A One and a Two (Yi Yi) [DVD]

Description

Product Description DVD Special Features: Exclusive to this edition a full-length commentary track featuring director/writer Edward Yang in conversation with Tony Rayns Cast and Crew Biographies Moving Motion Menues Scene Selection Stills Gallery Origional Theatrical Poster Other ICA release information Mandarin & English with English subtitles From .co.uk A subtitled three-hour saga of an ordinary middle-class urban family in modern-day Taiwan, at first glance, A One and a Two might not seem the most appealing of prospects. But don't be misled: this is a film that draws you in with all the warmth and density of a good novel, and once you are past the surface unfamiliarity of Taipei society, there's nothing in this tale of a troubled family that would seem alien anywhere in the world. Romantic stories often end with a wedding. Realistic stories are as likely to begin with one. Writer-director Edward Yang's film starts in a mass of floaty white dresses and heart-shaped pink balloons, but the smiles seem a little too effusive, the jollity feels forced. And sure enough, disaster is lurking. The seeming simplicity of Yang's narrative style conceals a subtle, intricate design. His camera moves obliquely, often holding its distance from the action, letting us take in all the elements of a scene and draw our own conclusions. Wider social implications--about modern society, about international business ethics--are hinted at, but never rammed home. By the end we realise we've been watching a microcosm of human life, with all its humour and tragedy. For all the apparent narrowness of its canvas, A One and a Two makes most British and American films feel hopelessly parochial. The Best Director Prize at Cannes was rarely more richly deserved. On the DVD: A One and a Two comes to disc with a generous helping of extras. The original theatrical trailer, wordless and intriguing; numerous cast and crew biographies; a brief stills gallery; and, best of all, a full three-hour commentary track of Edward Yang in conversation with Tony Rayns, UK expert on Chinese-language cinema. Their discussion is relaxed and illuminating. The print, and the SR Dolby Digital sound, are clean and crisp, and we get the full 1.85:1 ratio of the original release. --Philip Kemp P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); Synopsis Der im relativen Wohlstand lebende Yi fängt an zu grübeln, als er seine alte Jugendliebe wieder trifft. Seine Frau verzweifelt, weil sie nicht so enden will wie ihre Mutter und die Tochter überlegt, mit dem Freund ihrer Freundin ein Affaire zu beginnen. From the Back Cover Edward Yang's multi-award-winning film looks at several turbulent weeks in the life of the Jian family. Husband and farther NJ is a partner in a failing software company, which might just save itself by teaming up with an innovative Japanese games designer. Meanwhile his wife Min-Min has gone off to a mountin retreat with a dubious guru, his teenage daughter Ting Ting is getting her first, rough lessons in love, his young son Yang-Yang is asking difficult questions and getting into trouble at school-and his mother-in-law has suffered a stroke and lies in a coma. In the middle of all the confusion NJ runs into his childhood sweetheart Sherry, the girl he jilted twenty years earlier, and starts to wonder about starting over. See more