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A New Old Play

Play trailer 2:24 Poster for A New Old Play Released May 20, 2022 2h 59m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
One evening in the 1980s, Qiu Fu, a leading clown in 20th-century Sichuan opera, departs this world and must reluctantly set off for the Ghost City under the escort of two underworld officials. Along the way, he meets old friends. As they recall the past, earthly scenes creep into the mists of the Netherworld. Qiu Fu's life in opera unfolds against the backdrop of a secular upheaval. The "New-New" Troupe in which he grows up and learns his trade is affiliated with the military. As power shifts, the troupe is cast loose to wander rootlessly through a broken world. Despite this unsettled destiny, shaped by war, famine and political turmoil, Qiu Fu becomes one of the finest clown-role performers in Sichuan opera. And yet, one day he finds himself clapped in a pigsty as a political revolution rages outside. Outside the Ghost City, sitting among familiar faces, Qiu Fu drinks the mandatory bowl of Forgetfulness Soup to erase his memory. A lifetime of hardship, pain and sorrow, all vanish as if they had never been.

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A New Old Play

Critics Reviews

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Richard Brody The New Yorker Qiu Jiongjiong tells this story with affecting intimacy and candid observation—and with archly ironic methods. May 23, 2022 Full Review Austin Considine New York Times At once tragedy and farce, it breathes new life into a story as old as civilization. May 19, 2022 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews An amazingly tense film for fans of Chinese opera and Chinese politics. Rated: A- May 21, 2023 Full Review Calan Panchoo Film Threat It is as multilayered as the traditions of old and as daring as the convictions of new. Rated: 8.5/10 May 16, 2023 Full Review Kathy Fennessy Video Librarian Magazine At 179 minutes, A New Old Play might seem like a daunting watch, except it's a lively, lovely film, even in the saddest moments. Rated: 4/5 Mar 8, 2023 Full Review Sean Gilman The Chinese Cinema Occupying something of a middle ground between Hou's The Puppetmaster and Chen's Farewell My Concubine as a history of 20th century China as seen through the eyes of a theatrical performer, A New Old Play is an unusual kind of epic. Oct 12, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1) audience reviews
Audience Member Too long. Great sets, good performances. Coulda stopped @ 2 hrs. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
A New Old Play

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A New Old Play

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Movie Info

Synopsis One evening in the 1980s, Qiu Fu, a leading clown in 20th-century Sichuan opera, departs this world and must reluctantly set off for the Ghost City under the escort of two underworld officials. Along the way, he meets old friends. As they recall the past, earthly scenes creep into the mists of the Netherworld. Qiu Fu's life in opera unfolds against the backdrop of a secular upheaval. The "New-New" Troupe in which he grows up and learns his trade is affiliated with the military. As power shifts, the troupe is cast loose to wander rootlessly through a broken world. Despite this unsettled destiny, shaped by war, famine and political turmoil, Qiu Fu becomes one of the finest clown-role performers in Sichuan opera. And yet, one day he finds himself clapped in a pigsty as a political revolution rages outside. Outside the Ghost City, sitting among familiar faces, Qiu Fu drinks the mandatory bowl of Forgetfulness Soup to erase his memory. A lifetime of hardship, pain and sorrow, all vanish as if they had never been.
Director
Qiu Jiongjiong
Producer
Ding Ding, Yang Jin
Screenwriter
Qiu Jiongjiong
Distributor
Icarus Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Theaters)
May 20, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 16, 2023
Runtime
2h 59m
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