Balzac and the little Chinese seamstress Film review Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is a film based on the cultural revolution of the 1970's. Two boys are sent to the country to be re-educated under Chairman Mao. The main focus of the movie is the adventures that the boys undergo while there. While they are there, Luo, one of the boys, falls in love with a local girl there, a seamstress. There is also a suitcase, belonging to one of the other boys, four-eyes, that is rumoured to hold in it secret books, illegal ones. The boys steal it, and with the help of their favourite author, Balzac, the little Chinese seamstress is changed forever from the simple girl she was.
The movie itself leaves something to be desired. Although the plot of the book is simple enough, the adaptation for the movie has not been done well, and some crucial parts have been removed or replaced. There have been some major changes in the movie, and while this is to be expected of any movie adaptation, they do not suit the movie or the book, and make holes in the film.
The characters, Ma (Ye Liu) and Luo (Kun Chen) are generally what you would expect them to be from the book. Their appearance is much the same, but they look too much alike to be able to tell them apart easily, especially with the cutting of one person to another. The Seamstress (Xun Zhou) has been done well, and is portrayed well. There is some difference from the book, but this is to be expected as it is an adaptation. The actors themselves have done quite well, and have settled into character much like the book, with the minor characters doing well at setting the scene for the main plot to take place. There were many minor roles, and all of them have done well in making the movie seem real and more life-like The scenery is fantastic. It has been beautifully captured by the camera, and the set of the movie has been chosen well. It fits in perfectly with the book, and is breathtaking to watch. The shots and angles used in the movie are also very well done. They accentuate the specific feeling in a particular scene to make it seem as if you are actually there. There is also very good lighting and sounds used in the movie, that are able to, again, emphasise a particular scene in the film that is of great importance. The sets are also very life-like, with the highlights being the little details that have been put into the sets, the feeling that it has been filmed during the 1970's is very much there. But the way that the camera has been able to capture it has been the most commendable achievement. It has been done in such a way that it is able to show the viewer what life was like, the details, and also to heighten a specific point in the movie.
The plot of the movie, however, is not very well done at all. The storyline is jumpy and confusing, and leaves viewers still trying to work out what has happened long after an event has passed. The plot is extremely disorganised, and the adaptation has not worked out well. People would have to read the book before seeing the movie to work out which parts fitted where and what was happening. There is utter chaos when organising the scene where Ma has jumped ahead to the future. When he is reminiscing about how the little seamstress had left a while earlier (from what can be pieced together) it is very confusing trying to work out whether he is in the present or the past.
The director of the movie (Sijie Dai) is also the writer of the book, so a better movie would be expected then this. But he has put the pieces of the movie together in such a way that, even though the scenes by themselves are brilliant, the movie is jumpy and hard to understand. The subtitles running too quickly didn't help. There are too many characters introduced at the same time, and eventually it gets far too complicated to understand the first time. One can only get their head around this movie if they have either read the book prior to watching the movie, or they have seen it more then once. Either way, there is too much effort required trying to understand the plot then is really necessary.
The movie is shot well, with excellent scenes and camera angles used to create a great tone in the movie. The actors have done well with adapting to the parts, and the characters are not unlike the book. But the plot line is a real let-down, with the scenes being poorly placed, making the movie jumpy and unrealistic. The director has done poorly on this movie, which is confusing in itself, considering he wrote the book as well as making the movie. Maybe he should just stick to writing. Although, for those who have read the book, he isn't too good at that either. Overall, not a movie that is worth paying $4 to go and rent, and certainly not worth the time to try and understand.
The movie itself leaves something to be desired. Although the plot of the book is simple enough, the adaptation for the movie has not been done well, and some crucial parts have been removed or replaced. There have been some major changes in the movie, and while this is to be expected of any movie adaptation, they do not suit the movie or the book, and make holes in the film.
The characters, Ma (Ye Liu) and Luo (Kun Chen) are generally what you would expect them to be from the book. Their appearance is much the same, but they look too much alike to be able to tell them apart easily, especially with the cutting of one person to another. The Seamstress (Xun Zhou) has been done well, and is portrayed well. There is some difference from the book, but this is to be expected as it is an adaptation. The actors themselves have done quite well, and have settled into character much like the book, with the minor characters doing well at setting the scene for the main plot to take place. There were many minor roles, and all of them have done well in making the movie seem real and more life-like The scenery is fantastic. It has been beautifully captured by the camera, and the set of the movie has been chosen well. It fits in perfectly with the book, and is breathtaking to watch. The shots and angles used in the movie are also very well done. They accentuate the specific feeling in a particular scene to make it seem as if you are actually there. There is also very good lighting and sounds used in the movie, that are able to, again, emphasise a particular scene in the film that is of great importance. The sets are also very life-like, with the highlights being the little details that have been put into the sets, the feeling that it has been filmed during the 1970's is very much there. But the way that the camera has been able to capture it has been the most commendable achievement. It has been done in such a way that it is able to show the viewer what life was like, the details, and also to heighten a specific point in the movie.
The plot of the movie, however, is not very well done at all. The storyline is jumpy and confusing, and leaves viewers still trying to work out what has happened long after an event has passed. The plot is extremely disorganised, and the adaptation has not worked out well. People would have to read the book before seeing the movie to work out which parts fitted where and what was happening. There is utter chaos when organising the scene where Ma has jumped ahead to the future. When he is reminiscing about how the little seamstress had left a while earlier (from what can be pieced together) it is very confusing trying to work out whether he is in the present or the past.
The director of the movie (Sijie Dai) is also the writer of the book, so a better movie would be expected then this. But he has put the pieces of the movie together in such a way that, even though the scenes by themselves are brilliant, the movie is jumpy and hard to understand. The subtitles running too quickly didn't help. There are too many characters introduced at the same time, and eventually it gets far too complicated to understand the first time. One can only get their head around this movie if they have either read the book prior to watching the movie, or they have seen it more then once. Either way, there is too much effort required trying to understand the plot then is really necessary.
The movie is shot well, with excellent scenes and camera angles used to create a great tone in the movie. The actors have done well with adapting to the parts, and the characters are not unlike the book. But the plot line is a real let-down, with the scenes being poorly placed, making the movie jumpy and unrealistic. The director has done poorly on this movie, which is confusing in itself, considering he wrote the book as well as making the movie. Maybe he should just stick to writing. Although, for those who have read the book, he isn't too good at that either. Overall, not a movie that is worth paying $4 to go and rent, and certainly not worth the time to try and understand.