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asian cinema  chinese film  chinese history  foreign film  gong li  

To Live

To Live

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Director: Yimou Zhang
Actors: You Ge, Li Gong, Ben Niu, Xiao Cong, Deng Fei
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Category: DVD

List Price: $14.98
Buy New: $7.48
You Save: $7.50 (50%)



New (21) Used (9) Collectible (2) from $7.48

Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars 105 reviews
Sales Rank: 5138

Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: Chinese (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 125 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.6

MPN: D1004712D
ISBN: 0792856279
UPC: 027616887535
EAN: 9780792856276
ASIN: B00005JM6H

Theatrical Release Date: 1994
Release Date: July 1, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!

Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 105
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4 out of 5 stars Worthy...   June 1, 2008
D. Kanigan (CT, USA)
This Chinese subtitled film begins in the 1940's and ends in the 70's. Fugui, a gambler, loses his family fortune and their home to his addiction. His Father disowns him. His pregnant wife, Jiazhen, leaves him taking their daughter with her. Fugui, penniless and homeless, takes to the street to sell goods to make a living. Jiazhen notices that her husband has shaken his addiction and has learned his lesson. She returns and introduces Fugui to their new born son. Fugui sets out to earn a new living with his family now reconciled and turns to a loan shark who lends him hand puppets rather than cash. Fugui gathers a performing troupe and sets out on the road to perform where he encounters the Chinese Revolutionary Army. The story passes thru the four decades weaving in the Fugui & Jiazhen family story with Chinese history during the period.

The beauty of the film, beyond the spectacular images and casting, is in its quiet moments, husband with wife, mother with children, loss of family members and their grieving and their enduring tragedies and hardship.



5 out of 5 stars Zhang Yimou and Gong Li Creat Another Masterpiece   May 9, 2008
Movie Mania (Southern Calfornia)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Zhang Yimou is one of the greatest directors of the past decade. Add to this China's greatest film actress Gong Li. The two always combine to make great films and this is their masterpiece.

Gong Li and Ge You star as husband and wife who are very successful performers. But life changes for them during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960's.

This is a great examination of this period of China's history. If you want to understand this period this is the film give you a backdrop of what happened.

By far, this was the best picture released in 1994 and Gong Li gave the best performance of the year.



5 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece!   February 29, 2008
K. Smith
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

If you want to understand fate, then watch this movie! If you want to understand life, then watch this movie! This movie will help you "To Live!"


5 out of 5 stars A fantastic journey   February 8, 2008
R. Cecilie Gunset (ÿs, Akershus Norway)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is an amazing film from director Zhang Yimou. We follow a family through a turbulent time in chinese history.
Gong li and Ge You portay the characters in a real and honest maner.



5 out of 5 stars An Epic   December 23, 2007
Randy Keehn (Williston, ND United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

"To Live" is an epic movie of China from the 1940's until the recent past. It follows one family who suffer a number of set-backs and tragedies in surviving from one regiem to the next. The film is shot with excellent color, sets, costumes, dialogue, direction, and acting. There are scenes of dynamic proportions and others of dynamic emotions. By the time the film came to a close, I was almost in awe of what I had seen. It reminds me of the movie "The Last Emporer" and the book "One Man's Bible" although the former covers a much larger scope of history.

I was aware of most of this history having read about it in the newspapers as it was happening. However, I have to admit that the Cultural Revolution and other changes were confusing but "To Live" gives a good understanding of the effect, if not the cause, of these events. I understand that the writer and director were disciplined for their artistic endeavors in this movie. It isn't surprizing given the clear political statement that is made about the arbitrary nature of the purges.

Post WWII Chinese history is complex and so is their culture. "To Live" brings all of this to life in a brilliant manner. I saw a reference to this movie as a Chinese "Gone with the Wind". That sounds like as good an analogy as any.


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