VISION BEIJING

By Giuseppe TORNATORE, Majid MAJIDI

CHINA FILM PROMOTION INTERNATIONAL - as SALES All rights, World

Documentary - Completed 2007


    • Year of production
    • 2007
    • Genres
    • Documentary
    • Countries
    • CHINA
    • Languages
    • MANDARIN
    • Duration
    • 115 mn
    • Director(s)
    • Giuseppe TORNATORE, Majid MAJIDI
    • Producer(s)
    • Giuseppe TORNATORE, Majid MAJIDI, Patrice LECONTE
    • Synopsis
    • Reunion
      In the story…
      The 2008 Olympic Games are nearing and Beijingers are immersed in the life surrounding this event.
      A white-haired woman is shadowboxing (taiqi) in a park when she is spotted by a women bus driver who thinks she recognizes the woman exercising.
      At home, the women bus driver recovers an old photograph and begins making notes on a piece of paper: a letter.
      The letter is passed among people from various walks of life.
      An old door opens, and the elderly woman peers out.
      She is surprised by the, at first, strange faces that greet her.
      They begin calling out their names one by one.
      Then comes recollection: she connects the names to faces of her students from 30 years ago.
      The students hug their teacher one by one.
      Looking at the old photograph, they realize one student is missing, bringing confusion and disappointment to everyone’s face.
      Then comes a call came from across the courtyard; the missing student arrives bringing joy to all, except the teacher who again cannot match the name and face.
      The bus driver points to a small boy shown in the weathered photograph, bringing the smile back to the teacher’s face.
      The reunion begins: more photos are taken: more memories are created.
      Colours Fly
      In the story…
      It’s morning in Beijing. Pigeons whistle by overhead and sunlight leaks to ground through tree leaves.
      Some students in yellow, blue, green, purple and red clothes stand before a statue of the great writer Lu Xun, listening to a speech by their teacher.
      Students write their thoughts and wishes on balloons.
      Then they are shown riding their bicycles as they bear their colourful wish-filled balloons through crowds, park, streets, office buildings and public squares.
      On one square, the students let fly their balloons which attract the attention of people in the area.
      The balloons soar before coalescing into beautiful Olympic rings.
      Beijing—A Film Impressionistic.
      In the story…
      The Great Wall stretches before us in space and time, and then:
      The solemn Temple of Heaven,
      The sprawling Summer Palace,
      Graceful kites,
      Modern structures,
      The hum of Beijing’s streets,
      A quiet park.
      Among these things, we encounter structures of antiquity, Olympic venues and the people who bring them to life, including dancers and acrobats.
      All these images drift along on a grand musical cloud.
      Belief.
      In the story…
      In 1908, a young journalist is shown writing an article about China’s Olympic dreams.
      In 1932, Liu Changchun participates in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles on behalf of China for the first time. In 1984, China wins 15 gold medals in this same Olympic city.
      1n 2008, one hundred years later, China will host the Olympic Games.
      Now, China’s sports legends are becoming known worldwide as their Olympic successes mount; yet, in the gymnasium, their successors work hard to achieve their own Olympic dreams.
      Colour • Fragrance • Taste Beijing.
      In the story…
      Heaven: the ruler of all things…
      A ruler’s priority is his people; the people’s priority is their food.
      A Full Manchu–Han Banquet is a classical delight, served with natural teas.
      Land is the Mother, the fount of myriad things.
      The sources of sustenance are limitless in an ordered land.
      Beijing: an inheritor of all the beautiful foods of China.
      Human beings, a creative spirit brings many famous cooks.
      This, too, reflects the Chinese people’s hospitality and openness to the world.