Road Home, the: Amazon.ca: Ziyi Zhang, Honglei Sun, Hao Zheng, Yulian Zhao, Bin Li, Guifa Chang, Wencheng Sung, Qi Liu, Bo Ji, Zhongxi Zhang, Yimou Zhang, Shi Bao: DVD

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At the start of the most recent film from Chinese director Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, Ju Dou, Shanghai Triad), a young man returns to his native village after the death of his father, the village's schoolteacher, who died while trying to raise money for a new schoolhouse. His body is in a neighboring town; the young man's mother insists that it be brought back on foot, lest his spirit not find his way home. From this starting point, the young man recounts the tale of his parents' courtship, which involved a red banner, mushroom dumplings, a colorful barrette, and a broken bowl. The Road Home is beautifully filmed, particularly the luminous face of Zhang Ziyi (from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), whose performance is a heartrending portrait of hope and yearning. A simple but deeply emotional film. --Bret Fetzer

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Customer Reviews

72 Reviews

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
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Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (72 customer reviews)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Power of Subtlety, May 26 2004

By

John M Walker (Omaha, NE United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Road Home, the (DVD)

This is an incomparable film. Many story tellers try to move their audience to reexamine what they thought they knew -- to leave them haunted and deeply touched. Many attempts come off as rather silly and maudlin. Not this film. This film may touch you in a way you didn't think possible.

I urge everyone to not try to discover too much about the specifics of this story -- I recommend you simply watch and let the story unfold. Don't be overly curious about the plot -- anyway, this film is not "about" the plot, it's about being human.

The plot of this film is not important in the same way a Rorshach ink blot is not important. But, like the ink blot, this film will reveal something, possibly much, of what is inside the beholder. This film is about something vital to the human experience, and that something is longing.

It's about a longing to reconnect with a purity of feeling and experience. A longing for simplicity in life, and the kind of love between a man and a woman that fulfills in such a way that is all but forgotten in the modern world, but if the instinct is alive inside you, this film will touch what is dormant, and will awaken it.

Watching this film, you may have laid bare an essential quality of the human experience that before was likely untouched, and undiscovered. To have this done is a deeply emotional experience; it is the meaning of the word "epiphany."

All this is accomplished with simplicity, subtlety, and absolutely, magnificently beautiful filming. The crisp autumn air of northern China, the turning leaves, and the almost exclusive use of the low, late afternoon sun, coupled with backlighting and side-lighting creates a visual masterpiece, and contributes greatly to the emotional masterpiece.

Watch this movie, and find out about yourself, if you dare. Recommend it to your friends, especially your lover, and find out about them, if you dare.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Simple Story of Love and Persistence, Beautifully Shot, May 28 2002

By

"50cent-haircut" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Road Home, the (DVD)

This latest from Zhang Yimou is a gem. It doesn't carry a philosophical weight of his other offerings, but the emotional content and carry of the film is true and beautifully conveyed. Zhang Ziyi, the girl from Ang Lee's 'Crouching Tiger...' is perfectly cast as a stubborn girl who will not give away even an inch to get her love. She plays the part of the narrator's mother to perfection, with equal measure of sweetness, whimsy, and fiery temperament.

The film starts with a man who returns to his backwards village to bury his father. His mother wants him and other people to bring the body back from the hospital on foot, carrying the coffin, so the deceased won't forget his way home. As the man contemplates this decision, he reminisces about the courtship of his mother and father.

The movie is one of the most gorgeously shot films in recent years. You won't forget many of the scenes. The climactic sequence towards the end, when the mother runs toward the school, hearing her son, remembering her dead husband, is stirring and very moving. This is a work of a virtuoso filmmaker.

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4.0 out of 5 stars spiritual, Jun 22 2004

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Kevin Pazyck (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Road Home, the (DVD)

Zhang Ziyi's performance in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" had me wondering, out of all the stellar cast involved, who this was who had me the most impressed. I researched her filmography and came across "THE ROAD HOME". Mind you, I'm mostly a fight-it-out, special-effects, action movie fan who had my reservations about getting it once I finally found someplace to buy it. I rented first and I had no regrets afterwards.
Great films done properly can tell a simple story and hold the attention of the audience if one chooses to do so. This is a great example. Scenic vistas, compelling acting and a moving story has made this a favorite of my movie collection. Without saying too much (as the previous reviews have already done so), I will recommend at least everyone rent this. It doesn't have a huge budget, no CGI, no gun-toting and no foul language. What does that leave? A movie like they used to make 'em.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars OH MY GOD
OH OH OH OH OH OH OH,MY GOD ,WHAT IS THIS ,I LOVE THIS MOVIE,VERY BEAUTIFUL,THIS IS MY FAVOR,YIMOU ZHANG THE BEST FILM MAKER IN THE WORLD.HE DID A GREAT WORK

Published on Jun 6 2004 by kelly2000

5.0 out of 5 stars the best romance movie ever!!!!!!!!
ill say it simple, a movie, with not to dialogue, but an exquisite managment of feelings, if you can, see it, highly recomended,

Published on May 18 2004 by diego