Springtime in a Small Town (2002)

The movie concerns a tragic emotional triangle between Zhang Zhichen, a successful doctor, who, on returning from Shanghai finds that his long lost sweetheart Yuwen, has married his best friend in his absence. That his best friend, Dai Liyan is a bit of a passionless, malingering whinger (whom, we are given to understand, is somewhat lacking in the trouser department) is, I think, supposed to tip our guilty sympathies toward the unrequited pair. However, there is no lingering eye contact, no haltingly emotional dialogue, no inadvertent contact, in fact no telegraphing of emotion of any kind between the friend and the wife. Yumen recites her lines as if they were a shopping list, and Zhang Zhichen seems to be reading his off the back off his eyelids. This peculiar lack of chemistry between the erstwhile lovers means that for me at least, this movie never gets off the ground. This is a real shame, as it is almost impossible to find fault with the LOOK of this movie. The cinematography is absolutely spot on, establishing shots are just where they need to be, POVs are perfect, the lighting reveals where it should and creates pools of shadow for the actors to move in and out of. Slow pans through densely textured interiors, alternately obscuring and disclosing, give an almost vertiginous sense of solidity and depth to the stage upon which the actors perform. That the actors don't seem to know how to convey the intensity and recklessness of true love upon that stage is the real tragedy of this movie. Two stars for acting, four for set design and cinematography

Springtime in a small town is not a film I plan to see again. I found the cinematography and the set to be beautiful and was really expecting to see another In the Mood for Love. Actually, with its quiet restraint, Springtime belongs to another era and should have been made half a century ago. In fact, it was, and although I haven't seen the original, I hear it is much better than the remake. That must be true because this is a story for 1948 audiences.The problem with Springtime is that despite the beauty, nothing happens. The audience is not drawn into the quiet frustration of the central characters. Thats partly because the doctor upsets the balance of the whole structure. Eventually the whole exercise gets tedious and is only momentarily enlivened by the childish drinking games at one family dinner.I don't think its fair to compare this to In the Mood for Love or Remains of the Day. There is no such depth to the story.

Not very impressed. Its difficult to offer any spoilers to this film, because there is almost no development in the plot. Everything becomes clear in the first ten minutes and from there on its like watching paint dry. The acting seems very poor as well, and reminds me of the old black and white Maoist era films shown occasionally on daytime Chinese television. Although this is difficult to tell with the female role, Yuwen, as the story seems to only require her walking round like a wooden mannequin. It reminds me of fading star Gong Li who somehow got a reputation as a good actress in the West for having a scowl on her face all the time. Tian Zhuangzhuang's film the 'Blue Kite' was a far better film. But don't be fooled by the fact that Springtime in a Small Town was set in the late '40s. Unlike the Blue Kite, the fact that this film is set in a time of upheaval is irrelevant to the plot itself, the ruins of the town seem to be nothing more than a scenic backdrop.I wonder whether Tian Zhuangzhuang is simply trying to ride on the popularity of Chinese films in the West and appeal to a foreign audience who can't tell the difference between a film that is 'beautiful' 'profound' or 'hypnotic' and one that is simply tedious and insubstantial.If any film fits the description of 'overrated,' this is it. I see no reason here to stop worrying about the state of the Chinese film industry.

The composition of shots is absolutly amazing in this film, and the way the camera moves, and interacts with the scenery and the actors is brillance. The story isn't too shaby either. A few twists but nothing too complex or creative. Simply an incredibly beautiul film of 3 peoples past.