Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (2002)
Average Rating: 6.7/10
Reviews Counted: 62
Fresh: 48 | Rotten: 14
This delicately told fable about the power of literature is a lyrical delight.
Average Rating: 7.3/10
Critic Reviews: 25
Fresh: 22 | Rotten: 3
This delicately told fable about the power of literature is a lyrical delight.
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Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 4,569
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Movie Info
Dai Sijie directs Balzac et La Petite Tailleuse Chinoise (The Little Chinese Seamstress), a film adaptation of his own best-selling autobiographical novel. Set in China during the Cultural Revolution of the 1970s, the story follows Luo (Chen Kun) and Ma (Liu Ye), two young men from the city who are sent to a mountain village for a re-education in Maoist principles. They work with the peasants under the supervision of the village head man (Wang Shuangbao), who considers their violin to be a
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Cast
-
Xun Zhou
Little Chinese Seamstre... -
Kun Chen
Luo -
Ye Liu
Ma -
Shuangbao Wang
Village Head -
Chung Zhijun
Old Tailor -
Wang Hong Wei
Four Eyes -
Xiao Xiung
Four Eyes' mother -
Chen Wei
village chief's wife -
Guy-Pierre Bennet
voice of journalist -
Su Wa
village chief's pretty ... -
Mei Ling Tan
villager -
Zhang Heng
peasant -
Tang Zuohul
miller -
Chen Tianlu
commune head -
Fan Qing-Yun
doctor -
Min Jie
peasant -
Xu Yukum
peasant -
Jing Fang
villager -
Peng Li
villager -
Zhao Hengfei
villager -
Liu Yao
Villager -
Chen Yulin
villager -
Xu Chunhua
villager -
Zhao Fang Zong
villager -
Quiléne Boileux
airport saleswoman -
Yang Dandan
Madame Luo -
Xiao Ziong
Four Eyes' Mother -
Mi Jie
Peasant -
Mei Lina
Villager -
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All Critics (71) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (49) | Rotten (14) | DVD (4)
The ethereal private moments and inspired passages are beautifully shot by Jean-Marie Dreujou, but Dai never quite organizes the material dramatically, and the tone is too often jagged and disruptive.
Top CriticThe film is episodic, and most of the scenes are evocative and charming.
[A] tribute to the transforming power of books.
A nifty little film about the powers of culture and the humanities.
[A] charmer.
The movie may lose some of its bite when translated from page to screen, but it still delivers a valid message. When one of the boys starts reading good literature, life takes on new meaning.
A dullish though quite watchable lyrical coming-of-age love triangle drama set in the 1970s during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
Anyone expecting something either insightful or unusual will be disappointed.
will appeal primarily to literary and artistic mentalities
Seamstress doesn't inspire the same kind of fervent devotion its principals feel when confronted with art, but it does make a pleasant enough diversion.
A number of memorable set pieces illuminate the world around this subdued romantic triangle.
Skillfully done...but the broader historical context may make one just a tad queasy reveling in its visual and emotional excesses.
Beautifully photographed, Balzac is a sometimes edgy journey that lands gently, but effectively on the mind.
Audience Reviews for Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
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Latest News on Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
December 20, 2005:
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics 2005 AwardsDecember 19, 2005 -- DALLAS-FORT WORTH FILM CRITICS NAME ?BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN? BEST OF 2005. The...
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Foreign Titles
- Balzac und die kleine chinesische Schneiderin (DE)
- Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Xiao cai feng) (CA)
