A Tale of the Wind
Encyclopedia
A Tale of the Wind is a 1988 French film directed by Joris Ivens
and Marceline Loridan. It is also known as A Wind Story. It stars Ivens as he travels in China and tries to capture winds on film, while he reflects on his life and career. The film blends real and fictional elements; it ranges from documentary footage to fantastical dream sequences and Peking opera. It was Ivens' last film.
, sits on a chair in the Gobi Desert
. On the sand dunes around him a group of men are raising poles with microphones.
An old Chinese man practices martial arts with several younger men in front of a traditional Chinese building. Ivens, who is 90 years old, has been asthma
tic since childhood, and asks the man how he manages to breathe so well. The literary character Sun Wukong
, in a Peking opera appearance, watches from a tree. The man answers that "the secret of breathing lies in the rhythm of the autumn wind". The man begins to dance. Sun Wukong then throws a banana peel before the man, who slips and falls. Ivens helps him up.
Ivens visits the Golden Hands Buddha at the Dazu Rock Carvings
. Intercut are Chinese landscapes seen from the air and footage of stormy weather. The Leshan Giant Buddha
is seen. In the Gobi Desert, the team of technicians set up a camp. Ivens uses an inhaler
and is swiftly examined by a doctor. A member of the group says that the wind will not appear for several days.
The following day, Ivens falls from his chair in the desert and is brought to a hospital. Sun Wukong visits him in the hospital bed. In an extended dream sequence, the spaceship from the film A Trip to the Moon brings Ivens to the Moon. There he encounters the goddess Chang'e
who tells him there is no wind on the Moon. Ivens finds that remarkable. In a stylised village where a wedding is taking place, a communist representative holds a speech about how fortunate the villagers are. Sun Wukong turns up and pulls the plug to the representative's microphone, and makes the loudspeakers play Western pop music instead. Ivens is briefly seen in Sun Wukong's make-up.
Ivens enters a cavern, where men greet him and say that he is expected. At the end of the cavern there is a mask from which a strong wind blows from the mouth. Ivens says that he wants to meet the man who made the mask, which is arranged. The man explains the mask's mythological symbology and gives it to Ivens, who in return gives the man a print of his 1930 film Breakers.
Ivens is carried to the top of a mountain to record the sound of wind. Footage is seen from the Japanese invasion of China
, which Ivens filmed in 1938. Footage from the air is seen of the Great Wall of China
, partially covered in desert sand. Trying to film the Terracotta Army
, Ivens and Marceline Loridan only obtain permission to film for ten minutes, which would not be enough. Ivens therefore buys a large number of replicas from local tourist shops to create his own army, which he arranges and films, together with choreographed men dressed up in terracotta warrior costumes.
At Ivens' camp in the Gobi Desert, and old woman approaches and says she can summon the wind by drawing a magic figure. To do this she demands two mechanical fans, which Ivens agrees to give her. Ivens explain how he for his entire career has tried to tame the wind by capturing it with the camera. The woman draws in the sand, and heavy wind begins to blow in the previously calm desert.
. It was released in France through MK2 Diffusion on 15 March 1989. A French DVD was released on 11 March 2009.
, Caryn James wrote: "Shot between 1984 and 1988, the film is dominated by the presence of Ivens, then in his late 80's. ... A Tale of the Wind, with its scenes of dreams, dramatized myths and real life, suggests the way this old man's creativity is bound to the natural landscapes, cultural images and personal memories that flow through the film." Trying to define the film, James wrote: "At a press conference the other day, Miss Loridan said that she and Ivens were working in a 'no man's land between Lumiere
and Melies
', between the two great early film makers who defined realism and fantasy. There is no better description of the place they map out beautifully in A Tale of the Wind. Its elliptical narrative will not appeal to every taste, but this is an eloquent last word from an important artist."
. It received the Documentary Film Jury Special Award at the 2nd European Film Awards.
Joris Ivens
Joris Ivens was a Dutch documentary filmmaker and committed communist.-Early life and career:...
and Marceline Loridan. It is also known as A Wind Story. It stars Ivens as he travels in China and tries to capture winds on film, while he reflects on his life and career. The film blends real and fictional elements; it ranges from documentary footage to fantastical dream sequences and Peking opera. It was Ivens' last film.
Synopsis
Next to a fast-spinning windmill, a young boy enters a large toy aeroplane and says he will fly to China. An old man, Joris IvensJoris Ivens
Joris Ivens was a Dutch documentary filmmaker and committed communist.-Early life and career:...
, sits on a chair in the Gobi Desert
Gobi Desert
The Gobi is a large desert region in Asia. It covers parts of northern and northwestern China, and of southern Mongolia. The desert basins of the Gobi are bounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, by the Hexi Corridor and Tibetan Plateau to the...
. On the sand dunes around him a group of men are raising poles with microphones.
An old Chinese man practices martial arts with several younger men in front of a traditional Chinese building. Ivens, who is 90 years old, has been asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
tic since childhood, and asks the man how he manages to breathe so well. The literary character Sun Wukong
Sun Wukong
Sun Wukong , also known as the Monkey King is a main character in the classical Chinese epic novel Journey to the West . In the novel, he is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices...
, in a Peking opera appearance, watches from a tree. The man answers that "the secret of breathing lies in the rhythm of the autumn wind". The man begins to dance. Sun Wukong then throws a banana peel before the man, who slips and falls. Ivens helps him up.
Ivens visits the Golden Hands Buddha at the Dazu Rock Carvings
Dazu Rock Carvings
The Dazu Rock Carvings are a series of Chinese religious sculptures and carvings, dating back as far as the 7th century AD, depicting and influenced by Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist beliefs. Listed as a World Heritage Site, the Dazu Rock Carvings are made up of 75 protected sites containing some...
. Intercut are Chinese landscapes seen from the air and footage of stormy weather. The Leshan Giant Buddha
Leshan Giant Buddha
The Leshan Giant Buddha was built during the Tang Dynasty . It is carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China, near the city of Leshan. The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers...
is seen. In the Gobi Desert, the team of technicians set up a camp. Ivens uses an inhaler
Inhaler
An inhaler or puffer is a medical device used for delivering medication into the body via the lungs. It is mainly used in the treatment of asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease . Zanamivir , used to treat influenza, must be administered via inhaler...
and is swiftly examined by a doctor. A member of the group says that the wind will not appear for several days.
The following day, Ivens falls from his chair in the desert and is brought to a hospital. Sun Wukong visits him in the hospital bed. In an extended dream sequence, the spaceship from the film A Trip to the Moon brings Ivens to the Moon. There he encounters the goddess Chang'e
Chang'e
Chang'e may refer to:* Chang'e - a traditional Chinese lunar goddess* The Chinese Chang'e space program, part of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program :** Chang'e 1 - the first CLEP lunar orbiter, launched on 24 October 2007...
who tells him there is no wind on the Moon. Ivens finds that remarkable. In a stylised village where a wedding is taking place, a communist representative holds a speech about how fortunate the villagers are. Sun Wukong turns up and pulls the plug to the representative's microphone, and makes the loudspeakers play Western pop music instead. Ivens is briefly seen in Sun Wukong's make-up.
Ivens enters a cavern, where men greet him and say that he is expected. At the end of the cavern there is a mask from which a strong wind blows from the mouth. Ivens says that he wants to meet the man who made the mask, which is arranged. The man explains the mask's mythological symbology and gives it to Ivens, who in return gives the man a print of his 1930 film Breakers.
Ivens is carried to the top of a mountain to record the sound of wind. Footage is seen from the Japanese invasion of China
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, which Ivens filmed in 1938. Footage from the air is seen of the Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups...
, partially covered in desert sand. Trying to film the Terracotta Army
Terracotta Army
The Terracotta Army or the "Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses", is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China...
, Ivens and Marceline Loridan only obtain permission to film for ten minutes, which would not be enough. Ivens therefore buys a large number of replicas from local tourist shops to create his own army, which he arranges and films, together with choreographed men dressed up in terracotta warrior costumes.
At Ivens' camp in the Gobi Desert, and old woman approaches and says she can summon the wind by drawing a magic figure. To do this she demands two mechanical fans, which Ivens agrees to give her. Ivens explain how he for his entire career has tried to tame the wind by capturing it with the camera. The woman draws in the sand, and heavy wind begins to blow in the previously calm desert.
Release
The film premiered on 9 September 1988 at the 65th Venice Film FestivalVenice 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...
. It was released in France through MK2 Diffusion on 15 March 1989. A French DVD was released on 11 March 2009.
Critical response
In The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Caryn James wrote: "Shot between 1984 and 1988, the film is dominated by the presence of Ivens, then in his late 80's. ... A Tale of the Wind, with its scenes of dreams, dramatized myths and real life, suggests the way this old man's creativity is bound to the natural landscapes, cultural images and personal memories that flow through the film." Trying to define the film, James wrote: "At a press conference the other day, Miss Loridan said that she and Ivens were working in a 'no man's land between Lumiere
Auguste and Louis Lumière
The Lumière brothers, Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas and Louis Jean , were among the earliest filmmakers in history...
and Melies
Georges Méliès
Georges Méliès , full name Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest cinema. He was very innovative in the use of special effects...
', between the two great early film makers who defined realism and fantasy. There is no better description of the place they map out beautifully in A Tale of the Wind. Its elliptical narrative will not appeal to every taste, but this is an eloquent last word from an important artist."
Accolades
The film won the Special Award at the 1989 São Paulo International Film FestivalSão Paulo International Film Festival
The São Paulo International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in São Paulo, Brazil since 1976. In 2004 Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami was a member of the jury.-International Jury Award:*2001: The New Country ...
. It received the Documentary Film Jury Special Award at the 2nd European Film Awards.
External links
- A Tale of the Wind at Cinémathèque FrançaiseCinémathèque FrançaiseThe Cinémathèque Française holds one of the largest archives of films, movie documents and film-related objects in the world. Located in Paris, the Cinémathèque holds daily screenings of films from around the world.-History:...