Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: An Ode to the Feminine Bond

For better or worse, movie adaptations of books are stuck with the burden of expectation. The positives can be high: name recognition, internet buzz, respected source material, etc. but the downside can be daunting. Fans can create a tidal wave of backlash if casting choices are unpopular or the director seems wrong “for the tone” or major changes have been made to the story. Beloved books are often treated as sacred text by their fans and opinions are made public before a single frame has been shot. The old adage “there is no such thing as bad publicity” still applies but the level and reach of fan response has increased tenfold with advent of the web.

Director Wayne Wang http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0911061/ does not appear to be intimidated by that challenge as has risen to the task of adapting a movie from a book on many occasions, most famously with ‘The Joy Luck Club’ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107282/ He has a reputation for working well with actresses and continues to seek out material with strong female characters so he seems well suited for helming his latest film, ‘Snow Flower and The Secret Fan’ based on the novel of the same name written by Lisa See http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=lisa+see 

The book focuses on a special friendship between two women who form a laotong relationship in nineteenth century China. The laotong relationship transcends the normal emotional bond between two female friends with a promise for eternal commitment ordained by a matchmaker because of a unique ‘sameness’ that the two women share (birthdates, birth orders, and similar tragic life events). The two main characters of the book, Lily and Snow Flower remain connected through the years as lovers, children and political dynasties pass through their lives.

Wang has set himself for criticism though as the film version is also set in modern Shanghai with two more female characters to do not appear in the book, Sophia and Nina. Sophia and Nina are portrayed as modern women grappling with how the experiences of their ancestors reflect upon their own lives. Lily and Snow Flower’s story becomes a point of reference rather than the story itself. Fans of the book may take issue with See’s novel becoming more of a parallel thread rather than the primary focus but Wang clearly saw an opportunity to compare traditional women’s roles in China with their roles today.

In Wayne Wang’s own words “When I first considered directing this project, I couldn’t imagine doing it just as a historical drama. Ultimately what appealed to me was the possibility of incorporating into this ancient story a modern female friendship set against today’s China. While once Chinese women sacrificed any notion of independence or personal dreams, today they are confronted with many more choices in a society moving at such a fast pace no one quite knows where anything is heading. So in my film, I’ve added a storyline involving two close friends in contemporary Shanghai whose relationship is pulled apart by work and love, and by a society moving at a frenetic pace. The bond between these contemporary women is not formalized, but it remains a lifelong commitment. There’s a lesson there for both men and women in an age of global connections and social networking, when people collect hundreds of online friends with whom they never even interact in the real world. I often think life would be much richer if we valued our friendships the way that laotong did”.

Read the entire article on Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wayne-wang/snow-flower-secret-fan_b_899802.html

Film adaptation from a popular source material is a tricky business. Filmmakers want to bring something useful to the table, something that caters to a different artistic medium and yet remains honest to the source. If you have not read the book, the bridge between women in nineteenth century China and modern day Shanghai may not seem less like a device but more like a natural creative choice but feel free to post your comments and tell us what you think of ‘Snow Flower and the Secret Fan’ or share what other film adaptations of books you found particularly disappointing or inspired.

Positive review, Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/snow-flower-secret-fan-film-210501

submitted by Jonathan Frankenberg, Hiway Theatre board member