Ermo
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''Ermo'' () is a Chinese
comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
/
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
, released in 1994 and directed by
Zhou Xiaowen Zhou Xiaowen (; born 1954 in Beijing) is a Chinese filmmaker. He graduated from the Cinematography Department of the Beijing Film Academy in 1975 and is part of the so-called Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers.Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwe ...
. It is essentially a satire on Western
consumerism Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts. With the Industrial Revolution, but particularly in the 20th century, mass production led to overproduction—the supp ...
and its influence on Chinese culture. It was adapted from a novella written by
Xu Baoqi Xu or XU may refer to: People and characters * Xu (surname), one of two Chinese surnames ( or /), transliterated as Xu in English * ǃXu, a name for the ǃKung group of Bushmen; may also refer to the ǃKung language or the ǃKung people * ǃXu ( ...
. Tan Ye and Yun Zhu, authors of ''Historical Dictionary of Chinese Cinema'', wrote that Ermo "observes the new trends of capitalism and consumerism in rural China at the beginning of the reform era".Ye and Zhu, p
51
"Adapted from Xu Baoqi's novella, the film observes the new trends of capitalism and consumerism in rural China at the beginning of the reform era."


Development

Zhou Xiaowen Zhou Xiaowen (; born 1954 in Beijing) is a Chinese filmmaker. He graduated from the Cinematography Department of the Beijing Film Academy in 1975 and is part of the so-called Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers.Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwe ...
, the director, said that "In China, money was once a synonym for filth. Now money has become a god. But will his godbe able to satisfy his people?"Silbergeld, p
91


Plot

Ermo is a hardworking village woman in the northern province of
Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
, who makes
noodles Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures (for example, Chinese noodles, Filipino noodles, Indo ...
to feed her husband and child. When her neighbor buys a brand new television, she is consumed by dreams of owning one herself. Desperate to own the largest television in the village, she becomes obsessive in her desire to earn money, eventually leaving the village to work in town. Her efforts to earn enough money damages her health and her relationship with her family. The film demonstrates new trends and changes the Chinese society during the reform era and the different attitudes between those who joined the capitalist race and those who remained behind. Ermo becomes a wise merchant (even if she only sells dry noodles) and a consumer full of aspirations, while her elder husband still drinks his Chinese medicine and sees himself as the former head of village, a role which was meaningful during the Mao era. While Ermo is becoming more and more attracted to Xiazi, her business-oriented neighbor, and the lifestyle he represents, her husband remains impotent, both physically and metaphorically. As the film progresses it is evident that the competent capitalist-minded characters also do not find satisfaction, though it is also clear that those who don't join the race are completely irrelevant in the modern society.


Filming

''Public Secrets, Public Spaces: Cinema and Civility in China'', wrote that the narrative's space in ''Ermo'' has a "sense of desperation and inevitability" because the film's narrative was "filmed in a series of claustrophobic places".


Purpose

Felix Thompson, the author of "Journeying in the Third World", wrote that the film questions the concept of progress by juxtaposing individualism and collectivism.Thompson, p
226
The main thematical element of ''Ermo'' is consumer behavior.Pan, Yigang, p
156


Characters

* Ermo (二嫫 ''Èrmó'') - The main character, portrayed by
Ai Liya Ai Liya (; born 1 December 1965 in Inner Mongolia) is a Chinese film and television actress. She graduated from the Acting Department of Beijing Film Academy Beijing Film Academy (BFA; ) is a coeducational state-run higher education institu ...
( 艾丽娅) ** Jerome Silbergeld, author of ''China Into Film: Frames of Reference in Contemporary Chinese Cinema'', wrote that "Ermo's unwitting desire is for freedom from poverty and rural isolation but her pursuit of modernity in a box, earned with her feet and her blood, enslaves her body and soul." Tony Rayns, author of "Review of Ermo", wrote that the film never "laughs at rmo'sexpense" even though the naivety of Ermo is the basis of a lot of the film's humor. * Ermo's husband or Village Chief (村长 ''Cūnzhǎng'') - A former village chief, Ermo's husband moves the items bought with Ermo's money into another room of the house and advocates for the traditional Communist social values. Ultimately he cannot prevent Western values and the television from coming into his household. Ge Zhijun () portrays him. ** Jerome Silbergeld, author of ''China Into Film: Frames of Reference in Contemporary Chinese Cinema'', wrote that the husband, contrasts with Ermo, who is sexually charged and young. Silbergeld wrote that he is "a signature for the displacement of the Maoist old guard in China's pursuit of economic 'progress' and its growing social inequalities." * Blindman / Xiazi (瞎子 ''Xiāzi'') - Ermo's neighbor and love interest. His name literally means "a blind person".
Liu Peiqi Liu Peiqi (; born 30 November 1957) is a Chinese actor. He started his training in 1979 when he joined Military Art School. He joined Military Drama Group in Xinjiang Province in 1983. In 1985 he starred in his first movie, ''Father and Son'', di ...
portrays him. * Blindman's wife - She becomes jealous of Ermo because she has a daughter and not a son. Once she receives a television she tries to use that against Ermo. She invites Tiger to watch TV with her family and mentions the idea that Xiu and Tiger will marry someday. This causes Ermo to try to buy her own TV to outdo Blindman's wife. Yigang Pan, author of ''Greater China in the Global Market, Volume 14'', wrote that the wife's TV puts the wife "on equal footing" against Ermo. She is portrayed by Zhang Haiyan (). * Tiger / Huzi (虎子 ''Huzǐ'') is Ermo's son. Yan Zhenguo () portrays him. * Xiu / Xiuer (秀儿 ''Xiùér'') - The daughter of Blindman and his wife and playmate of Tiger. She is younger than Tiger. She is portrayed by Yang Xiao ().


Reception

During the 1994
Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, sh ...
the film won the
Swissair Swissair AG/ S.A. (German: Schweizerische Luftverkehr-AG; French: S.A. Suisse pour la Navigation Aérienne) was the national airline of Switzerland between its founding in 1931 and bankruptcy in 2002. It was formed from a merger between Bal ...
/
Crossair Crossair Ltd. Co. for Regional European Air Transport (german: Crossair AG für europäischen Regionalluftverkehr) was a regional airline headquartered on the grounds of EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg in Saint-Louis, Haut-Rhin, France, ne ...
Special Prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury.


Year-end lists

* Honorable mention – Glenn Lovell, ''
San Jose Mercury News ''The Mercury News'' (formerly ''San Jose Mercury News'', often locally known as ''The Merc'') is a morning daily newspaper published in San Jose, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published by the Bay Area News Group, a subsidiar ...
''


DVD release

The film has yet to be released onto DVD in the United States. It has, however, been released on VHS in the U.S.


References

* Donald, Stephanie. ''Public Secrets, Public Spaces: Cinema and Civility in China''.
Rowman & Littlefield Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an independent publishing house founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns the book distributing compa ...
, 2000. , 9780847698776. * Pan, Yigang. ''Greater China in the Global Market, Volume 14'' (Volume 14, Issues 1-2 of Journal of global marketing, ISSN 0891-1762; The Journal of global marketing monographic "Separates").
Psychology Press Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in England that publishes books and academic journals. Its parts include Taylor & Francis, Routledge, F1000 (publisher), F1000 Research or Dovepress. It is a division of Informa ...
, 2000. , 9780789011886. * Silbergeld, Jerome. ''China Into Film: Frames of Reference in Contemporary Chinese Cinema''.
Reaktion Books Reaktion Books is an independent book publisher based in Islington, London, England. It was founded in 1985 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and moved to London in 1987. Reaktion originally focused on the fields of art, architecture, and design. In recen ...
, 1999. , 9781861890504. * Thompson, Felix. "Journeying in the Third World". in: Crouch, David, Rhona Jackson, and Felix Thompson (editors). ''The Media and the Tourist Imagination: Converging Cultures'' (Contemporary Geographies of Leisure, Tourism and Mobility).
Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...
, June 15, 2005. , 9780203139295. * Ye, Tan and Yun Zhu. ''Historical Dictionary of Chinese Cinema''.
Rowman & Littlefield Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an independent publishing house founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns the book distributing compa ...
, 2012. , 9780810867796. - There is a chapter on "Ermo".


Notes


Further reading

* Ciecko, Anne T. and Sheldon Lu. "Televisuality, Capital, and the Global Village: ERMO (Zhou Xiaowen, 1994)." ''
Jump Cut A jump cut is a cut (transition), cut in film editing in which a single continuous sequential shot of a subject is broken into two parts, with a piece of footage being removed in order to render the effect of jumping forward in time. Camera posit ...
'' 41 (1998). Rpt. in Lu, ed., China, ''Transnational Visuality, Global Postmodernity''. Stanford: Stanford UP, 2002. 122–38. * Fu, Ping. "Ermo: (Tele)Visualizing Urban/Rural Transformation." In Chris Berry, ed., ''Chinese Films in Focus: 25 New Takes''. London: BFI Publishing, 2003, 73–80. Rpt. in Chris Berry, ed., ''Chinese Films in Focus II''. Basingstoke: BFI/Palgrave, 2008, 98-105. * Gould, Stephen J. and Nancy Y. C. Wong. "The Intertextual Construction of Emerging Consumer Culture in China as Observed in the Movie Ermo: A Postmodern, Sinicization Reading." '' Journal of Global Marketing'' 14 (2000): 151–67. * Li, David Leiwei. "'What Will Become of Us if We Don't Stop?' Ermo's China and the End of Globalization." ''
Comparative Literature Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the study of literature and cultural expression across linguistic, national, geographic, and disciplinary boundaries. Comparative literature "performs a role similar to that of the study ...
'' 53, 4 (2001): 442–61. * Notar, Beth. "Blood Money: Women's Desire and Consumption in Ermo." ''
Asian Cinema Asian cinema refers to the film industries and films produced in the continent of Asia. However, in countries like the United States, it is often used to refer only to the cinema of East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. West Asian cinema is ...
'' 12, 2 (Fall/Winter 2001): 131–53. * Rayns, Tony. "Review of Ermo." ''
Sight and Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...
''. 1995. p. 47-48. * Tang, Xiaobing. "Rural Women and Social Change in New China Cinema: From Li Shuangshuang to Ermo." '' positions'' 11.3 (Winter 2003): 647–74.


External links

* *
Ermo (二嫫) - Women’s Independence, Men’s Impotence
an article fro
Thinking Chinese
August 2010. {{Fifth Generation Cinema 1994 films 1994 comedy-drama films 1990s Mandarin-language films Films set in Hebei Adultery in films Films directed by Zhou Xiaowen Chinese comedy-drama films Films shot in Zhangjiakou