Jianxin Huang's THE WOODEN MAN'S BRIDE is a fascinating Taiwanese drama exploring the constricting bonds of tradition and patriarchy in a remote region of northwest China during the 1920s. Kui (Shih Chang) is a young peasant hired to be part of a caravan escorting a beautiful bride, known only as Young Mistress (Lan Wang), through the desert to join her rich fiance in an arranged marriage. When the wedding procession is attacked by bandits who kidnap Young Mistress, Kui bravely rescues the bride and they continue to the groom's family home--only to learn that the husband-to-be has died in a sudden accident. In the name of tradition, the groom's tyrannical mother Madame Liu (Yumei Wang) demands that Young Mistress honor the marriage agreement and remain with her, wedding the bride to a wooden effigy of her son. As Young Mistress chafes under the oppressive stricture of enforced widowhood, she and Kui embark on a scandalous affair that threatens not only the rule of tradition but also their very lives.
The first feature film shot in mainland China that was paid for entirely with money from Taiwan.
A Long Shong International production.
Shown at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in February, 1994.
DVD Features:
Region [unknown]
Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - Mandarin
Dolby Surround - Mandarin
Additional Release Material:
Trailers: Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Director of Photography
Xiaoguang Zhang: DOP, THE WOODEN MAN'S BRIDE
Executive Producer
Shi Yu: Executive Producer, THE WOODEN MAN'S BRIDE
Executive Producer
Xudong Li: Executive Producer, THE WOODEN MAN'S BRIDE
Production Designer
Hie Tang: Production Designer, THE WOODEN MAN'S BRIDE
Source Writer
Jia Pingau: Source Writer, THE WOODEN MAN'S BRIDE
Costume Designer
Longxi Du: Costume Designer, THE WOODEN MAN'S BRIDE
Review 1:
"...[A] sweepingly handsome film....A beautifully observed portrait of an austere way of life....The film delivers a sharp political bite..."
Source: New York Times
p.C15 02/08/1995