Bian zou bian chang (1991)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Kaige Chen

Writers:

Kaige Chen (writer)
Tiesheng Shi (novel)

Release Date:

28 August 1992 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A blind man's master told him that after he has broken 1000 strings on his Banjo, he can open the Banjo to get a script for his eyes...

Plot Keywords:

Banjo | Musician | Blindness | Based On Novel

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Zhongyuan Liu	...	Old Master
Lei Huang	...	Shitou
Qing Xu	...	Lanxiu
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ling Ma	...	Noodle stall owner's wife
Erga Yao	...	Retarded man at noodle stall
Jinzhan Zhang	...	Lanxiu's father
Zhengyuan Zhang	...	Noodle stall owner / God of death
Ling Zhong	...	Pharmacist

Also Known As:

Die Weissagung des Meisters (Germany)
Life on a String

Runtime:

110 min | Germany:120 min (Berlin Film Festival) | UK:103 min

Country:

China | Germany | UK

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

South Korea:All | Australia:M | Sweden:11

Company:

Beijing Film Studio

Imagine Werner Herzog reincarnated as a Chinese director

"Life on a String" (Chinese, 1991): Asian symbols often slip right past this very non-Asian man, but I can say a few things that others might be able to use from their Euro-North American point of view: Imagine German film director Werner Herzog being reincarnated as a Chinese film director. He decides to create a story that has links to both the story of Jesus of Nazareth, and Romeo & Juliet, but remains embedded in the Chinese sensibility of myths, symbols, religion, and morality tales. This is a BEAUTIFUL film with many unexpected moments…but don't expect to work your way through this one all alone, without research, or after one viewing.