The best film arguably made of its genre. They really don't make movies like this anymore, even the so-called "heart-wrenching" movies of today do not have the ability to stir the great emotions of sympathy like this one. I couldn't help but cry buckets towards the ending of the show. I had to contain my overwhelming emotions as the mother finally ended her life in the symbolic river which flows east. The river symbolizes many things in this movie, as in accordance with the title, a river that flows east reminds one of home, hope, and a battle against the invading forces of the Japanese. It represents hope for Bai Yang (a great actress), the home for Tao Jin, as he thinks fondly of his home before he is slowly seduced by the riches and decadence of Shanghai.
I first read the abridged version of the book when I was about 15 or 14, and it made a great impression on my mind, it was one of the very few Chinese classics that I read and unlike other classics, it moved me to the core. Strangely, I still remembered it at this age, and when I discovered the tape, I just had to watch it. The book is equally moving, do read it if you have a chance.
The best scene for me was when Bai Yang braced herself against the howling storm and wind to prevent the entire hut from being blown down. It twisted my poor heart-strings mercilessly. The other scenes, like how cruelly the father-in-law was made to hang, and till the fields despite barely being able to stand or walk also aggravated the wretchedness of the situation. The old woman who could not bear standing in the pool of frosty water who took the risk of escaping and got shot eventually added to the memory of the cruelties of the aggressors. The worst part of course was when she eventually found out that her husband had forgotten about the family altogether and was leading a decadent lifestyle in Shanghai with his new wife and mistress. The ever sacrificial mother and her stoicism naturally crumbled as her hopes of love and a reunion are dashed by the cold-heartedness of Zhongliang's words.
I have to disagree with comments that the film exhibited the proletariat-bourgeois divide, as the film was made just after the Japanese Occupation and the film was more to highlight the atrocities of war and the hardships the people had to endure, all intricately bound together with the sub-themes of patriotism and love. There was little notion of Communism in China during that period, that came later on. To emphasize that the whole deal about the rich-poor divide was the sub-plot would be wrong, as that was not the whole idea nor was it an idea at all to be Communist in his take. The sympathy for the poor and stoic characters is common in most literature, and shouldn't be always confused with Communism, particularly in pre-communist literature.
Lastly, I'd like to say that it is easily one of the most moving old Chinese movies which will be remembered by many generations to come. More importantly, virtues like patriotism and self-sacrifice would perhaps remain relics of the ancient theatre which would remain solely the stronghold of such films which modern films would fail to emulate. Go watch it!
I first read the abridged version of the book when I was about 15 or 14, and it made a great impression on my mind, it was one of the very few Chinese classics that I read and unlike other classics, it moved me to the core. Strangely, I still remembered it at this age, and when I discovered the tape, I just had to watch it. The book is equally moving, do read it if you have a chance.
The best scene for me was when Bai Yang braced herself against the howling storm and wind to prevent the entire hut from being blown down. It twisted my poor heart-strings mercilessly. The other scenes, like how cruelly the father-in-law was made to hang, and till the fields despite barely being able to stand or walk also aggravated the wretchedness of the situation. The old woman who could not bear standing in the pool of frosty water who took the risk of escaping and got shot eventually added to the memory of the cruelties of the aggressors. The worst part of course was when she eventually found out that her husband had forgotten about the family altogether and was leading a decadent lifestyle in Shanghai with his new wife and mistress. The ever sacrificial mother and her stoicism naturally crumbled as her hopes of love and a reunion are dashed by the cold-heartedness of Zhongliang's words.
I have to disagree with comments that the film exhibited the proletariat-bourgeois divide, as the film was made just after the Japanese Occupation and the film was more to highlight the atrocities of war and the hardships the people had to endure, all intricately bound together with the sub-themes of patriotism and love. There was little notion of Communism in China during that period, that came later on. To emphasize that the whole deal about the rich-poor divide was the sub-plot would be wrong, as that was not the whole idea nor was it an idea at all to be Communist in his take. The sympathy for the poor and stoic characters is common in most literature, and shouldn't be always confused with Communism, particularly in pre-communist literature.
Lastly, I'd like to say that it is easily one of the most moving old Chinese movies which will be remembered by many generations to come. More importantly, virtues like patriotism and self-sacrifice would perhaps remain relics of the ancient theatre which would remain solely the stronghold of such films which modern films would fail to emulate. Go watch it!
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