Yellow Earth [Huang Tu Di] **** (1984, Xueqi Wang, Xue Bai, Tan Tuo, Liu Qiang) – Classic Movie Review 7885

Director Chen Kaige’s remarkable and challenging 1984 Chinese film Yellow Earth [Huang Tu Di] is based on the novel by Lan Ke about a communist soldier, Quing Gu (Xueqi Wang), who comes to a tiny town in 1939 to make his researches into their folk songs and tries (in vain) to change the life of a peasant family.

The admirably clear and straightforward parable is beautifully played out against the title’s arid landscape. The startling visuals, gorgeously photographed by future master film director Zhang Yimou, a script (by Zhang Ziliang and Chen Kaige) packed with sensibility, subtlety and nuance, and precisely pitched direction all combine to add up to a very special film.

It is a Chinese movie filmed in the Mandarin language.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7885

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