Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (2002)

77% of critics liked it
(61 reviews)
80% of users liked it
(4,496 ratings)

Dai Sijie directs Balzac et La Petite Tailleuse Chinoise (The Little Chinese Seamstress), a film adaptation of his own best-selling autobiographical novel. Set in China during the Cultural Revolution of the 1970s, the story follows Luo (Chen Kun) and Ma (Liu Ye), two young men from the city who are… More Dai Sijie directs Balzac et La Petite Tailleuse Chinoise (The Little Chinese Seamstress), a film adaptation of his own best-selling autobiographical novel. Set in China during the Cultural Revolution of the 1970s, the story follows Luo (Chen Kun) and Ma (Liu Ye), two young men from the city who are sent to a mountain village for a re-education in Maoist principles. They work with the peasants under the supervision of the village head man (Wang Shuangbao), who considers their violin to be a symbol of the bourgeoisie. Luo and Ma both fall in love with the little Chinese seamstress (Ziiou Xun), the daughter of the tailor (Chung Zhijun), and they read her forbidden works of Western literature including French writers Balzac and Dumas. The conclusion finds the two men reminincing about their experiences 30 years later. Balzac et La Petite Tailleuse Chinoise premiered at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 51 min.
Directed By: Dai Sijie, Sijie Dai
Written By: Dai Sijie, Nadine Perront
Genres: Drama, Romance, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Jul 29, 2005 Limited
On DVD: Dec 27, 2005
Studio: Soda Pictures Ltd.

Critic Reviews

Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Reader
The ethereal private moments and inspired passages are beautifully shot by Jean-Marie Dreujou, but Dai never quite organizes the material dramatically, and the tone is too often jagged and disruptive.
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic
The film is episodic, and most of the scenes are evocative and charming.
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
[A] tribute to the transforming power of books.
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News
A nifty little film about the powers of culture and the humanities.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
[A] charmer.
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
The movie may lose some of its bite when translated from page to screen, but it still delivers a valid message. When one of the boys starts reading good literature, life takes on new meaning.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A dullish though quite watchable lyrical coming-of-age love triangle drama set in the 1970s during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
Eric Monder, Film Journal International
Anyone expecting something either insightful or unusual will be disappointed.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
will appeal primarily to literary and artistic mentalities
Marrit Ingman, Austin Chronicle
Seamstress doesn't inspire the same kind of fervent devotion its principals feel when confronted with art, but it does make a pleasant enough diversion.
Marc Mohan, Oregonian
A number of memorable set pieces illuminate the world around this subdued romantic triangle.
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion
Skillfully done...but the broader historical context may make one just a tad queasy reveling in its visual and emotional excesses.
Larry Ratliff, San Antonio Express-News
Beautifully photographed, Balzac is a sometimes edgy journey that lands gently, but effectively on the mind.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

First L

Set in 1971 communist China is the tale of two young men sent to live in the mountains to be "re-educated" as peasants in the Chairman Mao method. One is the son of a dentist, the other is a violinist, and both are considered "reactionists" because of their… More
Set in 1971 communist China is the tale of two young men sent to live in the mountains to be "re-educated" as peasants in the Chairman Mao method. One is the son of a dentist, the other is a violinist, and both are considered "reactionists" because of their apparent intellectualism. The mountain villagers are painted as savages, with no knowledge of technology or high art (they think the violin is some sort of toy which they pass around and bang on like chimps) and a serious distrust of anything foreign. The two young men are quickly forced into menial labor, hauling buckets of human waste to be used as fertilizer and hauling rocks out of the tiny mine shaft. One day, the community tailor comes to the village, along with his teenage granddaughter, and both boys quickly fall in love with her. She's not like the other peasants, she has a curious mind that doesn't necessarily fall in line with Mao's ideals. She steals the boys' alarm clock and takes it apart to see how the animal on the face worked. She builds models of the airplanes she sees fly overhead. The boys decide to teach her to read, and they find a stash of banned books one of the other re-trainees has smuggled into the village. "Xiao Cai Feng" is fairly subtle in it's demonstration of the evils of ignorance in a totalitarian society, unfortunately the same subtlety isn't applied to the love triangle element of the story. However, it is a beautiful and compelling (well, most of the time it's compelling) movie nonetheless.
Jennifer X

As per usual in these types of films, it's beautiful but stunningly boring. But then again, so was the book.
Rico Z

I had read the book (on which this film is based) a few years back and thought it should be made into a movie. Well, it actually had been made into a f ilm. Now that I've finally seen it, it goes to show how powerful this story is. Set during the communist re-education period of… More
I had read the book (on which this film is based) a few years back and thought it should be made into a movie. Well, it actually had been made into a f ilm. Now that I've finally seen it, it goes to show how powerful this story is. Set during the communist re-education period of China's histroy, the uplifting, emotional power of forbidden music, forbidden books and forbidden love are timeless and are so poetic in this adaptation. It proves that artistic and creative thinking cannot be supressed and are the great and noble characteristics that make up the human spirit. It also helps that the author of the book (largely autobiographical) is also the film's director. NOTE: Chinese, with English subtitles.
Dannielle A

A coming-of-age story with breathtaking footage of a remote mountain village in China. It takes place during the Cultural Revolution and is about two friends who both fall in love with the same young beauty. The tale is gripping. It will make you laugh and also empathize with the… More
A coming-of-age story with breathtaking footage of a remote mountain village in China. It takes place during the Cultural Revolution and is about two friends who both fall in love with the same young beauty. The tale is gripping. It will make you laugh and also empathize with the character's pain.
Dimitris S

I was wooed by the call of the wild,oh the poetic motion and oh the indiscreet nature of the protagonists.Mesmerizing to the end of social inflation,the political scenery is a stereotypical background,erotica and affliction in the countryside is what makes this film move around.Such… More
I was wooed by the call of the wild,oh the poetic motion and oh the indiscreet nature of the protagonists.Mesmerizing to the end of social inflation,the political scenery is a stereotypical background,erotica and affliction in the countryside is what makes this film move around.Such brilliance near the mountains.

Cast

            Xun Zhou as Little Chinese Seamstress

            Kun Chen as Luo

            Ye Liu as Ma

            Shuangbao Wang as Village Head

            Chung Zhijun as Old Tailor

            Wang Hong Wei as Four Eyes

            Xiao Xiung as Four Eyes' mother

            Chen Wei as village chief's wife

            Guy-Pierre Bennet as voice of journalist

            Su Wa as village chief's pretty daughter

            Mei Ling Tan as villager

            Zhang Heng as peasant

            Tang Zuohul as miller

            Chen Tianlu as commune head

            Fan Qing-Yun as doctor

            Min Jie as peasant

            Xu Yukum as peasant

            Jing Fang as villager

            Peng Li as villager

            Zhao Hengfei as villager

            Liu Yao as Villager

            Chen Yulin as villager

            Xu Chunhua as villager

            Zhao Fang Zong as villager

            Quiléne Boileux as airport saleswoman

            Yang Dandan as Madame Luo

            Xiao Ziong as Four Eyes' Mother

            Mi Jie as Peasant

            Mei Lina as Villager

            Chung Zhi Jun
            
            Zhijun Cong
            
            Hongwei Wang
            
            Hong Wei Wang
            
See full cast