The House (1999 film)
Encyclopedia
The House is a 1999
Chinese film
directed by Wang Xiaoshuai
. It is rarely, if ever, screened abroad, and remains one of Wang Xiaoshuai's least well-known works outside of China. It is alternatively referred to as Suburban Dreams, Fantasy Garden or Dream House. The film was produced by the Beijing Film Studio and the China Film Group
. Wang Xiaoshuai himself considers it one of his most inconsequential efforts to date, to the extent that it has "sunk into oblivion."
that follows a young urban married couple as well as their friends, ex-girlfriends, and family. A young couple has recently purchased their dream house and are expecting a baby. One day, while his wife is out of the home, an ex-girlfriend arrives at the door drenched from rain. She had heard of his wife's pregnancy and had come only to sell the couple insurance. The husband, feeling sympathetic allows her to take a shower in his home.
Suddenly, his in-laws arrive at the home unexpectedly. The husband now has to find a way to get his ex-girlfriend out of the home without his in-laws noticing, and all before his wife returns home.
, the studio was forced to wait for censors to approve the film for nearly four years, whereupon it was not even given a commercial release. Embarrassed that his friends at the studio had supported him for naught, Wang offered to direct a light comedy for the studio in an effort to recoup losses from the previous film.
Despite the film's low-budget and simple story, shooting The House proved to be unusually difficult. For one thing, the film was plagued with equipment failure. None of the film cameras' lenses had been modulated correctly, resulting in the cameras being unable to focus through windows for external shots. As a result of these problems, the shoot lasted twenty days, longer than had been anticipated. More significantly, the shooting schedule fell on the hottest part of the year in Beijing. With temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius outside, and 45 degrees indoors, the shoot took a toll on both cast and crew.
to 1997's Frozen
, to 1998's So Close to Paradise. Nevertheless, The House received only a limited screening with no promotion, for one week in Beijing. Wang claimed that this was due to problems with other films, which affected a slew of Beijing Film Studio productions, including The House.
Chinese films of the 1990s
This is a list of films produced in mainland China ordered by year of release in the 1990s. For an alphabetical listing of Chinese films see :Category:Chinese films- 1990 :- 1991 :- 1992 :- 1993 :- 1994 :- 1995 :- 1996 :- 1997 :...
Chinese film
Cinema of China
The Chinese-language cinema has three distinct historical threads: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China, and Cinema of Taiwan. Since 1949 the cinema of mainland China has operated under restrictions imposed by the Communist Party of China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television and...
directed by Wang Xiaoshuai
Wang Xiaoshuai
Wang Xiaoshuai is a Chinese film director, screenwriter and occasional actor. He is commonly grouped under the loose association of filmmakers known as the Sixth Generation of the Cinema of China....
. It is rarely, if ever, screened abroad, and remains one of Wang Xiaoshuai's least well-known works outside of China. It is alternatively referred to as Suburban Dreams, Fantasy Garden or Dream House. The film was produced by the Beijing Film Studio and the China Film Group
China Film Group
China Film Group Corporation , abbreviated as CFGC, is the largest and most influential state-run film enterprise in China.-History:The predecessor China Film Corporation was established in 1949...
. Wang Xiaoshuai himself considers it one of his most inconsequential efforts to date, to the extent that it has "sunk into oblivion."
Plot
In contrast to Wang's previous films, The House is a family-comedyComedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
that follows a young urban married couple as well as their friends, ex-girlfriends, and family. A young couple has recently purchased their dream house and are expecting a baby. One day, while his wife is out of the home, an ex-girlfriend arrives at the door drenched from rain. She had heard of his wife's pregnancy and had come only to sell the couple insurance. The husband, feeling sympathetic allows her to take a shower in his home.
Suddenly, his in-laws arrive at the home unexpectedly. The husband now has to find a way to get his ex-girlfriend out of the home without his in-laws noticing, and all before his wife returns home.
Production
The House was, in essence, Wang Xiaoshuai's apology to the Beijing Film Studio. After financing his previous film, So Close to ParadiseSo Close to Paradise
So Close to Paradise is a 1998 Chinese film directed by Wang Xiaoshuai, a member of Chinese cinema's so-called Sixth Generation. It is alternatively known by the English title Ruan's Song or by its original Chinese title, The Girl From Vietnam...
, the studio was forced to wait for censors to approve the film for nearly four years, whereupon it was not even given a commercial release. Embarrassed that his friends at the studio had supported him for naught, Wang offered to direct a light comedy for the studio in an effort to recoup losses from the previous film.
Despite the film's low-budget and simple story, shooting The House proved to be unusually difficult. For one thing, the film was plagued with equipment failure. None of the film cameras' lenses had been modulated correctly, resulting in the cameras being unable to focus through windows for external shots. As a result of these problems, the shoot lasted twenty days, longer than had been anticipated. More significantly, the shooting schedule fell on the hottest part of the year in Beijing. With temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius outside, and 45 degrees indoors, the shoot took a toll on both cast and crew.
Release
Because of the film's non-controversial story, The House was easily approved by Chinese censors, in sharp contrast to Wang's earlier films from 1993's The DaysThe Days (film)
The Days is filmmaker Wang Xiaoshuai's 1993 directorial debut. Filmed entirely in black-and-white, The Days follows the life of Dong , and Chun , married artists who have recently graduated from the Beijing Art Institute...
to 1997's Frozen
Frozen (1997 film)
Frozen is a 1997 Chinese film directed by Wang Xiaoshuai. The film was originally shot in 1994, but was banned by Chinese authorities and had to be smuggled out of the country. Moreover, Wang was operating under a blacklisting from the Chinese Film Bureau that was imposed after his previous film,...
, to 1998's So Close to Paradise. Nevertheless, The House received only a limited screening with no promotion, for one week in Beijing. Wang claimed that this was due to problems with other films, which affected a slew of Beijing Film Studio productions, including The House.
Cast
- Fu Lili — Mrs. Lin
- Tao Zi — Xiao Xia
- You YongYou YongYou Yong is a Chinese actor from Xi'an, Shaanxi province.You Yong enrolled in the Xi'an Drama School in 1979 and was joined the Shanghai Theatre Academy in 1984. Upon graduation in 1988, he acted in his first film, Obsession, marking the start of his career...
— Wen Gang - Yu Feihong — Lei An-an
- Zhao Tieren
External links
- The House at the Chinese Movie Database