- English name：Postmen In The Mountains / Postiers dans les montagnes
- Broadcast time：1999
- Starring：滕汝骏、刘烨、陈好、赵秀丽、龚业珩、党浩予
- director：霍建起
Introduction
Today, I will introduce a Chinese film which called That Mountain, That Man, That Dog (那山那人那狗nà shān nà rén nà gǒu). So let us have a brief introduction.
That Mountain, That Man, That Dog is a 1999 Chinese film directed by Huo Jianqi (霍建起Huò Jiànqǐ ). It is based on the short story of the same name by Peng Jianming (彭见明Péng Jiànmíng ).
Postmen in the Mountains tells the story of an old man who for years served as the postman for rural mountain communities. Retiring, he hands over his job to his son, but accompanies him on the first tour. Together, they deliver mail on a 230 li (about 115 km) long walking route, into the rural heart of China and in the process the son learns from the mails’ recipients more about the father he hardly knew.
Plot
The film is set in the mountainous regions of the western Hunan (湖南Húnán) province in the early 1980s. At the film’s start, a young man begins his first journey as a postman at the mountainous rural areas of the aforesaid regions. His father, a veteran postman forced to retire due to a bad knee, decides to accompany him together with the family’s faithful dog, Buddy.
The father walks his son through the nitty-gritty of the job, and the son realizes the mailman job entails not just the sending of letters. He witnesses his father’s deep friendship with the villagers, and participates in a wedding celebration with the Dong people. The film includes a number of memory flashbacks, as well as many pop songs played on the son’s transistor radio (including Michael Learns to Rock’s “That’s Why You Go Away”, which is an anachronism given that the film is set in the early 1980s).
Professional evaluation
China
1、It represents a high level of Chinese cinema.
2、The film has beautiful scenery, strong human touch, strong artistry, simple plot and slow rhythm. The film shows the tender affection between father and son and the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, which deeply moved the audience. The young actor Liu Ye made his debut with this film and left a deep impression on the audience.
3、This film directed by Huo Jianqi has many elements for success. First of all, the leading actors are excellent, namely the excellent actor Teng Rujun and the young and promising Liu Ye; the script is also very good, adapted from an award-winning short story; plus the director’s first film “Winner” won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Directorial Debut, so it can be said that “That Mountain, That Man, That Dog” is blessed with unique advantages.
Japan
1、After the film was released in Japan, Japanese media such as Asahi Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, and Hokkaido Shimbun published commentary articles one after another, praising the film for touching every audience with its fresh natural scenery and simple true feelings.
2、This is a very simple film. People can not only appreciate the beautiful green scenery of the southern countryside, but also experience the father-son affection that has been lost in Japan for a long time, and this kind of father-son affection happens to be what Japan lacks the most.
3、In addition to beautiful pictures and graceful music, the film also shows the true emotions between ordinary fathers and sons in rural China and the weak concept of family in contemporary Japanese society. The social problems of Japanese teenagers are directly caused by their lack of family warmth. The theme of the film explores a series of social problems in Japan, which is worthy of people’s deep thinking.
4、Watching this movie reminded me of my childhood. And the family structure in this movie is the same as our family, a father who works hard for his career, and a mother and children… I really hope that men will watch this movie.
South Korea
A standard work representing the level of Chinese films today.
USA
1、Among the many scenes in the film, there is one that is particularly moving: when the father and son stand on the ridge for a moment, the son releases a paper airplane, which slowly glides through the green valley. The airplane made of letter paper represents a delicate but powerful force that can touch the heart of alienated people. This scene is like a beautiful poem that can be seen.
2、”That Mountain, That Man, That Dog” is a deeply moving Chinese film. The seemingly ordinary objects in the film are pieced together to create incredible beauty.
