a welcome surprise. The two volumes of Persepolis adapted here cover Marjane Satrapi's childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. It begins with the onset of the 1979 Revolution with people in the streets, and a fire in the belly of family members who longed for the release of relatives imprisoned by the Shah. 10-year-old Marjane (voiced at different ages by Gabrielle Lopes & Chiara Mastroianni) is as impassioned as the crowds she longs to be a part of; marching around the house yelling revolutionary slogans until it's time for bed, and sometimes even after. She's guided in her dreams by God who has ordained her the next prophet. Her future demands as prophet? That the suffering (physical, mental and otherwise) of old women will be forbidden.

The comedic and whimsical coexist well, and make more effective the dramatic scenes of war, firing squads and homelessness that surround Marjane. She is supported in her efforts by her parents, but especially by her grandmother (voiced by Dannielle Darrieux); a strong-willed and acid-tongued woman who refuses to bend before patriarchy and "men with tiny dicks." Marjane inherits some similar personality traits expressed in ways varying from rocking the air guitar and headbanging some Iron Maiden to clearly, firmly, and without regret answering that she's from Iran in response to subtlety hostile questions. The story and dialogue are matched well by the extraordinary animation. As an adaptation it loses almost the entire paneled feel but manages to retain the general aesthetic. Where most animated films nowadays try for more realistic images, Persepolis is comfortable and effective using the abstract and stylized visuals created by Satrapi and set against Thierry Million's beautiful background paintings.

The abstract drawings also work in allowing the characters a certain 'everyman' identity; making it more personal for audiences. Marjane's inner struggles with loving Iran but hating the government can be translated to the family, city, region, or country of just about anyone, anywhere. Her struggle with identity and with having to defend Iran from her peers abroad while holding contempt of her own ensure that the art is the only black and white thing going on, and help make Persepolis one of the greatest animated films ever made.

Persepolis is screening at the Landmark Century Theater in Chicago and the Century 12 in Evanston.

Kung Fu Fighter

"Forgive him, he cannot control his power!"

Throughout February the Siskel Film Center is offering a selection of Hong Kong action films for Chicagoans. The series begins unfortunately, on a low note with Kung Fu Fighter (How there was a never a film with this title before is perplexing.). Director Yip Wing-Kin's effort egregiously rips off Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle. One almost has to admire the director for choosing to rip off so popular a film. It's certain that anyone who's going see KFF will have seen Kung Fu Hustle and given that it only came out in 2004, will remember it quite clearly. It could be argued that most action films rip off an earlier flick to some degree and that such sins are forgivable if the resulting art is up to par. But KFF pretty much sucks so, that's out the window.

KFF stars boy-band veteran Vaness Wu as Manik, a poor country boy who has come to the bustle of pre-war Shanghai to find his pops. He's a decent, honorable fellow who doesn't really stick out at all unless he's overcome by rage and goes apeshit on baddies. From a viewer's perspective, this means he's completely bland but for those few moments when he flips out. He's partnered with Fatty (Lam Chi-Ching in, sigh, an identical role to his Kung Fu Hustle performance) who unintentionally included him in a gambling ploy between mob bosses while intentionally handing him a counterfeit note to place a bet. The counterfeit exposed, both Manik and Fatty are on the run from an angry mob boss and his henchmen when they get sheltered in a hotel run by wu-shu experts who each have a particular tool they use in their fighting [Uh, Kung Fu Hustle again]. Where KFF stops plagiarizing is where it's get even worse. The cinematography is brutal. Really terrible camera work leads to awful framings and awkward visual sequences; awkward being different from unconventional.

There are numerous subplots including the womanizing God of Gamblers and his tormented mistress, a thwarted romance between Manik and said mistress, and the rivalry between mob bosses. None of them are developed and none of them make any sense. Additionally, none of the characters are developed to any degree worth considering and they are introduced and dropped without any discernible reason. Now, none of this would make much of a difference if the numerous fight scenes were at all engaging. But the choreography is almost as bad as the rest of the film. Note to fighters: In a movie you can't duck before the kick is thrown; there's no reason to do so. All this adds up to a pretty bad film. In fact, the only reason this one seems to exists is for the protagonist to grow progressively more shirtless with each fight scene. That doesn't make much sense either, but at least 14-year-old girls in Taiwan will be delighted.

Kung Fu Fighter is screening at the Gene Siskel Film Center Friday 1 Feb. and Sunday 3 Feb.

Nanking

"There is no place left to hide, there is no hope."

The Rape of Nanking in 1937 ranks among the 20th century's most horrific instances of brutality. Somewhere between 150,000-300,000 Chinese civilians and soldiers were massacred and some 20,000 women raped by Japanese Imperial Troops under the command of the Emperor's uncle-in-law Prince Asaka and General Matsui Iwane. The horrific shelling and aerial bombing had commenced earlier, but the adjudicated war crimes began on 13 December when Japanese troops entered the city's walls. Almost immediately the few remaining foreigners in Nanking began chronicling the atrocities and some, such as American Protestant Missionary Minnie Vautrin and Nazi businessman John Rabe, set up the International Committee to establish the Nanking Safety Zone. The new documentary Nanking looks at the massacre through the eyes of the committee members; interviews with survivors and soldiers, and archival footage.

It's an innovative and effective film. The journals of Rabe, Vautrin, Lewis Smythe, John Magee, George Fitch and others are read on camera. Directors Dan Sturman and Bill Guttentag have actors read the journals, not through voiceover, as if testifying in front of the audience. This sober recollection combined with the brutal, devastating testimony of survivors and archival footage forms a film far more complete than any listing of historical data, no matter how detailed. At 88 minutes, Nanking wastes no time and pulls no punches. The journal entries selected put the atrocities in an international context including both those who contributed through material support to Japan, and those who looked away while the crimes went on (virtually the entire world).

John Rabe left Nanking while the Japanese occupation continued; returning to Germany where his fellow Nazis prohibited him from speaking about what he had seen. When others returned to the US they were met with skepticism. The efforts of the International Committee, no matter how they were received abroad, sheltered over 250,000 Chinese civilians. There's no way to know how many of them might have been killed, but the survivors in Nanking remember each mother, grandfather or foreigner who saved them. It's the strongest possible invocation for us all to speak up, not only against any oppressive system we play a part in, but also to others who might not yet shared enlightened views. The International Committee was the initiative of John Rabe. And if the conscience of a Nazi capitalist can be awakened then, well, there's hope for just about anyone.

Nanking is playing at the Gene Siskel Film Center nightly from 1-7 February.

Comments and discussion are welcome.