The results of the 79th Academy Awards, better known as Oscar Awards in China, were made known on February 25, 2007 at Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. The Departed, directed by Martin Scorsese, captured four Oscars including Best Director, Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing. Apparently, The Departed was the biggest Oscar winner this year.

But, does that mean this three-in-one adaptation surpassed the original The Infernal Affairs Trilogy that was made in Hong Kong in 2004?

The answer should be a definite no. That's not to say the performances of Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson in The Departed were uninspiring. Rather, the screenplay itself is nothing but a skillful copy but lacking the philosophical narrative and religious inferences (the Chinese title Wu Jian Dao derives from Buddhism, refers to the lowest level of hell--a place of continuous suffering.

Apart from the fast-paced and absorbing story line, the essence of The Infernal Affairs Trilogy rests with the exploration and comprehension of contradictions within a human being: everyone has a dual nature - good and evil; the borderline between good and evil in the film was subtle and highly nuanced.

In The Departed, however, the absence of any philosophical or psychological question being examined or remembered seems to be a strength in Oscar's favor. The victory of The Departed, to this extent, can be regarded as an indirect salute to The Infernal Affairs Trilogy.

To be frank, The Infernal Affairs Trilogy can be seen as representative example of the directing and production quality of a Chinese commercial film at its peak. Unfortunately, Chinese movies lack confidence in presenting and promoting its culture because the appeal for Western viewers is the high priority for a large number of Chinese professionals.

Of course, the Academy Awards has its own artistic standard; its core aesthetic is Western, which was on displayed in the victory of The Departed. Bearing this in mind, it is needless for Chinese audience to be disappointed with this year's Oscar results.

The irony for the Chinese audience was to see Zhang Yimou's so-called "made-in-China" blockbuster, The Curse of the Golden Flower, fail to get nominated for Best Foreign Language Film because of its shallow story line yet it does gets nominated for Best Costume Design. However, with all those golden clothes, supposedly imitating Tang Dynasty style, he still could not win the Academy's judges' favor. It's not Zhang Yimou's fault for following the trend for producing big-budget films, however, maybe his failure was because he did not take into account the aesthetics of his Chinese audience.

When judging movies on an international level, it is not fair to say that Chinese movies have yielded to the influence of the Hollywood blockbuster model, however, the strong power of Hollywood's commercial model is obvious.

Chinese movie professionals might gain some insight from the failure of The Infernal Affairs Trilogy getting an Oscar nomination three years ago by studying the reason for the victory of The Departed at the Academy Awards this year. It is worth rethinking the value standard of a movie.

Are Hollywood movies the best movies made? Judging on the basis of how Martin Scorsese adapted a foreign movie to suit the American audience, the answer is yes. The emphasis on making a profitable movie and having an open mind in adaptation are worth learning.

Perhaps it is time for Chinese movie professionals to make some changes. Trying to impress Westerners by showing off ancient Tang Dynasty clothes is not the only thing that Chinese movies can do.

(Source: Oriental Morning Post February 28, 2007)