Alan Govenar's Master Qi and the Monkey
King is a documentary that chronicles the beautiful and compelling Chinese Opera. Qi Shu Fang is one of the most prominent masters of Chinese Opera, who made the tough choice to stay in the United States and act as a cultural liaison
between the cultures. Master Qi and her husband Ding Mei-kui and their company
of Chinese Opera performers spread knowledge and beauty about the ancient art
form of Peking Opera. Balancing modern life and her love for ancient tradition, she and her husband work and live in Queens NY, in a section of the city that
now has many Chinese and Asian immigrants. This documentary shows the hard work and dedication that are demanded by this art form, as well as its' nature and perfection. This is carried
over to the performers that work with and for her. It's enchanting to watch
the excerpts from various operas and the time at work the artists put in after working other jobs. Qi's movements are exquisite and brilliant. There's also footage from the early
days of her career as a prodigy finishing her schooling in three years instead of
the five that was normally required. She spent her early years doing plays for the central government and the "Modern
Model Play Company", then ventured into films. "Taking Tiger
Mountain", in which she plays Little Changbao, a strong female character, propelled her to even higher levels of fame. Now years later, Master Qi is just as powerful and engaging as she ever was, if not more so. To be a performer of this type, one must be an acrobat, martial artist, singer, dancer, actor, and more. What
this incredible documentary does is allow the uninitiated to develop an interest in Chinese Opera, while aficionados gain further insight into a wonderful art form and one of the masters of it. This is one 200 year old
tradition that you shouldn't waste another day to see! Very highly recommended!!
In 1957, the Beat Hotel in Paris became a haven for artists like Allen Ginsberg, the now esteemed writer of the poem Howl, which was once considered obscene to some. In search of a respite from the strict censorship of America in the 1950's, Ginsberg found a small, cheap (and dirty) hotel, which is now famous for the refuge that it offered to its patrons. In Alan Govenar's exquisite film The Beat Hotel, viewers are treated to an amazing historical journey that captures the heart and purpose of a place that allowed the freedom of expression, which has resulted in some of the greatest works of our time. Amazingly, Ginsberg was an "occupant" at the Beat at the same time as other writers who were destined for fame like Peter
Orlovsky, Gregory Corso and William Seward Burroughs, who completed his work "Naked Lunch" there. The Beat not only offered them the luxury of sharing life and their art together, it also had an atmosphere of non-judgment that freed their minds to such a degree that they could become the great artists that we now respect them as being. The Beat was run by Madame Rachou, who thought that artists should be cared for, and who went out of her way to bring them together in tolerance and permissiveness, freeing them creatively. The Beat continued to be a haven for artists through the early 1960s, and has produced what are known as Beat artists and the Beat generation. It is fascinating to hear firsthand accounts from the artists themselves about the Beat and life inside of its walls. The documentary is insightful about many different art forms: poetry, writing, photography, and painting. There are brilliant glimpses of what made the Beat artists great, and the methods they used to come up with their various styles. This is a vividly exquisite display of important cultural history about
Beat generation art. It is very well done and highly entertaining, and includes shots from British photographer Harold Chapman who also lived there. The Beat Hotel is rich in history and may be the best documented film of our time on the subject. Govenar could not have done a more impeccable job.
