On the trailer, we see beautiful nostalgic latino music and very "looking back" type of images - with vintage flow of texts - very interesting. It goes soft on the Chineseness of the subject. But the full length film is different - the music is even better - and of course it is guqin slow interior spiritual music - beautiful long tones similar to human voices.
I have read most of Robert van Gulik's books except the paper back detective novels. I had seen the covers of these books - they seemed like pulp fiction with an esoteric twist to me. Especially when I looked at the quality of the cover drawings - always like a copy of someone who doesnt know how to draw well but did manage to finish with great passion. Someone who is so passionate about "copying" old graphic styles of the Chinese drawings but could only manage a kind of rough blocking in all the pieces but the brush work are very rough and no variations in the lines. Just like a foreigners calligraphy for Chinese brush work - both writing and drawing - awkward but great passion and much pride in the finished product. Actually this is not so bad at all! These are fun illustrations and not fine art work - very fitting for detective novels. That is why I have never read them.
note: At 1:07:14, a researcher reported she found the original drawings - they were drawn on tracing papers - like architects transparent drawings - tracings from other books, images which he adapted for his own use. See, that is why the lines were like school boy drawings because they were traced - not brush work. Joy of making drawings piecing images together.
However; I soon discovered his body of research scholarly works in guqin and wood block prints. This throws an entirely new light on his pulp fiction covers. It adds a kind of amateur charm to them. So I read a couple of these detective novels too. What was amazing was the introduction to the background of the detective novels was as thick as the novel itself! The introduction was about the judicial system in china and how a criminal is put to the test to see whether hes guilty or not. This part is also more interesting than the novel itself.
Then I think; how could anyone have so much time to do these things and on top of all this is a full time diplomat!! He must be someone a bit like Renoir; who is also a diplomat; and master painter. And apparently he also negotiated well for the business of painting too.
Then; I think maybe diplomat jobs in those days were a special kind of position? You dont have to do /cannot do/ will not be realistically qualify for the job - its not at all the same kind of job like today where we all have to go do entrance exams to enter the government positions but they depend on entirely other type of knowledge, qualities, contextual conditions and expertise? He was also every now and then - a spy! Not surprising but people today have to be trained to be spy - what a wonderful life; you can do so many things be in so many roles.
While some diplomat stays diplomat there are other diplomats too - and they use their time to study erotic sex life of ancient chinese people? And write detective novels - make special curious bonsai so on so forth.
I am so happy to see more references and sources of his work; and more of other peoples work on his work.
This film adds visual attractiveness, giving life through moving images to the grand master of interestingness - Master van Gulik.
More coming after reviewing the film, am v excited to view the film but want to view it slowly. First I listen to the sound track without seeing the film; then I will watch it a second time.
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I will have to watch it again - v rich informative film.
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A writer of ancient Chinese detective novels, sexual life in ancient China, a spy, a member of the Chinese literati, Robert van Gulik's story reads like no other sinologist that has ever lived. @onthetrackofrobertvangulik London Youlan Qin Society 倫敦幽蘭琴社 @Marius Marre
You can watch the full film for free at:
https://vimeo.com/150994641
password:vangulik2016
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