Springtime In a Small Town

Theatrical Release Date: 2004 05 14 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 660200308520

Studio: Palm Pictures

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Adult Situations]

Summary: For his first feature since 1993's acclaimed The Blue Kite, director Tian Zhuangzhuang chose to remake a classic 1949 Chinese film, Springtime in a Small Town. The film takes place in 1946. Yuwen (Hu Jingfan) lives on a country estate with her sickly husband, Dai Liyan (Wu Jun), and his rambunctious teenage sister, Dai Xiu (Lu Sisi). They are waited on by the family's longtime servant, Lao Huang (Ye Xiaokeng). Yuwen cares for her husband and she's kind to him, but she doesn't seem to love him. Frustrated with his inability to give her a child due to his constant illness, she sleeps in a separate room. For his part, Liyan feels guilt and shame over his inability to properly care for his wife. Their lives are disrupted by the arrival of Liyan's childhood friend, Zhang Zhichen (Xin Bajqing), a well-traveled doctor. Liyan soon learns that his old friend was once his wife's neighbor, but he doesn't know that they were also in love, and had at one time planned to marry. Tensions swirl about the household as Yuwen and Zhichen try to reconcile their lingering feelings for each other with their responsibility to Liyan. Springtime in a Small Town won the San Marco Prize at the 2002 Venice Film Festival, and was selected for the 2002 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Countercurrent - San Marco Prize – Venice International Film Festival

Features: Interview with director Tian from the Leonard Lopate Show, WNYC Radio
Making of... featurette
U.S. theatrical trailer
Previews
Weblinks

Springtime In a Small Town

Format: DVD

Release Date: 11/23/2004

Audio: DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 112 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Home Life [7:47]
2. The Visitor [3:53]
3. Catching Up [7:57]
4. Little Sister [3:42]
5. Stay Awhile [8:59]
6. Fresh Air [6:16]
7. He's So Handsome [3:13]
8. Alone Together [8:57]
9. A Proposition [4:57]
10. No Lies [6:08]
11. Matchmaker [3:44]
12. Birthday Party [8:43]
13. You're Drunk [5:40]
14. Seduction [6:26]
15. Hope [6:11]
16. Sacrifice [11:40]
17. Send Off [5:02]
18. Credits [2:14]

Josh Ralske

Springtime in a Small Town is an exquisitely crafted romantic drama. Director Tian Zhuangzhuang (Horse Thief) has created a sublimely beautiful portrait of a disintegrating arranged marriage. Director of photography Mark Lee Ping-bing, who has done stunning work for Wong Kar-wai (In the Mood for Love) and Hou Hsiao-hsien (The Puppet Master) keeps his camera gliding smoothly through one elegantly composed long take after another, while the production and costume design of Tim Yip Kam-tim (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) perfectly captures the period, and the environs of a wealthy country estate in decline. Tian's cast of relative unknowns deliver strong but understated performances, with Wu Jun, as the sickly landowner, Liyan, particularly affecting. The filmmaker introduces the simple plot slowly, shooting the action in rather long shots through windowpanes and screens, keeping the audience at a respectful distance, creating a sense that we're eavesdropping on these lives. The film lugubriously builds an emotional power, bringing the characters closer together, and climaxing as one character smashes a window in desperation of reaching another. Once one gives oneself over to the film's restrained storytelling and leisurely pace, the film casts a powerful spell. Filmmaker Tian Zhuangzhuang triumphantly returns to narrative filmmaking with a visually masterful work of quiet power. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Tian Zhuangzhuang  Director 
Zhao Lin  Composer (Music Score) 
Li Xiaowan  Producer 
Bill Kong  Producer 
Ah Cheng  Screenwriter 
Wouter Barendrecht  Executive Producer 
Ting Yatming  Producer 
Michael J. Werner  Executive Producer 
Hu Jingfan  Actor 
Wu Jun  Actor 
Xin Baiqing  Actor 
Ye Xiaokeng  Actor 
Lu Sisi  Actor 

Country: China,France,Hong Kong