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The Puppetmaster (1993)

Xi meng ren sheng (original title)
| Biography, Drama, War | 8 December 1993 (France)
The Puppetmaster Poster
Puppeteer Li Tian-lu tells his life story, and through it, the story of Taiwan in the first half of the 20th century.

Director:

Hsiao-Hsien Hou

Writers:

T'ien-wen Chu, Tien-Lu Li (story) (as Tian-Lu Li) | 1 more credit »

Stars:

Tien-Lu Li, Giong Lim, Kuei-Chung Cheng | See full cast & crew »
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7 wins & 4 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tien-Lu Li Tien-Lu Li ... Himself (as Tian-Lu Li)
Giong Lim ... Li Tianlu (young) (as Chung Lin)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kuei-Chung Cheng Kuei-Chung Cheng ... Li Tien Lu adolescent
Chien-ru Huang Chien-ru Huang
Liou Hung Liou Hung ... Li Hei (grandfather)
Tung-Hsiu Kao Tung-Hsiu Kao
Hei Li Hei Li
Wenchang Li Wenchang Li
Wen-Pin Liu Wen-Pin Liu
Ming-Hua Pai ... Ong Hsiu (Grandmother)
I. Toshiro I. Toshiro
Chen-Nan Tsai ... Komeng Dang (father)
Yi-Hua Tsai Yi-Hua Tsai
Juwei Tzuo Juwei Tzuo
Li-Yin Yang ... Lai Hwat (stepmother)
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

In the first half of this century, young Li Tienlu joines a travelling puppet theatre and subsequently makes a career as one of Taiwan's leading puppeteers. During World War II the Japanese rulers of Taiwan use the traditional Chinese puppet theatre for their war propaganda. Only after the war street theatres start playing again. Written by Otto Oberhauser <Oberhauser@cc.univie.ac.at>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

taipei taiwan | taiwan | puppet | puppeteer | propaganda | See All (149) »

Genres:

Biography | Drama | War

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
Edit

Details

Country:

Taiwan

Language:

Mandarin | Min Nan | Japanese

Release Date:

8 December 1993 (France) See more »

Also Known As:

The Puppetmaster See more »

Filming Locations:

Taiwan

Company Credits

Production Co:

ERA,Nian Dai International,Qiu Fusheng See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

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

Connections

Followed by Hao nan hao nu (1995) See more »

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User Reviews

 
Filial love is stronger than millennial traditions
2 January 2003 | by abel – See all my reviews

Perhaps Asian movies there are considered slow. But inside this slow-motion film you can feel the intensity of the human emotions in every look.

The intensity of every shoot makes this movie an extraordinary experience for everybody.

The plot of the film is something more than a tribute of a losing tradition, the puppets art, is about the relationships between an old man an his adopted niece. How the affection between they could break absurd but ingrain traditions from hundreds of years ago.

The incredible sequences of puppets are only an addition in the incredible beauty of the Taiwanese landscape.The entire movie in general has a flavour that makes it tasty from start to finish.
6 of 11 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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