by Vedant Srinivas
Hou Hsiao-hsien's often overlooked masterpiece “The Puppetmaster”, part of a trilogy on 20th century Taiwan recounts and dramatizes the turbulent life of Taiwan's most celebrated puppeteer, Li Tian-lu.
Follow our tribute to Taiwanese by clicking on the image below
The film's introductory intertitles help establish the film's historical context: the 1995 Sino-Japanese War and the ceding of Taiwan to the Japanese, thus paving the way for fifty years of Japanese rule on the island until the end of the Second World War. Leisurely moving from Tian-lu's childhood to his adult life, the film provides us with vignettes that encapsulate the most poignant moments of his journey: Li's loving relationship with his grandparents, his adolescence in an abusive household, his apprenticeship with a marionette troupe, the gradual death of his loved ones, Li's marriage into a puppet theatre troupe family and his subsequent affair with a prostitute, and...
Hou Hsiao-hsien's often overlooked masterpiece “The Puppetmaster”, part of a trilogy on 20th century Taiwan recounts and dramatizes the turbulent life of Taiwan's most celebrated puppeteer, Li Tian-lu.
Follow our tribute to Taiwanese by clicking on the image below
The film's introductory intertitles help establish the film's historical context: the 1995 Sino-Japanese War and the ceding of Taiwan to the Japanese, thus paving the way for fifty years of Japanese rule on the island until the end of the Second World War. Leisurely moving from Tian-lu's childhood to his adult life, the film provides us with vignettes that encapsulate the most poignant moments of his journey: Li's loving relationship with his grandparents, his adolescence in an abusive household, his apprenticeship with a marionette troupe, the gradual death of his loved ones, Li's marriage into a puppet theatre troupe family and his subsequent affair with a prostitute, and...
- 2/3/2024
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2023, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.
The greatest year in cinema since the monumental offerings of 2007––a transformative year that set the seeds for this very site to come into existence––2023 offered a resounding affirmative that indeed the medium is alive and well: auteurs flexing what they do best, newcomers providing a hopeful voice for the future of filmmaking, along with a plethora of worthwhile offers. Along with my personal favorites when it came to U.S. releases, two films also premiered that would’ve topped this list had they come out in 2023: Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast and Víctor Erice’s still-shockingly-undistributed Close Your Eyes.
While they didn’t make the top 15 cut below, I must make mention for the most essential, one-and-done viewing of the year with De Humani Corporis...
The greatest year in cinema since the monumental offerings of 2007––a transformative year that set the seeds for this very site to come into existence––2023 offered a resounding affirmative that indeed the medium is alive and well: auteurs flexing what they do best, newcomers providing a hopeful voice for the future of filmmaking, along with a plethora of worthwhile offers. Along with my personal favorites when it came to U.S. releases, two films also premiered that would’ve topped this list had they come out in 2023: Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast and Víctor Erice’s still-shockingly-undistributed Close Your Eyes.
While they didn’t make the top 15 cut below, I must make mention for the most essential, one-and-done viewing of the year with De Humani Corporis...
- 12/25/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.
Film at Lincoln Center
“The World of Apichatpong Weerasethakul” brings films directed and curated by the Thai master (who we talked to about the retrospective), among them work from Chantal Akerman, Imamura, and perhaps greatest of all, an ultra-rare 35mm screening of Hou Hsiao-hsien’s The Puppetmaster.
Museum of Modern Art
A Rialto Pictures retrospective offers a smorgasbord of classic films, including The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and 35mm prints of Ran and Rififi on 35mm.
Japan Society
One of Japan’s greatest directors, Shinji Somai, is subject of a retrospective that continues with Sailor Suit and Machine Gun playing alongside Luminous Woman this Friday. Read our piece on Somai here.
Bam
A series on actor-director jobs includes Fox and His Friends, Love Streams, King Lear, and The Bridges of Madison County on 35mm.
Anthology Film Archives
Alexandr Dovzhenko films screen in Essential Cinema.
Film at Lincoln Center
“The World of Apichatpong Weerasethakul” brings films directed and curated by the Thai master (who we talked to about the retrospective), among them work from Chantal Akerman, Imamura, and perhaps greatest of all, an ultra-rare 35mm screening of Hou Hsiao-hsien’s The Puppetmaster.
Museum of Modern Art
A Rialto Pictures retrospective offers a smorgasbord of classic films, including The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and 35mm prints of Ran and Rififi on 35mm.
Japan Society
One of Japan’s greatest directors, Shinji Somai, is subject of a retrospective that continues with Sailor Suit and Machine Gun playing alongside Luminous Woman this Friday. Read our piece on Somai here.
Bam
A series on actor-director jobs includes Fox and His Friends, Love Streams, King Lear, and The Bridges of Madison County on 35mm.
Anthology Film Archives
Alexandr Dovzhenko films screen in Essential Cinema.
- 5/5/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Filmmaker is pleased to premiere the trailer for Film at Lincoln Center’s “The World of Apichatpong Weerasethakul” series, a complete retrospective of the Thai filmmaker’s career so far. The series will run from May 4-14 in New York City and feature seven feature films, four short film programs and Weerasethakul in attendance for select screenings. The filmmaker also programmed several films to screen alongside his own, including Chantal Ackerman’s La Captive, Russ Meyer’s Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, Hou Hsiao-hsien’s The Puppetmaster, Guy Maddin’s Careful, Abbas Kiarostami’s Homework and Frederick Wiseman’s Primate (presented in 16mm), among others. Several of the filmmaker’s […]
The post Exclusive Trailer: Film at Lincoln Center’s “The World of Apichatpong Weerasethakul” Series first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Exclusive Trailer: Film at Lincoln Center’s “The World of Apichatpong Weerasethakul” Series first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/2/2023
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Filmmaker is pleased to premiere the trailer for Film at Lincoln Center’s “The World of Apichatpong Weerasethakul” series, a complete retrospective of the Thai filmmaker’s career so far. The series will run from May 4-14 in New York City and feature seven feature films, four short film programs and Weerasethakul in attendance for select screenings. The filmmaker also programmed several films to screen alongside his own, including Chantal Ackerman’s La Captive, Russ Meyer’s Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, Hou Hsiao-hsien’s The Puppetmaster, Guy Maddin’s Careful, Abbas Kiarostami’s Homework and Frederick Wiseman’s Primate (presented in 16mm), among others. Several of the filmmaker’s […]
The post Exclusive Trailer: Film at Lincoln Center’s “The World of Apichatpong Weerasethakul” Series first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Exclusive Trailer: Film at Lincoln Center’s “The World of Apichatpong Weerasethakul” Series first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/2/2023
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
A documentary series about the disgraced former 1970s British pop star Gary Glitter (real name Paul Francis Gadd) is in the works at Netflix, the streamer has confirmed.
The three-part series, with the working title “Hunting Gary Glitter,” will feature previously unseen photographs and archive footage and will cover Glitter’s life story and his later conviction for child sex abuse and a series of sexual offences.
The series will have exclusive access to the journalists who pursued Glitter over several years across the world in order to bring him to justice and alerted authorities to his whereabouts in Southeast Asia, ultimately leading to his arrest. It will also feature conversations with some of Glitter’s victims. It is directed by Sam Hobkinson and being produced by Cammy Millard (“The Puppet Master”).
The production has been underway for a number of months, Netflix said. The production company is Voltage Films,...
The three-part series, with the working title “Hunting Gary Glitter,” will feature previously unseen photographs and archive footage and will cover Glitter’s life story and his later conviction for child sex abuse and a series of sexual offences.
The series will have exclusive access to the journalists who pursued Glitter over several years across the world in order to bring him to justice and alerted authorities to his whereabouts in Southeast Asia, ultimately leading to his arrest. It will also feature conversations with some of Glitter’s victims. It is directed by Sam Hobkinson and being produced by Cammy Millard (“The Puppet Master”).
The production has been underway for a number of months, Netflix said. The production company is Voltage Films,...
- 3/6/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix is in production on a documentary series about the global hunt for disgraced pop star and convicted pedophile Gary Glitter, one of the most notorious figures in British public life.
Following reports that emerged this weekend, the streamer has now confirmed its series on Paul Francis Gadd, who rose to fame in the 1970s and ’80s as one of the leading stars of the glam rock scene under the stage name Gary Glitter, but in 2006 was convicted of child sexual abuse, and a series of sexual offenses — including attempted rape — in 2015. He was recently released after serving half of his sentence.
The three-part series — set to cover his life story and later conviction — features previously unseen photographs and archive footage, and has exclusive access to the journalists who pursued Glitter across the world over several years in order to bring him to justice. It was their work that would...
Following reports that emerged this weekend, the streamer has now confirmed its series on Paul Francis Gadd, who rose to fame in the 1970s and ’80s as one of the leading stars of the glam rock scene under the stage name Gary Glitter, but in 2006 was convicted of child sexual abuse, and a series of sexual offenses — including attempted rape — in 2015. He was recently released after serving half of his sentence.
The three-part series — set to cover his life story and later conviction — features previously unseen photographs and archive footage, and has exclusive access to the journalists who pursued Glitter across the world over several years in order to bring him to justice. It was their work that would...
- 3/6/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Since any New York cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.
Museum of Modern Art
The Mark Lee Ping-Bing retro has its last weekend, with titles including Hou Hsiao-hsien‘s Dust in the Wind and his rarely screened The Puppetmaster.
Museum of the Moving Image
“David Bordwell: How 1940s Critics Changed American Film Culture” offers a crash course in one sliver of film history. Citizen Kane...
Museum of Modern Art
The Mark Lee Ping-Bing retro has its last weekend, with titles including Hou Hsiao-hsien‘s Dust in the Wind and his rarely screened The Puppetmaster.
Museum of the Moving Image
“David Bordwell: How 1940s Critics Changed American Film Culture” offers a crash course in one sliver of film history. Citizen Kane...
- 6/24/2016
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Set aside a couple hours this weekend to watch a talkback with a filmmaker whose name might not be a household one in Western culture. Even if you don’t instantly recognize his name, or you’re not entirely familiar with the work of Hou Hsiao-hsien, trust me, the hour-and-43-minute discussion is well worth it. Hou Hsiao-hsien has been making films for three and a half decades. His latest feature, “The Assassin,” debuted at Cannes this year to great acclaim. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or, Hou’s seventh nomination for the prize, starting with “The Puppetmaster” in 1993. Though “The Assassin” didn’t win that one, composer Giong Lim won for his soundtrack, and Hou took home the prize for best director (decades earlier, he also won the Jury Prize at Cannes for “The Puppetmaster”). Read More: Hou Hsiao-hsien's 'The Assassin' Is An Epic Visual Poem Interestingly,...
- 10/2/2015
- by Zach Hollwedel
- The Playlist
Chinese filmmaker Hou Hsien-Hsaio has risen to become one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers on the international stage over the course of his career, winning awards for his work in Berlin, Locarno, Tokyo, Singapore, Chicago, and Venice. His appearances at the Cannes film festival have been no different, as he won the Jury Prize in 1993 for The Puppetmaster, aka Xi Meng Ren Sheng, and has been nominated for the Palme d’Or seven times.
The filmmaker’s latest nomination came at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, for The Assassin, also known as Nie yin niang. Hou Hsien-Hsaio won Best Director for the film at the festival, which stars Qi Shu and Chen Chang. The synopsis is below.
The film is set during the mighty Tang Dynasty-period in Chinese history. Nie Yinniang returns to family after several years in exile. The mission of her order is to eliminate the tyrany of...
The filmmaker’s latest nomination came at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, for The Assassin, also known as Nie yin niang. Hou Hsien-Hsaio won Best Director for the film at the festival, which stars Qi Shu and Chen Chang. The synopsis is below.
The film is set during the mighty Tang Dynasty-period in Chinese history. Nie Yinniang returns to family after several years in exile. The mission of her order is to eliminate the tyrany of...
- 7/5/2015
- by Deepayan Sengupta
- SoundOnSight
Dust in the Wind
Written by T’ien-wen Chu and Nien-Jen Wu
Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien
Taiwan, 1987
If you have never seen a Hou Hsiao-hsien film, Dust in the Wind (1986) is the perfect starting point. Preceding the Taiwanese historical dramas he is best known for—City of Sadness (1989), The Puppetmaster (1993), Good Men, Good Women (1995)—Dust is the most assured work of Hou’s early career, and one of the best examples of Taiwanese New Wave Cinema.
A coming-of-age film, Dust in the Wind tells the story of Wan (Chien-wen Wang) and his girlfriend, Huen (Shufen Xin), and their move to the big city in order to make money for their families, and to save for marriage. As expected, they have their struggles, with their ultimate test coming when Wan enters the military. If, narratively, this all sounds a little straight forward, that’s because it is—but, by...
Written by T’ien-wen Chu and Nien-Jen Wu
Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien
Taiwan, 1987
If you have never seen a Hou Hsiao-hsien film, Dust in the Wind (1986) is the perfect starting point. Preceding the Taiwanese historical dramas he is best known for—City of Sadness (1989), The Puppetmaster (1993), Good Men, Good Women (1995)—Dust is the most assured work of Hou’s early career, and one of the best examples of Taiwanese New Wave Cinema.
A coming-of-age film, Dust in the Wind tells the story of Wan (Chien-wen Wang) and his girlfriend, Huen (Shufen Xin), and their move to the big city in order to make money for their families, and to save for marriage. As expected, they have their struggles, with their ultimate test coming when Wan enters the military. If, narratively, this all sounds a little straight forward, that’s because it is—but, by...
- 2/7/2015
- by Griffin Bell
- SoundOnSight
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.