24 City
| 24 City | |
|---|---|
 Cannes Film Festival poster | |
| Directed by | Jia Zhangke |
| Produced by |
Jia Zhangke Shozo Ichiyama Wang Hong |
| Written by |
Jia Zhangke Zhai Yongming |
| Starring |
Joan Chen Lü Liping Zhao Tao Chen Jianbin |
| Music by |
Yoshihiro Hanno Lim Giong |
| Cinematography |
Yu Lik-wai Wang Yu |
| Edited by |
Lin Xudong Kong Jinglei |
| Distributed by | MK2 Diffusion, The Cinema Guild (U.S. DVD) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | China |
| Language |
Mandarin Sichuanese Shanghainese |
| Box office | $396,044[1] |
24 City (Chinese: 二十四城记/二十四城記; literally: The Story of 24 City) is a 2008 film directed and cowritten by Chinese film-maker Jia Zhangke. The film follows three generations of characters in Chengdu (in the 1950s, the 1970s and the present) as a state-owned factory gives way to a modern apartment complex. The film was also known as The Story of 24 City during production.[2]
The apartment complex featured in the film is an actual development (also called "24 City") built on the former site of an airplane engine manufacturing facility.[3] Jia will also produce a documentary about the location.[4]
The film's narrative style is described by critics as a blend of fictive and documentary story-telling, and it consists of authentic interviews and fictive scenes delivered by actors (but presented in a documentary format).[5]
24 City made its debut shown in competition for the Palme d'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.[6] Film Comment, official journal of the Film Society of Lincoln Center listed the film at the end of 2008 as the second-best unreleased (without U.S. theatrical release) film of the year.[7]
Reception
The Hollywood Reporter called the film a "moving elegy to modern-day China" and said of the film's documentary strain that it "prevails to simple, yet emotionally reverberating effect".[8][9]
Time also reviewed the film favorably: "the film interweaves the political overview — of a city institution being torn down to be replaced by commercial and residential buildings — with personal anecdotes that are poignant and charming."[10]
Screen International states "the latest chapter in Jia Zhangke's chronicles of modern Chinese history is certain to reinforce the director's status as an international arthouse icon."[5]
The New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis gave the film a rave and stated "...the often amazing and intricately structured '24 City,' the latest from the Chinese director Jia Zhang-ke...shot in digital so sharp it looks hyper-real and projected digitally, the movie takes as its point of departure the closing of a state-owned munitions factory in southwest China... Mr. Jia is one of the most original filmmakers working today, creating movies about a country that seems like a sequel."[11]
Anthony Kaufman of IndieWIRE praised the film and states "Jia's masterful aesthetic remains consistent, mixing documentary and fiction with intriguing results."[12]
J. Hoberman of the Village Voice described the film as "so meaningfully framed that it could have been shot by Andy Warhol or Chantal Akerman",[13] and called the film as one of the stand-outs of this year's films in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.[13]
References
- ↑ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=24city.htm BOM
- ↑ China Film Journal Staff (2008-03-26). "The World Is Not Enough: Has Jia Zhangke Permanently Left the Art House?". China Film Journal. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
- ↑ Jia, Zhangke; Phil Tinari (translator). "Moving Pictures". GOOD Magazine. Archived from the original on 30 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
- ↑ Lee, Min (2007-04-04). "Films focus on factory upheaval". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
- 1 2 Dan Fainaru (2008-05-17). "24 City (Er Shi Si Cheng Ji)". Screen International. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
- ↑ Leffler, Rebecca (2004-04-23). "Cannes unveils Competition lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 26, 2008. Retrieved 2004-04-26.
- ↑ "FILM COMMENT'S END-OF-YEAR CRITICS' POLL". Film Comment. Archived from the original on 2009-01-22.
- ↑ ""24 City" a moving elegy to modern-day China". Reuters/Hollywood Reporter. 2008-05-18. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
- ↑ "Film Review: '24 City'". Hollywood Reporter. 2008-05-21. Archived from the original on 2008-06-02. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
- ↑ Corliss, Richard (2008-05-17). "Cannes Gets Real". Time. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
- ↑ Scott, A. O.; Dargis, Manohla (2008-05-19). "Reality Rudely Intrudes in the Screening Rooms". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
- ↑ Anthony Kaufman (2008-05-18). "Desplechin's "Tale" Stands Out In Competition, "Three Monkeys," "24 City," Also Impress". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
- 1 2 Jim Hoberman. "The Cannes Film Festival Thus Far". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
External links
- 24 City at the Internet Movie Database
- 24 City at AllMovie
- 24 City at 2008 Cannes Film Festival
- 24 City at the Chinese Movie Database
- 24 City at Rotten Tomatoes