China Is Near

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China Is Near

1967

1h 48m

Comedy

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

5 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

A professor shocks his Italian friends and family when he runs for office as a member of the Socialist party.

Renata Adler

New York Times

Most of the time, however, one is constantly aware that the film seems rather long.

Jan 8, 2018

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Simon Abrams

Village Voice

China Is Near's hysterically cynical plot could easily take place anywhere there's a surplus of social-climbers.

Mar 17, 2015

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Bellocchio makes it all rhyme. The camera glides in and out and around the action; it moves as simply and with as much apparent ease as if it were attached to the director's forehead.

Mar 15, 2015

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Manny Farber

Artforum

Some of it is fun, particularly two lower-class lovers with a cynical snap to them, but most of the time you just sit there and watch.

Jun 17, 2019

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Smart scathing satire on modern-day sex and politics.

Rated: B

May 9, 2016

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walter m

In "China Is Near," Vittorio(Glauco Mauri), a professor, has been selected to be the socialist candidate for councilman, despite his severe lack of experience. Well, he is from money, so there is that. That might also explain why Carlo(Paolo Graziosi), a bookkeeper, is so resentful at being passed over. In the meantime, Vittorio's sister Elena(Elda Tattoli) continues with her affairs, as if nothing important else is happening which only serves to irritate her brother. "China Is Near" is a witty political satire aimed at the Socialist Party of Italy which here is accused of waffling between the Communists and the conservative Christian Democrats.(Is it just me or are politics in Italy really weird?) And that's when they are not sidelining women or being distracted by sex. That is kind of ironic because the movie does tend to get distracted in spots, even while managing to be quite entertaining in the end.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Dopo il folgorante esordio de "I pugni in tasca", Marco Bellocchio descrive ancora i retroscena di una famiglia borghese della provincia emiliana.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

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Audience Member

film importante nel riflettere con luciditÃ e in estremo anticipo sulle dinamiche politico-sociali di questo paese, qua viene messo in luce lo scarto assente tra le parti avverse, niente di piÃ¹ vicino a quanto accada oggi di frequente. socialisti, cattolici, personalitÃ appartenenti alla democrazia cristiana qua rappresentano tutti la crescita delle bassezze della realtÃ politica italiana, in un caotico "magna magna" di voti, scambi di partner e intrighi sessuali. Grande msica di Morricone come nel precedente capolavoro I pugni in tasca. Fantastica "Poesia" di Don Backy sul finale.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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Marco Bellocchio

Director

Glauco Mauri

Vittorio

Elda Tattoli

Elena

Paolo Graziosi

Carlo

Daniela Surina

Giovanna

Pierluigi Apra

Camillo

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Synopsis

A professor shocks his Italian friends and family when he runs for office as a member of the Socialist party.

Director: Marco Bellocchio
Producer: Franco Cristaldi
Screenwriter: Marco Bellocchio, Elda Tattoli
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: Italian
Runtime: 1h 48m