Cinema
Old Well
老井
Wu Tianming · 1986
Synopsis
The village of Old Well, on the loess plateau, has lacked water for generations: hundreds of wells have been dug there, all of them dry. Sun Wangquan, who has returned to the village after studying engineering, according to the Australian magazine, gives the villagers hope. He loves Zhao Qiaoying, an educated young woman who, like him, dreams of the world beyond the mountains. But his authoritarian father marries him off to a widow, Duan Xifeng, and there is still digging to do.
Context
The film adapts a novel by Zheng Yi, who wrote the screenplay. It was shot on location, in the Taihang Mountains region. Zhang Yimou plays the lead role and shares the cinematography with Chen Wangcai; Wu Tianming in exchange entrusted him with directing his first film. According to Senses of Cinema, it was its director's greatest success, and it has since inspired filmmakers such as Jia Zhangke.
Who it is for
A film two hours and ten minutes long, in Mandarin, shot on location; no French release is established.
Prizes and reception
In 1987 it received the Grand Prix and the prize for best actor at the Tokyo festival, then in 1988 the Golden Rooster for best film.
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