A Sigh (2000 film)
Encyclopedia
A Sigh is a 1998 Chinese drama
film
directed by Feng Xiaogang
, written by Wang Shuo
, starring Zhang Guoli
, Liu Pei, Xu Fan and Fu Biao
. Like most of Feng's films, the film is set mostly in Beijing
.
working on a new script, Liu Dawei (Fu) assigns young and beautiful Li Xiaodan (Liu) to him as an assistant. Yazhou and Xiaodan are mutually attracted to each other, but Yazhou is already married to Song Xiaoying (Xu), with whom he has a daughter. To break off the connection, he changes his plans and returns to Beijing. However, as soon as Yazhou and Xiaoying return to Beijing, they begin having an affair.
When Xiaoying finds out about Yazhou's affair, she is furious and initially demands a divorce. Relations between Yazhou and Xiaoying become extremely strained. They separate, and Xiaoying eventually accepts Yazhou's affair for the sake of their young daughter Yueyue. Despite Xiaoying's tolerance, Yazhou remains caught between the two women, on one hand being spoiled by Xiaodan and, on the other, being an attentive father in front of Xiaoying and Yueyue. Even with Xiaodan demanding marriage, Yazhou finds himself unable to divorce his wife, due to the harmful impact their separation has already had on Yueyue.
Xiaoying immerses herself in renovating the home she and Yazhou purchased before their fall out. When she injures her back after falling off a ladder, Yazhou is forced to leave Xiaodan to care for Xiaoying. He finally comes to appreciate how much his wife did for him - cooking, cleaning, taking care of their daughter, attending to his needs - so that he could write without distraction. During this time, Yazhou and Xiaodan rarely see each other, and Yazhou and Xiaoying appear to have fully repaired their relationship.
On Yazhou's 42nd birthday, Xiaodan goes to his home with a gift, only to be spotted by Xiaoying. Xiaoying insists that she come inside, saying that they should temporarily put aside their hostility, and celebrate Yazhou's birthday. She reminisces about her relationship with her husband, telling Xiaodan about they met and fell in love. After this visit, Yazhou and Xiaodan end their affair.
The film ends with Yazhou and his family happily playing on a beach in Hainan. He receives a mysterious phone call. The last shot is of his surprised face when he turns around and presumably sees someone.
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Feng Xiaogang
Feng Xiaogang
Feng Xiaogang , in is a Chinese film director. He is famous in China as being perhaps the most successful "commercialized" filmmaker whose comedy films do consistently well in the box office, although Feng has attempted to break out from that mold by making drama or period drama films...
, written by Wang Shuo
Wang Shuo
Wang Shuo is a Chinese author, director, actor, and cultural icon. He has written over 20 novels, television series and movies. His work has been translated into Japanese, French, English, Italian, and many other languages...
, starring Zhang Guoli
Zhang Guoli
Zhang Guoli is an award winning Chinese film director and actor. Zhang was a xiangsheng actor before he started working on films and television series. He is married to actress Deng Jie and their son Zhang Mo is also an actor....
, Liu Pei, Xu Fan and Fu Biao
Fu Biao
Fu Biao was a famous Chinese actor.-Biography:Fu Biao was born in the family of an army officer on September 27, 1963, in Beijing. After graduating from high school, he entered a film academy in Beijing to learn acting. As a film actor, he acted for the first time in the Shanghai Triad...
. Like most of Feng's films, the film is set mostly in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.
Plot
Liang Yazhou (Zhang) is a successful, middle-aged TV screenwriter from Beijing. While in HainanHainan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
working on a new script, Liu Dawei (Fu) assigns young and beautiful Li Xiaodan (Liu) to him as an assistant. Yazhou and Xiaodan are mutually attracted to each other, but Yazhou is already married to Song Xiaoying (Xu), with whom he has a daughter. To break off the connection, he changes his plans and returns to Beijing. However, as soon as Yazhou and Xiaoying return to Beijing, they begin having an affair.
When Xiaoying finds out about Yazhou's affair, she is furious and initially demands a divorce. Relations between Yazhou and Xiaoying become extremely strained. They separate, and Xiaoying eventually accepts Yazhou's affair for the sake of their young daughter Yueyue. Despite Xiaoying's tolerance, Yazhou remains caught between the two women, on one hand being spoiled by Xiaodan and, on the other, being an attentive father in front of Xiaoying and Yueyue. Even with Xiaodan demanding marriage, Yazhou finds himself unable to divorce his wife, due to the harmful impact their separation has already had on Yueyue.
Xiaoying immerses herself in renovating the home she and Yazhou purchased before their fall out. When she injures her back after falling off a ladder, Yazhou is forced to leave Xiaodan to care for Xiaoying. He finally comes to appreciate how much his wife did for him - cooking, cleaning, taking care of their daughter, attending to his needs - so that he could write without distraction. During this time, Yazhou and Xiaodan rarely see each other, and Yazhou and Xiaoying appear to have fully repaired their relationship.
On Yazhou's 42nd birthday, Xiaodan goes to his home with a gift, only to be spotted by Xiaoying. Xiaoying insists that she come inside, saying that they should temporarily put aside their hostility, and celebrate Yazhou's birthday. She reminisces about her relationship with her husband, telling Xiaodan about they met and fell in love. After this visit, Yazhou and Xiaodan end their affair.
The film ends with Yazhou and his family happily playing on a beach in Hainan. He receives a mysterious phone call. The last shot is of his surprised face when he turns around and presumably sees someone.
Cast
- Zhang GuoliZhang GuoliZhang Guoli is an award winning Chinese film director and actor. Zhang was a xiangsheng actor before he started working on films and television series. He is married to actress Deng Jie and their son Zhang Mo is also an actor....
as Liang Yazhou (梁亚洲) - Liu Bei as Li Xiaodan (李小丹)
- Xu Fan as Song Xiaoying (宋晓英)
- Fu BiaoFu BiaoFu Biao was a famous Chinese actor.-Biography:Fu Biao was born in the family of an army officer on September 27, 1963, in Beijing. After graduating from high school, he entered a film academy in Beijing to learn acting. As a film actor, he acted for the first time in the Shanghai Triad...
as Liu Dawei (刘大为)
External links
- A Sigh at the Chinese Movie Database