- Actors: Dong Jie, Zhao Benshan
- Directors: Zhang Yimou
- Producers: Edward R. Pressman, Terrence Malick
- Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
- Language: Chinese
- Subtitles: English, French
- Region: (US and Canada This DVD will probably NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Number of discs: 1
- MPAA Rating:
- Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- Release Date: Dec 3 2002
- Run Time: 102 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00006RCL3
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#28,470 in DVD (See Top 100 in DVD)
- #6 in DVD > Art House & International > By Director > Zhang Yimou
- #16 in DVD > Art House & International > Asian Cinema > Taiwan
- #31 in DVD > Art House & International > Asian Cinema > China
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Perfect
July 16 2004
Format:DVD
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I've long been a film buff - my favorite films tend to be artsy and rather pedantic. Because of this, my family generally doesn't like to sit with me and watch movies.
So, when I started "Happy Times" last night, I thought they'd gradually wander off and find something else to do.
But, they were enthralled! This movie is the perfect balancing act between comedy, drama, and the enduring love we feel for those who have touched us in a special way.
This is a great, great movie.
Too many Americans shun foreign films. This is one they shouldn't miss. When the movie ended, my oldest son turned to me and said, "Wow. I think Hollywood has forgotten how to make movies like this!"
American filmmakers seem to think they have to descend to the baser instincts in order to make "adult" movies.
Yet, "Happy Times" - and countless other foreign films - never seem to sink to this level. These films are always excellent.
I think the issue is that Hollywood has forgotten how to write a good story; they've forgotten that basic human values can be enduring, can be entertaining, if only they would jettison their cynical baggage.
"Happy Times" will make you laugh and cry, smile and reflect with pride on the better angels of our nature.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
[Anything but] Happy Times
Mar 31 2003
Format:DVD
Despite the upbeat title, 'Happy Times' depicts anything but...abuse by a stepmother, abandonment by a natural father, massive structural unemployment, a future of limited hope for each of the protagonists.
Through all of this despair, the natural goodness of Benshan Zhao's character (also called "Zhao") shines through. His ruses get more complicated and difficult to sort out, but in the second-half of the film, his growing care and concern for "Little Wu" (skillfully portrayed by Dong Jie) is obvious.
I defy anyone to watch 'Happy Times' without tears streaming down your cheeks by the end. I definitely recommend a rental/purchase, but you may want to pair it with something a bit more upbeat or comedic. This is a heartbreaking movie.
Do not let the picture on the box fool you - this is an excellent movie.
Feb 2 2008
Format:DVD
I just happened to see this on CBC, and bought the DVD last week. It is worth seeing for the performance of Dong Jie alone -- what a wonderful performance. You will be touched by her expressions and gestures (grabbing the watch or shirt when stressed). The cast were so critical for this "simple" story as they convey a full package of history by portraying complete characters.
I did some research and found out the ending on this version was NOT the original. The original was less dramatic and much shorter - though it looks like the director perferred the one on the DVD.
This is a movie that dances around deception -- the floweres are cut to look like more expensive roses, the large woman treats the girl one way with company and another when just her son is there. It also shows how MOTIVE is key to behaviours and is the difference between angels and wolves.
There is also a theme of what "modern capitalistic" society sees as having no value, and throws away -- so the bus, factory, seniors, and handicapped.
There is far more to this story then is on the surface. I highly recommend it.
THE ENDING - SPOILER
The original ending follows Zhao and "little" Wu walking to work. He finds the factory being demolished, but they continues into the "massage-room" where they sit while he reads her "father's" letter (the one Zhao wrote). As this happens, the camera moves away from them until they are in long shot -- with the room they made, surrounded by machinery taking the building apart with the inevitability that those machines will soon take the room apart too, and the film ends.
Both endings work.
I did some research and found out the ending on this version was NOT the original. The original was less dramatic and much shorter - though it looks like the director perferred the one on the DVD.
This is a movie that dances around deception -- the floweres are cut to look like more expensive roses, the large woman treats the girl one way with company and another when just her son is there. It also shows how MOTIVE is key to behaviours and is the difference between angels and wolves.
There is also a theme of what "modern capitalistic" society sees as having no value, and throws away -- so the bus, factory, seniors, and handicapped.
There is far more to this story then is on the surface. I highly recommend it.
THE ENDING - SPOILER
The original ending follows Zhao and "little" Wu walking to work. He finds the factory being demolished, but they continues into the "massage-room" where they sit while he reads her "father's" letter (the one Zhao wrote). As this happens, the camera moves away from them until they are in long shot -- with the room they made, surrounded by machinery taking the building apart with the inevitability that those machines will soon take the room apart too, and the film ends.
Both endings work.
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Most recent customer reviews
IT IS MY FAVOR
I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO SAY,BUT IT IS REALLY GOOD,I LIKE IT VERY MUCH
Published on Feb 19 2004 by IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE
Happy viewing, at least.
Zhang Yimou's ironically titled *Happy Times* is really a remarkable tightrope act: it offers us some very sappy melodrama while commenting on its own artifices, and gets away... Read more
Published on Sep 21 2003
A wonderful but underappreciated film.
As a longtime fan of director Zhang Yimou, I was surprised to see him change directions with 1998's Not One Less. Read more
Published on Aug 6 2003 by yinan
Sweet little movie
This movie tops my all time list of Asian films. It covers the whole range of emotions - at times, it is absolutely hilarious, then absurd, and then very touching. Read more
Published on July 17 2003
Desperately seeking love...
A middle aged bachelor, Zhao is desperately seeking love and thinks he has found it in a woman who wants a large wedding. Read more
Published on July 16 2003 by Kim Anehall
happy times
This is an excellent movie, but "the long way home" is similar and better.
Published on Jun 5 2003
Happy Times---Learning to Live With the End of Illusion.
Zhang Yimou is always at his best when he is portraying ordinary people facing overwhelming circumstances. Read more
Published on Mar 8 2003 by Eric Langager
Zhang Yimou does it again...
I was so happy when I was in Blockbuster last evening and admist all the Hollywood mass-produced "big A-list star" [movies] I was able to find Zhang Yimou's recent import. Read more
Published on Mar 8 2003
Heart rending
My university's east asian cultures department is showing an east asian movie every friday for a month and this was the first one shown. Read more
Published on Feb 8 2003 by Daitokuji31
Simple Story about a Girl and a Middle-aged Man in China
Very common error among Western viewers about "Happy Times" is the idea that this film is a comedy, or "basically comedy. Read more
Published on Jan 12 2003 by Tsuyoshi
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