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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Release Date:
24 January 2003 (Greece) more
Plot:
Liyan and Yuwen live in post-war torpor, childless but with Liyan's school-aged sister. He coughs, imagining... more | add synopsis
Awards:
3 wins more
User Comments:
Watch for the sparkling 'drinking' scene more (23 total)
Cast
(Credited cast)| Jingfan Hu | ... | Yuwen | |
| Jun Wu | ... | Dai Liyan | |
| Bai Qing Xin | ... | Zhang Zhichen | |
| Xiao Keng Ye | ... | Lao Huang | |
| Si Si Lu | ... | Dai Xiu |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Springtime in a Small Town (International: English title) (USA)
Printemps dans une petite ville (France)
more
MPAA:
Rated PG for some thematic elements.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
116 min | Argentina:115 min (Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema) | Canada:112 min (Toronto International Film Festival)
Country:
China | Hong Kong | France | Netherlands
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Netherlands:MG6 | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:PG | Norway:7
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Holiday (2006) more
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This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (23 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Xiao cheng zhi chun (2002)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Just TOOOOOO Long | film_ophile |
| Has anyone seen the original? | drn5 |
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| Gone with the Wind | Married Life | The Nanny Diaries | A Place in the Sun | Baby Doll |
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Spoilers
An alternative title of this film could have been the one for a recent local play in town: 'Tiny ripples in still waters' (as literally translated. 'Still waters' obviously have nothing to do with the fictitious rock band featured in 'Almost Famous'. It just means a dead pool).
This film reminds me immediately of the Italian gem Facing Windows I saw recently in Toronto, for which my comments started out thus: 'The ripple-in-a-mundane-life type of story is difficult to handle'. Both films deal with a stagnant marriage, and the ripple created by the intrusion of a man. The circumstances are however different, but I am not going to start comparing and contrasting the two. For Springtime, the main cause of the marital problem is the husband's (Liyan) lingering ailment. His home-coming childhood friend (Zeichen) turns out to be also the wife's (Yuwen) teen sweetheart. The only two other characters are Liyan's little sister, just turning 16, and a faithful old manservant.
The pace is slow but the film is absorbingly mesmerising. Behind the deceptively simple dialogue is an undercurrent of ebbs and flows of emotions, particularly in the case of Hu Jingfan playing Yuwen. (Look beyond the surface of the words she speaks into the subtly varying tone, the nuances, and the ever so slight shift in the timbre of her voice). Masterly use of a slowly panning camera creates the melancholy mood sustaining the intriguing lure of the film.
Particularly worth mentioning is the brilliant climax of the 'drinking' scene. I won't spoil it with inapt descriptions. If Hu Jingfu's performance has been subtle hitherto, it's sparkling in that scene.
Film critics in town who have seen the original 1948 version claim that it is even better. Hope to get a chance to see it. In any event, this re-make is well worth recommending to those who have the capacity to appreciate.
* * * *
Update - March 2005.
Have now seen the original, which certainly lives up to its reputation, but can't agree with the verdict that the remake is inferior.