Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Early Reviews: Clumsy Mistranslation1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteSnow Flower and the Secret Fan, adapted from Lisa See’s 2005 novel, tells parallel stories of lifelong female friendship in 19th century rural China and in modern Shanghai. Early reviewers find that Wayne Wang’s adaptation fails both in comparison to the novel and to his 1993 hit the Joy Luck Club.
Three sources (AP, MSM, and Movie Minute) call the film “clumsy”; it seems that Wang’s decision to navigate between 19th century rural China and modern-day urban Shanghai comes off a bit like Julie and Julia. The critics wish that they had more of the real thing, rather than the modern rediscovery.
Read the early reviews and watch the trailer below. Fox Searchlight opens the film July 15.
While critics applaud the director for featuring actors who are relatively unknown in the United States (Li Bing Bing and Gianna Jun), some are confused by the few scenes featuring Hugh Jackman, who is friends with the film’s producers, mogul wives Wendi Murdoch and Florence Sloan.
Kirk Honeycutt, the Hollywood Reporter
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan demonstrates that Chinese-American director Wayne Wang remains one of the world’s best directors of women”¦ So strong are the emotions-and, yes, the melodrama-that Snow Flower and the Secret Fan represents one of Wang’s best films to date”¦ His camera is incapable of not discovering beauty and wisdom in women’s faces. He sees every flaw, yet also sees the heart that accounts for the mistakes and unbridled passions.
