Synopsis: In a small town, housewife Zhou Yuwen (Hu) and her husband Dai Liyan (Xin) lived in normal but boring life. Dai Liyan was suffering from severe depression, after lost his family fortune during the war. When a young doctor, Zhang Zhichen (Wu), old friend of Dai Liyan and ex-lover of Zhou Yuwen, came to visit them, the young couple's life could never be the same. Meanwhile, Dai Liyan's younger sister Dai Xiu started to fall in love with the charming doctor.

Length: 115 minutes
China Release Date: July 26, 2002

Production Company: China Film Group, Beijing Film Studios, Rongxinda Film & TV

Cast

Hu Jingfan Zhou Yuwen
Xin Baiqing Zhang Zhichen
Wu Jun Dai Liyan
Ye Xiaojian Dai Xiu
Lu Sisi Old Butler

Crew
Director Tian Zhuangzhuang
Producer Li Xiaowan
Production Manager Li Shaohong
Screenplay A Cheng
Cinematographer Lee Ping-bing
Costume Designer Tim Yip
Art Director A Cheng

 

 

Tian Zhuangzhuang (director)

Hu Jingfan

Xin Baiqing

Wu Jun
Stills: A B C D E F G H

 

News

 

Review: Toronto International Film Festival Special (Variety)

September 19, 2002

 

Review: SPRINGTIME IN A SMALL TOWN (Xiao Cheng Gu Shi) (Positive) by David Stratton

Director: Tian Zhuangzhuang

Staring: Wu Jun, Xin Baiqing, Hu Jingfan

A remake of a Chinese movie from the 1940's, it tells a story of a young couple, the ex-lover of the wife, and sister of the husband.

Chinese Language Films Will Shown At This Year's Venice Film Festival (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

August 11, 2002

THE BEST

OF TIMES
 

MEI LI SHI GUANG / THE BEST OF TIMES (Taiwan)

Category: Venezia 59

Director: Chang Tso-Chi

Staring: Wing Fan, Gao Meng-Jie, Yu Man-Mei

Running Time: 112 minutes

Another "dark violence" film from director Chang Tso-Chi, it tells the story of a 19 year-old boy.

 

PUBLIC

TOILET
 

REN MIN GONG CE / PUBLIC TOILET (Hong Kong)

Category: Upstream

Director: Fruit Chan

Staring: Sam Lee, Jo Kuk, Hyuk Jang

Running Time: 102 minutes

A movie about the "toilet cultures" around the world.

 

 

 
Click image above for detail

XUN QIANG / THE MISSING GUN (China, Mainland)

Category: Upstream

Director: Lu Chuan

Staring: Jiang Wen, Ning Jing, Wu Yujuan

Running Time: 90 minutes

In a small and remote town, cop is looks for his missing gun and discovers something missing from his life...

 

Click image above for detail

XIAO CHENG ZHI CHUN / SPRINGTIME IN A SMALL TOWN (China, Mainland)

Category: Upstream

Director: Tian Zhuangzhuang

Staring: Wu Jun, Xin Baiqing, Hu Jingfan

Running Time: 116 minutes

A remake of a Chinese movie from the 1940's, it tells a story of a young couple, the ex-lover of the wife, and sister of the husband.

 

SOMEWHERE OVER THE DREAMLAND
 

MON HUAN BVO LUO / SOMEWHERE OVER THE DREAMLAND (Taiwan)

Category: International Critics' Week

Director Cheng Wen-Tang

Running Time: 93 minutes

A movie about the life of the aboriginal people in Taiwan.

 

BLUE

PLAGUE

KUANG WU YOU YU / BLUE PLAGUE (Taiwan)

Category: Riti E Finzioni

Director: Lin Tay-Jou

Running Time: 86 minutes

59th Venice International Film Festival Official Website

SPRINGTIME IN A SMALL TOWN Poster And Stills (Paradise.sh.cn)
July 27, 2002

More stills:

A B C D E F G H

 

Photos: Paradise.sh.cn
 
SPRING IN A SMALL TOWN Video (NetandTV.Com)
July 26, 2002

SPRING

IN

A SMALL TOWN

This is a report done by NetandTV.Com on the première of the remake of XIAO CHENG ZHI CHUN (SPRING IN A SMALL TOWN). It shows director Tian Zhuangzhuang and Wei Wei, the leading lady in the original.

 

Video: Première, film clips and behind-the-scene

Director Tian Zhuangzhuang Makes Comeback With Remake Of SPRING IN A SMALL TOWN (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 26, 2002

Tian Zhuangzhuang

Photo: SINA.COM

Director Tian Zhuangzhuang's first feature film in nearly a decade, XIAO CHENG ZHI CHUN (SPRING IN A SMALL TOWN), has been released in China today. The film is a remake of the 1948's same name classic by director Fei Mu.

 

In a small town, housewife Zhou Yuwen and her husband Dai Liyan lived in normal but boring life. Dai Liyan was suffering from severe depression, after lost his family fortune during the war. When a young doctor, Zhang Zhichen, old friend of Dai Liyan and ex-lover of Zhou Yuwen, came to visit them, the young couple's life could never be the same. Meanwhile, Dai Liyan's younger sister Dai Xiu started to fall in love with the charming doctor.

 

Tian Zhuangzhuang is known his works ON THE HUNTING GROUND (1984), THE HORSE THIEF (1986) and THE BLUE KITE (1993).

 

For more information, visit the special section of SPRING IN A SMALL TOWN

Tian Zhuangzhuang Remaking 40's Classic SPRING IN A SMALL TOWN (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

August 29, 2001

It has been eight years since Tian Zhuangzhuang directed Blue Kite, which still has not been released in China. Since then he has been actor, art director and producer in various films. Now he has taken the helm of SPRING IN A SMALL TOWN (XIAO CHENG ZHI CHUN), a remake of the same name classic.

The original SPRING IN A SMALL TOWN, shot in 1948, is the last long feature film done by Fei Mu (1906 - 1951). In a small town, housewife Zhou Yuwen and her husband Dai Liyan lived normal but boring life. Dai Liyan was suffering from severe depression, after lost his family fortune during the World War II. When a young doctor, Zhang Zhichen, old friend of Dai Liyan and ex-lover of Zhou Yuwen came to visit them, the young couple was thrown into turmoil. Meanwhile, Dai Liyan's younger sister Dai Xiu started to fall in love with the charming doctor. Though had little public reaction at the time of release, it is unquestionable one of the best Chinese films of all time.

 

The script is penned by well-known Chinese writer A Cheng. Tim Yip, won an Oscar for his art

direction works in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, has taken the role of costume designer. Chi-paos, the traditional Chinese dress, he designed are very simple, dark and cold, which is in the opposite side from those of Wong Kar-Wai's IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE. The camera man, Lee Ping-Bing is the long time working companion of Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien.

Co-produced by Beijing Film Studios and Beijing Rongxinda, shooting has started on August 14. Most of the scenes will be shot in an abandoned old house, in Dongshang outside of Suzhou city of Zhejiang Province. The same town has also shown up in Zhang Yimou's SHANGHAI TRIAD.

Photo courtesy: SINA.com