Now, speaking personally, I enjoy learning about history – almost regardless of the time or place. This enjoyable film, however, delivers its history lesson with such slippery ease that, even if you hate studying history, when the credits roll at the end, you won't even know you've been had.

Historical Background: To Live was the penultimate of the seven collaborations between fifth-generation Chinese director Zhang Yimou and star Chinese actress Gong Li between 1987 and 1995. They also dated or lived together throughout that period as well. Six of those seven films rank among the best ever made in China: Red Sorghum (1987), Ju Dou (1990), Raise the Red Lantern (1992), The Story of Qiu Ju (1992), To Live (1994), and Shanghai Triad (1995). Zheng has also made some fine films since the end of his relationship and collaboration with Gong Li, two of which I will be reviewing in the weeks ahead. The fifth-generation Chinese filmmakers graduated from film school in the immediate aftermath of a period of severe censorship and repression of artistic freedoms, during which time very few films of any consequence got made in China. Although the climate improved a bit after the mid-eighties, conservative and repressive elements in Chinese society continued to lurk behind the curtains. Chinese authorities were anxious not to have the turmoil of the fifties and sixties revisited too quickly. To Live was Zheng's biggest risk among his collaborations with Gong Li and they paid for it dearly. Although the film continues to hold the admiration of international audiences, it is banned in China and both Zheng and Li are prohibited from even speaking about the film. Moreover, both were issued two year restrictions from further filmmaking ventures after To Live was released.

You don't need to be expert in modern Chinese history to appreciate this film, but a smidgen of background will be a big help. As World War II came to an end, there were two powerful factions in China. The Communists held a sizable piece of northern China while the Nationalists held the rest. When the American General George C. Marshall was unable to negotiate a settlement between the two groups, civil war erupted. Employing superior military tactics and supported by social revolutions in the countryside, the Communists made steady gains and took control of both Tianjin and Beijing early in 1949. Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the People's Republic of China effective October 1st, 1949 and there was nothing the Nationalist could do but to flee to the island of Taiwan or into southeast Asia.

From 1949 to 1952, the new Communist government seized the farmlands of landowners and redistributed the land among the peasants, often after bloody battles. Tens of thousands (and possibly millions) of landowners were killed. In 1953, China declared its first "Five-Year Plan" for economic development. Chinese industry grew rapidly during this period (about 15% per year). The second Five-Year Plan became known as "The Great Leap Forward" (referred to in To Live). This plan was based on Mao's belief that obstacles to economic growth could be overcome by sheer willpower – by pushing worker productivity by increasing hours and extra shifts. It is during this period of China's history that a terrible accident occurs in To Live caused by the exhaustion of one of the characters. Without adequate capital of technology to support the effort of the workers, the initiative ultimately collapsed, leading to a period of economic depression and food shortages from 1959-1961.

Beginning in 1962, a philosophical split began to develop within the Communist Party of China. The top priority of the radicals was an idealized classless society in which every citizen worked for the common good. The moderates were more interested in economic development, which required some divisions of labor and roles. The Chinese were also increasingly isolated in the world during this time period as their relationship to the Soviet Union deteriorated. In 1966, Mao Zedong threw his support to the radicals, initiating a series of purges and denunciations through which radical students and other young people attempted to purify the country of "reactionary" and "counterrevolutionary" elements. The universities were closed for four years during the end of the sixties and young people, organized in paramilitary units called the Red Guards, seized control of many local governments.

The Story: This film is structurally a bit like Chen's Farewell My Concubine (1993) to the extent that both films relate the historical events that occurred in China in the middle part of the twentieth century through the device of showing how those events impacted a small number of characters who were mostly peripheral to the making of that history. A major difference however, is that the central characters in Farewell My Concubine were exceptional characters (performers of Chinese opera) while those in To Live are more or less ordinary people. Although part of the upper class as the story opens, they are very quickly reduced to working class status and remain so for the duration of the film. So, To Live provides insight into the effect of tumultuous events in China on ordinary people. The film is divided into three segments, representing respectively the decades of the forties (Civil War), fifties (the Great Leap Forward), and sixties (the Cultural Revolution) in China.

Fugui Xu (Ge You) is the young adult son of an aristocrat who owns property consisting of a mansion and an estate. Despite being married to Jiazhen (Gong Li) and having a daughter, Fengxia, and another child on the way, Fugui fritters his time away at a local club, gambling and drinking. The only talent of any kind that he exhibits is a facility with Chinese puppetry, a traditional art form in which the shadows of dancing puppets are cast against a backlit screen to the accompaniment of a wailing kind of vocal music. When Jiazhen's entreaties fail to break his addiction to gambling, she packs up and leaves. Undeterred, Fugui returns to the dice table and proceeds to lose all of his family's property to a rival gambler, Long-er (Dahong Ni). His horrified father honorably turns over the deed to cover his son's gambling debts, but has to be restrained from killing his son. After the birth of their second child, a son who Jiazhen names Youqing, Jiazhen agrees to take her husband back for what will now be a quiet life of poverty and hard work.

Fugui hopes to borrow some capital from Long-er to open a shop, but all Long-er has to offer him is the set of puppets from the puppet theater. Fugui begins to make his living as a traveling puppeteer. During one such engagement, he and other civilian men are pressed into the service of Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Chinese army. The Civil War has begun. Fugui makes friends with a fellow soldier named Chunsheng (Tao Guo). It's a struggle just to survive the cold, much less the artillery volleys. They steal coats off frozen corpses of fallen comrades. When their unit is obliterated, Fugui and Chunsheng, the lone survivors, are captured by a large Communist force but are saved by Fugui's puppets. Desperate for entertainment, the Communist soldiers are delighted to incorporate Fugui and Chunsheng into their regiment so as to enjoy puppet shows in the evenings.

After the war, Fugui returns home and reunites with his wife and two children, who have grown considerably. Little Fengxia has permanently lost her voice, however, as the aftermath of a severe fever. Youqing (Deng Fei) is now a five-year-old rascal, whose main occupation is protecting his sister from the village bullies. The landlords are being executed, so, ironically, Long-er, who won Fugui's property at dice, is killed while Fugui is saved by his status as a poor villager. Realizing his good fortune, Fugui instructs his wife to hang his letter of service commendation on the wall of their small dwelling. Fugui and Jiazhen make a simple living delivering bottles of water and by Fugui's puppetry.

As the fifties begin to wind down, the madness of "The Great Leap Forward" ensues. Each family is required to "donate" their ironware and other metallic objects that can be smelted down and turned into bullets or shells for the anticipated conquest of Taiwan. It is all Fugui and Jiazhen can manage, as they relinquish their pots and pans, to exempt Fugui's puppet box, with its iron studs. The children, Fengxia and Youqing, like everyone else in China during this time period, are getting too little sleep and are required to work in factories when not at school. Youqing, despite exhaustion, has to join the other children at a factory for a special visit by the regional director, who turns out to be Fugui's old army pal, Chunsheng. Chunsheng, as exhausted as everybody else, accidentally back his jeep into a building, knocking the wall down and killing little Youqing. Fugui and Jiazhen are devastated. Chunsheng now owes them a life.

Skipping ahead, now, to the sixties, the Cultural Revolution is in full gallop and the Red Guard out to destroy everything old, traditional, decadent, or counterrevolutionary. One early casualty is Fugui's set of puppets, which were understandably designed to represent warriors, emperors, and the like. Fengxia has developed into a pretty young woman, though still entirely mute. Despite her handicap, her parents are able to find an appropriate and advantageous match for her with a man with a limp who is also the head of a Revolutionary Guard unit. He's a good man who brings his guard unit round for some repairs to the home of the parents of his betrothed and to paint pictures of Mao on the exterior walls. The young pair are soon wed. Later, as Fengxia gives birth to their first child, she finds herself in a hospital run by under-qualified students because the physicians and nurses have been purged as reactionary elements. When complications develop, the incompetent staff is unable to do anything meaningful for her.

Later, Chunsheng, to whom Jiazhen has refused to speak since her son's death, contemplates suicide after being denounced as a "capitalist." Jiazhen, in a moment of touching compassion, reminds Chunsheng that he owes them a life and demands that he pay his debt by respecting his own. Fugui and Jiazhen grow old together without either of their children, but not bitter, because they now have their grandchild "Little Bun," (Fengxia son). As the credits run, Chunsheng, with whom they are now reconciled, joins them for dinner.

Production Values: One strength of this film is a truly fine script that studiously avoids stereotyped characters. These are a rich assortment of believable characters, with strengths and shortcomings, rather than the simplistic heroes and villains that so many films dish out. These are characters with whom you can identify. The balance between historical context and personalization of the story is never lost. There are comedy elements here and there, such as when Youqing dumps a large bowl of rice with chili sauce on the head of one of the boys who had tormented his sister. There are touches of irony and tragedy as well. The style is observational. There is never any question as to what this story is about; it's inherent in the title. This is a family that is just trying "to live" through a variety of challenges and tumultuous events, events from which no family in China was immune. Whatever their individual flaws, we admire them for their resilience.

The casting for the film is terrific, from the adorable children right on through the secondary roles. Gong Li never gives a weak performance, though her performances do range from film to film between just good and superlative. Her performance in To Live was as good as the part demanded. I can't put it on a par with some of her most challenging parts, such as in Red Sorghum (1987), Ju Dou (1990), and Raise the Red Lantern (1992). It's not often that her male co-stars outshine her, but Ge You does carry the film, showing great range and confidence. He also appeared in Farewell My Concubine (1993). He was awarded the trophy for Best Actor from Cannes for this movie.

Bottom-Line: To Live was awarded a Grand Jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival. It's a very strong film, though I can't award it five-stars. It's too similar in its basic concept to Farewell My Concubine and some of the plot developments seem too conveniently designed to reflect on the historical elements. Nevertheless, it's a solid four-star effort. To Live is in Mandarin. The DVD version includes the trailer and optional English, French, or Spanish subtitles. Personally, speaking as a parent, I'd let a fifteen year-old watch the film but would not recommend it for younger teens – based on wartime violence, not sexuality. The running time is 133 minutes.


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You might want to check out these other excellent films from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan:

Chungking Express
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Eat Drink Man Woman
The Emperor and the Assassin
Fallen Angels
Farewell My Concubine
Hero
In the Mood for Love
Raise the Red Lantern
Red Sorghum
Road Home
Shanghai Triad
The Story of Qiu Ju
Temptress Moon
Together
What Time is it There?
The Women From the Lake of Scented Souls
Yi Yi

Recommended:
Yes

Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older