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Thoughts about 我的娜塔莎 ( China, 41集) and 光陰的故事 ( Taiwan,107集)
received from Ding-Jen Lee
Taiwan Island Village: 台灣島村: Hsinchu (Xinzhu) High School Reminisced    憶竹中   忆竹
Dear CheBao:

I have recently received emails from you, discussing the political situation of Taiwan and mainland China, a rather serious topic.
Here, I would like to talk about something not as serious: my thoughts about two TV movies. Some of the info are copied from the Internet.

Mainland China's latest TV movie "我的娜塔莎" 讲述一名中国男子和蘇聯女子的跨国之恋,时间贯穿50多年,于2010年9月拍摄完毕.
1941年,抗聯戰士龐天德所在的部隊遭到日本關東軍的瘋狂圍剿,危急之下轉入蘇聯境內與蘇軍聯繫。女教官娜塔莎負責對龐天德等人進行特工諜報訓
練,她十分欣賞龐天德,在他受傷時娜塔莎細心地照料,兩人萌生了深厚的愛情。但任務結束了,娜塔莎不得不隻身返回蘇聯。 新中國成立後百業待興,
龐天德成為海東機車製造廠的一名工人,娜塔莎作為蘇聯專家到中國提供技術援助。正當他們準備結婚登記之時,娜塔莎接到撤離中國的命令。之後娜塔
莎寫信告訴龐天德,她已經在綏芬河邊境的小鎮住下,因為那裏是離龐天德最近的地方。龐天德從沒忘記與娜塔莎的約定,多年後,他終於調轉來到綏芬
河邊,見到了魂牽夢縈的娜塔莎。然而好景不長,龐天德由於戶口不在哈爾濱必須返回海東市,加上兩國關繫緊張,他與娜塔莎的聯繫從此斷了線。八十
年代改革開放後,龐天德做起了邊境貿易,目的是尋找娜塔莎。最后找到了她.

Some of the plots are nice. For example 龐天德's friend opened a restaurant called Natasha Seafood Restaurant where the love story was told, and
the river where Natasha used to live by now produces abundant tasty fishes.
Overall, the relationship between 龐天德 and 娜塔莎 paralleled that of China and Russia.
And that makes me feel the art is heavily burdened by the richness of history.

《光陰的故事》是中國電視公司(中視)2008年連續劇之一. 它是一部以中華民國政府搬遷來台後產生的本省人、外省人族群融合與眷村文化為背景所拍攝
的連續劇,主要呈現台灣1960年代至1990年代一個虛構的眷村「自強一村」中幾個家庭間所圍繞的故事,宛如當年台灣人民的生活縮影,展現出台灣文化
的轉變與當時人們的生活方式。
One of the story is very interesting: 汪茜茜是張家次女,遺傳了母親的美貌,但性格強悍,由於長姐的不良於行,更奠定她一力扛下照顧一家周全的老大
性格,18歲這年,一段懵懂的初戀剛在她心中萌芽,命運之神卻朝她掀來一波巨浪,那段青澀的戀情,註定要成為遺憾。先後與許毅源、陶復邦交往,但
她後來懷著永安和Paul(保羅)結婚,多年後離婚,最終和陶復邦在一起。
陶復邦是陶家長子,個性衝動但孝順。就讀高中期間,在校學業成績太差,被校方勒令留級,是校方與村中長輩們眼中的「問題學生」。考上空軍官校,
以第一名畢業。他是村裡的孩子王,從小就喜歡汪茜茜。後來與軍校處長的女兒妮妮結婚,離婚.

Some of the metaphors in the movie are nicely done. For example on episode 106, when 妮妮 meet  汪茜茜 who was on her way home (returning from
Canada), she asks to borrow some taxi cab money, and 汪茜茜 give 妮妮 all the money in her pocketbook (NT $200.00), then 妮妮 says that she shall
return the money.
On episode 107, 分手十一年後陶復邦和汪茜茜在妮妮 的策畫之下,不約而同走到一家商店的大電視前.  從電視螢幕的 反影看見each other.  At this
moment, the screen is playing the scene when they first met at the age of 10. (Their friend wrote a screen play). 這種 時空 overlap is nicely done.

In addition, 片首曲 (羅大佑-光陰的故事), 和潘越雲唱的 "守著陽光守著你" match plots well.

I love to see that 大陸的藝術界能從革命八股文化裡更上一層樓去探討人性.
And in this regard, Taiwan perhaps is one step ahead.
Just my random thoughts.

D. J. Lee