Spring in a Small Town

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s r 1001 movies to see before you die. Good for it's day and setting new standards for filming, but not a melodrama I plan on seeing again. It was on YouTube. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Some fairly taut and quiet emotive acting in this love triangle film from post war China. A bit too overwrought and tedious for me to pay enough attention l. Dragged a bit. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review William L Spring in a Small Town seems to have a stellar reputation among Chinese audiences, but the esteem brought about by keen insight into the suffering of the Chinese people in the aftermath of the Second Sino-Japanese War hasn't necessarily translated to audiences abroad; as an American, if it weren't for the 1001 Movies, I doubt that I would have known about this film's existence. Nevertheless, Fei's directorial opus is a strong piece of film, chronicling the suffering of a family left in ruins by war as the weigh the traditions of the past against the potential happiness of the future, realizing that to embrace this happiness may require some painful changes. Superficially a melodrama, Spring in a Small Town establishes itself through quiet moments, allowing the audience to create their own assessments of a character's inner thoughts as they attempt to rectify their emotional yearnings with what convention demands of them. There are moments when the melodramatic elements become a bit too overpowering, but overall Spring in a Small Town remains a high point for pre-Communist Chinese film. (4/5) Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/17/21 Full Review william d According to Wikipedia Spring in a Small Town is considered one of the greatest Chinese films of all time. Frankly, I don't see why. The story is standard soap opera stuff. The female lead is a bit of a downer, always moping around. Why the two male leads would find her so attractive is beyond me. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review dustin d Spring in a Small Town is a fine movie with a cast of about five characters set in a dilapidated house and its immediate surroundings. The story is deceptively simple. Wei Wei says at the beginning nothing ever changes in the small town. However, after a former love interest and family friend, who is clearly better for her than her sickly husband, makes a prolonged visit and leaves, on the surface everything seems to be the same as when the movie started, but we're left asking how can things ever be the same again? This movie NEEDS a Criterion restoration. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This Chinese cinema classic is both subtle and emotionally satisfying. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Spring in a Small Town

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