WORLD CUP 1/4 FINAL RESULT: CHINA V RUSSIA

CHINA 2 RUSSIA 1

Daybreak 11 The Commissar 4
Raise the Red Lantern 17 Nine Days of One Year 2
City of Life and Death 5 Mother 6

China 33 votes Russia 12 votes

恭喜中华人民共和国

I think Myra now deserves a double whisky.

谢谢大家的支持! Thanks for the support, to everyone who voted.

Unfortunately now this means China is against Japan… X_X

Congratulations Myra! You have done a superb job of picking winners all the way along. Your 30’s films have all done very well and been great discoveries for most of us. Of course, you are now up against the very cagey Kenji in the Asian mother of all matchs. Good luck to you both on your picks. Can China now avenge her history of Japanese domination during the last WW?

It looks like team Russia just ran out of steam at the end and I wonder why we didn’t see a Tarkovsky in the mix, especially since Andrei Rublev had yet to be used. Oh well, at least I got a chance to see two films I hadn’t before in the very curious The Commissar and Nine Days. Thanks to both managers.

Eisenstein would have been a secure spot but i’m glad Jorge used the most variant line-up in a crucial match like this one……i’m really bored of listening to Tarkovsky theories all the time,i’m astounded to have seen a Romm work and to know a classic favorite of mine like Mother was included in the best Russian line-up so far.

funny note: Myra has been compiling her team with alternate changes and directors,which not only makes her the most “original” of the recurring biggies,but i think i now know why she bites her nails all the time,hehe.

I gotta say that both Nine Days of One Year and The Commissar have been great… repeat: “great” discoveries of this WC, and they deserve to be more famous and praised. They are more than worthy of participating in this WC, and I am glad Jorge chose them instead of other more famous but less deserving titles.

Congratulations to the People’s Republic of China indeed. No need for revenge, Joe. As i said before the tournament kicked off, as far as China is concerned, Japan is on a mission of peace and East Asian solidarity. Caginess indeed! My selections and intentions could hardly have been more transparent. Myra and i have quite similar tastes (she loves The Green Ray!!), i love most of her choices so far, and there are some grand possibilities left, this is a country with strength in depth, always a dangerous contender.

Kenji – I realize that Japan is definitely on a peace mission under your heroic leadership and applaud that sentiment. The samurai are indeed turning in their swords for chrysanthemums. The Japan we saw in the Second World War was not the Japan of great Buddhist traditions of compassion and subtle art. This we are seeing resurrected in the wonderful films that emerged after the war, when a more reflective and contemplative outlook once again returned to Japanese culture. I hold Japanese culture and films in the highest possible esteem, but have learned that China has a great film tradition that didn’t start and end with Zhang Yimou – which many cinephiles need to discover. I think this match has the potential to hold the attention of all of us, like the great Japan vs Italy match just did.

I really look forward to both your picks, Myra and Kenji, in this all-Asian classic match-up. Will any European team survive into the semis? Germany’s fate vs India holds the key.

One guy was very critical that China was one of the 8 seeds kept apart in the group stages (saying even Mexico would have been better) but i knew they had strength in depth, and sure enough, i’m so glad Myra’s choices have shown the range of periods; many think the quality began with the fifth generation

Yes, Kenji, that was me, and what I said was not meant to diminish China’s greatness, especially since I was aware of my lack of knowledge of its cinema, and I did mention Mexico as one of the possible seeds among other countries, Spain among them, because I am closer to that culture and am aware of its long and rich cinematic history. I suppose you think its results in this WC are shameful. That seems to be your implication. Maybe I’m wrong.

I think many of us can agree that there are several countries that were potentials for that seed slot, such as India and Africa. China is also one of those, I concede, but I did find it questionable that it went without questioning. That was then, though. Now I really don’t mind. Good for China and for Myra, and for me too for getting to know all these good or great films.

I do think Mexico have a lot of resources (that i’ve yet to discover) and there have been a lot of international hits in recent years, i was aware the country underperformed in the world cup and didn’t have the Bunuel films to draw on, but i think China was a fair call- at the time i agree Spain was the obvious alternative and i thought i might have picked the wrong one. Well, Spain came top in its group instead of Germany and were unlucky to be drawn v Italy. Africa was a bit of an unknown quantity for seeding