Black Window (film)

Black Window  (: 黑窗) is a 1974 Kodeshi directed by Li Wei and starring Teng Jie, Bai Jinhua, Zhu Yashu, Mo Daolin, Su Yueming and Xu Jie. The film follows Li Bao, a former secret agent who is now a private detective, as he investigates the murder of Chen Xiao but uncovers a much larger case. The film is known for its suspenseful plot, stylish cinematography and shocking twist. The film is based on the 1948 novel of the same name by Jiang Qing, a Kodeshi writer and dissident. Jiang wrote the novel as a critique of the authoritarian regime of Guoist era and its suppression of civil liberties and political opposition. The novel was banned in Kodeshia at the time and Jiang was arrested and executed for treason in 1949. The film adaptation was made with the permission of Jiang’s widow, who fled to Qingcheng after his death. The film is faithful to the novel’s plot and themes, but also adds some elements of Li Wei’s own style and vision.

Plot
The film begins with a flashback, when Li Bao (Teng Jie) and his mentor and boss Li Zhen (Xu Jie) were secret agents working for the government. They were assigned a dangerous mission. However, their mission went wrong when they were ambushed by the enemy and captured. Li Bao was wounded, but managed to escape but his fellow agent Li Zhen is seemingly fatality wounded.

The film then shifts to present day, when Li Bao is now a private detective in Chenghai. We cut to a scene of a young woman being chased and killed by a masked man in a dark alley. The woman is revealed to be Chen Xiao (Zhu Yashu), the daughter of a wealthy businessman named Chen Benchang (Li Ming). He is hired by Chen Benchang to investigate Chen Xiao’s murder. Li Bao meets with Chen Benchang and Chen Xiaoqing (Chen Yu) at their mansion. Chen Benchang tells Li Bao that he suspects that Chen Xiao was killed by her lover, a gangster named Zhou Xin (Mo Daolin). Chen Benchang also tells Li Bao that police had dismissed the case as suicide but he doesn't believe it.

Li Bao then goes to Zhou Xin’s nightclub, where he meets Zhou Xin’s henchman Liu Qingfu (Wang Xiaoguang). Li Bao pretends to be a friend of Zhou Xin and asks Liu Qingfu where he can find him. Liu Qingfu tells Li Bao that Zhou Xin is hiding in a warehouse near the docks. Li Bao leaves the nightclub and follows Liu Qingfu to the warehouse.

At the warehouse, Li Bao confronts Zhou Xin and accuses him of killing Chen Xiao. He denies any involvement in Chen Xiao's death, and claims that he loved her and wanted to marry her. He also provides an alibi that he was at a casino at the time of the murder. He tells Li Bao that Chen Xiao was not who she seemed to be, and that she had a secret life that he knew nothing about. He gives Li Bao a key to Chen Xiao's apartment, where he might find some clues.

Li Bao is shocked by the revelation and goes to Chen Xiao's apartment, he finds a letter between of Chen Xiao and Zhou Xin. The letter reveals that Zhou Xin was planning to leave Kodeshia with Chen Xiao and start a new life in Akiteiwa. Li Bao also finds a hidden safe in Chen Xiao’s closet, containing documents and photos that reveal Chen Xiao's was in contact with someone. He learns that Chen Xiao infiltrated an organisation called the Red Lotus Society, and that she was planning to expose a conspiracy. He realizes that Chen Xiao’s death was not a suicide, but a murder staged by someone who wanted to silence her. He decides to investigate the case, despite the danger of attracting the attention of his former enemies and allies.

As he leaving the apartment he runs into Zhang Hong (Bai Jinhua), a female journalist who works for an independent newspaper. Zhang Hong is also investigating the Red Lotus Society and its activities, and has been following Li Bao's movements. She approaches him and offers to help him with his case. She tells him that she has some information about Chen Xiao's murder that might interest him.

They quickly realised they are being followed and car chase ensues in which Li Bao and Zhang Hong manage to evade the mysterious black vehicle. As they are driving, they are suddenly attacked by a group of men in a black car. The men open fire on Li Bao and Zhang Hong's car, and Li Bao is forced to drive off in a hurry. The chase scene then takes place through the busy streets of Chenghai, with Li Bao and Zhang Hong being pursued by the men in the black car. The chase scene is full of twists and turns, and Li Bao and Zhang Hong are forced to use all of their skills to evade their pursuers. The chase scene eventually ends with Li Bao and Zhang Hong escaping the men in the black car, but not before they are both injured in the process.

After that she takes him to her office, where she shows him some photos that she took at the hotel where Chen Xiao died. The photos show two men entering and leaving Chen Xiao's room shortly before Li Bao arrived. Zhang Hong identifies one of them as Wang Zhiwen (Su Yueming), a former friend of Li Bao who betrayed him to the regime and became a high-ranking official in the government. The other man is unknown, but Zhang Hong suspects that he is an agent of the Red Lotus Society.

Zhang Hong explains that Wang Zhiwen is one of the key figures in the conspiracy that Chen Xiao was trying to expose. She says that Wang Zhiwen is working with the leader of the Party, to create a false flag operation that would justify their crackdown on dissent and opposition. She says that they are planning to use the Red Lotus Society as a scapegoat for their own crimes, and that they are behind several bombings and assassinations in Kodeshia.

She also says that Chen Xiao had discovered their plan and had obtained evidence that could prove their guilt. She says that Chen Xiao had contacted her before her death, and had arranged to meet her at the hotel to give her the evidence. However, she never showed up, and Zhang Hong later learned that she was killed.

Zhang Hong believes that Wang Zhiwen and his accomplice killed Chen Xiao to silence her and take the evidence from her. She also believes that they are after Li Bao as well, since he might know something about their plan or have some connection with Chen Xiao.

Li Bao is stunned and realizes that he is in grave danger. He decides to trust Zhang Hong and work with her to solve the case. He also develops feelings for her, and they become lovers. They follow the clues left by Chen Xiao and track down the members of the Red Lotus Society. They learn that the Red Lotus Society is not a unified organization, but a loose network of cells that operate independently. They also learn that some of the cells are loyal to Party, and are working with them to carry out their false flag operation. They also learn that some of the cells are opposed to the Part, and are trying to stop them and expose their conspiracy.

Li Bao and Zhang Hong manage to find the leader of the Red Lotus Society, who turns out to be Li Bao's former mentor and boss Li Zhen in the secret service. He reveals that he was not killed but faked his death so he could create the Red Lotus Society as a resistance movement against the Party and its tyranny. He says that he recruited Chen Xiao and Li Bao to join his cause, but Chen Xiao betrayed him and joined Wang Zhiwen's faction. He says that he sent his agent to kill Chen Xiao and take the evidence from her, but he was too late and Wang Zhiwen's agent got there first. He says that he still has some evidence that can prove Wang Zhiwen's guilt, but he needs Li Bao's help to get it.

He asks Li Bao to infiltrate Wang Zhiwen's office and steal a file that contains the details of their plan. He says that he has arranged a diversion that will distract Wang Zhiwen's guards and allow Li Bao to enter his office unnoticed. He says that he will meet Li Bao and Zhang Hong at a safe house after they get the file.

Li Bao agrees to help him, and goes to Wang Zhiwen's office with Zhang Hong. He manages to enter the office and find the file, but he is confronted by Wang Zhiwen himself. Wang Zhiwen Zhen reveals that he knows about Li Bao's investigation and his connection with Chen Xiao. He also reveals that he is the mastermind behind the Red Lotus Society and the false flag operation. He says that he created the Red Lotus Society as a way to manipulate public opinion and justify his crackdown on dissent and opposition. He says that he ordered Chen Xiao's death to silence her after she discovered his plan. He also says that he has sent his agents to kill Zhang Hong and the leader of the Red Lotus Society.

Li Bao is shocked by Wang Zhiwen's confession, and realizes that he has been deceived by everyone. He tries to escape from Wang Zhiwen's office, but he is shot as he manages to fight his way through Wang Zhiwen's men, but he is fatally wounded in the process. He reaches Zhang Hong's car, where he finds her waiting for him. He tells her everything he learned before dying in her arms. Zhang Hong vows to expose Wang Zhiwen's crimes to the world.

The film ends with a montage of scenes showing Zhang Hong publishing her article exposing Wang Zhiwen's conspiracy, The Party declaring martial law and arresting his opponents, Li Zhen being killed by an assassin sent by Wang Zhiwen and the Red Lotus Society is crushed as a massive protest erupting in Chenghai against the Parties regime.

Cast

 * Teng Jie as Li Bao
 * Bai Jinhua as Zhang Hong
 * Zhu Yashu as Chen Xiao
 * Mo Daolin as Zhou Xin
 * Wang Xiaoguang as Liu Qingfu
 * Li Ming as Chen Benchang
 * Chen Yu as Chen Xiaoqing
 * Su Yueming as Wang Zhiwen
 * Xu Jie as Li Zhen

Production
Li Wei had read Jiang Qing’s novel in 1960, when he was studying film in Qingcheng, and was deeply impressed by its story and message. He had always wanted to adapt it into a film, but faced many difficulties in obtaining the rights and funding. In 1973, he finally managed to contact Jiang’s widow, who agreed to let him use the novel as the basis for his film. Li Wei then wrote the screenplay with his frequent collaborator Li Jun. They made some changes to the novel’s plot and characters and Li Wei also incorporated some of his own stylistic elements, such as using black-and-white cinematography, long takes, and minimal music. Some colour was used for dramatic effect, such as the Red Lotus Society symbol, which highlighted the bright spots of colour against the oppression of the government. These stylistic choices helped to create a visually striking and suspenseful film that was both faithful to the novel and original in its own right.

Production The film was produced by Progress Motion Picture Corporation, a Kodeshi film company. The company was known for producing innovative and daring films that challenged the censorship and conventions of the Kodeshi film industry. The film was distributed by Kodeshi Imperial Studio Film and Television Technology Co., Ltd., a state-owned enterprise that controlled most of the film and television production and distribution in Kodeshia.

The film was shot on location in the city of Chenghai and its suburbs. The largest city of Kodeshia, and a major cultural and economic centre. The film used many real locations in Chenghai, such as the famous Tower and Night Markets. One of the most memorable scenes in the film is the car chase scene. The chase scene was filmed over a period of two weeks and involved a team of over 100 people, including stunt drivers, camera operators, and special effects technicians. The chase scene was filmed using a variety of techniques, including real cars, and stunt doubles. The chase scene was designed to be both exciting and suspenseful, and it is one of the most iconic scenes in the film.

The film’s budget was estimated at Hz 75.74 billion (about $5 million at that time). The film was considered to be a high-budget production for Kodeshian standards, as most Kodeshi films at that time had budgets of less than Hz 10 billion (about $660,000 at that time). The film used many special effects and stunt work to create realistic and thrilling scenes of action and violence. The film also hired many professional actors and actresses from Kodeshia and Qingcheng to play the main roles.

The film faced many challenges and difficulties during its production. The film had to deal with the strict censorship and regulations of the Kodeshi government, which limited the content and expression of the film. The film also had to deal with the political and social unrest that was happening in Kodeshia at that time, which affected the security and stability of the filming locations. The film also had to deal with the technical and logistical issues that came with filming in a foreign country with different languages and cultures.

Despite these challenges, the film was completed on time and within budget. The film was praised by Li Wei and his crew for their dedication and professionalism. The film was also praised by the critics and audiences for its quality and originality. It is a classic example of the Kodeshi noir genre, and it is also a powerful and moving story about the dangers of political oppression. The film is still relevant today, and it continues to be praised by critics and audiences alike.

Box Office
The film was released on October 10, 1974 in Kodeshia and on November 15, 1974 in other markets. The film received critical acclaim and was a box office success. The film grossed Hz 1.52 trillion (about $100 million at that time) in Kodeshia, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year and one of the highest-grossing film of all time in Kodeshia. The film also grossed $50 million in other markets, mainly in East Kesh. The film had a total worldwide gross of $150 million, making it one of the most profitable films of the year and the decade for Kodeshia cinema.

Critical Response
The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. The film holds a 95% approval rating on a popular review-aggregation website, based on 100 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Black Window is a masterful thriller that combines suspense, action and drama in a compelling and unpredictable way. The film boasts excellent performances from its cast, especially Teng Jie as the haunted protagonist. The film also features a stunning twist that will leave viewers speechless." The film also has a score of 88 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 25 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

The film was praised for its gripping story, realistic characters and atmospheric setting. Critics lauded the film's screenplay, which was written by Li Wei and his brother Li Jun, for its clever plot structure, sharp dialogue and surprising twist. Critics also praised the film's direction, cinematography and editing, which created a tense and immersive mood for the film. Critics also praised the film's acting, especially Teng Jie's performance as Li Bao, which was described as "powerful", "complex" and "emotional". Critics also praised Bai Jinhua's performance as Zhang Hong, which was described as "mysterious", "seductive" and "tragic". Critics also praised Su Yueming's performance as Wang Zhiwen, which was described as "menacing", "charismatic" and "villainous".

The film was also praised for its cultural and social significance. Critics noted that the film was one of the first Kodeshi films to deal with themes such as corruption, violence and betrayal in a realistic and mature way. Critics also noted that the film was one of the first Kodeshi films to challenge the censorship and conventions of the Kodeshi film industry and achieve international recognition and success. It was also noted that it was one of the first Kodeshi films to influence other films and filmmakers outside of Kodeshia.

Awards
The film won three 12th Golden Dragon Awards for Best Film, Best Director (Li Wei), and Best Actor (Teng Jie). The film won the following awards: