The Old Well (1987) User Reviews

Zhang Yimou does it again

[peanutbutter · 8/10 · 15 January 2004]

After his stunning photography work in "Yellow Earth" Zhang Yimou shows he can work in enclosed spaces just as well as open fields. Also, this film shows Zhang Yimou in his first acting role.

This film fits in well with first runs of the 5th generation directors, and is dire need of a good transfer to dvd. In a large part, this film is very much in tune with propaganda films coming out of cCina at the time, but this story of lost love found and sacrifice for the community maps well to international filmgoers.

After "Yellow Earth" capital began to flow at an increased rate into the Chinese film industry, and this piece is one that should not be forgotten. Sandwiched between two great films photographed by Zhang Yimou, "Yellow Earth" and "Red Sorghum", any fan of his work will not be left disappointed.

Wu Tianming, not Zhang Yimou, directed this great film

[rothman-7 · 10/10 · 27 April 2020]

Wu Tianming ,Zhang Yimou's mentor, was head of the Xi'an Film Studio at the time as well as a brilliant director in his own right. Zhang Yimou was one of the films two credited cinematographers. His sharp eye, as well as his chiseled cheekbones, are very much in evidence, but so are Wu Tianming's intelligence, heart and soul. In the late 1980s, he played a crucial role in encouraging and supporting the young "Fifth Generation" directors and helping to assure that their films were shown at as many international film festivals as possible; the more worldwide exposure they had, the harder it would be for the authorities to censor or punish them without causing a worldwide incident. After the Tiananmen massacre, he left China for Los Angeles, but returned from exile when the political situation permitted. His deeply moving last films, KING OF MASKS and THE SONG OF THE PHOENIX, are surely among the greatest works of the Chinese cinema.