Huozhe (1994)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Yimou Zhang

Writers:

Wei Lu (screenplay)
Hua Yu (novel)

Release Date:

December 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Fugui and Jiazhen endure tumultuous events in China as their personal fortunes move from wealthy landownership to peasantry...

Plot Keywords:

Epic | Gambling | Water Carrier | Family Relationships | Fireworks

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

You Ge	...	Xu Fugui
Li Gong	...	Xu Jiazhen
Ben Niu	...	Town Chief
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Xiao Cong
Deng Fei	...	Xu Youqing
Tao Guo	...	Chunsheng
Zongluo Huang	...	Fu Gui's dad
Wu Jiang	...	Wan Erxi
Tianchi Liu	...	Xu Fengxia, as an adult
Zhang Lu
Dahong Ni	...	Long'er
Yan Su

Also Known As:

Lifetimes
Living
To Live
Woot jeuk (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

China | Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Germany:12 | Australia:PG | Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:12

Company:

ERA International

Trivia:

This film is banned in China. However, there are a number of pirate copies you can buy on the street.

Quotes:

Xu Fugui: What did you name our son?
Xu Jiazhen: "Don't Gamble".

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 52nd Annual Golden Globe Awards (1995) (TV)

Impressive, objective film

Impressive observational film about mid-20th-century China, which is brought into focus through the tribulations of one family over a thirty-plus-year period. Others here have called it a Chinese `Gone with the Wind,' but in this respect it's more like a Chinese `Les Misérables,' albeit on a smaller scale. What's most remarkable about it is how it manages to be both a political film, and an objective one--it judges the political happenings that serve as its backdrop, yes, but we never get the sense that it is PRE-judging them. `Huozhe' is no propaganda film--it allows its events to unfold organically, and allows us to infer its meaning on our own. The fact that director Zhang Yimou's approach is so delicate makes what happened after the film's release even more sad, and more telling--the film was banned, and Zhang and one of his stars, Gong Li, were barred from filmmaking for two years. Casual viewers may find that shocking, as the overall tone is one of affection and optimism for one's country, and the characters are more interested in simply staying together (and alive) than in declaring any kind of political allegiance. Technically, the film is lovely as well, with beautiful cinematography and fine performances by Ge You and Gong making it as satisfying aesthetically as it is intellectually. 8 out of 10.