Eric Bornfriend Period A.
11/13/01 Red Fire cracker Green Fire cracker depicted the concerns of the state as well as the concerns of the individual. Except many times in life, as well as in the movie, personal concerns win out in the minds of the individual, but don't always show completely in their actions.
Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker was an appropriate title, because red, and green are opposite on the color wheel, and man, and women are opposite in human life. The red firecracker, stands for the man, and the green firecracker stands for the women. Or the red could stand for communist China, on one side of the Yellow River and the Green for the other side of the river. The movie is about a women who is born into the role of a Master but truly does not want to be one. She just wants to be a lady.
Map of the Yellow River
Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker
firecrackerShe is sick of wearing men's cloths and not showing her true self. She is tired of being the opposite of who she wants to be. That is why a title of opposite things is appropriate for this film.
The main conflicts in the film, are that the girl, "Master"ÃÂ likes the painter "Niu Bao."ÃÂ Except she cannot show it due to her culture, and heritage. That is because she is the Master. A master of a firecracker factory, that has been in the family for centuries. She is not even supposed to show she is a woman, let alone act like one. The only reason she is running the show is because her father never had a son to be heir before he died, so she was forced to take over. The painter paints a picture of her, with her bangs down, wearing a nice dress. She looks at it with longing she knows can never be fulfilled, then comes to her senses and says she hates it and walks out the door. As she is walking, he grabs her arm. She doesn't know how to react to that, so she gives him a swift right hook and then leaves. She actually does want to look like the painting on the inside.
As the movie goes on, Niu Bao, not only finds every day hard and tedious but he also has to go through life with out the one he loves. For example Mr. Mann gives Niu Bao a lot of trouble. He does everything in his power to discourage the painter, because he is jealous of him. Some of the things that he does are; one time while he was eating lunch, made Niu Bao get him a bowl of noodles and then fed Niu's rice to the dog. Whenever Mann gets the chance he whips Niu with his belt. At one time during the movie, Niu Bao throws firecrackers at the building to get the masters attention. He is then apprehended. And the punishment is up to the master. Now she doesn't want to punish him at all, but knows that she will then be just as wrong as him. Therefore she gets frustrated and tells Mann to do what ever he wishes to him. The punishment is to wrap him with firecrackers and then set them off. When Mann is about to set off the firecrackers, the Master intercepts. That is the main changing point of the movie, when the master goes against tradition and does what she wants to do, not what is good for the state. Later in the movie she gives in to her sub-conscience thoughts, and makes love to the painter. She then puts on a dress and lets her bangs down. Just like in the painting. But it is not long before the other officials put the idea that her ancestors are angry with her into her head, and she goes back to being the "Master."ÃÂ Niu Bao is not happy at all with this, and asks her to marry him. The council of elders approves her getting married, but specifies that it will be to the winner of a fireworks contest. At the end of the contest, Niu Bao undoubtedly wins, but dies shortly after due to a firecracker blowing up in between his legs.
Throughout the entire movie the Master's real side was poking through, but never quite made the full transition. The closer she got the harder it was to keep it that way. This just proves that the concerns of the individual won out in the individual's mind but over all the true victor was the concerns of the state.
Mr Mann and his purchase, a painting of a displeas...
Firecracker (film)