Suzhou He (2000)
Genre: Drama / Romance
Duration: 83 minuten
Alternative titles: Suzhou River / 苏州河
Country:
China / Germany / France
Directed by: Ye Lou
Stars: Xun Zhou, Hongshen Jia and Zhongkai Hua
IMDb score:
7,4 (7.489)
Releasedate: 4 April 2000
Suzhou He plot
The Suzhou flows through Shanghai, bringing good and bad things to the city. The river is a reservoir of dirt, chaos and poverty, but the water also gives way to memories and secrets. Motorcycle courier Mardar drives through the city with the most remarkable packages to deliver them to the most diverse customers. He meets 16-year-old Moudan, daughter of a shady customer, when he delivers a package to her aunt. They become fond of each other, until Moudan suspects her courier Mardar of kidnapping her for ransom. She jumps off the bridge into the river and Mardar is now suspected of murder.
Actors and actresses
Meimei / Moudan
Mardar
Xiao Hong
Boss
Lao B.
Narrator (uncredited)
Reviews & comments
eRCee
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- 13408 messages
- 1953 votes
Dull look? Those are the last two words on this page for two and a half years. Not really a characterization that I recognize, on the contrary, Suzhou He is a dynamic and lively film, chaotic, not fully fathomable, nonchalant, beautiful, in short: it depicts in its form the city in which the plays, Shanghai and especially the surroundings of the river Suzhou.
As Yak suggests, it seems to me that both stories ultimately both sprang from the fantasy of the main character, who remains faceless. That is not very relevant. The two stories and their interconnectedness are interesting enough for the duration of the game and the final scene still holds its power anyway.
As said, it is mainly the design that makes Suzhou He such a fine film. Many point-of-view shots with handheld camera work, but at the same time beautiful lighting and expressive use of color, which turns out to be a very strong combination. The editing is characterized by a lot of jump cuts (especially the shots from under the bridge in the beginning are cool). Musically I also thought it was very good, it is often almost classical film music that you hear but just a little bit different, and this also combines very well with the rest of the film and its Asian appearance due to the contrast.
Special movie. Nothing dull.
Translated from Dutch · View original
mjk87 (moderator films)
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- 13991 messages
- 4252 votes
Ye Lou does a Godard, at least, that's what I had to think about with that separate camera, many jumpcuts, story and beautiful colorful scenes. Also very nicely acted and the atmosphere and dirt of Shanghai come out nicely. At times a very nice film with some beautiful separate scenes, which unfortunately collapses halfway through and is not always very involved. At times it's all a bit chilly. But that doesn't detract much from the whole, except that a top score is not in it. 4.0*.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Onderhond
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- 87451 messages
- 12499 votes
Remains beautiful.
Although it is a film that deserves a polish, it all looks a bit unclean and muddy in the meantime, and that while behind the technical filth you really see a nice film. Perhaps a bit too early, but within a year or 10 an HD version will probably appear.
The story also remains beautiful, Xun Zhou proves why she would grow into one of the great ladies of Chinese cinema and the urban setting would cause a major turnaround. This film is not a revolution, but a clear evolution towards a more modern and urban form of cinema, which is why it deserves its place in the history books.
Fortunately, it doesn't take too long, never gets boring and contains a number of scenes that will stay with you. Let's just hope that the film gets a worthy restoration, otherwise I fear that it will be half as bad next time.
4.0* and a extensive review
Translated from Dutch · View original
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