To Live

UPC: 027616887535

Studio: MGM

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:null

Summary: Zhang Yimou, often regarded as China's leading contemporary filmmaker, directed this drama chronicling the ebb and flow of one family's fortunes, set against the backdrop of China's tumultuous history between the 1940s and the 1970s. Fugui (Ge You) is the father of a once-wealthy family whose addiction to gambling and chronic bad luck causes him to lose his home in a game of dice with Long'er (Ni Dabong). Fugui's wife Jiazhen (Gong Li) abandons him, and he finds himself working as a peddler, until the man who now owns his home gives him a pair of shadow puppets. Fugui learns the art of puppetry and travels as a performer; while on the road, he is arrested by Nationalist forces, until he is liberated by advancing Red Army factions, and he comes him home to his wife and children as they adapt to the nation's new leadership. While once a lazy spendthrift, Fugui vows to change his ways, and he struggles to become a better worker and citizen. But Fugui and his family soon realize that there is adversity waiting for them around every corner, and the onset of the Cultural Revolution makes it clear that China's new regime can be as corrupt and callous as the old order. While a Grand Prize winner at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival and recipient of the Best Foreign Language Film award at the 1995 BAFTA Awards, Huozhe did not fare well in its homeland. Chinese censors objected to the film's commentary about political abuses in China's past, as well as Zhang Yimou's attempts to present the film at several international festivals. As punishment, he was forced to write a formal apology and was not allowed to make another film for two years. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Best Foreign Language Film – null Best Actor – Cannes Film Festival Grand Jury Prize – Cannes Film Festival Best Foreign Film – National Board of Review Best Foreign Language Film – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: ccOriginal theatrical trailer
Original Mandarin Chinese: Stereo Surround
English, French and Spanish language subtitles

To Live

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 07/15/2003

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DDS2.0 Dolby Digital w/ 4 channels

Runtime: 133 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Main Title/The Gambler
2. Nothing Left to Lose
3. Out of House and Home
4. New Life in Puppetry
5. The Freezing Warriors
6. Running to Be a POW
7. Silently Carry Water
8. Arbitrary Enemies
9. 1950s/Iron Contribution
10. Youquing Fights Back
11. The Joke's on Daddy
12. Mustn't Be Backward
13. A Little Life Owed
14. 1960s/Matchmakers
15. A Great Event
16. Mother-to-Be
17. Chunsheng Pays His Debt
18. Borth Without Doctors
19. The Curse of Little Bun
20. One Year a Photo/Credits

Cast and Crew: Chiu Fu-Sheng  Producer 
Zhao Jiping  Composer (Music Score) 
Zhang Yimou  Director 
Christophe Tseng  Executive Producer 
Christophe Tseng  Producer 
Kow Fu-Hong  Executive Producer 
Kow Fu-Hong  Producer 
Lu Wei  Screenwriter 
Yu Hua  Screenwriter 
Ge You  Actor 
Gong Li  Actor 
Niu Ben  Actor 
Guo Tao  Actor 
Jiang Wu  Actor 
Ni Dabong  Actor 
Liu Tianchi  Actor 
Deng Fei  Actor 

Country: China