Seventeen Years (film)

Infobox Chinese Film
name = Seventeen Years


image_size =
caption =
director = Zhang Yuan
producer = Zhang Yuan Willy Tsao Zhang Peimin
writer = Ning Dai
Yu Hua
Zhu Wen
narrator =
starring = Li Jun
Li Bingbing
Liu Lin
music = Zhao Jiping
cinematography = Zhang Xigui
editing = Jacopo Quadri
Zhang Yuan
distributor = Worldwide Sales:
Celluloid Dreams
United States:
Kino International (DVD)
released = Venice:
September 1999
Hong Kong:
May 11, 2000
runtime = 90 min.
language = Mandarin Chinese
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id = 1:181158
imdb_id = 0213695
jianti = 过年回家
fanti = 過年回家
pinyin = guò nián huí jiā

"Seventeen Years" (or "New Year Homecoming" in the native Chinese) is a 1999 Chinese film directed by Zhang Yuan and starring Li Bingbing in her feature film debut. "Seventeen Years" was screened at several international film festivals where it garnered numerous accolades, including the Director's Award at the 56th Venice Film Festival.

The film is co-produced by Keetman Limited (China) and Fabrica (Italy), as presented by Keetman and the Xi'an Film Studio. It premiered concurrently with Zhang Yuan's documentary feature, "Crazy English" in the 1999 Locarno International Film Festival.cite web
url=http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117914650.html
title=Seventeen Years Review
publisher=Variety
author=Elley, Derek
date=1999-09-13
accessdate=2007-09-09]

"Seventeen Years" is seen, at least by some critics, as Zhang Yuan's move away from his "Bad Boy" image, an image that was cultivated after run-ins with Chinese authorities with his previous films, "Beijing Bastards", and the homosexual-themed "East Palace, West Palace". [cite web
url=http://wc04.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:181158
title=Seventeen Years > Overview
author=Deming, Mark
publisher=Allmovie
date=
accessdate=2009-09-09]

Cast

*Li Jun as Tao Xiaolan, a young woman whose accidental murder of her step-sister leads to a seventeen year prison sentence.
*Li Bingbing as Chen Jie, a prison guard who takes pity on Xiaoqin and helps her find her parents.
*Liu Lin as Yu Xiaoqin, Xiaolan's step-sister.
*Liang Song as Father
*Le Yeping as Mother

Plot

The film takes place in and around the city of Tianjin, in northeastern China. Two divorced singles (Liang Song and Le Yeping), marry, each bringing a daughter into their new home. Xiaolan (Li Jun), short haired is fiercely independent and wishes to work in a factory after she graduates from high school. Her step-sister, Xiaoqin (Liu Lin), is more intellectual, and wishes to enter a university. After a dispute over a mere 5 yuan that Xiaoqin accuses Xiaolan of stealing, Xiaolan hits her step-sister over the head. To the surprise of everyone, Xiaoqin succumbs to the injury and dies and Xiaolan is led to jail.

The film then cuts seventeen years into the future. Xiaolan has been selected as one of the lucky inmates allowed a furlough during the New Year holiday. At the same time, a young prison guard, Chen Jie (Li Bingbing) is calling her mother to say that she will soon be returning home for the holiday. While waiting for the inmates to be picked up by their families, Chen Jie notices that soon only Xiaolan remains. In an act of charity, Chen Jie offers to help Xiaolan return home. Upon arriving at her old apartment, however, both women discover that the home has long since been torn down, and Xiaolan's parents moved to another part of the city. Chen Jie, however, is now determined that Xiaolan will spend the holiday with her family and the two set out in search of parents who may not want to see their only daughter...

Production

The idea for "Seventeen Years" is said to have emerged after Zhang Yuan watched a television program of a criminal's reunion with his family after many years in prison. Realizing that every prisoner likely had an intricate story, Zhang began to research for a possible film by interviewing several inmates. From there, a screenplay was written by Zhang with the collaboration of the established writers Yu Hua and Zhu Wen and Zhang's wife, Ning Dai. As Zhang's "return to the fold," "Seventeen Years" did not suffer from the usual governmental intrusion. Indeed, it is reportedly the first Chinese film allowed to shoot within an active Chinese prison,cite web
url=http://www.zhang-yuanfilms.com/home/EN/films.htm
title= Zhang Yuan's films
publisher= Zhang-yuanfilms.com
author=
date=
accessdate= 2007-09-08] as well as Zhang's first film allowed to be screened in China.

Filmed primarily in Tianjin, China, "Seventeen Years"'s post-production took place entirely in Italy with editing by Zhang and Jacobo Quadri (who would also work with Zhang on his film "Little Red Flowers").

Reception

Awards and nominations

*56th Venice Film Festival, Italy, 1999
**Best Director — Zhang Yuan
*Gijon Film Festival, Spain, 1999
**Best Director — Zhang Yuan
*Singapore Film Festival, 2000
**Best Director — Zhang Yuan
**Best Actress (tied) — Liu Lin & Li Bingbing
*Fajr Film Festival, Iran 2001
**Crystal Simorgh for Best Screenplay

DVD release

"Seventeen Years" was released on Region 1 DVD in the United States on April 5, 2005 by Kino International. The DVD has an aspect ratio of 1.66:1 and features the original Mandarin dialogue with English subtitles. [cite web|url=http://www.kino.com/video/item.php?film_id=743|title=Seventeen Years-Kino on Video|accessdate=2007-09-09]

Notes

External links

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