To Live (1994)

After Fugui and Jiazhen lose their personal fortunes, they raise a family and survive difficult cultural changes during 1940s to 1970s China.

Director:

Yimou Zhang

Writers:

Wei Lu (screenplay), Hua Yu (novel)

Stars:

You Ge, Li Gong, Ben Niu

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
You Ge	...	Xu Fugui
Li Gong	...	Xu Jiazhen
Ben Niu	...	Town Chief
Wu Jiang	...	Wan Erxi
Deng Fei	...	Xu Youqing
Tao Guo	...	Chunsheng
Tianchi Liu	...	Xu Fengxia, as an adult
Zongluo Huang	...	Fu Gui's Dad
Yanjin Liu	...	Fu Gui's Mom
Dahong Ni	...	Long'er
Lian-Yi Li	...	Sgt. Lao Quan
Cong Xiao	...	Xu Fengxia, as a teenager
Lu Zhang	...	Fengxia, as a child
Yan Su

Storyline

Fugui and Jiazhen endure tumultuous events in China as their personal fortunes move from wealthy landownership to peasantry. Addicted to gambling, Fugui loses everything. In the years that follow he is pressed into both the nationalist and communist armies, while Jiazhen is forced into menial work. They raise a family and survive, managing "to live" from the 40's to the 70's in this epic, but personal, story of life through an amazing period.

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Plot Keywords:

chinese history | cultural revolution | family saga | puppet show | china | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

China Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

16 December 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

To Live

Filming Locations:

China

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$32,900, 20 November 1994

Gross USA:

$2,332,728

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,332,728

Company Credits

Production Co:

ERA International, Shanghai Film Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Clint Eastwood's personal favorite of the competition entries at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival where Eastwood was Jury President.

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Quotes

Little Bun: [playing with chickens] When will they grow up?
Xu Jiazhen: Very soon.
Little Bun: And then?
Xu Fugui: And then... the chickens will turn into geese... and the geese will turn into sheep... and the sheep will turn into oxen.
Little Bun: And after the oxen?
Xu Fugui: After oxen...
Xu Jiazhen: After oxen, Little Bun will grow up.
Little Bun: I want to ride on an ox's back.
Xu Jiazhen: You will ride on an ox's back.
Xu Fugui: Little Bun won't ride on an ox... he'll ride trains and planes... and life will get better and better.

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Connections

Referenced in The Safety in Rubber (2007)

User Reviews

Beautiful, painfully heartbreaking.

I think most of us can watch Freddy Krueger rip people apart and barely flinch. Not that Nightmare on Elm Street is a bad film, it never inflicts pain on the viewer.

But this film is so beautiful and so real, that it's unbearably heartbreaking at times. Every time I watch it, and I know a particular heartbreaking scene is coming up, I almost want to turn it off, but I'm just frozen in place, forced to experience the pain of the people on screen, that I've traveled three decades with. Zhang's understanding of the people of China, and the tragedy of history is full of empathy, respect, and adoration. In every scene, Gong Li embodies strength and beauty. Zhang's study of communism and of the Chinese government, isn't a villifying one sided argument, but one with complete understanding of the tragedy of this huge social experiment, that effected not only China, but the whole world.

As a Korean American, I draw some appreciation at the parallel effects on Communism on Korea. Mao-Kim, Taiwan-SouthKorea. But this is a truly universal movie, and anyone would enjoy it.