The Road Home (1999)
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One year before Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000), 19-year-old dance student Zhang Ziyi made her theatrical film debut for the most acclaimed director in China.
THE ROAD HOME (1999) may be the simplest, most intimate film Zhang Yimou, director of Raise the Red Lantern (1991), ever made. It is beautiful and aching and powerful in its minimalism.
A son returns to his village for his father's funeral. His mother refuses a truck. She wants her husband carried back on foot, honoring the old belief that a body returned this way will never forget the road home.
As the son gathers the men to carry the coffin, the film remembers how his parents met: a village girl, and the young teacher who came to build the school. Zhang shoots the present in black and white. Memory gets the color.
Cannes never showed it. The director had his films pulled from the festival in a public dispute, citing bias against productions from Communist China. He then answered with a Golden Lion at Venice for Not One Less (1999) and a Silver Bear at Berlin for this.
And by the end of the following year, Zhang Ziyi's face would become one of the most famous in the world.
About the Film
An unforgettable journey into the realm of the heart.
- Directed By
- Zhang Yimou
- Runtime
- 89 minutes
- Released
- October 16, 1999
- Certification
- 0
- Country
- China
- Starring
- Zhang Ziyi, Zheng Hao, Yulian Zhao, Sun Honglei, Li Bin
More Credits
- Genres
- Drama, Romance
- Language
- Mandarin
- Origin
- CN
- Studios
- 广西电影制片厂, Beijing New Picture Film Co. Ltd., Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics, CP Film Production Asia
- Written By
- Shi Bao
- Produced By
- Zhang Weiping, Yu Zhao
- Cinematography
- Hou Yong
- Music
- San Bao
- Also Starring
- Song Yuncheng, Guifa Chang, Wencheng Sung, Liu Qi, Ji Bo
- Budget
- $1,200,000
- Box Office
- $6,800,000
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First Chinese movie I ever saw. Was on PBS (I think)
It’s important to remember that Zhang Yimou withdrew the film itself because he was having a tantrum about not being selected for the shortlist for a prize, not because Chinese film was actually being censored at Cannes. He started claiming Cannes was ‘biased’ against Chinese film as a cover for his own pride… because he’d already won the Grand Jury Prize and others himself before and felt entitled to another – and perhaps felt some jealousy or rivalry with other Chinese and Hong Kong directors finding success. Chen Kaige also won the Palme d’Or and more in the ’90s; actress Gong Li had been on the jury in 1997 that awarded Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai the Best Director award. Lawrence Ah Mon and Fruit Chan also exhibited at Cannes during the same decade. In a greatly ironic contrast, the works of these three Hong Kong directors faced repeated obstacles of censorship and distribution issues whilst trying to show their work in mainland China… a situation that Zhang Yimou was strangely very quiet about.
Rob Whatman Yes indeed, this seems to be true. I saw some of the contemporary articles shortly after this happened, with Cannes reps even saying this work wasn’t up to Zhang’s usual standards (though, personally, it’s one of my favorite Chinese films).
Anywhere But Hollywood Yes, I really like it as well. I suppose these festivals get hundreds of entries. I expect they also coordinate a bit, so that if you don’t show in Cannes, you’ll get picked for Berlin or the Sundance Festival etc.