Blue Kite

DVD Features:

Additional Release Material:

• Trailers

Interactive Features:

• Scene Access
• Interactive Menus

Text/Photo Galleries:

• Stills/Photos

Product Description:

This critically acclaimed award-winner was banned in China for its harshly realistic portrayal of life under Chairman Mao. Following a young boy and his family through the social upheaval of the '50s and '60s, Tian Zhuangzhuang's THE BLUE KITE is an epic look at recent Chinese history and the effect political changes have on personal lives. The film follows young Tietou as he grows up in the midst of the cultural revolution, watching colleagues denounce each other, and neighbors, living under the guise of happy "communal living," spy on one another. One by one, Tietou's family and friends get caught in the violent upheaval until finally the dramatic events engulf Tietou himself.

Plot Keywords:

Family Interaction | Orient | Theatrical Release

Production Notes:

• Understandably, the Chinese government was not happy with Tian Zhuangzhuang's highly critical portrayal of the communist party. They refused to allow him to leave the country to complete the film; he supervised the editing without actually being there to see the rough cut. He still has not seen the finished film.
• Shown at the 1993 New York Film Festival.
• Other cast members include: Li Xuejian (Uncle Li/Li Guodong), Guo Baochang (Stepfather/Lao Wu), Zhong Ping (Chen Shusheng), Chu Quanzhong (Chen Shuyan), Song Xiaoying (Sis), Zhang Hong (Zhu Ying), Liu Yangin (Shujuan's mother), and Li Bin (Granny).
• Other crew members include: Zhu Baosheng and Li Gang (set decorators), Hao Xia and Wu Yeyao (makeup), and Wu Ling (sound recordist).

Cast and Crew: