Life on a String

Rating:
Summary: the saddest Chinese movie ever
Review: Let's face facts folks, Chinese movies are not known for being upbeat, but this is really quite the saddest Chinese movie I have ever seen. If the dialogue is bland to some, certainly the cinematography is moving enough to warrant buying the film. To me, the story was more about wishes and realties, and the wisdom to know the difference between the two. The viewer keeps rooting for the two protagonists, the blind singer and his protege, but the stark reality of life's harshness keep interrupting what could be a happy outcome. Nevertheless, the film will keep you guessing, and anyone who says it is boring should stick to movies like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," because this one is definitely more for the hard core Chinese film fan who is willing to sit through a quiet, moving story to achieve a thoughful state of mind at its end.

Rating:
Summary: poor transfer!
Review: this dvd looks like a bad copy from an old vhs tape.
i remember seeing this movie years ago being amazed by its
spectacular images. this dvd print is loaded with
faded and dusty pictures, accompanied by muddy audio tracks.
it is disappointing.

Rating:
Summary: a powerful, moving vision
Review: This is, in my estimation, Chen Caige's best and has only been out on video recently. It is a powerful and moving epic about a blind man searching for the ability to "see." The film is understood in reverse the first time you see it and a wonderful poem each time thereafter.

Rating:
Summary: Empty like northwest China
Review: This movie is like the expanses of northwest China where it occurs, nothing is here. The dialog is sporadic. There are times of no dialogue where next to nothing is occurring. There is an attempt at being mystical that produces just plain dullness. I have watched many Asian movies the past few years. Some like "To Live," "King of Masks," "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman," and "Heaven and Earth," I have watched many times because of the high quality of screenplay and acting. "Life on a String" gets my lowest rating of any Asian movie I have seen.

Rating:
Summary: Empty like northwest China
Review: This movie is like the expanses of northwest China where it occurs, nothing is here. The dialog is sporadic. There are times of no dialogue where next to nothing is occurring. There is an attempt at being mystical that produces just plain dullness. I have watched many Asian movies the past few years. Some like "To Live," "King of Masks," "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman," and "Heaven and Earth," I have watched many times because of the high quality of screenplay and acting. "Life on a String" gets my lowest rating of any Asian movie I have seen.

Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone
Review: This story isn't accessible in a linear way. It isn't the kind of film that you can recommend to all of your friends (unless all of your friends are of one mind) and have them all thank you. The landscape is visually stunning, the folksongs are rich and haunting, and the message is timeless. Now for the but... About forty minutes into it, my husband turned to me and said, "Have you understood anything that has happened so far?" to which I replied, "Not really..." He got up and found something else to do, I stuck it out. The second to the last scene, when the blind old master sings his last song, is worth sitting through everything that comes before--if you are also the kind of person who enjoys gifts like the set of Chinese boxes where every box contains yet another, or delving into e.e. cummings' Anyone Lived In A Pretty How Town... I do, my husband doesn't. You decide for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: What is Empty?
Review: Yes, this movie is empty at times.. it is better to not talk and say very much than to talk very much and say nothing at all.
In the emptiness, there is time for reflection and one's reflection may be directly related to the state of one's pool. Keep in mind that we all look through different lenses.
The movie is interesting and positive.