| Springtime in a Small Town | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Tian Zhuangzhuang |
| Produced by | William Kong Li Xiaowan TIng Yatming |
| Written by | Ah Cheng Li Tianji (short story) |
| Starring | Hu Jingfan Wu Jun Xin Baiqing Ye Xiaokeng Lu Si Si |
| Music by | Zhao Li |
| Cinematography | Pin Bing Lee |
| Editing by | Xu Jianping |
| Distributed by | United States: Palm Pictures United Kingdom: Artificial Eye |
| Release date(s) | Venice: 4 September 2002 United Kingdom: 13 June 2003 United States: 14 May 2004 |
| Running time | 116 min. |
| Country | China France The Netherlands |
| Language | Mandarin |
Springtime in a Small Town (Chinese: 小城之春; pinyin: Xiǎochéng zhī chūn) is a 2002 Chinese film directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang. The film is a remake of director Fei Mu's 1948 film, Spring in a Small Town. Though the two movies are referred to by different English titles, they share the same title in Chinese.
Springtime in a Small Town marks the return of Tian Zhuangzhuang to the director's chair, following a nearly nine-year absence since his last film, The Blue Kite (1993). It was funded by several production companies from China (Beijing Film Studio, Beijing Rosart Film), France (Orly Films, Paradis Films), and the Netherlands (Fortissimo Films).
Unlike Kite, which deployed a large cast, spanned decades, and carried a political message, Springtime is a small intimate chamber-piece.[1]
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The film follows Fei Mu's original fairly closely. Zhang Zhichen (Xin Baiqing), a city doctor, comes to visit his old friend from school Dai Liyan (Wu Jun) shortly after the war against the Japanese has ended. Dai is sickly although Zhang suspects it to be mainly a case of hypochondria. While visiting, he meets Liyan's wife, Yuwen (Hu Jingfan) and Liyan's young teenage sister Dai Xiu (Lu Sisi).
Zhang and Yuwen has had a passionate love affair ten years earlier before she had been engaged to marry her husband. Due to her husband's sickness however, the couple has ceased any real physical contact. With Zhang back, both Yuwen and the doctor find themselves again attracted to one another.
As emotions run high, Dai Xiu's birthday comes up. As the drinks begin to flow, Zhang and Yuwen's mutual attraction emerge clearly to everyone, especially to Liyan. Too sickly in his mind to care for his wife any longer, he begs Zhang to stay. Liyan then promptly attempts suicide by overdose but is saved by his friend. Zhang then decides that it is best that he departs.
While faithful to the plot of the original, Tian's remake did choose to drop the original's use of a voice-over narration by Yuwen.
Unlike Tian's ensemble direction in The Blue Kite, the cast here is deliberately limited to only five actors, all of whom were unknowns at the time of Springtime's release.[1]
The film received great acclaim from film critics. The film review aggregator Rottentomatoes records that 89% of film critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 35 reviews; with "top critics" giving the film an 100% rating.[2] The Metacritic aggregator recorded the film received an average score of 84, meaning "universal acclaim."[3] Variety praised the film as a "visually rich" and "exquisitely made love story."[4] The Sight and Sound states: "this is a sensual, haunting film, atmospheric and moving, full of melancholy and a subtle eroticism."[1] J. Hoberman of The Village Voice describes the film as "exquisitely crafted" and "a movie of indefinable moods and subtle emotional coloration." Hoberman further writes: "Tian's first feature in the decade...is also his quietest, remaking a 1948 Chinese classic to marvelous effect."[5]
Springtime in a Small Town was released in the United States on DVD on 23 November 2004 and is distributed by Palm Pictures. The DVD features subtitles in English.
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