In the Heat of the Sun
Encyclopedia
In the Heat of the Sun is a 1994
movie directed by Jiang Wen
. This was Jiang Wen's first foray into directing after years as a leading man. The film is based on author Wang Shuo
's novel Wild Beast
(动物凶猛).
during the Cultural Revolution
. It is told from the perspective of Ma Xiaojun nickname
d Monkey (played by Xia Yu
; some of Monkey's experiences mimic director Jiang's during the Revolution), who is a teenage boy at the time. Monkey and his friends are free to roam the streets of Beijing day and night because the Cultural Revolution has caused their parents and most adults to be either busy or away. Most of the story happens during one summer, so the main characters are even more free because there is no school, and revolves around Monkey's dalliances with his roguish male friends and his subsequent angst-filled crush with one of the female characters, Mi Lan (Ning Jing
).
This film is significant in its unique perspective of the Cultural Revolution. Far from the Cultural Revolution-set films of Chinese 5th-generation filmmakers (Zhang Yimou
, Chen Kaige
, Tian Zhuangzhuang
) which puts the era behind a larger historical backdrop, In The Heat Of the Sun is mellow and dream-like, portraying memories of that era with somewhat positive and personal resonances. It also acknowledges, as the narrator recalls, that he might have misremembered parts of his adolescence as stated in the prologue: "Change has wiped out my memories. I can't tell what's imagined from what's real", as the director offers alternative or imagined versions to some events as people seek to romanticize their youthful memories.
. Derek Elley of Variety
said that the film alters "some 70% of the original" novel and adds "a mass of personal memories."
" features prominently in the film.
and the Chinese-speaking world but very obscure in the United States
, In The Heat Of The Sun is named by American director Quentin Tarantino
as one of his favorite films to come out of East Asia
. The film also won the Venice International Film Festival's Best Actor
prize for its young lead actor Xia Yu
as well as the Golden Horse Film Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. (Xia Yu was then the youngest recipient of the Best Actor award at Venice.)
It was the first People's Republic of China
film to win Best Picture in the Golden Horse Film Awards, in the very year where a liberalization act allows Chinese-language films from the PRC to participate.
1994 in film
1994 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...
movie directed by Jiang Wen
Jiang Wen
Jiang Wen is a Chinese film actor and director. As a director, he is sometimes grouped with the "sixth generation" that emerged in the 1990s. Jiang is also well known internationally as an actor, having starred with Gong Li in Zhang Yimou's debut film Red Sorghum...
. This was Jiang Wen's first foray into directing after years as a leading man. The film is based on author Wang Shuo
Wang Shuo
Wang Shuo is a Chinese author, director, actor, and cultural icon. He has written over 20 novels, television series and movies. His work has been translated into Japanese, French, English, Italian, and many other languages...
's novel Wild Beast
Wild Beast (Chinese novel)
Wild Beast is a 1991 novel by Wang Shuo.It stars Ma Xiaojun , a son of a military official who roams around Beijing during one summer.-Adaptations:The film version is titled In the Heat of the Sun....
(动物凶猛).
Synopsis
The film is set in BeijingBeijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
during the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
. It is told from the perspective of Ma Xiaojun nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d Monkey (played by Xia Yu
Xia Yu
Xia Yu is a Chinese actor.-Biography:He was born in Qingdao, Shandong Province. He was initially discovered by Jiang Wen during his semi-autobiographical film In the Heat of the Sun . Xia was chosen partly because of facial resemblance to a young Jiang...
; some of Monkey's experiences mimic director Jiang's during the Revolution), who is a teenage boy at the time. Monkey and his friends are free to roam the streets of Beijing day and night because the Cultural Revolution has caused their parents and most adults to be either busy or away. Most of the story happens during one summer, so the main characters are even more free because there is no school, and revolves around Monkey's dalliances with his roguish male friends and his subsequent angst-filled crush with one of the female characters, Mi Lan (Ning Jing
Ning Jing
-Filmography:-External links:***...
).
This film is significant in its unique perspective of the Cultural Revolution. Far from the Cultural Revolution-set films of Chinese 5th-generation filmmakers (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....
, Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema. His films are known for their visual flair and epic storytelling.-Early life:...
, Tian Zhuangzhuang
Tian Zhuangzhuang
Tian Zhuangzhuang is a Chinese film director and producer.Tian was born to an influential actor and actress in China. Following a short stint in the military, Tian began his artistic career first as an amateur photographer and then as an assistant cinematographer at the Beijing Agricultural Film...
) which puts the era behind a larger historical backdrop, In The Heat Of the Sun is mellow and dream-like, portraying memories of that era with somewhat positive and personal resonances. It also acknowledges, as the narrator recalls, that he might have misremembered parts of his adolescence as stated in the prologue: "Change has wiped out my memories. I can't tell what's imagined from what's real", as the director offers alternative or imagined versions to some events as people seek to romanticize their youthful memories.
Development
The film was a co-production of three Chinese firms. Most of the budget, $2 million USD, was generated from Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. Derek Elley of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
said that the film alters "some 70% of the original" novel and adds "a mass of personal memories."
Cast
- Han Dong - Ma Xiaojun (马小军 Mǎ Xiǎojūn, young boy)
- Xia YuXia YuXia Yu is a Chinese actor.-Biography:He was born in Qingdao, Shandong Province. He was initially discovered by Jiang Wen during his semi-autobiographical film In the Heat of the Sun . Xia was chosen partly because of facial resemblance to a young Jiang...
- Ma Xiaojun (teenage Monkey)- At the time of filming, Xia was a high school student. The character has the nickname "Monkey" in the film version. "Monkey" was the nickname of director Jiang WenJiang WenJiang Wen is a Chinese film actor and director. As a director, he is sometimes grouped with the "sixth generation" that emerged in the 1990s. Jiang is also well known internationally as an actor, having starred with Gong Li in Zhang Yimou's debut film Red Sorghum...
. Derek Elley of VarietyVariety (magazine)Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
says that Xia as Xiaojun has "both an uncanny resemblance to Jiang himself and a likable combination of insolence and innocence."
- At the time of filming, Xia was a high school student. The character has the nickname "Monkey" in the film version. "Monkey" was the nickname of director Jiang Wen
- Feng XiaogangFeng XiaogangFeng Xiaogang , in is a Chinese film director. He is famous in China as being perhaps the most successful "commercialized" filmmaker whose comedy films do consistently well in the box office, although Feng has attempted to break out from that mold by making drama or period drama films...
- Mr. Hu (胡老师 Hú-lǎoshī), the teacher - Geng Le - Liu Yiku (刘忆苦 Liú Yìkǔ, teenage)
- Jiang WenJiang WenJiang Wen is a Chinese film actor and director. As a director, he is sometimes grouped with the "sixth generation" that emerged in the 1990s. Jiang is also well known internationally as an actor, having starred with Gong Li in Zhang Yimou's debut film Red Sorghum...
- Ma Xiaojun (adult; narrator) - Ning JingNing Jing-Filmography:-External links:***...
- Mi Lan (米兰 Mǐ Lán) - Tao Hong - Yu Beipei (于北蓓 Yú Běipèi)
- Shang Nan - Liu Sitian (刘思甜 Liú Sītián)
- Wang HaiWang HaiWang Hai is a Chinese ace pilot of the 3rd Fighter Aviation Division during the Korean War . During the war, he shot down or damaged 9 American aircraft, with his own air group scoring 29...
- Big Ant - Liu Xiaoning - Liu Yiku (adult)
- Siqin GaowaSiqin GaowaSechen Guwa is a Chinese-Swiss actress of Mongol ethnicity. Her name "Сэцэн Гуа" means in Mongolian: The Wise Beautiful.She first came into prominence in the 1982 film adaptation of Lao She's novel, Rickshaw Boy, where she played "Tigress" opposite Zhang Fengyi's Xiangzi...
- Zhai Ru (翟茹 Zhái Rú - Xiaojun's mother) - Wang XueqiWang XueqiWang Xueqi is a Chinese film actor whose career has spanned over 25 years. He was often cast in early Fifth Generation films, such as Chen Kaige's Yellow Earth and The Big Parade , Huang Jianxin's Samsara, and Zhang Yimou's Codename Cougar...
- Ma Wenzhong (马文中 Mǎ Wénzhōng - Xiaojun's father) - Fang Hua - Old general
- ? - Yang Gao (羊搞 Yáng Gǎo)
Music
The Chinese version of the Soviet song "Moscow NightsMoscow Nights
"Moscow Nights" or "Midnight in Moscow" is a Russian song, and one of those best known outside its homeland.The song was originally created as "Leningradskie Vechera" by composer Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi and poet Mikhail Matusovsky in 1955 , but at the request of the Soviet Ministry of Culture, the...
" features prominently in the film.
Awards and recognition
Very well received in ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and the Chinese-speaking world but very obscure in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, In The Heat Of The Sun is named by American director Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
as one of his favorite films to come out of East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
. The film also won the Venice International Film Festival's Best Actor
Volpi Cup
The 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...
prize for its young lead actor Xia Yu
Xia Yu
Xia Yu is a Chinese actor.-Biography:He was born in Qingdao, Shandong Province. He was initially discovered by Jiang Wen during his semi-autobiographical film In the Heat of the Sun . Xia was chosen partly because of facial resemblance to a young Jiang...
as well as the Golden Horse Film Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. (Xia Yu was then the youngest recipient of the Best Actor award at Venice.)
It was the first People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
film to win Best Picture in the Golden Horse Film Awards, in the very year where a liberalization act allows Chinese-language films from the PRC to participate.