A Thousand Years of Good Prayers
Encyclopedia
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers is a 2007 drama feature film directed by Wayne Wang
starring Yu Feihong, Henry O
, Vida Ghahremani
and Pasha Lychnikoff
, adapted from the short story by Yiyun Li
and shot on a high-end high-definition video
camera. A Chinese widower visits his daughter in America.
It was made as a companion piece to The Princess of Nebraska
, a 2007 film also directed by Wayne Wang and adapted from Yiyun Li’s short story.
), a retired widower from Beijing
. When his only daughter, Yilan (Yu Feihong), who lives in Spokane, Washington
and works as a librarian
, gets divorced, he decides to visit her to help her heal. However Yilan is not interested. She tries keeping an emotional distance but when this finally fails she begins physically avoiding her father. He confronts her about an affair with a married Russian
man (Pasha Lychnikoff
) and she, in turn, lets loose about all the gossip she'd heard as a young girl about his alleged affair with a female colleague back in China.
Running parallel to this plot is Mr. Shi's park bench meetings with an elderly woman, Madam (Vida Ghahremani
), who had fled to the United States
from Iran
after the revolution
. Neither Mr. Shi nor Madam speak English
well, but by gesturing and talking in their own tongues, they start a friendship which ends when Madam is put into a retirement home
.
Mr. Shi and his daughter Yilan finally come to terms as father and daughter through the greater understanding achieved by their heated confrontations over perceived transgressions that neither one was initially willing to forgive.
The movie concludes with Mr. Shi catching a train into the interior of the United States as a tourist and striking up a conversation with a woman he meets in one of the cars.
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers into a film because it reminded him of all the Ozu
films he so admired when he was a film student. He also has said that he was drawn to the short story by Yiyun Li
because of some similarities to his own father.
When Wang first approached Yiyun Li, who had no previous experience, to write the screenplay, he provided her with screenwriting software and "some good scripts." The vague Midwestern
setting was changed to Spokane, where Yiyun Li had studied.
writer Patrick Z. McGavin called it "not earth-shattering or particularly urgent, though it enables a talented filmmaker to work through personal ideas about assimilation and family conflict in an open, smart and gracious way." Todd McCarthy from film industry magazine Variety
described the film as "Mainly concerned with generational and cultural issues, very modest entry possesses equally modest commercial potential."
Award for Best Film and also Best Actor Award at the 55th San Sebastián International Film Festival
.
Wayne Wang
Wayne Wang is a Chinese American film director.-Biography:Wang was born and raised in Hong Kong, and named after his father's favorite movie star, John Wayne...
starring Yu Feihong, Henry O
Henry O
Henry O is a Chinese American actor. He is the father of Ji-li Jiang, the author of Red Scarf Girl.-Biography:Raised in China , O was brought up in English and American missionary schools. He worked in the Children’s Art Theater as an actor and later as the deputy art director/actor for thirty years...
, Vida Ghahremani
Vida Ghahremani
Vida Ghahremani is an Iranian actress, designer and teacher.She began acting in film as a teenager. Her earliest work was in 1958's Toofan dar shahre ma...
and Pasha Lychnikoff
Pavel Lychnikoff
Pavel Lychnikoff , also credited as Pasha D. Lychnikoff, is a Russian television, film and theatre actor, who lives and works in the United States.-Life and work:...
, adapted from the short story by Yiyun Li
Yiyun Li
Yiyun Li is a Chinese American writer. Her debut short story collection A Thousand Years of Good Prayers won the 2005 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, and her second collection Gold Boy, Emerald Girl was shortlisted for the same award...
and shot on a high-end high-definition video
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
camera. A Chinese widower visits his daughter in America.
It was made as a companion piece to The Princess of Nebraska
The Princess of Nebraska
The Princess of Nebraska is a 2007 film directed by Wayne Wang. It stars Li Ling and Brian Danforth. It was adapted from a story by Yiyun Li.-Cast:*Li Ling as Sasha*Brian Danforth as Boshen*Minghua Tan as May*Zhi Hao Li as Driver...
, a 2007 film also directed by Wayne Wang and adapted from Yiyun Li’s short story.
Plot
The film follows Mr. Shi (Henry OHenry O
Henry O is a Chinese American actor. He is the father of Ji-li Jiang, the author of Red Scarf Girl.-Biography:Raised in China , O was brought up in English and American missionary schools. He worked in the Children’s Art Theater as an actor and later as the deputy art director/actor for thirty years...
), a retired widower from 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...
. When his only daughter, Yilan (Yu Feihong), who lives in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
and works as a librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
, gets divorced, he decides to visit her to help her heal. However Yilan is not interested. She tries keeping an emotional distance but when this finally fails she begins physically avoiding her father. He confronts her about an affair with a married Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
man (Pasha Lychnikoff
Pavel Lychnikoff
Pavel Lychnikoff , also credited as Pasha D. Lychnikoff, is a Russian television, film and theatre actor, who lives and works in the United States.-Life and work:...
) and she, in turn, lets loose about all the gossip she'd heard as a young girl about his alleged affair with a female colleague back in China.
Running parallel to this plot is Mr. Shi's park bench meetings with an elderly woman, Madam (Vida Ghahremani
Vida Ghahremani
Vida Ghahremani is an Iranian actress, designer and teacher.She began acting in film as a teenager. Her earliest work was in 1958's Toofan dar shahre ma...
), who had fled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
after the revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
. Neither Mr. Shi nor Madam speak English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
well, but by gesturing and talking in their own tongues, they start a friendship which ends when Madam is put into a retirement home
Retirement home
A retirement home is a multi-residence housing facility intended for senior citizens. Typically each person or couple in the home has an apartment-style room or suite of rooms. Additional facilities are provided within the building, including facilities for meals, gathering, recreation, and some...
.
Mr. Shi and his daughter Yilan finally come to terms as father and daughter through the greater understanding achieved by their heated confrontations over perceived transgressions that neither one was initially willing to forgive.
The movie concludes with Mr. Shi catching a train into the interior of the United States as a tourist and striking up a conversation with a woman he meets in one of the cars.
Background and production
Wayne Wang chose to adaptFilm adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers into a film because it reminded him of all the Ozu
Yasujiro Ozu
was a prominent Japanese film director and script writer. He is known for his distinctive technical style, developed during the silent era. Marriage and family, especially the relationships between the generations, are among the most persistent themes in his body of work...
films he so admired when he was a film student. He also has said that he was drawn to the short story by Yiyun Li
Yiyun Li
Yiyun Li is a Chinese American writer. Her debut short story collection A Thousand Years of Good Prayers won the 2005 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, and her second collection Gold Boy, Emerald Girl was shortlisted for the same award...
because of some similarities to his own father.
When Wang first approached Yiyun Li, who had no previous experience, to write the screenplay, he provided her with screenwriting software and "some good scripts." The vague Midwestern
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
setting was changed to Spokane, where Yiyun Li had studied.
Reception
The film was lauded by critics, such as Kim Voynar at Cinematical as being "meticulously paced and beautifully shot", while Screen InternationalScreen International
Screen International is a multimedia film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by EMAP, a British b2b media company.The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global movie business...
writer Patrick Z. McGavin called it "not earth-shattering or particularly urgent, though it enables a talented filmmaker to work through personal ideas about assimilation and family conflict in an open, smart and gracious way." Todd McCarthy from film industry magazine Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
described the film as "Mainly concerned with generational and cultural issues, very modest entry possesses equally modest commercial potential."
Awards and nominations
It won the Golden ShellGolden Shell
The Golden Shell is the highest prize given to a competing film at the San Sebastián Film Festival. It was introduced in 1957. In 1953 and 1954, the highest prize had been called the Gran Premio. In 1955 and 1956 it was replaced by the Silver Shell...
Award for Best Film and also Best Actor Award at the 55th San Sebastián International Film Festival
San Sebastián International Film Festival
The San Sebastián International Film Festival is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of San Sebastián .-History:The festival was founded in 1953...
.