The Chinese director Feng Xiaogang is not quite the Asian Steven Spielberg, but like the American director, he’s achieved blockbuster successes in a variety of genres. His 2006 film, “Legend of the Black Scorpion,” was a sumptuous, “Hamlet”-derived, martial arts period piece. “If You Are the One” from 2008 was a romantic comedy set against the backdrop of entrepreneurial wealth. And last year’s “I Am Not Madame Bovary” was a not-quite-successful formal experiment in adapting a best-selling novel.

中国导演冯小刚并不能算是亚洲的史蒂芬·斯皮尔伯格(Steven Spielberg)，然而同这位美国导演一样，他涉猎的多种类型片都成了流行大片。2006年的《夜宴》是一部源自哈姆雷特的华丽武侠古装片。2008年的《非诚勿扰》是一个以企业家财富为背景的浪漫喜剧。而去年的《我不是潘金莲》则是一次改编畅销小说的正式试验，但不太成功。

His new film, “Youth,” based on a Yan Geling novel, is about a People’s Liberation Army dance troupe in the early 1970s. Western viewers will detect resonances of “Stage Door” and “The Way We Were” in the story, which largely focuses on the disdainful treatment received by the newcomer He Xiaoping (Miao Miao), a girl from a poor background who’s been recruited by the heroic, idealistic Liu Feng (Huang Xuan). During the Sino-Vietnamese war, the entertainers are forced to become warriors and medics.

他的新片《芳华》根据严歌苓的小说改编，讲述1970年代初一个部队文工团的故事。西方观众会在故事情节中发现与《摘星梦难圆》(Stage Door)和《往日情怀》(The Way We Were)的相似之处，舞团新人何小萍(苗苗饰)出身贫苦，被充满英雄气概与理想主义的刘峰(黄轩饰)选入舞团，影片很大程度上集中在她所遭受的歧视和排斥上。在中越战争期间，这些文工团成员又被迫成为了战士和医务人员。

The movie’s depiction of cultural change is tidy to the point of being facile, which isn’t to say it’s ineffective. (It seems to have ruffled some feathers in its native country, where its release, intended for September, was held up until recently.) One shot late in the film, after Mao’s death, shows a soldier in profile stepping in front of a bright red billboard — one that advertises Coca-Cola rather than the glories of Communist rule.

影片对文化变迁的描绘非常简洁，到了轻率的程度，然而并非没有效果。(该片似乎在自己的祖国惹恼了一些人，它原本计划九月上映，结果直到近期才推出。)电影快结束时有这样一个场面：毛泽东去世后，一个镜头从侧面显示一名士兵走过一个鲜红色的广告牌——那不是宣扬共产党统治荣耀的标语，而是一个可口可乐广告牌。

As a straight, sentimental melodrama, “Youth” works well. While there are a lot of conventional tropes, the cast enacts them with such fresh, tenderhearted sincerity that they regain some power.

作为一部直率感伤的情节剧，《芳华》还不错。虽然有很多老套的比喻手法，演员们却以清新温柔的真诚态度让它们重新焕发出一些力量。