To Live
Seen it?1994 | 133 min | Drama, Romance, War
Saturday SpecialWhy it’s a Saturday Special
It earned strong reviews (87% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences rate it highly (8.2 out of 10). A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for romantics and history buffs. If you loved Shanghai Express or The Painted Veil, start here.
- The mood
- Intense, warm and romantic.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 13 min.
- What might put you off
- It's in Chinese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
Married couple Fugui and Jiazhen endure tumultuous events in mid-20th century mainland China as their personal fortunes move from wealthy landownership to peasantry.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
87% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesStrong
8.2 out of 10
- AwardsSolid
Won 1 BAFTA: BAFTA Award: Best Film Not in the English Language. Won 3 Cannes awards: Cannes Film Festival: Grand Prix, Cannes Film Festival: Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Cannes Film Festival: Best Actor(Ge You). Also nominated for 1 Golden Globe.
- Reach & staying powerSolid
Streaming release that reached a modest audience; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 75K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Zhang Yimou
- Ge YouXu Fugui
- Gong LiXu Jiazhen
- Niu BenTown Chief
- Guo TaoChunsheng
- Jiang WuWan Erxi
- Ni DahongLong'er
- Liu TianchiXu Fengxia
- Zhang LuYoung Fengxia
- Dong FeiXu Youqing
- Huang ZongluoFugui's Dad