3 years ago

Troubled Laughter
Ku nao ren de xiao
苦恼人的笑

Description:

A 1979 Chinese drama directed by Yang Yanjin and Deng Yimin, set in the Cultural Revolution. The film stars Li Zhiyu as Fu Bin, a powerless newspaper writer who struggles with his conscience during an age of pervasive dishonesty and immorality from the top on down.

Troubled Laughter is one of the "scar films" of the brief period between the end of the Cultural Revolution and the return of heavy state censorship under Deng Xiaoping. These films reflected on the wounds Chinese society experienced due to the extremes of revolutionary action under Mao.

Troubled Laughter addresses state control of the media and propaganda, the demonization and struggle against intellectuals and professionals, journalistic ethics, the manipulation of truth and facts, the escalation of dishonesty required to live in a regime of lies, and the personal choices individuals and families must weigh when attempting to push back against powerful ideologies.

Upscaled using A.I. machine learning algorithms and color corrected. English subtitles included.

Key Moments in the Film:

05:53 - "The Boy who cried Wolf" and the delegitimization of journalism
10:45 - The Struggle Session of Professor Kao
21:48 - The Journalist mentor: Truth is treason in the empire of lies - so laugh instead.
33:04 - Facts are like a mud pie that can be shaped and formed and reformed. But you must wallow in the mud to do so.
41:33 - An accident and the competence of the Professor is needed
43:46 - The Professor must still be denounced - political ideology takes priority over personal opinion.
46:38 - Dream Sequence: The liars are rewarded, the truth-tellers are consumed.
48:39 - Man or Dog. 2+2=5. There are 5 lights. Black is White, Circle is Rectangle.
53:37 - The Double-bind of telling the truth in a regime of deception. A journalist and his wife are tormented by the conflict between their ethical ideals and the violent consequences of telling the truth.
01:05:03 - Lies beget other lies. A visit to the clinic to fake an illness.
01:10:40 - Discovering the bravery of the people and the betrayal of a friend.
01:17:09 - Soliloquy on speaking the truth.
01:20:16 - Consequences.