The Road Home (1999 film)
| The Road Home | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Zhang Yimou |
| Produced by | Zhang Weiping Zhao Yu |
| Screenplay by | Bao Shi |
| Based on |
Remembrance by Bao Shi |
| Starring |
Zhang Ziyi Sun Honglei Zheng Hao Zhao Yulian |
| Narrated by | Sun Honglei |
| Music by | San Bao |
| Cinematography | Hou Yong |
| Edited by | Zhai Rui |
| Distributed by | Beijing New Picture Distribution Company (HK) Sony Pictures Classics |
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Release date
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Running time
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89 minutes |
| Country | China |
| Language | Mandarin |
| Box office | $6,780,490 |
The Road Home (simplified Chinese: 我的父亲母亲; traditional Chinese: 我的父親母親; pinyin: wǒde fùqin mǔqin; literally: "My Father and Mother") is a 2000 Chinese romantic drama film directed by Zhang Yimou. It also marked the cinematic debut of the Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi. The Road Home was written by author Bao Shi, who adapted the screenplay from his novel, Remembrance.
The film was shot immediately after Zhang's previous film, Not One Less, and was released to strong reviews in China in fall 1999.
The Road Home is the story of a country girl and a young teacher falling in love, and the teacher's death many years later that brings their son back from the big city for the funeral.
The film begins in black and white in present-day China when the son (Sun Honglei) returns to his village from the city upon hearing of his father's death. His mother, Zhao Di (Zhao Yulian), insists upon following the tradition of carrying the coffin back to their remote village by foot so that her husband's spirit will remember its way home. As the narrator, the son recounts the story of his parents' courtship, so famous that it has gained the status of a legend in the village. It is here the bleak black and white turns into vivid colors as the story shifts to the past.
His father, Luo Changyu (Zheng Hao), came to the village as the teacher. Immediately, Zhao Di (Zhang Ziyi) became infatuated with him and he with her. Thus began a courtship which consisted mostly of the exchange of looks and glances between the two. Unfortunately, the courtship was interrupted when Luo was summoned by the government to return to the city. (Several reviewers have speculated that the flashback portion of the film is set during the Anti-Rightist Campaign and that Luo's recall was for investigation and questioning.) Zhao Di's heart was broken; she insisted on waiting for him in the snow and fell so ill that the villagers thought she would die. However, upon hearing news of her illness, the teacher was able to sneak back to the village and Zhao Di, in tears, welcomed the sight of her beloved. Still, their love would not be consummated for a few years more because the teacher was kept away from the village as punishment for having left his assignment in the city without permission.
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