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Features: DVD, Widescreen, Dolby Digital (5.1), English, Subtitled, Trailers
A 13-year-old violin prodigy who lives with his father in a provincial Chinese city. Shy and sensitive, Xiaochun doesn't say much proving music is his way of expressing his feelings but his entire life changes when his father, wanting the best for him, takes him to live in immense Beijing. Liu Cheng is willing to sacrifice everything so Xiaochun can audition for a prestigious music school and take lessons that befit his talent
"Gorgeous Cinema" KSJS Radio
Editor's Note
Director-writer-producer-star Chen Kaige, well known for his visually sumptuous tales of historical China (FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE) directs this sweet-natured coming of age tale set in modern day Beijing. An impoverished cook, Liu Chen (Liu Peiqui), gives up his provincial life to move his 13-year-old violin virtuoso son, Xiaochun (Tang Yun), to Beijing so that he can audition for a prestigious music school. Once in the crowded industrial city Liu is bewildered by the big money and corruption and Xiaochun is forced to learn about the perils of the real world and the high stress of competitive classical music training from Professor Tiang (Wang Zhiwen), a cynical and eccentric music teacher. While Liu struggles as a lowly food delivery man, Xiaochun blossoms as a musician, but also as a modern day teenager, full of confusion and desire. His desire is provoked by their neighbor, Lili (Chen Hong--Chen Kaige's wife), a high-class call girl whose love of money and power masks a pure heart that tenderly cares for the young boy. With dreams of his son's potential, Liu hires a second teacher, Professor Yu (played by Chen Kaige), who is a slick and ruthless starmaker. Finally, Xiaochun must decide whether his dreams are the same as his father's, in this moving tale set to an eloquent classical music soundtrack.
| Features | Audio: Mandrin 5.1 Surround Dolby Digital | | Subtitles: English | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: MGM |
| Release Date: 2/13/2007 |
| Running Time: 119 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2003 | | Catalog ID: 1005637 | | UPC: 00027616898982 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: Mandarin | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], Mandarin | | Available Subtitles: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...The grand musical swirl lends TOGETHER the feel of a historical epic..." 05/30/2003 p.E13USA Today
"Lovely and unabashedly sentimental....The story's simple grace and humanity, poignantly directed by Kaige are its greatest assets..." Los Angeles Times
"...Chen Kaige certainly knows how to draw out the very best from his cast, and Wang offers a delightful portrait of an unassertive man who has lost out on a lot in life..." 05/30/2003 p.C13 Chicago Sun-Times
"...Here is a movie not embarrassed by strong, basic emotions like love and ambition. It has the courage to face them head-on....TOGETHER is powerful in an old-fashioned, big-studio kind of way..." 06/06/2003 p.26 |
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