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Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (2002)
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Expat Chinese film-maker Dai Sijie here delivers a self-consciously handsome adaptation of his autobiographical debut novel about life during the Cultural Revolution. With Jean-Marie Dreujou's lustrous cinematography firmly in keeping with the “Fifth Generation” approach of Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, this is as much about the influence of the landscape on an isolated community as it is about the interaction of the characters. But Dai also uses Western literature — read to seamstress Zhou Xun by exiled city-dwellers Chen Kun and Liu Ye — to comment on Beijing's current cautious acceptance of external influences. Ultimately sentimental and lacking in political rigour, this is still a lyrical and engaging study of clashing cultures. DP
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Running time
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106min
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Country of origin
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Fr / Chi
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Genre
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Period Comedy Drama
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Alternate title
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Balzac et la Petite Tailleuse Chinoise
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Original language
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Mandarin
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Screenplay
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Dai Sijie, Nadine Perront, from the novel Balzac et la Petite Tailleuse Chinoise by Dai Sijie
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Theatrical distributor
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Soda Pictures
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UK cinema certificate
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12A
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UK cinema release date
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May 2003
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Subtitling information
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In Mandarin with subtitles
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| awards information |
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Award |
Category |
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Nominee/Winner |
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| Golden Globe 2002 |
Best Foreign Language Film |
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Nominee |
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Film certification logos reproduced by kind permission of BBFC |
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Director
Dai Sijie |
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Starring
Zhou Xun
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