watchonline
A Distant Cry from Spring
I first saw this film at the Hong Kong International Film Festival in 1981 and have often looked for it since (without any luck). Of the 50 films I saw in those 16 days (including masterpieces by Angelopoulos, and Syberberg's Hitler, A Film From Germany), Yamada's simple story turned out to be my favorite. When it recently turned up in a 5-disk Yoji Yamada box set, I immediately ordered it. Well, the disk is very poor quality, a murky transfer with the widescreen compositions butchered by a truly wretched pan-and-scan job -- and yet the quality of the film still manages to shine through.
On its surface, there's nothing particularly remarkable about A Distant Cry From Spring. A widow struggles to maintain a small farm in a remote area of Hokkaido, fighting the elements and raising her young son. One brutally stormy night, a stranger appears at the door looking for shelter. Though wary, the widow offers him her hospitality. He leaves, but then returns in the spring and asks for work, desiring only room and board in return. What follows is the depiction of a slowly developing emotional bond set against a beautifully observed portrait of daily life on the farm, an endless round of backbreaking chores which constantly threaten to overwhelm the lonely woman.
There is nothing terribly surprising in the revelations which eventually emerge about the characters, but they are so finely drawn and their emotional lives resonate with such authenticity, that only a cold-blooded viewer could fail to be moved by the film's resolution.
Yamada is a master of emotional nuance and a brilliant observer of the small details of ordinary lives, which he obviously holds in some kind of awe, and in which he finds a kind of magic. He makes you feel for the characters without ever stooping to sentimentality or easy manipulation. His work deserves to be more widely known, and he certainly deserves better treatment from DVD distributors.
Comments from IMDB
Movie
Dolsing Fourmen
Dolsing Fourmen is a new talk show hosted by four divorced men. Every week, they invite guests to a house and have a frank conversation about career, love, marriage, and so on. Let's enjoy a slightly quirky and brutally honest conversation by four men who dream of a happy life.
Kshow
10 month ago
8 Avatar
Drawing its inspiration from well-known Chinese Taoist mythology, 8 Avatar employs the latest 3D computer visual effects to depict a fantasy world of mortals battling against deities. This TV series places emphasis on how eight mortal humans from all walks of life become the "Eight Immortals", putting them on a sacred mission to obtain the magic herbs to save the world, during which they have to deal with the vicious East Sea Dragon King blocking their way. Filling the main roles are popular artistes from Hong Kong and Mainland China, including Roger Kwok as Han Xiang Zi, Sonija Kwok, Hugo Ng as Iron-Crutch Li, Akina Hong as He Xiangu, and He Zhonghua as Lu Dongbin, with their images re-imagined by top costume consultant Shirley Chan (The Forbidden Kingdom, Kung Fu Hustle). With amazing costumes and outstanding martial arts, this series features an all star cast including Roger Kwok & Sonija Kwok. During the Tang Dynasty, when land was still undiscovered with just a mass amount of water, and there were outbreaks of incurable diseases. God sent two of his immortals, Tong and Hung, to seek a cure from the Mountain of Medicine. Unfortunately, along the way, they were blocked by the East Sea King and the two immortals had problems getting to the Mountain of Medicine. Just then the apparition of Kwan Yin appeared and she informed the two immortals that in order to defeat the East Sea King, they must locate the other six immortals and battle the East Sea King together. The two immortals then set waves to find the other six disguised immortals amongst the human kind.
Drama
1 year ago