To Live
October 26, 2009As I have claimed before, I think Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou is an absolute genius in his craft; pretty much everything I have seen of his I have enjoyed thoroughly. Now, I wouldn’t say that I have a great affection for Chinese cinema as a whole but I have always had a great deal of respect for Zhang Yimou. Anyways, for many moons now I have been trying to find what many have claimed to be his greatest film To Live (as it loosely translates into English) and luckily Alice Ma was able to find me a copy with English subtitles (which has been the main problem!) So last night I was finally able to watch this movie and absolutely loved it! The story follows the life of one family as it travels through the end of the last dynasty, then through Mao’s rebellion, The Great Leap Forward and finally the Cultural Revolution. To say this is a sad story is an understatement, but is a fascinating insight into what actually happened during those times in Chinese history. Simply put, if you can get a copy of it give it a watch!!
Did you watch this movie? The movie was banned in mainland China in cinema. We watched this movie in Mandrain class in grade 11. That’s a very good movie based on reality. Enjoy your days in China!
Comment by Angel — October 27, 2009 @ 10:53 am
I am determined to find a copy. Thanks Craig!
Comment by Administrator — October 28, 2009 @ 10:16 pm
The regular readers of The Engleson Files might be interested to know that Alice’s mother lived through the Cultural Revolution and her comment on the movie was “it was much worse than the movie shows”
It is one of my all-time favourite movies.
Comment by Dalong — October 28, 2009 @ 11:16 pm
This movie is base on a novel, which is written by Yu Hua. With a really sorrowful ending. My heart was broken when I finished reading this book:(…a different ending as the movie.
Comment by Dorothy — November 3, 2009 @ 7:47 am