Dao ma zei (1986)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Zhuangzhuang Tian

Writer:

Rui Zhang (writer)

Release Date:

6 January 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The story of Norbu, a horse thief, who is thrown out of his tribe in an effort to purge it of evil. Norbu repents after the birth of his son...

Plot Keywords:

Temple | Isolation | Horse | Prayer | Buddhist

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Daiba	...	Granny
Jiji Dan	...	Dolma, wife
Drashi	...	Grandfather
Gaoba	...	Nowre
Jamco Jayang	...	Tashi, son
Rigzin Tseshang	...	Norbu

Also Known As:

Dao ma tse
The Horse Thief

Runtime:

UK:88 min | USA:88 min

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Xian Province, China

Company:

Xi'an Film Studio

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Best of the '90s" (2000)

He stole more than horses

I'm not Martin Scorsese, I'm not a film student, I'm just a guy who likes movies. I saw this film tonight and found myself a little mystified over all the praise. I'm also not the Summer Blockbuster guy either so that's not my justification for not gushing about this film.

I will remember the primitiveness and brutality of life in Tibet. I will remember the colorful and confusing religious rituals. I'm sure they'd say the same thing about Catholicism. The landscape is beautiful, but that kind of sells itself. Why does the director take credit for that?

As stated on other reviews there are several scenes of sheep abuse which are less than politically correct. OK yeah, I get it, it's a different culture. Doesn't make it easier to watch.

Working with a group of non-actors is a major hurdle to overcome and I salute Tian for overcoming this.

I kept thinking it a bit odd that Norbu's wife had no idea what he did for a living. I also found it a bit odd that she had no recrimination for him after getting banished. Further more I'd have thought she'd really see red when their son dies, probably as a result of their standard of living after being banished. Perhaps this is a cultural difference. I understand the director is making a political statement in this film, but ultimately it seems fairly universal, not a product of Chinese society specifically.

To sum up the dubbing was awful, the sound quality in general was very poor, character development was fairly minimal and the one scene of violence (people on people) was not very convincing. I'm sure I would need to go to film school to find out why this film was called the best of the decade, but if you need that much education to appreciate something is it really worth it in the end?