Hei pao shi jian

"The Black Cannon Incident" is a very cautious attempt at political satire; while it extracts a few laughs from the spiraling misunderstandings caused by a mysterious telegram sent by a technical translator, there is also an awful lot of tedium, at least for this Western viewer.

This film is not a comedy or satire, as most Western reviewers might think it would be. It needs to be reviewed by someone who understands mainland China, and unfortunately, there just arent that many critics who do understand mainland China. There are some educated and worldly experienced Westerners who do, but they are in the vast minority, and precious few are film critics. This film is a statement about the New China, circa 1983. Not as dogmatic as the Mao years, and not as capitalistic as the Deng years promised, but something in between; socialist capitalism with Chinese characteristics some party members might say.

The film has a Woody Allenesque main character, who is a bit too serious for Western tastes, but is quite in line with the average educated Chinese of the time period. It is not quite Catch 22 or the brilliant Brazil by GIlliam, but it certainly has those types of characteristics. You cannot possibly enjoy this film as much as I did unless you lived and worked in mainland China; it is pretty much as simple as that. Yes, the film is not perfect, and a bit slow, but it certainly reflects the China of 1984.

In many ways it highlights the day to day workings of the CCP's bureaucracy. As with all other bureaucracies in all other countries, they are not intrinsically good nor bad, but vary between the two extremes from time to time. I have many friends within the CCP bureaucracy, and they are just as limited in their capacities as is the protagonist in this wonderful film. I understand and sympathize with Hans, as I have been in his position several times as a foreign expert teaching college Chinese students.

I was once cautioned by the Ministry of Education within China for using "excessive language" regarding Chairman Mao during the Cultural Revolution. As a result, I removed all content relating to Mao. That is the way things are done, and how foreign experts must react; instant accommodation to the wishes of the Ministry is the best way to proceed. Some members of the bureaucracy will not forgive you, while others will consider it a minor offense. That is the mentality of all bureaucracies in all countries; not just the CCP. Just go with the flow.

There's a lot to see and enjoy in "The Black Cannon Incident", but two things are particularly interesting: firstly, the political satire and symbolism, while somewhat guarded, is some of the most scathing ever to reach cinemas in mainland China - it may not always seem like much to Western viewers, but when viewed in the context of, for example, other "post-socialist" films like those of Eastern Europe, it is considerable.

The second aspect of the movie that makes it really worth seeing is its bizarre aesthetic qualities - in this film and "Dislocation", Huang Jianxin uses an industrial setting and discordant music to symbolize visually China's awkward transition into modern Western-style life and the clash of cultures that eventuate. In this and later movies, Huang picks up on seemingly minor details which, under his control, seem to develop much deeper meanings.

On the other hand, it should be stressed that this is a first film for Huang Jianxin - he later refined his film-making considerably. The performances are good, and the idea behind the film is excellent, but the basic storytelling lags behind a bit - the endless meetings and circular conversations may be historically and symbolically realistic, but they don't really excite an audience. If you're prepared to sit through a few dull parts, it's a very interesting viewing experience both for Chinese and foreigners. It's a pity that Huang's plans to collaborate further with German actors fell through.