Saturday, October 21, 2006

Eternal Summer...盛夏光年...永遠の夏...

I have fantastic news......and i am sure many of my gay friends and gay bloggers out there will be VERY HAPPY to know that.......there is a new Gay film from Taiwan (my beloved country) again!!!!!! YEAHHHH!!!!!

It is called 'Eternal Summer' 盛夏光年 and it was just released on 13th Oct....i read in the newspapers that the box office has been very good....i found out about the movie when i was reading the Taiwanese newspapers and was brilliantly surprised....cos both the actors are so cute...eee...and one of them is one of my fav actors Zhang Xiao Quan 張孝全 when he was in 孽子 Crystal Boys (the 1st and only Taiwanese TV drama with a 100% gay theme which dealt with a group of young gay men in 1970s Taiwan)..i couldn't believe he was acting in another gay film again and this time as the main character and the guy he is acting with is sooo cute too...i mean he actually looks gay and is very believable......i am so damn excited man....i wanna see this!!!

I am much more excited over this film than the other popular Taiwanese gay film released in 2004 called 十七歲的天空 'Formula 17' as the main characters in there weren't really my kind of guys, i mean don't get me wrong....i like them and i am sure many other gay men (and girls) love them too but they were just not the kind of guys i like that much...whereas this one BOTH the actors i REALLY like so it should be good.....and furthermore...the tone of this one, as opposed to the romantic comedy of 'Formula 17' is much more serious and romantic....something i like better...AND THE BEST THING OF ALL is that i've seen the trailer and its similar to a Korean love story...i've always wanted to see a gay version of a romantic korean love story....and i never thought anyone would make one but now there is one!!!! Now﹐for those whom aren't sure of what i mean by a typical 'korean love story'...i shall explain....as any korean drama lover or korean person will be able to tell u, the ultimate korean love story is invariably about this guy and girl whom knew each other since childhood and they already were best friends then, then they move through to highschool or to work and fall in love...its always about when they were still young children as if it was fated that they would end up together....examples are Autumn Tale by Song Hye Gyo where it starts with when she was still young with her 'brother' or the Lee Young Ae film 'Last Present' in which she finds out that her husband was this boy whom she knew and loved her in primary school....
Eternal Summer has a similar storyline but obviously involving two guys....


Further, there is a girl in the movie whom is one of the main characters and i just like a female lead in gay films too, makes it all interesting.. !! The film apparently also has a daring gay sex scene too though i dun know how thats going to fit into the story cos as far as i know, one of the guys in the film is NOT gay...only one of them is gay and has a crush on the other one...the other just treats him as his best friend ever but is straight..or may be bi??....the film also touches on the 921 Great Earthquake which occurred in Taiwan a few years ago...i think it should be a fantastic film portraying a very realistic period which most gay guys go thru...falling for ur straight friend..and in this case, the straight/bi bestfriend....sigh....

Storyline:
我想 每個人 生來就不應該孤獨! 正行和守恆是鎮上小學裡的同班同學,正行是班長,但守恆卻是令人頭痛的壞小孩,一天到晚惹麻煩。某天,到台北市立天文館戶外教學,也同時轉來一位女同學──佳慧。佳慧爸媽離婚,跟著媽媽不情不願轉學到鄉下,心情已經夠糟,卻又在參觀途中,因為守恆的惡作劇,而撲倒、弄壞了天文館裡的模型。出了這麼大的糗,讓她中途從參觀途中離開,再也不肯回到班上。佳慧也就因此只做了正行和守恆一天的同學。然而,這件事卻從深深烙印在他們三人心裡。 因為這件事,守恆被醫生判定為過動兒。在深入了解守恆調皮搗蛋的原因其來有自後,老師派正行去幫忙守恆適應校園生活。正行原本不情不願,但在幫助守恆走進學習正軌的過程中,卻開啟了兩個陌生心靈、兩個差異極大的世界的交流,正行反而因此更加了解守恆稀奇古怪的世界,打開他本來被規範得好好的乖寶寶世界,一個好學生和一個壞孩子,成了好朋友。 高中時代,在正行的影響之下,加上體育成績優異,守恆也考上跟正行一樣的高中,並且度過了令人頭痛的階段,長成一個帥氣的青少年。正行仍是那麼優異斯文,在校刊社還認識了一個女性的好朋友──惠嘉,兩人間似乎有著淡淡的情愫。但也就在此同時,正行發現他自己對守恆,也開始有了超越好朋友的情份。在一次正行與惠嘉相約上台北西門町玩的過程中,惠嘉發現了正行的秘密,但她也答應幫正行保守,永不洩露出去。 正行害怕面對自己身體裡可能的真相,於是開始躲著守恆,再也不去籃球場上看守恆打球了。守恆遍尋不著正行,卻發現惠嘉出現在球場上。惠嘉因為發現正行的秘密,也對正行喜歡的對象,產生了無限好奇。三個人之間微妙的友情、愛情關係,開始產生微妙的傾斜。
English Story Outline: Zhen Xing and Shou Heng are two boys at a primary school in a coastal country town in Taiwan....one is a bad boy Shou Heng whom is isolated and the other is a good boy Zhen Xing. One day, the teacher asks the good boy Zhen Xing to be Shou Heng's friend in the hopes that SH will change to become a good boy. A girl Jia Hui moves to their school but they are only classmates for a day as for some unknown reason, JH leaves the school after just a day......thus starts the friendship and bond between ZX and SH as they become the best of friends....time passes and in the flash of an eye, both ZX and SH become handsome , young and energetic highschool boys whom both study at the same highschool...they remain the best of friends after all these years and always fool around and hang out in school....one day, ZX meets a girl in the school magazine society and the three of them become friends....one day when ZX and the girl went out to Ximenting (a young popular place hip with teens in Taipei), the girl discovers ZX secret....and a curiousity arouses within her towards the person he secretly loves....she promises to keep his secret.....

There is one scene in the trailer which i found totally romantic...its the scene when one of them calls out the other's name when he goes to pick him up for school on the bicycle...i just thought this was such a romantic scene.....(i think if any homophobic person was reading this post of mine, they would be horrified and find me perverse for thinking that a korean drama-like love story between two men was romantic!! hehehehe)...

I am always VERY proud when gay films or events come out of Asia....as it is essential to show the Western world and to give Asian gay men and lesbians an Asian Gay and Lesbian popular culture such that there is no impression that being gay is a 'Western thing'..which some Asians continue to believe regrettably.....Taiwan is one of the most progressive countries in Asia when it comes to gay and lesbian issues and rights....the Western world may only just be discovering mainstream gay film in Brokeback Mountain but Taiwan and HK have been producing MAINSTREAM gay films for a decade now....the difference b/w the West and Chinese media is that up till 'Brokebck Mountain', America only produced gay films which were known amongst the gay and lesbian community with mainstream America not having any knowledge of them. In contrast, Taiwan and HK have been producing MAINSTREAM gay themed films since 1997 and watched by the average person with mainstream actors in them...examples are Bishonen (1998), Crystal Boys(2004) [which caused quite a stir when it came out with wide media coverage in Taiwan as it was broadcast on TV and had a storyline completely focused on homosexuality], LanYu (2001) [which won the Taiwanese equivalent to the Academy Awards and widely known by everyone in Chinese speaking areas], etc...

For those unfamiliar with Taiwan or Asia, i hope the above have changed their outdated views that Asian countries are still very backwards when it comes to homosexuality cos i know just in terms of the media, the Chinese media has always been much more progressive than their Western counterparts....i mean i heard Ang Lee (again it took a Taiwanese to make America's first gay mainstream film) had difficulty finding actors for Brokeback Mountain when in HK and Taiwan many and i mean MANY mainstream actors have taken on gay roles without much controversy...examples include the cute Daniel Wu who has a strong female and gay male following in China,Taiwan and HK.He has acted as a gay man in at least 4 HK films at last count one of which included some steamy scenes....another is Zhang Xiao Quan, the guy in 'Eternal Summer' whom acted as a gay character in 2 TV dramas and now this film...or Edison Chen, a well-known HK heart-throb whom openly said in a magazine interview that he wants to act a gay character as it is challenging without any fear of being attacked as being 'gay' himself...
further, though Brokeback didn't manage to get an Oscar for Best Picture due to a conservative panel of voters...one Chinese picture managed to clinch the top prize at the Taiwanese Academy waaay bck in 2001 and there was no controversy at all that the top prize was given to a gay film .......of cos i know in Asia, really only the Chinese media is that open and can offer gay and lesb Chinese an alternative to Western gay culture (believe me u can actually ignore all gay films and culture that come from the West as there are just so many Chinese gay ones for u to pick from)....other places like Indonesia and the Phillipines dun seem to have much mainstream gay media....Korea is improving with the 'King's Man' which became one of the highest grossing Korean films of all time and became very popular amongst other gay asian men too (i know many Chinese gay friends whom have seen it or want to see it)...but it has one drawback which also reflects the backwardness of Koreans when it comes to gay and lesbian issues....the Koreans still continue to believe that gay men are effeminate and the love story in the 'King's Man' reflected this misguided belief....one of the men is very effeminate and really no different from a woman....Lee Joon Ki became popular after this role.......they are like what Taiwan and HK was like 10..15 yrs ago...nowadays, in Taiwan and HK, like in 'Eternal Summer' homosexual love and gay men are portrayed much more accurately with both men being extremely 'normal-looking' and manly...this is something koreans may wish to aim for...but it will take many more yrs i would think.

Below are links to pics from the Taiwan Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade 2006 which has been held for four yrs already i think and always gets massive media attention in Taiwan given that they parade thru the main streets of Taipei City and furthermore, the Taipei Mayor officially attended the Parade and flew the rainbow flag.....the Taipei City Council also appropriates funds towards the Taipei Pride Festival annually showing government support for it.......also posted are articles from the Taiwanese newspaper with regards to gays and the media...

Anyways, hope that those unfamiliar with gay and lesbian issues in Chinese speaking areas, specifically, Taiwan, have gained a deeper understanding of gay and lesbian issues in Asia now.....

To end, i shall quote from 'Eternal Summer'... a line which i think is meaningful...

沒 有 人 是 應 該 孤 獨 的 ﹐ 你 還 是 這 樣 相 信 嗎 ﹖ ....No one deserves to be lonely... Do you still hold on to this belief?

Taiwanese Newspaper Articles on Gay issues:


金城武、吳彥祖男男接吻 網友最想看

〔 2006.09.30 中國時報 〕
賀靜賢/台北報導

今天是「同志榮耀日」,為期2周的「hitoradio網友最想看的男男相吻組合」,票選結果也於昨天出爐。吳彥祖、金城武以732票,成為網友最想欣賞的男男吻搭檔;而且從前5名配對當中,更可以看出網友皆屬「外貌協會」!
金城武帥氣逼人,加上感情生活低調,因此同性戀、異性戀都愛他。網友認為,能配得上金城武的,則非帥哥吳彥祖莫屬。張孝全、張睿家主演的同志電影「盛夏光年」即將上檔,2人以651票拿下了第2名;可以見得外界對於同志電影的注目度的確很高!
范植偉、楊祐寧一起演過連續劇「孽子」,後來楊祐寧還演了同志電影「17歲的天空」,因此2人以551票拿下第3名。至於本身就是同志的已故男星張國榮,和梁朝偉因演過「春光乍現」,影迷仍然印象深刻並深深懷念著,以499票拿下第4名。

有趣的是,吳彥祖一直有女朋友,但他仍然得到同志的青睞,除了與金城武榮登冠軍,也有網友將他與陳冠希「配對」,以425票拿下第5名。

English Summary: Hit Radio station in Taiwan, in celebration of Taiwan Pride Festival 2006 held an online vote on which two male celebrities that listeners wished to see in gay kiss scene and no1 was Takeshi Kaneshiro and Daniel Wu, no2 the male leads of 'Eternal Summer', no3 Fan zhi Wei and Yang Yue Ning of Crystal Boys gay tv drama, no4 is Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung whom acted in the well known Wong Kar Wai gay film in 1997 and no5 is Daniel Wu and Edison Chen...for those unfamiliar with what these actors look like, do a google search of their names...

In another news article, it is reported that famous singer Coco lee wants to perform at the famous Taipei gay club 'Funky'...many Taiwanese singers perform at this gay club which is widely known in Taipei amongst even straight Taipei residents...there seems to be no stigma at performing at a gay club and indeed many female singers WANT to perform there to get the gay consumer market...recently even male singers go there, incl. Zhao Ge 曹 格 a Malaysian singer (but i seriously suspect he is gay...has anyone seen his album cover? topless with a sexy look on his face..definitely aiming for the gay crowd...haha)

Official Website of 'Eternal Summer' at:
官方網站:
http://www.wretch.cc/blog/summermovie
Pics including pics of the cast at the Taipei Gay&Lesbian Pride Parade 2006 as well as clips from the film at:
http://www.wretch.cc/album/summermovie

Official Trailer of 'Eternal Summer' at You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ajwB34Ryuo

Taiwan Pride Parade 2006: http://twpride.net (includes photos of the parade under the 'Gallery' section)

Archive posts on issues regarding Gays and Lesbians: go to my Sept 2005 archive as well as http://chinesechic.blogspot.com/2005_07_01_chinesechic_archive.html for a list of past Taiwanese gay and lesbian tv dramas n films.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey there
im from brazil, and i was trying to find something about the new film "eternal summer", after i watched i was so excited about it.
i wish i could talk to you.
if you want, fell free to add me on MSNmesenger:

rafafurious@hotmail.com

or just e-mail me. thanks!

hcpen said...

rafael: Thanks for ur comment...i am surprised to get someone from Brazil...good to know that my blog is read so 'internationally'...haha...
anyways, i will contact u shortly when i have the time:)

Anonymous said...

Just found your blog while doing a search on the movie. Glad to find someone else who's as interested in this movie as I am. Best of all--you can speak English.

Anyway, I don't think I've ever longed to watch a movie the way I am aching to see this one. Hopefully it gets released on DVD sometime within the next six months.

In the mean time, I've been listening to the soundtrack and watching the trailer ad nauseam to tide me over.

BTW, any chance you can translate this article (http://blog.webs-tv.net/anike/article/3667182) into English? From the crummy translation at Babel Fish, it seems to be about the love scene between Zhang Rui Jia and Zhang Xiao Quan! Oh, and any chance you can translate lyrics to the movie's theme song? :D

hcpen said...

typoprone: My Summary of Article: About the scene of the two being nude...they only had a sock to cover up their 'important bits' and put masking tape over it to prevent their 'manhood' from dangling about...however, it remains to be seen whether the scene showing both of them butt naked will get into the final version of the movie...this is the interesting bit on the article...some stuff about how professional they are...but nothing important...also about the song lyrics...sure i can help u translate (try my best!!) but you will have to provide it....

Anonymous said...

Hahaha. Thanks for the summary; interesting about the sock. How I'd love to have been on set when they filmed the scene. Snce that article was written before the movie came out, I wonder if the butt shots ever made it into the final cut?

Anyway, I think these are the lyrics to the song.

词曲:阿信 制作:阿信
编曲 阿信+任伯璋+蔡昆奇+大麻
吉他:大麻 贝斯:蔡昆奇 鼓:任伯璋
钢琴+键盘:阿信 弦乐编写:阿信+Tina


我骄傲的破坏 我痛恨的平凡 才想起那些是我最爱
让盛夏去贪玩 把残酷的未来 狂放到光年外 而现在

放弃规则 放纵去爱 放肆自己 放空未来
我不转弯 我不转弯 我不转弯 我不转弯

让定律更简单 让秩序更混乱 这样的青春我才喜欢
让盛夏去贪玩 把残酷的未来 狂放到光年外 而现在

放弃规则 放纵去爱 放肆自己 放空未来
我不转弯 我不转弯 我不转弯 我不转弯

我要 我疯 我要 我爱 就是 我要 我疯 我要 我爱 现在
一万首的mp3 一万次疯狂的爱 灭不了一个渺小的孤单

我要 我疯 我要 我爱 就是 我要 我疯 我要 我爱 现在
盛夏的一场狂欢 来到了光年之外 长大难道是人必经的溃烂

放弃规则 放纵去爱 放肆自己 放空未来
我不转弯 我不转弯 我不转弯 我不转弯

It would be awesome if you could give me the gist of it. :D

Oh, one last thing: you mentioned another Taiwanese gay-themed movie, Formula 17, so I checked it out. It was really good (though definitely different in tone from Eternal Summer). One thing I found funny is how the main character in Formula 17 wears a shirt that is very similar to the one Zhang Rui Jia's character wears in Eternal Summer! See comparison pic here. Coincidence? I think not!

hcpen said...

typoprone: Ok...give me some time to help you translate the major meaning of the song lyrics...as for Formula 17...i am surprised u haven't heard of it before as amongst the Chinese gay circle, its pretty well known n was a big hit in Taiwan a few years back amongst the str8 audience too...
also about the shirt...OMG!!!!! It is THE SAME....hhhmmmm...but mayb cos there is a rainbow stripe running thru which represents the gay community....anyways, can i ask where u r from? Do u own a blog too which u can share with me?

Anonymous said...

Thanks!

Anyway, I didn't know about Formula 17 because I haven't really been into Asian/gay culture/entertainment until recently. Plus, it's only been in the last couple of years--and especially in the last couple of months--that I've had this burgeoning feeling of "Asian Pride."

I'm in Canada, by the way. I have a blog here. Doubt you'd wanna read it, as the tone is (intentionally) negative, repetitive, bitter, and whiny. Really, it's mainly just a place for me to get things off my chest... even if no one ever reads what I've written.

Currently, it's provided me with a kind of outlet for my Eternal Summer obsession. :-P

hcpen said...

typoprone: Hi....the first part of my translation of the lyrics:

(By Ah Xin of the famous Taiwanese boyband 'MayDay')

My pride in the destruction
我骄傲的破坏,
the normalness which i detest,
我痛恨的平凡
Only now do i realise that those are what i love most,
才想起那些是我最爱
Let the full summer have its joy,
让盛夏去贪玩
Throw the cruel reality of the future lightyears away,
把残酷的未来 狂放到光年外
And now,
而现在

throw all the rules out the window,放弃规则
love with all your heart,
放纵去爱
let go of urself,
放肆自己
leave the future blank,
放空未来
I won't bend, I won't bend, etc...
我不转弯 我不转弯 我不转弯 我不转弯

Let the usual pattern become simpler,
让定律更简单
Let order become chaos,
让秩序更混乱
This is the youth i like,
这样的青春我才喜欢
Let the full summer have its joy,
让盛夏去贪玩
Throw away the cruel reality of the future lightyears away
And now,..
把残酷的未来 狂放到光年外 而现在
second part to be finished later...

Also, i had a look at ur blog...so u study at UBC? Wow, i heard its a pretty good college. Also, i am assuming u r Chinese-Filipino in heritage? Cos i read somewhere u immigrated to Canada with ur family when u

Anonymous said...

Awesome! I look forward to the second part. :)

You've heard of UBC? I guess the fact that you recognize its name means it's not such a bad school. I just transferred there this semester. And yup, I'm Chinese-Filipino. :)

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
hcpen said...

typoprone:
Here, sorry for the long delay, i've been super busy lately and my internet is not working..

放弃规则 放纵去爱 放肆自己 放空未来
Give the rules. Love with all your heart. Let go of yourself. Leave the future with endless possibilities.
我不转弯 我不转弯 我不转弯 我不转弯
I won't bend. I won't bend. I won't bend....
我要 我疯 我要 我爱 就是 我要 我疯 我要 我爱
I wanna be crazy..I wanna love...
现在
一万首的mp3 一万次疯狂的爱 灭不了一个渺小的孤单
Now, ten thousand mp3 ten thousand love cannot erase the small feeling of loneliness...
我要 我疯 我要 我爱 就是 我要 我疯 我要 我爱
I wanna crazy wanna love...
现在
盛夏的一场狂欢 来到了光年之外 长大难道是人必经的溃烂
Now, the unforgettable summer of craziness...we've come to light yrs away. Is growing up an inevitable part of life?
放弃规则 放纵去爱 放肆自己 放空未来
我不转弯 我不转弯 我不转弯 我不转弯
Give the rules. Love with all your heart. Let go of yourself. Leave the future with endless possibilities.
I won't bend. I won't bend. I won't bend....

Anonymous said...

Thank you! I really appreciate you taking the time to translate the lyrics for me. :D

hcpen said...

typoprone: No Worries Man...:):)

Anonymous said...

I am so happy someone else loves this movie and song. Hi from Texas and I would love to know more about the movie since I can't see it.

Anonymous said...

Hi I'm from Spain and I really love to see this movie, do you know where can I find it??? I saw Crystal Boys,Formula 17, The king and the Clown, Nagisa no Shindobaddo,Boys Love, Bishonen, and other asian gay films ad I really like them, asian boys are so cute ^^

hcpen said...

mariana and yuko: thanks for your comments:)

Anonymous said...

Hi! I'm the one that really love this movie. It can make me sad and happy in ths same time. But i don't understand the end of this movie. The last sentence has a lot of meaning.

Anonymous said...

howdy! i just found yr article after doing an internet search. greetings from singapore where the movie opens on 26th april. i've got the dvd already and have been obsessed with the show since then.
set up an online 'support group' for eternal summer groupies: http://community.livejournal.com/eternallysummer/profile

these are some blog posts i made about the movie: http://smeowly.livejournal.com/tag/eternal+summer

cheers!

Anonymous said...

Just one want say thanks for translating the song for Eternal Summer.

And your article about Taiwanese progressiveness towards the gay culture was very enlightening. Thank you for the information.

It was after I finished watching "Eternal Summer" that i am proud of my gay asian pride...thanks to movies from Taiwan. Cheers!

hcpen said...

atomic love, smeowly,pip 820: Wow!!! I can't believe I am getting so much reaction for this post..it seems that there are many fans out there of eternal summer...I am glad people are becoming more proud of their 'Asian gayness'...cos i think its just so important to have positive role models in the media telling us that the ideal gay lifestyle and the ideal gay male is NOT white.

Further, any more comments PLEASE POST IT ON MY LATEST ENTRY. It doesn;t matter irrelevant to my latest one as i don't check this anymore so pls post it there k!!