Member Gaijin84 Posted December 7, 2015 Member Share Posted December 7, 2015 Just finished a great documentary (China: A Century of Revolution) about the political changes between 1911 and 1989. The cultural revolution was obviously a big part of the series and I was wondering if there were any films I missed that were set in that time or dealt with that topic. I am aware of the following, are there any others I should see?The Blue Kite (1993)Farewell to My Concubine (1993)To Live (1994)Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (1998)The Little Chinese Seamstress (2002) thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted December 7, 2015 Member Share Posted December 7, 2015 Have you seen those films above? I'm a big fan of the first three you mentioned. What is amazing is that the directors were facing suspension and possible jail time because of those films: 1908-1967: The Last Emperor (1987: Bernardo Bertolucci: Italy/UK/China): Criterion has a beautiful release of this. I have seen the shorter version several times, but there is a longer version available on the Criterion set (they also have a specific release on the shorter, not short, theatrical release.) This goes over the last emperor and his life during the years I mentioned. A brilliant film, one that Johnnie To has stated as one of his favorite films.Here is my mini-review of one you mentioned (if you have not seen it): Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (2002: Dai Sijie) China/France ***/**** There are many films that deal with China’s Cultural Revolution and aftermath, but this is the calmest one I have seen. There is a terror lurking underneath, but vastly veiled or hidden if one is not familiar with what can happen to you if your behavior is complained to higher authority. Ma (Lie Ye: Curse of the Golden Flower) and Lu (Chen Kun: Let the Bullets Fly) are two friends part of the “Down to the Countryside Movement” in which bourgeois youths (or whose parents were considered bourgeois) are sent to remote areas to learn farming and remove any potential capitalist ideas. They get to move liquid fertilizer (dung) for farming and excavate materials out of tiny caves. They both fall for a beautiful seamstress (Zhou Xun: True Legend) who falls for Lu who is the more aggressive of the two. They steal a bunch of non-approved books including several from Balzar from a “reeducated youth” who just left. The two spend their spare time reading to the little seamstress and teaching her how to read herself. There is not any conflict between the three even those Ma pines for the seamstress. It is a beautiful filmed movie with not much in antagonists or drama except for the strange coda that does not help the film. It goes abruptly over two decades into the future and one character returns to the area which will soon be filled for the Three Gorges Dam. I like this film, but I would recommend first watching Farewell my Concubine, The Blue Kite and To Live if you are interested in various periods under Chairman Mao. If you like Zhang Yimou, check out The Story of Qiu Ju which deals with the mind-numbing bureaucracy of the Chinese government though this is post-cultural revolution. His earlier films deal with several different time periods in Chinese history, all of them quite good. He has a newer film Coming Home which is also about the Cultural Revolution but I have not seen it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Sheng Posted December 7, 2015 Member Share Posted December 7, 2015 Just finished a great documentary (China: A Century of Revolution) about the political changes between 1911 and 1989. The cultural revolution was obviously a big part of the series and I was wondering if there were any films I missed that were set in that time or dealt with that topic. I am aware of the following, are there any others I should see?The Blue Kite (1993)Farewell to My Concubine (1993)To Live (1994)Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (1998)The Little Chinese Seamstress (2002) thanks in advance CHINA: A CENTURY OF REVOLUTION, the 3 DVD set, is an excellent introduction to modern Chinese history, certainly the best I can think of. Bought it half a dozen years ago and screened it for friends & family on numerous occasions. As for the films, its quite telling that so little about this incredibly incisive period has ever been released - quite a contrast to the so-called 'scar' literature that filled the book shelves in the late 80's and 90's and dealt quite openly with this period. Well, some of it did... The first three films you mentioned are certainly essential. Shame that THE BLUE KITE is still only available as a non-anamorpic and fairly shabby looking DVD. The beautifully packaged, book-sized Chinese BD of FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE is hardly a step up from the ancient DVD and has slightly altered (and occasionally misleading) English subs. I hope the blu ray that the BFI announced to put out in March will change this truly dismal situation. XIU XIU I've never seen, THE LITTLE CHINESE SEAMSTESS was a co-op with France if I remember correctly and felt more like a TV drama, didn't it? Then there's Gu Changmei's subtle, highly introspective PEACOCK, that covers the late Cultural Revolution years and its aftermath. Its quite a beautiful film, but it might appear too vague and withdrawn for people who do not have a deeper understanding or a cultural investment with things Chinese. I also remember Xie Jin's HIBISCUS TOWN from 1986, think it was never on DVD, I taped it off television back in the bad 'ol VHS days. And more recently there was Zhang Yimou's Cultural Revolution romance UNDER THE HAWTHORNE TREE and Jean Jacques Annaud's WOLF TOTEM set in Inner Mongolia during the late 60's (yes, irrespective of its director this has to count as a Chinese film!) Can't think of any others off the top of my head right now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted December 8, 2015 Moderator Share Posted December 8, 2015 Jean Jacques Annaud's WOLF TOTEM set in Inner Mongolia during the late 60's (yes, irrespective of its director this has to count as a Chinese film!) It was widely reported that this was going to be China's entry into the Best Foreign Film category for this years Oscars, but it seems they did an about turn when the actual list was published, with them opting to go for 'Go Away Mr. Tumor' instead. The subject matter was too sensitive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted December 9, 2015 Author Member Share Posted December 9, 2015 thanks for the recommendations everyone, i appreciate it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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