Suzhou river 2000 along a polluted waterway near shanghai, mardar jia hongsheng rides his motorcycle each day, transporting moudan zhou xun, the teenage daughter of a local criminal. Its rather cheap, and more benefitial if you can understand mandarin, for the boat paddler can tell you stories of the area and the city. This tale of a woman named marda who falls in love with a dramatically beautiful young woman named moudan reveals the river as a chinese styx in which forgotten stories and mysteries are revealed. Suzhou feels most at home when presenting the gritty side of shanghai, as it does in its first reel.
A great way to be introduced to everyday life in china. Dec 22, 2012 a nice float down the rivers of suzhou is calming and a nice break from the hustle and bustle of china. Suzhou creek or soochow creek, also called wusong river, is a river that passes through the shanghai city center. Mardar emerges from prison years later and encounters a nightclub entertainer who looks exactly like his lost love. It is named after the neighbouring city of suzhou, jiangsu, the predominant settlement in this area prior to the rise of shanghai as a metropolis. Suzhou he is a 2000 film by lou ye about a tragic love story set in contemporary shanghai. The river suzhou that flows through shanghai is a reservoir of filth, chaos and poverty, but also a meeting place for memories and secrets. Insertozureferenceheres rating of the film suzhou river. This being a film noir, shanghaistyle, she has to drown in the dirty suzhou river, then reemerge as someone else. The film stars zhou xun in a dual role as two different women and jia hongsheng as a man obsessed.
The suzhou river that flows through shanghai is a reservoir of chaos and poverty, but also a meeting place for memories and secrets. For a rare vantage of the ancient city and its labyrinth of canals, take a boat tour on the weichang river hu cheng he, or city moat as its also known. Admittedly, the parallels are there but suzhou river has a more doomed, fatalistic tone than wongs film. Lou yes edgy feature is a little too derivative of much better movies to succeed on its own. Ultimately, the film resonates in its echoing of that ohsopopular aphorism about life. Another five lines are also planned to be completed before 2020. Chinese llterature in the secondhalfofamodern century. A nice float down the rivers of suzhou is calming and a nice break from the hustle and bustle of china. The 10 closest hotels to suzhou river, shanghai tripadvisor. From the arresting panmen gate once the city wall of suzhou to the amorous landscapes of the couples retreat garden, so much can be seen from this belowstreetlevel perspective.
Rent suzhou river aka suzhou he 2000 film for free as part of our trial offer. Mardar emerges from prison years later and encounters a. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing suzhou river near you. Insertozureferencehere as close to a novel as a film can get. Chinese filmmaker who documented labour activists fight for. Recalling both vertigo 1958 and chungking express 1994, chinese director lou ye spins this riveting tale of obsession and love. The film stars zhou xun in a dual role as two different women and jia hongsheng as a man. Reviewed by shelly kraicer at the hong kong international film festival, april, 2000. The best films of the week are all rereleases david cronenbergs 1982 videodrome, william friedkins 1973 the. Pdf symptomatic metafiction in lou yes suzhou river. Check member ratings of suzhou river aka suzhou he movie. There are magnolia flowers, plum blossoms, everywhere is a fascinating scene. Suzhou river 2000 a mess, a masterpiece or somewhere.
Lou ye, who spent his youth on the banks of the suzhou, shows the river as a chinese styx, in which forgotten stories and mysteries come together. Suzhou river a compelling story of love and obsession, suzhou river represents a considerable leap in achievement for mainland chinese director lou ye from his modest first feature, weekend lover. Then the plot kicks in and the films magic quickly evaporates, leaving a lumbering beast of a story in its stead. This is a strong but gentle film about identity, neediness, and desire, as well as our ability to reinvent the world to suit ourselves. The film opens with shots of the suzhou river, which is clogged. The film, completed in 2010, underwent a three and a halfyear approval process.
A complex and beguiling clutter of moviemovie reference points and vibrant realworld impressions of shanghai, lou yes suzhou river retools hitchcocks vertigo to lend a splash of colorful fantasy to a setting dominated by drab, oppressive grays. Fully embracing the citys grit and grot, lou created something that stands in strong contrast to the pearl towerstudded tourism pamphlets. However, he directs this film in a different direction from the works of his beijing film academy contemporaries zhang yuan beijing bastardsbeijing zazhong, 1993 and wang xi. This film gets compared a lot to wong karwais chungking express. Suzhou he mostly takes place west of waibaidu bridge, at the northern bank of presentday suzhou creek, the bridge can be seen in the final scene when the camera races towards huangpu river and modern pudong. If you book with tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. If i leave you someday, a slim beguiler zhou xun asks her beau, would you look for me forever. Film censorship in china involves the banning of films deemed unsuitable for release or the editing of such films to remove objected content by the governments in both republic of china. Suzhou river is a brooding tale of amour foe filmed in shanghai by young chinese director lou ye. Suzhou creek or soochow creek, also called wusong river, is a river that passes through the.
The parts of the film dealing with the burgeoning affections of mardar and. Mar 30, 2006 this is a resonant spot to make a film. In this film, shanghai is introduced, not as a showcase of economic modernisation, but rather a dark and decrepit city where people strive endlessly for fulfilment. The film, though stylistically distinct, is typical of sixth generation. Makyo suzhou river underwater dub mix 2001, cd discogs. Be patient with this film like the suzhou river itself it may meander but it has depth. Suzhou creek, also known as soochow creek, winds 53km through shanghai and enters huangpu river to the east of waibaidu bridge. For me, suzhou river is a complete cinema experience, where acting, form, style, mood, colour, music, location and plot all come together to overwhelm the heart and mind. Abstract suzhou river, a 2000 film directed by lou ye, explores several.
Despite his secret love for the young girl, he gets caught up in a scheme to kidnap her and hold her for ransom. Chinese film suzhou river is a dramatic tale about a poor courier boys love for a rich business mans daughter. The movie opens with narration from a man who is a videographer who is hired by a night club to shoot their mermaid show. Its beauty amongst the pain, the story of a beautiful mermaid swimming in a dirty river. The film, though stylistically distinct, is typical. Both men diverge as who meimei in the suzhou river, the creek which. It is famous for its abundant old european style bridges, western style buildings and shukumen style residences along the banks. Oct 17, 2012 on 19th this month,chinese mainland director lou yes new film mystery is gonna be shown in chinese theaters,which means his 10 year film ban in chinese mainland is officially over. Rent suzhou river 2000 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. Xun zhou in su zhou he 2000 su zhou he 2000 xun zhou in su zhou he. The best films of the week are all rereleases david cronenbergs 1982. It originates from taihu lake and finally enters huangpu river to the east of waibaidu bridge, winding about 125 kilometers 77 miles, of which almost 53 kilometers 33 miles runs through shanghai. Suzhou river really gets under your skin if you become captivated by the fascinating relationship between two people that seems to be determined by fate. We cruised the suzhou river, embarking on our boat at one of the old city gates.
The film, though stylistically distinct, is typical of sixth generation chinese filmmakers in its subject matter of contemporary chinas gritty urban experience. Jiangsu, chinawillows sprout on the streets and along the river in suzhou, east chinas jiangsu province, feb 27, 2020, as the temperature rises. We also stopped off at a market downstream and were able to walk through the market, which was very, very interesting. This article needs additional citations for verification. Winning prizes across europe, the film is a fascinating, extremely wellmade tragic love story which successfully merges elements of hitchcock, wong karwai, cinema verite and postmodern intertextuality into a stylish and extremely moving whole.
Lou was also banned from making movies for two years. The only bad thing i have to say about the movie is that in those last ten minutes it felt like it was going nowhere even though in my opinion it got nicely wrapped up. The plan goes awry, however, and moudan throws herself into the river and drowns. The second film of director and writer lou ye, suzhou river premiered at the 1999 rotterdam festival. Book your tickets online for suzhou river, shanghai.
Mixing warmedover hitchcock and wong karwai trademarks into the work, the film never quite gels. In todays classic chinese cinema series,im gonna introduce the first real masterpiece of a director i have tremendous respect for,suzhou river is regarded by me as one of the top 10 chinese romance films. When the grand canal was completed, suzhou found itself strategically located on a major trade route. Suzhou river suzhou river is the second film of lou ye, who is the sixth generation directors in chinese mainland. The name of the film is a river runs across shanghai,it used to be a channel between urban and suburban shanghai,the hometown of the director,and the story unfolds above the.
Beautifully filmed and performed suzhou river is a chinese film noir. It describes in detail how and why this relationship soured due to one of the partners selfish motives. As one might expect from a m ovie about narrative working against itself, the plot of suzhou r iver. But to me, rather than through any direct scenic intervention, my imagination in the area runs wild from the frenetic, romantic 2000 movie suzhou river, directed by lou ye. Rent suzhou river 2000 starring xun zhou and hongshen jia on dvd and bluray. Watch full episode of suzhou river chinese drama dramacool. Suzhou creek, also known as soochow creek, suzhou river and wusong river, is one of the branches of yangtze river. If you like suzhou river you are looking for psychological, atmospheric and serious movies about with kidnapping, mistaken identity, mermaid, river, destructive relationship, crimes and betrayal themes of drama and romance genre shot in germany or china. The suzhou river the lower reach of wusong river and the huangpu river a tributary of the yangtze, which flow through the city, are severely polluted from industrial discharges, domestic sewage, and ships wastes. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources.
The river suzhou that flows through shanghai is a reservoir of filth, chaos and poverty. It is named after the neighbouring city of suzhou, jiangsu, the predominant settlement in this area prior to the rise of shanghai as a metropolis one of the principal outlets of lake tai in wujiang district of suzhou, suzhou creek is 125 km 78 mi long, of which 54 km are. Inspired by the film suzhou river written and directed by lou ye starring zhou xun jia hongshen produced by nai an and philippe bober associate producer asia takashi uplink the coproduction office presents an essential film and dream factory production. Pdf symptomatic metafiction in lou yes suzhou river xavier. The outstanding chinese language film of the 2000 hong kong international film festival was suzhou river, the only entry from mainland china, as it happens.
Marda is sent to jail and after being released three years later, he meets another woman who resembles his first love. Then the plot kicks in and the film s magic quickly evaporates, leaving a lumbering beast of a story in its stead. The second film of director and writer lou ye, suzhou river premiered at the 1999 rotterdam festival and won the prestigious tiger award. Nov 19, 2000 suzhou river 83 mins, 12 directed by lou ye.
Suzhou river, the second film by 35yearold chinese director l ou y e, sinks deep into these questions, not only ad dressing them but taking them in, taking them on. Suzhou river shanghai 2020 what to know before you go. Suzhou river 2000 is the sixth generation chinese film that propelled its director lou ye into the international spotlight. I have tremendous respect for,suzhou river is regarded by me as one of the top 10 chinese romance films. Nov 03, 2000 despite his secret love for the young girl, he gets caught up in a scheme to kidnap her and hold her for ransom. Suzhou he is a 2000 film noir by lou ye about a tragic love story set in contemporary shanghai. Suzhou river is a 2000 film by lou ye about a tragic love story set in contemporary shanghai. Suzhou river 2000 this film by ye lou was banned in china after the film was shown at the international film festival rotterdam without the chinese authorities permission. Feb 15, 2017 chinese filmmaker who documented labour activists fight for workers rights in southern china tells of exile in hong kong. We recommend booking suzhou river tours ahead of time to secure your spot. The use of suzhou river is highly symbolic in this film. Find release information for suzhou river 2000 lou ye on allmovie. Lou yes suzhou river should be thought of not in terms of how it ends, but how it develops. In film theovy discussing literature, henry zhao notes how most scholars of goes.
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