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Springtime in a Small Town

Play trailer Poster for Springtime in a Small Town PG Released Oct 9, 2002 1h 56m Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
86% Tomatometer 44 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
In 1940s China, small-town landowner Liyan (Wu Jun) leads a sad existence; his property is in ruins, his health isn't much better, his marriage to wife Yuwen (Hu Jingfan) is almost loveless and the presence of his boisterous teen sister Xiu (Lu Sisi) only makes things worse. Then Zhang (Xin Baiqing), a doctor who is an ex-lover of Yuwen's and a boyhood chum of Liyan's, arrives to treat the ailing man. He brings passion back into the household, but also extreme tension.
Springtime in a Small Town

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Critics Consensus

Director Tian Zhuangzhuang's remake of the 1948 Chinese classic may be too measured in pace for some audiences, but it's a visually sumptuous, well-acted piece.

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Critics Reviews

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Alexander Walker London Evening Standard Tian's new version is an assiduously respectful homage, yet a new work of art in its own right. Jan 9, 2018 Full Review Empire Magazine Beautifully photographed by Mark Lee (who also co-shot Wong Kar-Wai's In The Mood For Love), and delicately played by an untried cast, this confirms Tian as the Fifth Generation's unsung master. Rated: 4/5 Dec 30, 2006 Full Review Derek Adams Time Out The result is paradoxically more theatrical than the original -- but thanks to serene cinematography and superb design, sumptuously so. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Alberto Abuín Espinof A bad movie, which at times tests the patience of the audience. [Full Review in Spanish] Feb 13, 2020 Full Review Film4 The lead characters smoulder without ever catching aflame, while director Tian Zhuangzhaung weaves a disturbing web of deceit and betrayal. May 27, 2011 Full Review Urban Cinefile Critics Urban Cinefile As vibrant as a live play in its impact, with its characters almost as tangible, this film draws on not just the words and emotions of the original material, but the classic language of earlier cinema. Oct 18, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (43) audience reviews
S R 1001 movies to see before you die. Another lost Flixster rating. 6/22 - It was Internet Archives. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 07/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Delicately handled... Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member It's slow but it's perfect. It's true to human emotion. I love it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member The movie concerns a tragic emotional triangle between Zhang Zhichen, a successful doctor, who, on returning from Shanghai finds that his long lost sweetheart Yuwen, has married his best friend in his absence. That his best friend, Dai Liyan is a bit of a passionless, malingering whinger (whom, we are given to understand, is somewhat lacking in the trouser department) is, I think, supposed to tip our guilty sympathies toward the unrequited pair. However, there is no lingering eye contact, no haltingly emotional dialogue, no inadvertent contact, in fact no telegraphing of emotion of any kind between the friend and the wife. Yumen recites her lines as if they were a shopping list, and Zhang Zhichen seems to be reading his off the back off his eyelids. This peculiar lack of chemistry between the erstwhile lovers means that for me at least, this movie never gets off the ground. This is a real shame, as it is almost impossible to find fault with the LOOK of this movie. The cinematography is absolutely spot on, establishing shots are just where they need to be, POVs are perfect, the lighting reveals where it should and creates pools of shadow for the actors to move in and out of. Slow pans through densely textured interiors, alternately obscuring and disclosing, give an almost vertiginous sense of solidity and depth to the stage upon which the actors perform. That the actors don't seem to know how to convey the intensity and recklessness of true love upon that stage is the real tragedy of this movie. Two stars for acting, four for set design and cinematography Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Le film se veut raffine et visuellement riche, mais la realisation n'est pas a la hauteur de cette ambition delicate : devant des comediens dont le mot d'ordre a ete l'affectation, le cineaste translate sa camera de droite a gauche, lentement, et de gauche a droite, faute d'avoir des idees d'autre chose. Ce n'est pas expression, c'est maquillage. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Springtime in a small town was a slow movie.The set was beautiful and I was really waiting for something special to increase my interest in this movie but it never happened. The movie was boring, it only had 5 people in the movie and it was almost two hours long which was totally unnecessary. Most of dialogues were slow and meaningless. The movie tone was also dark,which felt so depressing to watch. I know this was a remake of a 1948 version, which I heard the original version was way better.My problem with Springtime was despite the beauty, there was no depth to the story. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Springtime in a Small Town

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1940s China, small-town landowner Liyan (Wu Jun) leads a sad existence; his property is in ruins, his health isn't much better, his marriage to wife Yuwen (Hu Jingfan) is almost loveless and the presence of his boisterous teen sister Xiu (Lu Sisi) only makes things worse. Then Zhang (Xin Baiqing), a doctor who is an ex-lover of Yuwen's and a boyhood chum of Liyan's, arrives to treat the ailing man. He brings passion back into the household, but also extreme tension.
Director
Zhuangzhuang Tian
Producer
William Kong, Xiaowan Li, Yatming Tang
Screenwriter
Mu Fei, Tianji Li, Cheng Ah
Distributor
Palm Pictures
Production Co
Beijing Film Studio
Rating
PG (Some Thematic Elements)
Genre
Drama, Romance
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 9, 2002, Wide
Release Date (DVD)
Dec 14, 2004
Box Office (Gross USA)
$42.3K
Runtime
1h 56m
Sound Mix
Surround