暗戀桃花源Problematizing Dreams

in Peach Blossom Land and around it

Outline Starting Questions

Context I: Taiwanese theatre; From Theatre to Film Context II: cross-strait relationship

More Questions; Three Approaches1. A Formalist Reading:

Different Pursuers after Different Dreams2. An Meta-Theatrical/Filmic Reading3. National Allegory? –the Extra-Theatrical

Starting Questions What do you think the film is about? How do

you set its historical contexts? Please compare and contrast the two theatre g

roups and their plays.

What roles do the directors, one assistant, the janitor and two strange women (one looking for 劉子驥 ) play?

Peach Blossom Land: 2 Contexts background: 1985 -- 春天【表演工作坊】推出《那一夜，我們說相

聲》，演出意外的受到歡迎，這對一個新生的劇團而言，無疑是一劑強心針。演出結束大夥已在計畫下一齣戲。當時的台灣尚末解除戒嚴，兩岸亦未往返，但社會上卻已隱藏一股山雨欲來的氣氛，這股暗流為當時我們這群嘗試以劇場為表現形式的人提供了絕佳的靈感。 (丁乃竺 source)

1986 -- 《暗戀桃花源》 1987 -- 解嚴、宣佈開放大陸探親政策 1991 – 《暗戀桃花源》舞台劇重演 1992 -- 《暗戀桃花源》龍祥 / 台灣 1994 -- 《飛俠阿達》

2004 – -- 那一夜 women 說相聲；

-- 「我們兩家都是人」

Peach Blossom Land: Context (1) 《暗戀桃花源》－－陳玉慧導演的《謝微

笑》－－在藝術館彩排的經驗

Context (1) Improvisational Theatre (or Improv.)

Improvisational performance Improvisational training Group Improvisational writing (or performance text)

Tsai 19

Context (1) Improvisational Theatre (or Improv.) 2

Ref. Why is Improvisation important for an actor in theatre? 1. The actor is not driven by the script but by

imagination and expressiveness in creating characters

2. Improvisational skills are a resource for the actor

3. Without skills in improvisation the actor is in danger of inflexibility and narrowness. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Improvisation )

Peach Blossom LandPeach Blossom Land Improvisational Theatre

“Improvisation in its simplest form is spontaneously living the moment.” (Lai qtd Tsai 68) )

開放式即興；規劃式即興

文本﹙Tsai 83﹚

Peach Blossom LandPeach Blossom Land Improvisational Theatre (2)

e.g. 1 賴聲川－－ 提出他希望以兩個劇團爭奪一個舞台為出發

大夥討論：一個以演悲劇《暗戀》為主的三流劇團，與一個以演三流喜劇《桃花源》為主的江湖劇團於焉誕生。

e.g. 2 你們三個人喝酒﹐讓老陶喝不到。

Context (1) Improvisational Theatre (2)

e.g. 3 賴聲川－－ 要雲之凡向江濱柳起身告辭，同時要江濱柳叫住雲，問這些年可曾想過他。

而照此指示即興 「到這一剎那，金士傑和我都突然進入一種無法言喻的情緒，突然間我們似乎觸碰到一個核心，一個龐大的東西，我突然對我們上一代的流離失所和許多的無奈，生出一股強烈的同情心，眼淚不由自主的流下，而金士傑和我即興完這一段戲時，整個客廳都很安靜 . . . . . . 」 (source)

Context (1) From Theatre to Film

Production Company 龍祥－－原以賣港片為主﹐以此片為拓展市場之途徑。

Characters 角色 －－必須擺脫原角色的影響。(以江太太為例 );

Cinematography of 杜篤之 －－(1) Found shooting the whole stage to be a mistake.(2) exposure of backstage and moving curtains up and d

own e.g. * 尋找順子 segment (theatre space film space)

Context (1) Theatre to Film (2)

Cinematography 杜篤之 －－ filmic representation of theatre spaces

(3) Time/Space Travel – *“return to the past”: Theatre backdrop film’

s 去桃花源 showing moving backdrops

Context (2) Cross-Strait Relations?

賴：「大陸開放探親之後﹐《暗》劇反而更無罣礙地在主題上走得更深。一方面往個人心靈世界發展﹐一方面走向更宏大得視野、更永恆而共通得生命意義。首演版本得通俗劇模式靠著真實事件得情感而成功的運轉﹐如今這通俗劇結合了更大的架構﹐輻射的命題更大﹐不再局限於兩岸的關係。……你可以說武陵是大陸﹐桃花源是台灣﹐也可以說完全相反」 (in 鴻鴻 31)

Context (2)Order in Disorder

《暗戀桃花園》的成功，在於它滿足了臺灣人民潛意識的某種願望，臺灣實在太亂了，這齣戲便是在渾亂與干擾當中，鑽出一個秩序來，讓完全不搭調的東西放在一起，看久了，也就搭調了。 (in 鴻鴻 )

More Questions How do we contextualize the film, then? … 「－ 伯伯﹐你不是回大陸去了嗎？」

Peach Blossom LandPeach Blossom LandThree ApproachesThree Approaches

1. Formalist Approach (compare/contrast) : Different Pursuits of Ideals (in a Theatre as Life)

2. Context (1): Meta-theatre-film (multiple theatrical context) -- Time Travel Film problematized

3. Context (2): from Mess to Order –Nostalgic or a-political?

Peach Blossom LandPeach Blossom Land The two plays in contrast

Style Theme Recurrent Motif

暗戀

tragic; Romantic

Ideal and Love Broken;

Political unrest; Marriage Reunion before Death

China Taiwan

Disorder -- migration --order

桃花源

comic; crude and exaggerat-ed

Poverty, Sexual Impotence and Adultery; Escape Return

Ideal land // 祖先Vs. Marriage/Reality

DiscontentDiscontent

Peach Blossom LandPeach Blossom Land The two plays in contrast: Plot

Thesis Anti-thesis Con-fusion

(lack of) Solution

暗戀

上海公園 Constrained in 台北病房Missing 雲 seeing her

(problem in acting)

等她來

Family tolerance

Meeting

Life to death;

桃花源

武陵 (impotence // extra-marital affair) 桃

桃花源From frustration and anger to release in childish games.

回去

Life or death; go together; Family arguments

From Contrast to Mixing and Similarities

-- Means interruptions

Peach Blossom LandPeach Blossom Land 桃花源 (1): Personal Escape

A. Personal Level: Basic survival: 窮山餓水，潑婦刁民 , 釣魚魚都串連

好了不一塊兒上網； Comic Effects – 1. Symbols and Innuendos: Fish; 「小魚乾」 「那個什麼」2. Actions: the comforter scene, drinking scene; Rejection & Repetition: 1. Nobody can compare with him at 武陵。2. Ideal land -- 春花﹦白衣女子；袁老闆﹦白衣男子 n

o escape from the bad memories?

Peach Blossom LandPeach Blossom Land 桃花源 (2): “No Solution”

1. 「每個人都很祥和﹐平靜﹐每個人都為別人著想﹐每個景象都是美麗的圖畫﹐每個聲音都像是遙遠地方傳來美麗動聽的樂音」 Childish and non-sexual game;

2. Peaceful togetherness: e.g. apple-eating; 3. Perspectivism. 觀看角度4. Even more impossible desire to take 春花 and 袁老闆 there. 5. The last scene – stopped by the other group and

the janitor

Peach Blossom LandPeach Blossom Land 暗戀 (1): Unrealistic Pursuit

1. Romantic: The Song 〈追尋〉 --「你是晴空的流雲 你是子夜的流星」；芳香；時間靜止；

2. 江’ s impractical pursuit -- Belief in their meeting each other some place. The nurse: 保持現狀﹙雲小姐來你反而會更難

過﹚ (e.g. clip 2) Nurse: 「江先生人真的很好」 ；雲：「我先

生人真的很好。」﹚ (clip 3) Mrs. 江： serving her husband without understa

nding him; tries to comfort him at the end.

Peach Blossom LandPeach Blossom Land 暗戀 (2): a Historical Tragedy

3. The ironies of fate: Repetitions ironies 信。 -- many letters; all mis

sed. 昆明 ( 碰不到面 )、上海

( 碰面 )、台北 ( 這麼小﹐反而碰不到面 )

4. 江’ s persistence -- The nurse: cannot remember

what her lover looks like after two weeks.

The envelope—intended for his wife

Missing home – 東北

Peach Blossom Land II Peach Blossom Land II Meta-Theatre/Film: a Postmodern Collage

The two plays intersect with each other, with each segment (or the interruption in between) undermining the previous segment.

Theme: Time/Space Travel and Nostalgia problematized

Peach Blossom Land II Peach Blossom Land II Time/Space Travel & Nostalgia problematized

The two plays juxtaposed; Mutual criticism; Interrupting each other at their ‘climax’ or emotion

al moments; e.g. 「你一定要忘記﹐戰爭﹐死亡﹐你一定要忘記才能重新開始…」

Confused with each other.

e.g. 1 -- 老陶’s return

e.g. 2 – two plays using the same stage.

Intersections of the Two Plays

Confusion: 你抓不到；你回去 Borrowing the pillow of one group to use as a c

hild.

唉 來多久了

等她 不會 回去

嗐 五天了好久了

她不一定想來她會來她可能把你給忘了…她不會來

對不起我不是那個意思…

你可能會更難過

Peach Blossom Land II -BPeach Blossom Land II -BThe Other Meta-Theatrical Aspect

暗戀

Setting; Acting

上海病房 改為台北

台北病房＋上海公園；Acting (the director’s projection)

桃花源

Stage Prop

Missing one screen

( 尋找順子)

桃樹逃出來；change the script ( 幹嘛「若有光」 ?)

The Other Meta-Theatrical Aspect

桃花源 e.g.

The Other Meta-Theatrical Aspect

暗戀 e.g.

Confusion of Roles Roles = Actor/Actress 「謝謝你啊…江太太」「我

不是蔡老闆…」 The Director “Realism” + Subjective Projection

「小手的一握﹐是最甜蜜也最辛酸的時候……一個巨大的變化即將來臨」

「黃埔江﹐我看你們看的是淡水河。」 「你現在不好好演﹐到下面一場系﹐等你老了躺在病

床上﹐你就沒有回憶了。」 白色的山茶花 你們是演不出來的…

Peach Blossom Land II –CPeach Blossom Land II –CMeta Aspects: Theatrical Frames

Beginning and Ending:

Actors and Actresses coming and leaving. beginning – Ending

-- Who gets to determine our directions in life? -- Life as fictions, but we are not necessarily its writers. -- No easy transition from one historical period to another.

Peach Blossom Land II –CPeach Blossom Land II –CMeta Aspects: Theatrical Frames

2) Marginalized Characters:

1) Characters waiting for their time to act

2) The Assistant

Peach Blossom Land II –CPeach Blossom Land II –CMeta Aspects: Theatrical Frames

2) Marginalized Characters:

3) Two strange women One looking for 劉子驥

The other reading newspaper and waiting

The clock

Peach Blossom Land III –IPeach Blossom Land III –IMeta Aspects: Extra-Theatrical Framesfrom Mess to Order in Apparent Disorder situated in Social Discourses (as another kind of

Order)

Tsai 75

Peach Blossom Land III –IPeach Blossom Land III –IMeta Aspects: Extra-Theatrical Frames One Possibility: A New Historicist Reading of the F

ilm in the Context of the Previous Theatrical Productions

How “Dreams” are all historically produced (e.g. using different theatrical languages) and later commodified (turned into commercials—craze for 上海﹐李立群’ s CF).

“. . . The work of art is the product of a negotiation between a creator or class or creators, equipped with a complex, communally shared repertoire of conventions, and the institutions and practices of society” (Greenblatt 1989: 12)

Peach Blossom Land III-IIPeach Blossom Land III-II Political Reading

After all, the film can still be read as an allegory of Taiwan’s national identity in cross-strait relations.

Is nostalgia really problematized?

Peach Blossom Land III-IIPeach Blossom Land III-II Cultural Encounters

1. Encounter of two cultures – each with no knowledge of the other;

老陶 :你們都沒人出去過？白袍女子 :去哪啊！老陶 : 武陵。白袍女子 :武陵到底是什麼地方？老陶 : 武陵－武陵－武陵－武陵－武陵！

2. Views of 祖先： 袁－「我們的綿延不絕的子孫……左手拿著葡萄﹐右手捧著美酒；嘴裡含著鳳梨…」； 豬公；白衣 －「祖先不重要了﹐我們實現理想。」

Peach Blossom Land III-IIPeach Blossom Land III-II 桃花源 (2): Political Reading

3. The contrast between signs of “the Chinese” and the “Taiwanese”:

上海the Young 雲之凡

the wife, the nurse, the woman attached to her love at 南陽街 .

No way out?

How about these two women?

References 蔡宜真 . 《賴聲川劇場集體即興創作的來

源與實踐》國立成功大學 /中國文學系 /88/碩士 /88NCKU0045015

鴻鴻，月惠（民 81）， 《我暗戀的桃花源》 。 遠流出版事業公司﹐ 1992 。