The Old Well (1986)
"Lao jing" (original title)

A married village worker teams up with an old girlfriend to try to dig a well for his water-starved village. The well collapses and they are trapped. Their enforced confinement leads to ... See full summary »

Director:

Tian-Ming Wu

Stars:

Yujing Liang, Yuqing Liao, Liping Lü

11 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Yujing Liang	...	Zhao, Qiaoying
Yuqing Liao
Liping Lü	...	Duan, Xifeng
Xingli Niu	...	Wanshui
Yimou Zhang	...	Shun, Wangquan

Storyline

A married village worker teams up with an old girlfriend to try to dig a well for his water-starved village. The well collapses and they are trapped. Their enforced confinement leads to them exploring their feelings for each other and those around them.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin

Also Known As:

The Old Well

Company Credits

Production Co:

Xi'an Film Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Zhang Yimou does it again

After his stunning photography work in "Yellow Earth" Zhang Yimou shows he can work in enclosed spaces just as well as open fields. Also, this film shows Zhang Yimou in his first acting role.

This film fits in well with first runs of the 5th generation directors, and is dire need of a good transfer to dvd. In a large part, this film is very much in tune with propaganda films coming out of cCina at the time, but this story of lost love found and sacrifice for the community maps well to international filmgoers.

After "Yellow Earth" capital began to flow at an increased rate into the Chinese film industry, and this piece is one that should not be forgotten. Sandwiched between two great films photographed by Zhang Yimou, "Yellow Earth" and "Red Sorghum", any fan of his work will not be left disappointed.