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2001-03-16 - 18:45:44 Iconic cinema images: 1) Vive L'amour by Tsai Ming-Liang. A man (played by Lee Kang-Sheng), walks along a streetside market. He picks up a watermelon. Holds it in both hands, and slowly brings it to his ear, almost with the grace of a seasoned obstetrician. A searing image of urban loneliness and the craving for contact. 2) The Story of Qiuju by Zhang Yimou. Qiuju (played by Gong Li)has been on a relentless crusade to bring her village chief to justice, after the former had kicked her husband's balls. At the end, when she realises that her wish that the chief apologise has run out of control, we see her running across the landscape, desperately chasing a vehicle. Ends with a shot of her face, struck with bewilderment, confusion--if there was an expression that showed the transition from innocence to guilt--Gong Li's face portrayed it ravishingly. 3) The Taste of Cherry by Abbas Kiarostami. Mr Badi'i, a man with suicidal intent, enters a hole in the ground he had dug for himself. The camera later shows his face, impassive, grim. It begins to rain. The light begins to fail. Flashes of lightning illuminate his raindrop-pelted countenance. Will Mr Badi'i wake to see the dawn? Why does the audience care? What kinds of truths and illusions does the audience expect from cinema?
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