Shiqi sui de dan che (2001)

Director:

Xiaoshuai Wang

Writers:

Peggy Chiao (writer)
Hsiao-ming Hsu (writer)

Release Date:

25 April 2001 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A seventeen-year-old country boy working in Beijing as a courier has his bicycle stolen, and finds it with a schoolboy his age.

Plot Keywords:

Messenger | Beijing China | False Accusation | Iron Will | Bicycle Crash

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Lin Cui	...	Guo Liangui (as Cui Lin)
Bin Li	...	Jian
Xun Zhou	...	Qin
Yuanyuan Gao	...	Xiao
Shuang Li	...	Da Huan
Yiwei Zhao	...	Father
Yan Pang	...	Mother
Fangfei Zhou	...	Rongrong
Jian Xie	...	Manager
Yuhong Ma	...	Accountant
Lei Liu	...	Mantis
Mengnan Li	...	Qiu Sheng
Jian Li	...	Jian's Classmate
Yang Zhang	...	Jian's Classmate
Yuzhong Wang	...	Jian's Classmate

Also Known As:

Beijing Bicycle (France) (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violence and brief nudity.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

France | Taiwan | China

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | USA:PG-13 | Australia:M | Spain:7 | Sweden:11

Filming Locations:

Beijing, China

Company:

Arc Light Films

Trivia:

The arcade game that Jian and his friends play is "Dance Dance Revolution".

Movie Connections:

References Ladri di biciclette (1948)

Beautiful, but empty

Quasi-remake of De Sica's `Ladri di biciclette,' set in the sprawling metropolis of contemporary Beijing. Director Wang Xiaoshuai borrows not just the seedling idea but much of the approach of the Italian Neo-Realist classic. A stolen bicycle leads two boys from one sad situation to another, and Wang lets those situations determine the film's form, rather than using deliberate techniques to give it shape. This result is going to inspire different responses--like `Ladri di biciclette' itself, it's going to seem refreshingly artless to some, frustratingly aimless to others. Likewise, the film's tremendous stillness is going to draw some viewers in while alienating others. There are passing comments on image, perception, and class divisions, but the style (Chinese-Italian Neo-Neo-Realism?) really prevents the director from exploring any of these ideas too thoroughly. Personally, while I appreciate the respectful approach to the film's inspiration, I wish Wang would have really cut loose with some radical new take on `Ladri,' as Tim Burton did with his masterpiece, `Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.' As it is, `Shiqi sui de dan che' left me a little bit cold; it was all done is good taste, but the result was curiously lifeless. For all his deference to De Sica, Wang can't really recreate the Italian director's emotional depth, no matter how precisely he recreates his style. Without that depth, this film is as beautiful as a series of still photographs, but no more alive. 6 out of 10.