Spoonatects
Am i the only one who thinks........Average?
StyleSk8r
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Logan
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
BeckyLadakh
I use movies for teaching, i.e. I show movies from different parts of the world to my students in a remote rural part of India. Last year I showed the Blue Kite but found it was a bit too slow moving and unrelentingly grim. Then I showed To Live, which covers a similar part of history in a similar plot, and found it much easier to watch. I'm not saying that this movie is not great, just that for teenagers, the Blue Kite is a bit too slow.With both of these movies I think it is essential to know background information about the periods of history covered. The things that were done in China of those decades are so hard to believe and fathom. If you are interested in China of the 20th century, this movie is essential.
bandw
This is the story of Tietou, a boy born in Beijing in 1953. It follows him and his family through the turbulent times in China until Tietou is fifteen. The story plays against the political background of The Rectification Movement, The Great Leap Forward and the beginnings of The Cultural Revolution. The movie stays closely focused on the family and how it is affected by the political whims of the times. Lacking a knowledge of Chinese history I was often confused by what was happening to family members. The great strength of the movie in focusing on the relationship between Tietou and his mother, and their courage in facing hard times, was also for me a weakness, since I did not understand the political forces behind what was precipitating the events driving their lives. What seemed like safe behavior at one time was deemed as cause for arrest at others. This may have been one of the points being made, but I did not understand the underlying reasons.Another problem I had was reading the subtitles. If you are not a speed reader, they will often fly by faster than you can read. Many of them stayed on the screen for less than half a second (I counted the frames). Many times I found myself pausing the DVD so I could back it up to read the subtitles. These disruptions obviously diminished my enjoyment of the film.All that being said, the movie is nicely filmed with a pacing and score that are quite effective. Many scenes linger on everyday details and are punctuated with subtle music. The historical context that does filter through is of interest.If I spoke Chinese and knew more of the history of that country, I think I would have appreciated this film much more.
orocolorado
If this movie is banned in China and considered daring imagine what one told by an unsympathetic non communist would be like. For the fact is that all the characters in this film appear to be more or less kowtowing to the communists or aspiring party members themselves. One of the harshest things you hear is an old woman who wonders if there has been enough revolution. In fact it has the feel of a communist propaganda movie with eager smiling people who never complain. Various sources estimate that between 15 to 40 million people starved during the great leap forward...you would not get that impression from this film. I want to see what the real truth and tragedy were like. This is just a pale start.
phosgene7
As you knew about the fate of this movie in the motherland, I can get DVD or tape from rent store even from illegal DVD seller. It seems that we can do nothing at this kind of circumstance. But director told the predominant story and outstanding mother in that special years. It just like that children's song has been sung again and again in the movie. I wondered how all those actors and actresses who acted as Hong Wei Bing (Young guard soldiers) thought during made this movie. Actually they didn't go through this kind of special history. they just got limited information from books. And I believed that all these limited information can not let them understood fully it. probably these stuffs have not covered everything. But i appreciated that director is bold to tell people what's happening. When people can face their history and mistake they made, I believed that nation of those people will be stronger and stronger you never imagined.
