The Puppetmaster (film)
The Puppetmaster | |
---|---|
Literally | Dream life |
Directed by | Hou Hsiao-hsien |
Written by | Chu T’ien-wen Wu Nien-jen |
Produced by | Chiu Fu-sheng |
Starring | Lim Giong Li Tian-lu Tsai Chen-nan |
Narrated by | Li Tian-lu |
Cinematography | Mark Lee Ping-bin |
Music by | Chen Ming-chang |
Release date | 1993 |
Running time | 142 minutes |
Country | Taiwan |
Language | Hokkien |
The Puppetmaster is a 1993 Taiwanese film directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. Based on the memoirs of Li Tian-lu, Taiwan's most celebrated puppeteer, this story covers the years from Li's birth in 1909 to the end of Japan's fifty-year occupation of Taiwan in 1945.
Many consider The Puppetmaster a masterpiece of world cinema. In the British Film Institute's 2012 Sight & Sound poll, seven critics and three directors named it one of the greatest films ever made.[1]
Plot
It tells the story of Li Tian-lu who becomes a master puppeteer but is faced with demands to turn his skills to propaganda during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan in World War II. This film is the second in Hou's trilogy of historical films that include A City of Sadness (1989) and Good Men, Good Women (1995).
Cast
Actor | Role |
---|---|
Li Tian-lu | Himself |
Lim Giong | Li Tian-lu (young) |
Tsai Chen-nan | Ko Meng-dang (father) |
Yang Li-yin | Lai Hwat (stepmother) |
Vicky Wei | Lei Tzu |
Awards
The film won the Jury Prize at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival[2] and the FIPRESCI Prize at Istanbul International Film Festival.[further explanation needed]
References
- ^ ""Puppetmaster, The" (1993)". British Film Institute. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: The Puppetmaster". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
External links