Still Life

Captures the gritty realities of China's headlong industrialization in the Upper Yangzi Valley region during the construction of the Three Gorges Dam there. No forced smiles or imposed happy ending here, as an estranged couple have a reunion that simply underlines the reasons they became estranged in the first place. Still, they relate to each other in a respectful way in spite of the fact there can be no going back to intimacy as they once knew it. Should have been titled "Decent Folk of the Three Gorges" or equivalent in keeping with the Chinese-language title (Sanxiá haorén); where did "Still life" emerge as the title in English?

This is one of the most enjoyable films i have ever seen. I could relate to every moment of the movie and it left a completely positive aftertaste. It looks like nothing special is happening on the screen and yet I found myself amazed at the grandeur of the flow of life experiencing poignant feelings I have not experienced since childhood. There are not many "events" in the movie but there's a tempest of emotions that will stir the most humane in any viewer. This is the kind of stuff that should be shown in schools to make the society better!

"Still Life" was written and directed by Sixth Generation Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-Ke, who brings a documentarian's style to this fictional drama inspired by the upheaval that the incredible Three Gorges Dam project has created. Two people from the city of Shanxi travel south to what is left of Fengjie to look for people from their past. Han Sanming (Han Sanming) is trying to find his ex-wife who took their young daughter and left him 16 years ago. Shen Hong (Zhao Tao) hasn't heard from her husband in 2 years and journeys to Fengjie, where he is a manager for the Demolition Authority, to confront him. Fengjie is a 2000-year-old town in the process of being demolished in 2 years, as it is gradually flooded, with much of the Old City already submerged."Still Life" is shot and scripted in a "cinema verite" style with a conspicuously slow, contemplative pace. It doesn't ever speed up, but it did eventually lull me into its languid universe. It is a mediation on people's relationship to the past and to life's forward motion. Sanming and Hong have come to Fengjie to either reclaim their past or to let it go. There is an archeological dig across the river, ironically digging up relics from thousands of years ago, as the town of Fengjie is demolished and buried, while the great Three Gorges Dam is constructed. Director Jia Zhang-Ke has delicately highlighted the strange cultural and social implications of China's massive infrastructure project, where past, present, and future meet head-on. It is clear which is winning, but which should win is less certain. In Mandarin with optional English subtitles.The DVD (New Yorker Films 2008): The documentary "Dong" (1 hour, 10 min) is included on the disc. This is a loosely structured film about the artist Liu Xiaodong which first introduced Jia Zhang-Ke to the Three Gorges region. There is an "Interview with Jia Zhang-Ke" (18 min) in which he speaks about the film's structure, themes, his documentary approach, visual style, and the Sixth Generation emphasis on the personal and individual. There is also a theatrical trailer (2 min) and a Press Kit and interview with the director in DVD-ROM form, which can be accessed on a Windows or Mac computer. The film and bonus features are in Mandarin with optional English subtitles. The white subtitles can be a little difficult to read at times and would have been better in yellow.

My low rating for Still Life has nothing to do with the film which is excellent. The low rating is because the Blu Ray disc is not a pressed disc but an MOD. If I had known that I would not have purchased the disc - I already have it on DVD and prefer a pressed DVD over a Blu Ray MOD any day.I will not buy any further titles from this company. If like me you don't like MOD discs avoid this at all costs and stick with the pressed DVD released years ago.

Beautiful cinematography. Glacially slow plot and narrative pace.One perspective on the human costs of the Great Modernization in China. Congratulations to the Middle Kingdom!Progress is here!

This is not an Academy Award-winning film, nor will it keep you on the edge of your seat with suspense or fear. We bought it in advance of a trip to China and, while nothing can really prepare one for the immense scope and variety of the people and landscape, my wife and I found it to be one of several films that provide introductory pieces of the fascinating puzzle that is China.(See also Up the Yangtze, for which my review is identical)

THIS IS THE BEST DVD EDITION SO FAR----FOR THIS FILM. NOT ONLY THE IMAGE QUALITY IS THE BEST AND THE FILM IS ALMOST UNCUT, BUT ALSO THAT WE'VE GOT TE MOST SPECIAL FEATURES.

Sowie fast alle asiatischen Dramen viel intensiver und realer , als man das von westlichen Filmen kennt.Sogar mit deutschem Untertitel, nicht nur mit englischem.Natürlich ist es etwas schwerer einen Film mit Untertitel zu sehen, durch die Betonung der Sprache kommt der Film allerdings auch viel besser rüber als in einer fremden Sprache.Der Film ist definitiv ein Muss für Fans von asiatischen Filmen.6 Sterne von mir.PS: Ich schreibe nichts zur Handlung, auch ich möchte lieber vorab nichts davon in Bewertungen lesen.

produit arrivé avangt la date prévue . Il était tres bien embllé

Gibt nicht viel zu schreiben. Langweiliger Film aus dem Leben einer gescheiterten chinesischen Frau kurz nach der Kulturrevolution...so könnte man denken. Der Film soll Realität zeigen...ist aber sehr unrealistisch gemacht in der heutigen Zeit. Gebraucht kann man den Film ja mal für 2 oder 3 Euro kaufen und sich anschauen. Hat man echtes China Interesse, fliegt man besser nach China und macht sich sein eigenes Bild.

Achtung ! Pas de version française : c’est en mandarin sous titré en allemand.Bon voilà je me suis fait avoir.C’est ça les bonheurs d’amazon