Spring in a Small Town (no 16) *****

 

by Allan Fish

(China 1948 94m) DVD1

Aka. Xiao Cheng zhi Chun

Walking along the city wall

p  Fei Mu  d  Fei Mu  w  Li Tianji  ph  Li Shengwei  m  Huan Yijung  art  Che Ning, Zhu Dexiong

Wei Wei (Zhou Yuwen), Li Wei (Zhang Zhichen), Shi Yu (Dai Liyan), Zhang Hongmei (Meimei), Ciu Chaoming (Luo Huang),

When Tian Zhuangzhuang released Springtime in a Small Town in 2002, even those who weren’t aware of it being a remake of an earlier legendary 1948 film would perhaps have been aware of a somewhat reflective glory.  It was an attractive, visually resplendent film in many ways and yet it seemed like an elaborate painting taken from a much earlier, more intricate sketch.  The original lingered, like the ghost of cinema past, and yet trying to see the original sketch is harder and harder these days.  Until 2007, it was only available unsubtitled on VCD in China.  However, armed with a copy of the said VCD and a printed copy of the script translated into English, which could be obtained from the internet if one was willing to look for it, it was a marvellous experience.  Seeing it now, one can see why it topped a poll of top Chinese films in 2005. 

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