Springtime In a Small Town DVD Review

The Palm Pictures DVD for Springtime in a Small Town released in North America today and it's another good one ... it's a tight little romantic drama / social allegory, well acted and sumptuously shot by acclaimed cinematographer Mark Lee Ping Bing. Check out the film's official website here, the trailer (in Quicktime) here, and read on for a more detailed review.

In many ways Springtime In A Small Town is a prototypically Chinese film. A remake of a post WWII film that lay neglected for decades after being labelled 'rightist' by China's communist leaders only to be later resurrected and labelled one of the finest Chinese films ever made this version was shot by acclaimed director Tian Zhuangzhuang following a ten year pseudo-retirement from film making. The film is both a potent social allegory and strong emotional tale of repressed desires.

Set in post-war China immediately following Japan's withdrawal after years of armed occupation Springtime tells the story of Dai Liyan and his young wife Yuwen. Dai Liyen is the last of his family line and, as such, has inherited the family's ancestral home, a property sorely abused during the years of occupation. A traditional man he has returned to his ancient home with his wife with the goal of restoring it to its former beauty. But all is not well with Dai Liyen ... he is unwell - believing himself to have tuberculosis - and has been unable to father children. His relationship with Yuwen can best be described as civil. Though they both play the roles they have been assigned neither is happy and they have begun to sleep in seperate rooms. Dai Liyen lives under a haze of depression brought on by his illness, the destruction of his heritage and the very real possibility that his family line will most likely end with him. Likewise, Yuwen's life is a depressing haze of domestic monotony - a life of menial tasks completely devoid of passion.

Things begin to change with the arrival of Zhang Zhichen, a childhood friend of Dai Liyen's who has gone off to the big city and trained as a doctor and now returns to visit his old friend. Zhichen is everything Liyen is not - urban, energetic, and forward thinking. He is also Yuwen's childhood sweetheart and his presence threatens to disrupt life for all involved.

This being a Chinese film it is all about repressed desire. The tone of the relationship between Yuwen and Zhichen is quite similar to that between Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh in Crouching Tiger: though both want to be together they are bound tight by social conventions that prohibit any action. The drama comes from the struggle between desire and duty and it is very well played by all involved. But beyond being a simple romance-drama the film functions as a potent social allegory with Yuwen serving as an obvious stand in for China, itself at a crossroads trying to choose between the old traditions and the lure of modernity. It is to the director's credit that the film functions incredibly well on both levels.

A key element to the film is the cinematography of Mark Lee Ping Bing who has garnered raves and awards worldwide for his work on In the Mood For Love, Millennium Mambo and Cafe Lumiere. This is vintage Ping Bing work, sumptuously lit and shot with subtly fluid movements in and through various obstacles. Ping Bing loves to use partially obscured shots - he shoots through windows, partially opened doors, etc on a very regular basis - and his signature style is perfectly matched here to the emotional tone of the story.

The DVD itself is yet another example of Palm's dedication to presenting their impressive foreign stable with the deserved level of quality. The transfer is excellent as are the subtitles and the DVD includes a behind the scenes feature and an interview with the director.