Capital Celluloid 2024 — Day 335: Sun Dec 8

The Big Parade (Kaige, 1986): ICA Cinema, 7pm

The film, part of the Celluloid Sunday strand at the cinema, is presented on a 35mm print from the ICA Archives.

ICA introdcution:
The sophomore feature by Chen Kaife (King of Children, Farewell My Concubine, Killing Me Softly), regarded as one of China’s most important directors and a leading filmmaker of the Fifth Generation of Chinese cinema, follows a group of military cadets on a grueling training programme to prepare for a parade celebrating the 35th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic. Criticized both by the anti-military youth, in which they saw the glorification of the martial spirit, and by the Chinese authorities, which banned it after completion, the film was presented at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) 1988 from a heavily cut and censored version, and remains rarely seen on the big screen to this day.

Here (and above) is an extract.

No comments: