Xiao cai feng (2002)

Director:

Sijie Dai

Writers:

Sijie Dai (novel)
Sijie Dai (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 October 2002 (France)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

Two youths sent for a Maoist "re-education" in the mountains fall in love with the village tailor's granddaughter.

Plot Keywords:

Mountain | Book | Tailor | Literature | Village

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 5 nominations

Cast

Xun Zhou	...	Little Chinese Seamstress
Kun Chen	...	Luo
Ye Liu	...	Ma
Shuangbao Wang	...	Head of the Village
Zhijun Cong	...	Old Tailor
Hongwei Wang	...	Four Eyes
Xiong Xiao	...	Mother of Four Eyes
Zuohui Tang	...	Old Mill Worker
Wei Chen	...	Wife of the Head of the Village
Tianlu Chen	...	Director of the Commune
Qing-yun Fan	...	Doctor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Guy-Pierre Bennet	...	Journalist (voice)
Quilène Boileux	...	Airport Shop Assistant
Yulin Chen	...	Female Villager
Jing Fang	...	Female Villager
Yao Liu	...	Female Villager
Lina Mei	...	Female Villager
Jie Min	...	Peasant
Li Peng	...	Female Villager
Wa Su	...	Daughter in Law of the Head of the Village
Chun Hua Xu	...	Female Villager
Yukun Xu	...	Peasant
Dandan Yang	...	Mrs. Lao
He Zhang	...	Peasant
Fang Zong Zhao	...	Female Villager
Heng Fei Zhao	...	Female Villager

Also Known As:

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (UK) (USA)
Balzac et la petite tailleuse chinoise (France)
The Little Chinese Seamstress (International: English title)

Runtime:

110 min | France:116 min (Cannes Film Festival)

Country:

France | China

Language:

Mandarin | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Malaysia:U | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Norway:11 | Philippines:PG-13 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | Canada:A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Fenghuan, Hunan, China

Company:

Canal+

Trivia:

Filming was allowed in China after seven months negotiations with the authorities, but any projection on Chinese territory was banned.

Soundtrack:

Divertissement

a wonderful tale of love found and lost

This movie is most memorable for its beautiful scenery and while the story itself is told with skill and ambition it still lacks proper pace at times. Less would have been more here.

Also it seems that as the movie nears its end the writers had a hard time thinking of a artistically pleasing ending and by doing so overdid it just a bit. The underwater scene at the end, while having a melancholic touch, did come across as rather forced for an otherwise "natural" film.

The characters are all believable, amicable, intriguing and make you all the more interested in the story, which takes place during the Chinese cultural revolution. Do not expect historic facts since this is no documentary but a tale of love found and lost. A wonderfully poetic one, too.

A highlight of independent film making. 7/10