Yellow Earth (1986)

Synopsis: Set in a remote northern Chinese province in 1939, this beautifully shot drama, based on Ke Lan's novel ECHO IN A DEEP VALLEY, follows the burgeoning relationship between Cuiqiao (Xue Bai), a... Set in a remote northern Chinese province in 1939, this beautifully shot drama, based on Ke Lan's novel ECHO IN A DEEP VALLEY, follows the burgeoning relationship between Cuiqiao (Xue Bai), a 14-year-old peasant girl, and Gu Qing (Wang Xueqi), a communist soldier collecting folk songs for the revolution. Gu Qing's mission leads him to the remote hilltop home of Cuiqiao and her impoverished family, where he becomes a confidant for the young and lonely girl, who must work dutifully to help support her aging father and brother. Accustomed to backbreaking labor and her lowly status in the tradition-bound family, Cuiqiao is enticed by the modern theories on life, politics, and women that Gu Qing shares with her. But accepting his new ways of life means rejecting her family and their ancient customs--including her arranged marriage to a much older man. Two leaders of China's new wave in cinema, director Chen Kaige (FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE) and cinematographer (and future director) Zhang Yimou (RAISE THE RED LANTERN), blend the evocative story of a young woman's search for personal freedom with a haunting vision of the early days of their country's revolution, creating a film with the timeless simplicity, stark beauty, and universality of a folktale. [More]

Starring: Xue Bai, Wang Xueqi, Tan Tuo, Liu Qiang

Starring: Xue Bai, Wang Xueqi, Tan Tuo, Liu Qiang

Director: Chen Kaige

Director: Chen Kaige

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