Theres certainly here food for thought because hou hsiao hsien speaks about cinema, novelists, puppeteers and collective kitchens but i dont have time to ruminate about it. Le voyage du ballon rouge flight of the red balloon, which constitutes celebrated. With yo hitoto, tadanobu asano, masato hagiwara, kimiko yo. It is the first part in a new series of films produced by musee dorsay, and tells the story of a french family as seen through the eyes of a chinese student. Flight of the red balloon by hou hsiaohsien hou hsiao. In his enthralling flight of the red balloon, the taiwanese master hou hsiaohsien draws on that very specific and emotionally precise geography of light and space to reconsider his own art. It is the first part in a new series of films produced by musee dorsay. Apr, 2008 in hou hsiaohsiens the flight of the red balloon, the enigmatic title character wafts around paris, boards a metro and catches the attention of a little boy, simon simon iteanu.
May 02, 2008 undoubtedly my affection for the red balloon recently released on dvd made me predisposed to appreciate taiwanese director hou hsiaohsiens flight of the red balloon, a gracefully. Like hou hsiaohsiens more recent work, flight of the red balloon moves a little more toward international accessibility and away from his early, uniquely taiwanese stories. Apr 19, 2017 flight of the red balloon,hou hsiao hsien,interview,chinese cinema,paris,cafe lumiere,juliette binoche chinaunderground includes thousands of articles on news, chinese history, chinese art, chinese literature, china pictures gallery, videos, and chinese cinema. Le voyage du ballon rouge flight of the red balloon, which constitutes celebrated taiwanese director hou hsiao hsien s first frenchlanguage picture, represents both an homage to albert lamorisses beloved 1956 short the red balloon and an expansion of that earlier picture.
For song, those charms include any instance of red balloons she. Flight of the red balloon is directed by hou hsiahsien, the acclaimed 51yearold taiwanese filmmaker. As a tibetan director dedicated to illuminating, with love and insight, the everyday culture of his contested homeland, navigating chinas labyrinthine and oftenchanging filmmaking approval. His essential loneliness makes the featurelength homage the flight of the red balloon a good fit for taiwanese master hou hsiaohsien, a poet of alienation whose recent work has set characters adrift in major cities like taipei millennium mambo and tokyo cafe lumiere. A highlight at the 2007 cannes, toronto and new york film festivals, flight of the red balloon is the latest masterpiece from hou hsiao hsien cafe lumiere, three times. Hou hsiaohsien explains why he left the commercial film. In hou hsiao hsien s tender flight of the red balloon, an homage to the classic childrens short the red balloon, the director expands on the originals themes of companionship, longing, and loss. In 9th century china, nie yinniang, a generals daughter, is.
Le voyage du ballon rouge fragment flight of the red. Flight of the red balloon was part of a planned series of films made in. Tiawanese director hou hsiaohsiens first european production is an affectionate but dramatically inert homage to albert lamorisses beloved 1958 short the red balloon, a. Flight of the red balloon is directed by hou hsia hsien, the acclaimed 51yearold taiwanese filmmaker. Hou hsiaohsiens cike nie yinniang the assassin, representing the world of tang china, finally came out in 2015, eight years after his previous feature film, le voyage du ballon rouge flight of the red balloon, 2007. Somewhere the highly regarded taiwanese director hou hsiaohsien had the idea of paying homage to the 1956 classic albert lamorisse film the red balloon, a tender story of a childs interaction with a nearly animate floating balloon, and while there is indeed an short introduction of a small boy addressing an errant red balloon floating in paris, the homage stops there. The classic 1956 film the red balloon will be released on dvd for the first time later this month as part of the criterion collection. A highlight at the 2007 cannes, toronto and new york film festivals, flight of the red balloon is the latest masterpiece from hou hsiao hsien. Flight of the red balloon is a 2007 frenchtaiwanese film directed by hou hsiaohsien. Director hou hsiaohsien makes the device more of an observer and less of. In flight of the red balloon, filmmaker hou hsiao hsien takes on an unmistakably parisian story with unbridled creative abandon.
Not as subtle as goddard or truffaut, the film literally shows its self reflexive style honoring lamorisses the red balloon. Also, the parisset flight of the red balloon 2007, inspired by albert lamorisses classic childrens short the red balloon 1956 about the friendship between a lonely boy and a bright inflatable, finds hou engaging in a crosscultural interplay that is best appreciated after becoming attuned to the directors sensibilities through his. Oct 16, 2015 famed director hou hsiao hsien flight of the red balloon, flowers of shanghai, the puppetmaster won the best director prize at the cannes film festival for this transcendently beautiful film. Inspired by albert lamorisses classic 1956 academy awardwinning short, flight of the red balloon is the latest masterwork from director hou.
Hou hsiaohsiens version of flight of the red balloon is released in the uk by network in two editions, a simple edition with the film only, and a 2dvd set including the albert lamorisse film the red balloon on the second disc. Flight is an homage to lamorisses 56 classic the red. I may have had a good time, or appreciated a movies overall result, but nothing poked my innermost squee button. The luscious red orb in flight of the red balloon is as much a. Flight of the red balloon 2007 directed by hou hsiao. Flight of the red balloon, from first view, focuses on the lives of a french family and their hectic life assisted by the hiring of a young chinese student as the sons nanny. Hsiao hsien hou s intention in paying homage to lamorisses brilliant original is admirable and who can blame him for trying to emulate the enchantment that pervaded that film. We watch sevenyearold simon meander along paris sidewalks, and. The city this time is paristhe first time that hou has shot a film outside of asiaseen in this tender tribute to albert lamorisses the red balloon 1956, featuring juliette binoche as a puppeteer and the mother of a young son simon iteanu whose taiwanese nanny song fang takes the boy to visit the scenes of lamorisses movie, along the way finding that theyre being followed. The personal reflection allows hou to enlarge and deepen his work by adding a volatile, moody emotional intensity. Mar 19, 2007 new hsiao hsien hou film, with juliette binoche. The city this time is paristhe first time that hou has shot a film outside of asiaseen in this tender tribute to albert lamorisses the red balloon 1956, featuring juliette binoche as a puppeteer and the mother of a young son simon iteanu whose taiwanese nanny song fang takes the boy to visit the scenes of lamorisses movie, along the way finding that theyre being.
Until i saw hou hsiaohsiens flight of the red balloon this past saturday, i always left the theater a smidge dissatisfied with the flicks ive had to write about, and i recommended even the better ones with some light finicking. Hou hsiaohsien explains why he left the commercial film industry. The luscious camera work alone is worth the rental price, but the plot is a bit too thin for most american audiences used to actiondriven fare. A former film student, song turns out to be making a video about red balloons. I dont believe anyone else would have done any better than this because it is a beautiful film to look at but in the end the emotion and passion are missing. The assassin and eisenstein award presentation to hou. The little boy simon simon iteanu idles around paris, accompanied by his chinese nanny, song song fang, a film student who is also making an. Inspired by albert lamorisses classic 1956 academy awardwinning short, flight of the red balloon is the latest masterwork from director hou hsiao hsien three times, millennium mambo. Although jim jarmusch and raul ruiz were initially involved in the project, olivier assayas lheure dete summer hours, 2008 was the only other feature produced. Hou hsiaohsiens flight of the red balloon stop smiling.
It is made abundantly clear to the audience by the use of director hou hsiaohsiens long takes that this is a film of patience and poignancy, even despite the frantic attitude of one of its targets. Le voyage du ballon rouge the flight of the red balloon 2007. Completely absorbed in her new show, single mother suzanne becomes overwhelmed by the complications of modern daily life. In 1980, he directed his first feature, cute girl, which was a box office hit. Flight of the red balloon was part of a planned series of films made in collaboration with the musee dorsay in paris to celebrate the museums 20th birthday. Famed director hou hsiaohsien flight of the red balloon, flowers of shanghai, the puppetmaster won the best director prize at the cannes film festival for this transcendently beautiful film. Creating his first martial arts film, hou alternates mesmerizing long takes with flashes of explosive action. Flight of the red balloon by hou hsiaohsien hou hsiaohsien.
After film studies at the taiwan national university of arts, hou hsiaohsien worked as an assistant director, notably for li hsing. Cinema rarely soothes the heart and mind with the grace and quiet intellect of this wonderful new work from taiwanese master. Hou begins with lamorisses central conceit that of a mysterious red balloon tracking a lonely. Taiwans arthouse hero hou hsiaohsien, himself no stranger to urban disconnection, now orchestrates a postmodern riff on that setup. Juliette binoche, hippolyte girardot, simon iteanu, fang song, louise margolin, anna sigalevitch, charlesedouard renault, damien maestraggi, ping bin lee, hsiaohsien hou, chingsong liao, jeanchristophe hym, francois margolin, kristina larsen, remi burah, francois margolin, hsiaohsien hou. In chapter 5, entitled time and teleology in hou hsiaohsiens films of quest and disillusionment, lupke discusses dust in the wind 1986, goodbye south, goodbye 1997, millennium mambo 2001, cafe lumiere 2004, and flight of the red balloon 2007 under the shared theme of what he jokingly describes as treading water 156. Hou hsiaohsiens remake of the 1956 classic is unhurried. Flight of the red balloon is a 2007 frenchtaiwanese film directed by hou hsiao hsien. It references the classic 1956 french short the red balloon directed by albert lamorisse. Flight of the red balloon 2007 full movie download full hd. Flight of the red balloon 2007 directed by hou hsiaohsien. In flight of the red balloon, filmmaker hou hsiaohsien takes on an unmistakably parisian story with unbridled creative abandon. Dreamy taiwanese director hou hsiao hsien tries to recapture this feeling in his most recent picture, flight of the red balloon, but rather than resort to a simple recreation, he goes at the feeling lamorisses film inspires from another angle.
Theres certainly here food for thought because hou hsiaohsien speaks about cinema, novelists, puppeteers and collective kitchens but i dont have time to ruminate about it. The film was shot in august and september 2006 on location in paris. Undoubtedly my affection for the red balloon recently released on dvd made me predisposed to appreciate taiwanese director hou hsiaohsiens flight of the red balloon, a. In paris, a red balloon with an eastern air fresh air. Inspired by albert lamorisses classic 1956 academy awardwinning short, flight of the red balloon is the latest masterwork from director hou hsiao hsien.
The great taiwanese filmmaker hou hsiaohsien expands on the bright, drifty loveliness of albert lamorisses 1956 classic, the red. Flight of the red balloon 2008, directed by hou hsiaohsien. Interview with hou hsiaohsien flight of the red balloon is the first film in a series initiated by the president of parismusee dorsay, serge lemoine, and the production, in conjunction with the museums 20th anniversary. The story revolves around yoko inoue, a pregnant woman in search for a cafe thats frequented by a taiwanese composer whose life she is researching. Apr 04, 2008 the great taiwanese filmmaker hou hsiaohsien expands on the bright, drifty loveliness of albert lamorisses 1956 classic, the red balloon, in flight of the red balloon, his lyrical french. He won the golden lion at the venice film festival in 1989 for his film a city of sadness 1989, and the best director award at the cannes film festival in 2015. So with melancholic music and long travellings of the flight of a red balloon, the director manages to keep us in our sofa. Flight of the red balloon 2007 hsiaohsien hou, hou hsaio. Flight of the red balloonthe red balloon 2 discs dvd. In hou hsiaohsiens the flight of the red balloon, the enigmatic. By coincidence, a new film inspired by the french original is playing in cities across the country. Juliette binoche and song fang star in hou hsiaohsiens flight of the red balloon, one of 14 films in a major retrospective on the directors works.
With gorgeous cinematography, spare dialogue, and untraditional plot nothing much happens, chinese director hsiaohsien hous frenchlanguage film is definitely an arthouse cinemas dream. In hou hsiaohsiens tender flight of the red balloon, an homage to the classic childrens short the red balloon, the director expands on the originals themes of companionship, longing, and loss. In hou hsiaohsiens the flight of the red balloon, the enigmatic title character wafts around paris, boards a metro and catches the attention of a little boy, simon simon iteanu. Paris conjures for the outsider a labyrinth of desire made complicit by the exquisite soft summer light. Mar 15, 2008 flight of the red balloon, the revered hou hsiao hsien s second film outside taiwan, is a slightly pointless homage to albert lamorisses enchanting 1956 childrens fantasy. Le voyage du ballon rouge flight of the red balloon, which constitutes celebrated taiwanese director hou hsiaohsiens first frenchlanguage picture, represents both an homage to albert lamorisses beloved 1956 short the red balloon and an expansion of that earlier picture.
Flight of the red balloon hou hsiaohsien senses of cinema. The little boy simon simon iteanu idles around paris, accompanied by his chinese nanny, song, a film student who is also making an updated version of albert lamorisses movie. Flight of the red balloon, the revered hou hsiaohsiens second film outside taiwan, is a slightly pointless homage to albert lamorisses enchanting 1956 childrens fantasy. Apr 11, 2008 the classic 1956 film the red balloon will be released on dvd for the first time later this month as part of the criterion collection. Flight of the red balloon, directed by hou hsiaohsien, screening february 2. For the new film, hou comes to france to pay tribute to. Flight of the red balloon 2008, directed by hou hsiao. T he unobtrusive mastery of hou hsiao hsien, with his long, wandering takes, and reticent, middledistance camera positions, is unmistakable in this pleasant if. It is based on the classic french short the red balloon directed by albert lamorisse. The city this time is paristhe first time that hou has shot a film. The assassin, the 68yearold filmmakers first movie since 2008s flight of.
The first part in a new series of films produced by musee dorsay, flight of the red balloon tells the story of a french family as seen through the eyes of a chinese student. Le voyage du ballon rouge is a 2007 frenchtaiwanese film directed by hou hsiaohsien. He is a leading figure in world cinema and in taiwans new wave cinema movement, an auteur. Starring juliette binoche, simon iteanu and song fang. In addition, flight of the red balloon won 3rd place in the 2009 international cinephile society ics awards for the best film not in the english language award, and the ics also nominated the film for best picture, best director, best actress binoche, best adapted screenplay hou hsiao hsien and francois margolin and best cinematography.
Flight of the red balloon is the first film in a series initiated by the president of parismusee dorsay, serge lemoine, and the production, in conjunction with the museums 20th anniversary. Watching hou hsiaohsiens new film flight of the red balloon, there are many possible answers to that question. Mar 31, 2008 a highlight at the 2007 cannes, toronto and new york film festivals, flight of the red balloon is the latest masterpiece from hou hsiao hsien cafe lumiere, three times. With gorgeous cinematography, spare dialogue, and untraditional plot nothing much happens, chinese director hsiao hsien hou s frenchlanguage film is definitely an arthouse cinemas dream. Imported 35mm prints two screenings each spending his formative years in taipei, a distinctly modern city that had swiftly grown into a metropolis in the years following the chinese civil war, hou hsiaohsien has always been principally an urban filmmaker, his view of the life in the concrete jungle perhaps summed up best in the title of one of his breakthrough movies. We watch sevenyearold simon meander along paris sidewalks, and his progress is. Flight of the red balloon 2007 hsiaohsien hou, hou. Taiwanese auteur hou hsiaohsien the assassin, three times, flight of the red balloon followed up his highly acclaimed coming of age trilogy of films with daughter of the nile, a rich and poignant drama about a young woman struggling to support her family amidst the violent and neonsoaked milieu of 1980s taipei. Flight of the red balloon is a beautifully shot film from the biased p. In 1984, the boys from fengkuei further boosted his career.