Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»2064. My Memories Of Old Beijing (城南旧事) (1983)

    2064. My Memories Of Old Beijing (城南旧事) (1983)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on February 23, 2018 1983, 6 - 7.9, 90-99 mins, China, Drama, Feb 18, Movies Of 2018, Review
    7.0 Elegant
    • Acting 7.2
    • Directing 7.4
    • Story 6.5
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Shen Jie, Zhang Min, Zheng Zhenyao

    Director: Wu Yigong

    Running Time: 96 mins


    My Memories Of Old Beijing is a Chinese film about a six year old girl living in a small hutong in 1920s Beijing, experiencing the hustle and bustle of the city as she grows up.

    This isn’t the most orthodox drama by Hollywood standards, but that doesn’t mean it can’t have strong power to it regardless. Although its story may not be the most consistently riveting across an hour and a half, My Memories Of Old Beijing works very well as a nostalgic and often even moving look back into the world of the past, and its mellower atmosphere proves fantastic in making for an emotionally engrossing watch.

    Let’s start off with our main character, a young six year old girl named Yingzi. While many films that take a nostalgic look back at the past may have good emotion, there’s something that having a young character such as this that brings an extra level of heart to proceedings. Above all, seeing a city and a lifestyle through the eyes of such a a young character means that you’re being given a relatively innocent and rose-tinted perspective, something that always makes for a more heartwarming watch than brutal reality.

    The interesting thing about this film is that, although it clearly identifies all of the problems that normal people in Beijing during the 1920s suffered from, living in relative poverty, there’s no overbearing sadness or heavy drama, as we see the lifestyle in a light that shows people as content and able to go about their business without extreme anguish. Again, from the perspective of a little girl, the nice is always going to be more prominent than the nasty, but it’s another element of the film that reinforces its more heartfelt, nostalgic atmosphere.

    And that’s what I really appreciated about this film, and was able to be so moved by, that it’s willing to portray the past in a brighter light than the reality may be, making for a film that has enough heart to be genuinely moving, even when the plot itself may not be quite as riveting as you may expect.

    There enlies my biggest issue with the film. Although very well directed and acted to give it the nostalgic feel, I can’t say that I was ever fully engrossed by My Memories Of Old Beijing. In part, that’s down to the fact that the film isn’t intended as your typical narrative drama, more as a showcase of a lifestyle and past, so there isn’t the same opportunity to really get to grips with the deepest of emotions.

    In part, however, it’s down to the fact that story doesn’t really manage to keep itself from being an episodic tale of life in a hutong, as we follow our young lead around town as she encounters various characters that show what life was like back then, but not enough to really string together an entire plot that’s as enthralling as should be the case.

    Overall, I enjoyed the nostalgic, heartwarming and lighter qualities of My Memories Of Old Beijing, as it offers a different sort of watch to what we’re used to seeing from Hollywood, all the while proving an intriguing look into the past. However, it’s still not the most riveting film of all, simply because it fails to provide a plot with enough consistency and depth throughout to really engross you beyond the emotionally moving nature of its nostalgia, and that’s why I’m giving it a 7.0.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.5
    Review
    December 12, 20160

    1578. Open Your Eyes (1997)

    8.5
    Review
    August 30, 20130

    269. Gandhi (1982)

    8.0
    Review
    November 21, 20130

    356. Phone Booth (2002)

    8.3
    Review
    April 18, 20140

    530. The King Of Comedy (1982)

    8.7
    Review
    December 27, 20130

    396. Buried (2010)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.