The Story of Qiu Ju
Encyclopedia
The Story of Qiu Ju is a 1992 Chinese comedy-drama
film. The film was directed by Zhang Yimou
and, as in many of his films, stars Gong Li
in the title role. The screenplay is an adaption of Chen Yuanbin's novella
The Wan Family's Lawsuit.
The film tells the story of a peasant woman, Qiu Ju, who lives in a rural area of China. When her husband is kicked in the groin by the village head, Qiu Ju, despite her pregnancy, travels to a nearby town, and later a big city to deal with its bureaucrats and find justice.
The film was a hit at film festival
s and won the Golden Lion
award at the Venice Film Festival
in 1992.
Because of this injustice, Qiu Ju sets forth to extract an explanation from Wang Shantang, one which the village head is unwilling to supply. Qiu Ju, determined to right this wrong, goes to the local police office and complains. The policeman for their area comes up with a solution: the village chief must pay 200 yuan to Qinglai. When Qiu Ju goes to the headman, he insultingly throws the 200 yuan notes onto the ground and refuses to apologize. Qiu Ju then goes to the provincial capital accompanied by her husbands' younger sister, Meizi. To raise money for the trip she sells some of the dried hot peppers which is produced on the family farm for cash. This process is one that she and Meizi repeat several times more. Taking the bus to the big city she and her sister are obviously "country folk" as the city people are dressed in a more modern fashion. By luck the two women find lodging at a cheap hotel where the manager helps them by giving them the address of the head of the district police. The two women meet him and he promises them that their case will be reviewed.
Weeks later the new verdict from the district police is nearly the same as the previous, but this time the village headman must pay 250 yuan. He still refuses to apologize and so Qiu Ju goes back to the big city, this time against the wishes of her own husband (who is almost completely recovered from the attack). Qiu Ju finds a lawyer who takes the case and files suit under a new law.
The case is judged by the court as having been correctly resolved in by the district, the fine remains at 250 yuan, Qiu Ju is unhappy but all she can do is make yet another appeal to an even higher level of police investigation. As part of the suit, officials come to the village and Qiu Ju's husband is X-rayed at the local hospital.
Its now the middle of winter, Qiu Ju goes into labor and experiences complications. The village headman is woken at night by Qiu Ju's husband's father who begs the village chief to do something. Grumbling, he sets off in the night, through the snow, rounds up a group of local men (who were some distance away at a theater watching a Chinese opera performance), and returns to the village. They then carry Qiu Ju, by hand, on a stretcher through the snow to the hospital, where she gives birth safely to a healthy baby boy.
A month later the whole village is invited to the "one month party" for the baby boy and the village headman is begged to come to the party as Qiu Ju and her husband all admit that the village chief saved Qiu Ju's life. But he doesn't come, and the local policeman shows up to tell Qiu Ju that the X-rays revealed her husband had a broken rib. As a result, the village chief is being sent to jail on a fifteen-day-term.
Qiu Ju, runs off to try and stop the police from taking the headman away but never even sees the police and the movie ends on a freeze-frame of Qiu Ju with an expression of anguish on her face.
). Many of the street scenes in the cities were filmed with a hidden camera so the images are a sort of documentary of China during the time of Deng Xiaoping
. As film critic Roger Ebert said "along the way we absorb more information about the lives of ordinary people in everyday China than in any other film I've seen."
. In the United States, the first release on Region 1 DVD was by Columbia
/TriStar Studio
on July 20, 2000.
More recently, the film was re-released by Sony Pictures Classics
as part of their Zhang Yimou collection (which also included new versions of Ju Dou and Raise the Red Lantern) on March 28, 2006. Both versions include subtitles in English.
An older VHS
cassette version of the film was also released in the United States by Sony Pictures on January 17, 1995.
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
film. The film was directed by 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....
and, as in many of his films, stars Gong Li
Gong Li
Gong Li is a Chinese film actress. Gong first came into international prominence through close collaboration with Chinese director Zhang Yimou and is credited with helping to bring Chinese cinema to Europe and the United States....
in the title role. The screenplay is an adaption of Chen Yuanbin's novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
The Wan Family's Lawsuit.
The film tells the story of a peasant woman, Qiu Ju, who lives in a rural area of China. When her husband is kicked in the groin by the village head, Qiu Ju, despite her pregnancy, travels to a nearby town, and later a big city to deal with its bureaucrats and find justice.
The film was a hit at film festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
s and won the Golden Lion
Golden Lion
Il Leone d’Oro is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes...
award at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
in 1992.
Plot
Qiu Ju is a peasant who lives in a small farming enclave with her husband Qinglai, his sister and their father. She is in the final trimester of her first pregnancy. One day while her husband is conversing to Wang Shantang, the head of the community, a miscommunication ensues. Qinglai's comment that Shantang "only breeds hens", was misconstrued to reflect on a perceived inability of the chieftain to produce a son (he has two or three daughters). The minor municipality leader is insulted by this inference and beats Qinglai, kicking him so severely in the groin that he must see a doctor and remain absent from his work.Because of this injustice, Qiu Ju sets forth to extract an explanation from Wang Shantang, one which the village head is unwilling to supply. Qiu Ju, determined to right this wrong, goes to the local police office and complains. The policeman for their area comes up with a solution: the village chief must pay 200 yuan to Qinglai. When Qiu Ju goes to the headman, he insultingly throws the 200 yuan notes onto the ground and refuses to apologize. Qiu Ju then goes to the provincial capital accompanied by her husbands' younger sister, Meizi. To raise money for the trip she sells some of the dried hot peppers which is produced on the family farm for cash. This process is one that she and Meizi repeat several times more. Taking the bus to the big city she and her sister are obviously "country folk" as the city people are dressed in a more modern fashion. By luck the two women find lodging at a cheap hotel where the manager helps them by giving them the address of the head of the district police. The two women meet him and he promises them that their case will be reviewed.
Weeks later the new verdict from the district police is nearly the same as the previous, but this time the village headman must pay 250 yuan. He still refuses to apologize and so Qiu Ju goes back to the big city, this time against the wishes of her own husband (who is almost completely recovered from the attack). Qiu Ju finds a lawyer who takes the case and files suit under a new law.
The case is judged by the court as having been correctly resolved in by the district, the fine remains at 250 yuan, Qiu Ju is unhappy but all she can do is make yet another appeal to an even higher level of police investigation. As part of the suit, officials come to the village and Qiu Ju's husband is X-rayed at the local hospital.
Its now the middle of winter, Qiu Ju goes into labor and experiences complications. The village headman is woken at night by Qiu Ju's husband's father who begs the village chief to do something. Grumbling, he sets off in the night, through the snow, rounds up a group of local men (who were some distance away at a theater watching a Chinese opera performance), and returns to the village. They then carry Qiu Ju, by hand, on a stretcher through the snow to the hospital, where she gives birth safely to a healthy baby boy.
A month later the whole village is invited to the "one month party" for the baby boy and the village headman is begged to come to the party as Qiu Ju and her husband all admit that the village chief saved Qiu Ju's life. But he doesn't come, and the local policeman shows up to tell Qiu Ju that the X-rays revealed her husband had a broken rib. As a result, the village chief is being sent to jail on a fifteen-day-term.
Qiu Ju, runs off to try and stop the police from taking the headman away but never even sees the police and the movie ends on a freeze-frame of Qiu Ju with an expression of anguish on her face.
Production
The film was set in present-day China (1992) in northwest Shaanxi province (an area which the director would return to in his film The Road HomeThe Road Home (1999 film)
The Road Home is a 2000 Chinese romantic drama film directed by Zhang Yimou. It also marked the cinematic debut of the Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi...
). Many of the street scenes in the cities were filmed with a hidden camera so the images are a sort of documentary of China during the time of Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
. As film critic Roger Ebert said "along the way we absorb more information about the lives of ordinary people in everyday China than in any other film I've seen."
Home media
The Story of Qiu Ju has been released several times on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. In the United States, the first release on Region 1 DVD was by Columbia
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
/TriStar Studio
TriStar Pictures
TriStar Pictures, Inc. is an American film production/distribution studio and subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, itself a subdivision of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, which is owned by Sony Pictures...
on July 20, 2000.
More recently, the film was re-released by Sony Pictures Classics
Sony Pictures Classics
Sony 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...
as part of their Zhang Yimou collection (which also included new versions of Ju Dou and Raise the Red Lantern) on March 28, 2006. Both versions include subtitles in English.
An older VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
cassette version of the film was also released in the United States by Sony Pictures on January 17, 1995.
Awards and nominations
- Venice Film FestivalVenice Film FestivalThe Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
, 19921992 in filmThe year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
- Golden LionGolden LionIl Leone d’Oro is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes...
- OCIC Award - Honorable Mention
- Volpi CupVolpi CupThe Volpi Cups are the principal awards given to actors at the Venice Film Festival. Formal acting awards were introduced in the second festival . Initially they were called Great Gold Medals of the National Fascist Association for Entertainment. The name Volpi Cup was introduced the following year...
— Best Actress, Gong LiGong LiGong Li is a Chinese film actress. Gong first came into international prominence through close collaboration with Chinese director Zhang Yimou and is credited with helping to bring Chinese cinema to Europe and the United States....
- Golden Lion
- Vancouver International Film FestivalVancouver International Film FestivalThe Vancouver International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October...
, 19921992 in filmThe year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
- Most Popular Film
- Changchun Film FestivalChangchun Film FestivalThe Changchun Film Festival is a biennial international film festival held in the Chinese city of Changchun. Ostensibly international, its award for best film, the Golden Deer has nevertheless primarily been awarded to Chinese and other East Asia-region films...
, 19921992 in filmThe year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
- Golden Deer
- Golden Rooster AwardsGolden Rooster AwardsChina Golden Rooster Film Festival also known as Golden Rooster Awards are the most prestigious awards in film given in mainland China, equivalent the China's Academy Awards. The awards are given annually, beginning in 1981. The name of the award came from the year of the Rooster in 1981...
, 19931993 in filmThe year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...
- Best Actress — Gong LiGong LiGong Li is a Chinese film actress. Gong first came into international prominence through close collaboration with Chinese director Zhang Yimou and is credited with helping to bring Chinese cinema to Europe and the United States....
- Best Film
- Best Actress — Gong Li
- Hundred Flowers AwardsHundred Flowers AwardsThe People's Hundred Flowers Film Festival or Hundred Flowers Awards, equivalent the China's Golden Globes, are considered, together with the Golden Rooster Awards, the most prestigious film awards in China...
, 19931993 in filmThe year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...
- Best Film
- French Syndicate of Cinema CriticsFrench Syndicate of Cinema CriticsThe French Syndicate of Cinema Critics has awarded 4 prizes - the Prix Méliès annually since 1946 to the best French film of the year. The Prix Léon Moussinac, awarded to the Best Foreign Film category was added in 1967...
, 19931993 in filmThe year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...
- Critics Award — Best Foreign Film, Zhang YimouZhang YimouZhang 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....
- Critics Award — Best Foreign Film, Zhang Yimou
- Independent Spirit AwardsIndependent Spirit AwardsThe Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
, 19941994 in film1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time...
- Best Foreign Film — Zhang YimouZhang YimouZhang 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....
- Best Foreign Film — Zhang Yimou
- National Society of Film Critics AwardsNational Society of Film CriticsThe National Society of Film Critics is an American film critic organization. As of December 2007 the NSFC had approximately 60 members who wrote for a variety of weekly and daily newspapers.-History:...
, 19941994 in film1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time...
- Best Foreign Language Film