IMDb > Shijie (2004)
Shijie
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips
Videos (see all 2)
Shijie (2004) -- An exploration on the impact of urbanization and globalization on a traditional culture.
Shijie (2004) -- Clip: Where have you been?

IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   1,165 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 13% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Zhang Ke Jia (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for The World on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
18 March 2005 (Canada) more
Genre:
Plot:
An exploration on the impact of urbanization and globalization on a traditional culture. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
3 wins & 2 nominations more
User Comments:
At the crossroad of modernization more (26 total)

Cast

  (Credited cast)
Tao Zhao ... Tao
Taisheng Chen ... Taisheng
Jue Jing ... Wei
Zhong-wei Jiang ... Niu
Yi-qun Wang ... Qun
Hongwei Wang ... Sanlai
Jing Dong Liang ... Tao's ex-boyfriend
Shuai Ji ... Erxiao
Wan Xiang ... Youyou
Alla Shcherbakova ... Anna
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sanming Han ... Sanming
Juan Iu ... Yanqing
Xiaodong Liu ... Karaoke singer
Xiaoshuai Wang
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
The World (International: English title) (USA) (literal English title)
World (USA) (festival title)
more
Runtime:
Italy:140 min | USA:143 min | Argentina:143 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente) | 105 min (theatrical version)
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Visa d'exploitation en France : # 111851. more
Quotes:
Taisheng: Are we dead?
Tao: No, we have only just begun.
more
Movie Connections:
References Titanic (1997) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
17 out of 21 people found the following comment useful.
At the crossroad of modernization, 16 May 2005

While fifth generation Chinese directors Zhang Yimou succumbed to crowd pleasing, turning out cheap, hollow, showy crap like Flying Dagger, sixth generation Jia Zhangke continues to remain faithful to making movies that reflect the sometimes painful metamorphosis the Chinese populace is going through at the crossroad of modernization. The World is such a recent attempt, although there are comments that this movie has already treaded across the line of commercialism.

"The World" here is a miniature world theme park which might be a novelty to Beijing but not the modernized parts of the world (there was one en route from Toronto to Niagara Falls over three decades ago, albeit at a smaller scale). The story evolves around dancer Xiao Tao (ZHAO Tao) and her boyfriend Tiasheng (CHEN Tiasheng). (While the actor conveniently adopted his real name for the character, Tao in the movie means "peach" while Tao in the actress means "waves", two entirely different words). Through the daily lives in the park (part of which is still under construction) and visits from various friends and relatives of the two main characters, we are exposed to how people interact, think, perceive, love, and more. Many of the sequences and dialogue are so realistic and real that you would wonder if these are simply people in the street asked by director Jia to stand in front of the camera (but some distance away) and converse the way they normally do.

The storytelling is straightforward and efficient, sometimes to the point of being skeletal. The camera is objective, impassionate and some may even call it dull. As if to make up for it, director Jia interspersed the script with animations, sometimes to mark off short episodes, each separately titled.

Not for the general audience, The World has an air of the rough-diamond kind of crudeness that makes it quite appealing to seekers of less main-stream cinemas. I do find it a little too long, even when I watched a two-hour version rather than the 140 minute version billed in the IMDb listing.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (26 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Shijie (2004)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
anyone have a band-aid? madeb2
Jonathan Rosenbaums numero uno pick of the year damolzanni242
music lvanwin
so boring. beastsofgreatpain
The ending chesternesterton
The Wedding Toast grantremer
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Wandâfuru raifu Caché Der Fangschuß La règle du jeu The Good Earth
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Drama section IMDb China section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.