To Live: You Ge, Li Gong, Ben Niu, Xiao Cong, Deng Fei, Tao Guo, Zongluo Huang, Wu Jiang, Tianchi Liu, Zhang Lu, Dahong Ni, Yan Su, Yue L�, Yimou Zhang, Yuan Du, Christophe Tseng, Fu-Sheng Chiu, Funhong Kow, Hua Yu, Wei Lu: Amazon.ca: Video

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One of the best films of 1994, To Live is a bold, energetic masterpiece from Zhang Yimou, the foremost director from China's influential "fifth generation" of filmmakers. Continuing his brilliant collaboration with China's best-known actress Gong Li (their previous films include Ju Dou and Raise the Red Lantern), Zhang weaves an ambitious tapestry of personal and political events, following the struggles of an impoverished husband and wife (Ge You, Gong Li) from their heyday in the 1940s to the hardships that accompanied the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. They raise two children amidst a Communist regime, surviving numerous setbacks and yet managing, somehow, to live. Both intimate and epic, Zhang's film encompasses the simplest and most profound realities of Chinese life during this controversial period, and for their honesty, Zhang and Gong Li faced a two-year ban on future collaborations. To Live is a testament to their art, transcending politics to celebrate the tenacity of ordinary people in the wake of turbulent history. --Jeff Shannon

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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.7 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning; poignant, April 15 2004

By

G. Stafford "Geoff" (Kamuela, HI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: To Live (VHS Tape)

I have shown this film to my English students after having read Dai Sijie's book, BALZAC AND THE LITTLE CHINESE SEAMSTRESS, because of the portrayal of communism and the effects of the Chinese "cultural revolution". While it at first appears to be loaded with communist propoganda, it becomes apparent by the end of the film that it is an outspoken criticism of Mao and this harsh period of recent Chinese history.

Aside from the political overtones, this is also a masterful study of overcoming loss and adversity that transcends cultural or political boundaries. While my students almost invariably complain about the subtitles at the beginning of the showing, by the end, they have been completely drawn in, and are laughing and crying on cue. If this isn't the true test of a great flick, I don't know what is.

A masterpiece, and one that everyone should see.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointment, Mar 29 2004

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C. M. Pritchard (NYC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: To Live (VHS Tape)

This film completely butchers, rearranges, and rewerites an incredibly moving novel. I suggest that you read the book first.

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5.0 out of 5 stars 6 Stars +, Mar 27 2004

By

vannie osborne "vannie osborne" (CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Live (Widescreen Subtitled Edition) (DVD)

To Live is a masterful project and deserves the best praises for foreign cinema. It touches every emotion possible in its depiction of one family's faults and successes; life as it might have been in the midst of political chaos. To Live maps the losses and gains of Fugui and Jiazhen--an average young couple moving through China. It's difficult to discuss the turns and movement without spoiling the movie. However, I will say the couple we encounter in the 1940s and end with in the 1960s is triumphant and tells a story never to be forgotten. Highly Recommended!!!!!!

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 1/2 Stars
This film was pretty interesting. I'm not sure that I would say moving or masterful, but interesting nevertheless. On the one end it seems somewhat of a propaganda film. Read more

Published on Feb 23 2004 by 5u5hi

5.0 out of 5 stars IT IS VERY BEAUTIFUL
IT IS A GOOD MOVIE ,YOU HAVE TO SEE.I WISH YOU LIKE IT

Published on Feb 19 2004 by IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE