Happy Times
Encyclopedia
Happy Times is a 2000
tragicomedy
film
directed by Chinese
filmmaker Zhang Yimou
, starring Zhao Benshan
and Dong Jie
. It is based loosely on the short story, Shifu: You'll Do Anything for a Laugh (师傅越来越幽默) by Mo Yan
; the story appears in English translation in the collection of the same title translated by Howard Goldblatt
. Though the story and the film share a common opening, they begin to diverge almost immediately.
, an old and laid-off factory worker (played by Zhao Benshan
) seeks to marry an obese and divorced middle-aged woman (played by Dong Lifan), whom he hopes will bring him warmth and comfort in life. So he sets out desperately to find a way to make money for the rich wedding he has promised to present. The hapless man and his friend (played by Fu Biao
) decide to renovate a broken bus on top of a hill that is popular for romantic couples. He turns this bus into a small dwelling he names "Happy Times Hotel," which he will rent to willing couples visiting the hill.
As he brags about his newly opened "hotel" and how much money he is making, he finds himself entrusted with the care of the woman's emaciated, blind stepdaughter Wu Ying (played by Dong Jie
), who is unwanted in the house. Not willing to expose his scheme and ruin his attempt to get married, the man enlists the help of his retired co-workers, who agree to do all they can to make the lonely girl happy at her new job as a masseuse in the "hotel."
As the story unfolds, a touching friendship between the childless man and the dejected, orphaned girl under his care develops, leading to a moving and surprising conclusion.
2000 in film
The year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
tragicomedy
Tragicomedy
Tragicomedy is fictional work that blends aspects of the genres of tragedy and comedy. In English literature, from Shakespeare's time to the nineteenth century, tragicomedy referred to a serious play with either a happy ending or enough jokes throughout the play to lighten the mood.-Classical...
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 Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
filmmaker Zhang Yimou
Zhang Yimou
Zhang Yimou is a Chinese film director, producer, writer and actor, and former cinematographer. He is counted amongst the Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers, having made his directorial debut in 1987 with Red Sorghum....
, starring Zhao Benshan
Zhao Benshan
Zhao Benshan is a Chinese skit and sitcom actor, and recently turned TV director. He appears regularly on the CCTV New Year's Gala.-Biography:...
and Dong Jie
Dong Jie
Dong Jie is a Chinese actress and dancer.-Biography:Dong made her debut in Zhang Yimou's Happy Times , where she played a blind girl mistreated by her stepmother. Zhang selected Dong after a casting call on the Internet...
. It is based loosely on the short story, Shifu: You'll Do Anything for a Laugh (师傅越来越幽默) by Mo Yan
Mo Yan
Mo Yan is a modern Chinese author, described as "one of the most famous, oft-banned and widely pirated of all Chinese writers". He is known in the West for two of his novels which were the basis of the film Red Sorghum. He has been referred to as the Chinese answer to Franz Kafka or Joseph Heller...
; the story appears in English translation in the collection of the same title translated by Howard Goldblatt
Howard Goldblatt
Howard Goldblatt is Research Professor of Chinese at the University of Notre Dame. He is a translator of numerous works of contemporary Chinese/Taiwanese fiction, including The Taste of Apples by Huang Chunming and The Execution of Mayor Yin by Chen Ruoxi.Goldblatt received a B.A. from Long Beach...
. Though the story and the film share a common opening, they begin to diverge almost immediately.
Plot
In the city of DalianDalian
Dalian is a major city and seaport in the south of Liaoning province, Northeast China. It faces Shandong to the south, the Yellow Sea to the east and the Bohai Sea to the west and south. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, Dalian is the southernmost city of Northeast China and China's...
, an old and laid-off factory worker (played by Zhao Benshan
Zhao Benshan
Zhao Benshan is a Chinese skit and sitcom actor, and recently turned TV director. He appears regularly on the CCTV New Year's Gala.-Biography:...
) seeks to marry an obese and divorced middle-aged woman (played by Dong Lifan), whom he hopes will bring him warmth and comfort in life. So he sets out desperately to find a way to make money for the rich wedding he has promised to present. The hapless man and his friend (played by 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...
) decide to renovate a broken bus on top of a hill that is popular for romantic couples. He turns this bus into a small dwelling he names "Happy Times Hotel," which he will rent to willing couples visiting the hill.
As he brags about his newly opened "hotel" and how much money he is making, he finds himself entrusted with the care of the woman's emaciated, blind stepdaughter Wu Ying (played by Dong Jie
Dong Jie
Dong Jie is a Chinese actress and dancer.-Biography:Dong made her debut in Zhang Yimou's Happy Times , where she played a blind girl mistreated by her stepmother. Zhang selected Dong after a casting call on the Internet...
), who is unwanted in the house. Not willing to expose his scheme and ruin his attempt to get married, the man enlists the help of his retired co-workers, who agree to do all they can to make the lonely girl happy at her new job as a masseuse in the "hotel."
As the story unfolds, a touching friendship between the childless man and the dejected, orphaned girl under his care develops, leading to a moving and surprising conclusion.
External links
- Official site from Sony Pictures ClassicsSony Pictures ClassicsSony Pictures Classics is an art-house film division of Sony Pictures Entertainment founded in December 1991 that distributes, produces and acquires specialty films from the United States and around the world. Its co-presidents are Michael Barker and Tom Bernard...
Official site from Fox Japan20th Century FoxTwentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios... - Happy Times - Film location map in Dalian