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To Live

Huo Zhe

1994

Zhang Yimou

Gong Li, Ge You, Jiang Wu, Niu Ben ...

7.9

5,737

Drama Fugui is the father of a once-wealthy family whose addiction to gambling and chronic bad luck causes him to lose his home in a game of dice with Long'er. Fugui's wife abandons him, and he finds himself working as a peddler, until the man who now owns his home gives him a pair of shadow puppets. Fugui learns the art of puppetry and travels as a performer; while on the road, he is arrested by Nationalist forces, until he is liberated by ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"It is a big, strong, energetic film, made by a filmmaker whose vision takes in four decades of his nation's history, and who stands apart from all the political currents (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Caryn James The New York Times	"The masterly Mr. Zhang knows he's creating melodrama and exaggerates to profound effect."	POS
United States	Derek Elley Variety	"'To Live' is a well-crafted but in no way earth-shaking entry in the helmer's oeuvre (...) A finely but undramatically lensed pic"	NEU
United States	Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader	"[It] is masterful in its own right (...) His film grows progressively in meaning and resonance as it develops. Highly recommended."	POS
United States	Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times	"Zhang Yimou's superb film possesses both vast scope and intimacy, richness of incident and an awareness of the quixotic role fate plays in all our destinies."	POS
United Kingdom	William Thomas Empire	"A riveting, evocative and highly personal examination of the social and political history of 20th Century China (...) An engaging blend of intimacy, humour and genuine emotional substance (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Geoff Andrew Time Out	"A mix of the personal and the political, and a panoramic view of Chinese life."	POS
United States	Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly	"[Zhang] once again demonstrates his talent for composing strong visual tableaux (...) Zhang also demonstrates his ability to draw powerful performances from his stars."	POS

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