A Time to Live and a Time to Die (1985)

The semi-autobiographical film on director Hou Hsiao-Hsien's childhood and adolescence, when he was growing up in Taiwan, living through the deaths of his father, mother and grandmother.

Director:

Hsiao-Hsien Hou

Writers:

T'ien-wen Chu, Hsiao-Hsien Hou

Stars:

Chia-bao Chang, Neng Chang, Chih-Chen Chen

8 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Chia-bao Chang
Neng Chang
Chih-Chen Chen
Han-wen Chen
Shu-Fang Chen
Bao-te Chiang
Tung-hung Chou
Ai Hsiao
Shu-Fen Hsin	...	Hsiao's love interest
Hsiang-Ping Hu
Tung-lai Kao
Chung-Wen Lin
Kuo-bao Liu
Cheng-ye Lo
Shun-lin Lo

Storyline

This depiction of childhood and adolescence draws heavily from the filmmaker's own boyhood. Like many of their compatriots, Hou's family moved from the mainland to Taiwan in 1948 and was unable ever to return. The film focuses on the widening generation gap in a family cut off from its cultural heritage.

---

Plot Keywords:

taiwan | grandmother | f rated | part of trilogy | samurai sword | 

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama

---

Details

Official Sites:

International Film Circuit

Country:

Taiwan

Language:

Mandarin Hakka

Release Date:

1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Time to Live and a Time to Die

Filming Locations:

Taiwan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Central Motion Pictures, Yi Fu Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente) 118 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

---

Connections

Featured in Century of Cinema: Yang ± Yin: Gender in Chinese Cinema (1998)

User Reviews

A great introduction to the world's greatest director

I recommend A TIME TO LIVE AND A TIME TO DIE as a great introduction to the films of Hou Hsiao Hsien, who I consider the greatest director working today. Like most of his films, this one is about the telling of history, the effort to recreate the memories of the past, in this case his childhood memories growing up in rural Taiwan. His family has escaped Communist China but live as if they will make their return someday. That someday never comes, the family grows old, and members die one by one. These tragedies (filmed with heartbreaking solemnity) serve as punctuation marks for the film's narrative, which isn't so much concerned with plot details as it is with capturing the sense of what it was like to live at that time, as the kids develop their own sense of belonging, in a country they have adpoted just as it has adopted them. His method of editing and storytelling is something close to revolutionary, and he would refine it in his later films. His ability to set scene after impeccable scene and let the ideas ferment over their totality is unparalleled. This is perhaps his most accessible film, full of heart and pathos. It may seem slowgoing by Hollywood standards, but if you have the willingness to let it wash over you, you will be transported, both mentally and emotionally.