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      Shanghai Dreams

      2005 2h 1m Drama List
      67% 6 Reviews Tomatometer 62% 500+ Ratings Audience Score Despite the happiness of his wife (Tang Yang) and his two children, a man wants to move his family back to Shanghai, China. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (29) audience reviews
      camille l Dans son style si particulier de longs plans silencieux où le spectateur a le temps d'y trouver ce qu'il a envie d'y trouver, Wang Xiaoshuai réalise un film quasi auto-biographique sur une famille du Troisième Front qui prend bien son temps pour n'oublier aucun détail. La première partie est si calme qu'on frôle l'ennui par moments, mais au bout d'une heure, quand l'histoire se met en branle, plus rien ne peut arrêter Wang Xiaoshuai et ses acteurs (Gao Yuanyuan et Yan Anlian sont formidables) jusqu'à un final en apothéose. La bande-son est au diapason. Shanghai Dreams est une réussite. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This was a great film about optimism, hope, ambitions, dreams, love and moving onto better things. It did have quite a depressive or cold way of telling the story but this only portrayed how it wouldve been like in those times of poverty and restrictivness thus so making it feel more authentic. I also liked the style of how the movie was shot making it look like an actual film from the 80's when in fact it was only made in 2007. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member This is one of those Chinese films about things Chinese. In this case the underlying subject matter is the Third Front, where families were sent from the cities to live and work in the countryside in case the Soviet Union invaded China and clobbered its cities. The main interest here, for me, is this historical angle. China has pulled off a number of wacky full-on country-wide social experiments and I found it interesting to become acquainted with this particular one. Imagine for yourself if you are a big city dweller that you are persuaded (or coerced) by your government to move your family to the sticks. You'd probably dream every day of moving back to the city but the reality is that the dream becomes more and more remote as time goes by. You'd try to think about what's best for your children, but they might have different aspirations. All of this is explored in Shanghai Dreams. The film takes place in the early eighties which means certain seventies western fashion trends were just filtering in and the director captures some of these with a sad hilarity. The "dance party" scene is priceless. Consider the film more educational than emotional. Big complaint: Gao Yuanyuan, so good in Season of Good Rain, is too old for her character and, honestly, doesn't seem to have honed her acting chops just yet. <a href='http://sitenoise-atthemovies.blogspot.com/2010/06/shanghai-dreams-qing-hong-2005-china.html' target='_blank'>sitenoise at the movies: Shanghai Dreams</a> Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Great movie! Espcially loved the bit where the Dad shows up at the factory dressed ala Grim Reaper to kick the boy's ass. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Old-fashioned 70's style arty movie about the generation gap in the countryside of post-Tiananmen China. Engrossing although somewhat ponderous. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member it's very realistic and beautiful. i can't believe this movie only get 3 stars overall. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Shanghai Dreams

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (6) Critics Reviews
      Empire Magazine Rated: 3/5 Sep 23, 2006 Full Review David Walsh World Socialist Web Site The events feel reduced to the level of small change, even with a small dose of self-pity. The girl is not that sympathetic; one feels, all in all, that greater tragedy lurks in the Chinese situation. Feb 15, 2021 Full Review Anton Bitel musicOMH.com Revolution is shown as a force both for liberation, and for tragic catastrophe Rated: 4/5 Jul 2, 2007 Full Review Kim Voynar Cinematical Viewed in the context of the progression of Wang's work ... Shanghai Dreams represents a progression of sorts in his attempt to portray migrants in China in a more sympathetic light ... Rated: 3/5 Aug 24, 2006 Full Review Rich Cline Shadows on the Wall Skilfully filmed but fairly dull, this drama paints a remarkable portrait of life in China's factory towns in the 1980s. Rated: 3.5/5 Jun 6, 2006 Full Review Daniel Kasman d+kaz. intelligent movie reviews Rated: C Feb 22, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Despite the happiness of his wife (Tang Yang) and his two children, a man wants to move his family back to Shanghai, China.
      Director
      Wang Xiaoshuai
      Producer
      Wei Li, Li Huatong
      Screenwriter
      Lao Ni, Wang Xiaoshuai
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      Chinese
      Runtime
      2h 1m
      Sound Mix
      Dolby SR