Product Description

For the first time in many years Gou-ichi TAKATA (Ken TAKAKURA) takes the bullet train to Tokyo from the quiet fisherman s village where he lives on the northwest coast of Japan. His daughter-in-law Rie (Shinobu TERAJIMA) telephones to tell him that his son Ken-ichi (Kiichi NAKAI) is seriously ill and asking for his father.But when he arrives in the city Takata finds that Rie was not entirely truthful: Ken-ichi has been hospitalized but after years of painful estrangement he still refuses to see Takata. Crushed the old man quietly slips out of the hospital but not before Rie gives him a videotape to watch. Rie hopes what Takata sees on the tape will help him get to know his son again.Takata plays the tape and learns that Ken-ichi is studying a form of Chinese folk drama that dates back more than a thousand years. Ken-ichi had traveled all the way to Yunnan Province in Southern China to see the famous actor LI Jiamin perform but the actor was ill and unable to sing. Li promised to sing the legendary song Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles from the literary classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms for Ken-ichi if he returns to Yunnan the following year.Hoping to bridge the gap between himself and his son Takata decides to find Li Jiamin and videotape his performance for the dying Ken-ichi. As the old man begins an odyssey into the heart of China he encounters a number of strangers who color his journey -- from well-meaning translators who guide him through China s idiosyncrasies to prison wardens anxious to promote Chinese culture abroad to a young runaway with a complicated father-son relationship of his own. What Takata discovers on his journey is kindness and a sense of family he thought he had lost long ago.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG UPC: 043396165854 Manufacturer No: 16585

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32503 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2007-02-06
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: Cantonese
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
• Dubbed in: Chinese, French, Portuguese
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 109 minutes

Amazon.com
Zhang Yimou's heartfelt feature about cultural displacement, grief, and reconciliation is a lovely and somewhat unexpected work from the director of Raise the Red Lantern and House of Flying Daggers. Japanese actor Ken Takakura stars as Gou-ichi Takata, a laconic man who lives in a fishing village and is estranged from his son. When word reaches him that his son is ill with cancer, Takata travels to Tokyo but is turned away. Takata learns that his son has a passion for rural Chinese folk opera, and he flies to mainland China to locate Li Jiamin (playing himself), an opera star who happens to be in jail at the moment. Takata's story reminds Li of his own sad disconnection from his young son, and Takata sets out to restore their relationship as a prelude to helping his own with Li's help. Zhang himself is unusually operatic here, with intense emotions flying around, prettified visions of nature, and characters--including prison guards and peasants--who seem idealized, both as folklore and even old, Maoist notions of cooperation. Zhang's longtime admirers will appreciate and understand this change of pace from a filmmaker whose relationship with Chinese officials has often been strained over content. But film fans less familiar with his body of work will enjoy Riding Alone as well. --Tom Keogh

Stills from Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (click for larger image)

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Customer Reviews

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Takakura Ken does a marvelous job as the father trying to do one last good act to regain his son's respect. His struggle with Chinese propriety and the sad issue surrounding his goal, a Chinese opera performer say much for this story. The one detraction, and a major one for me, is the child. I never felt the attachment that the film tries to evoke between Ken and him. Another film that could use some commentary.

Love as redemption's device!!
This is a touching and heartfelt filial story between a after and his son, who have not seen each one another a long time ago. In between, the father is infirmed about his son has terminal cancer. When his father goes to visit him to the hospital, his son rejects him. But the father is aware his son left a project unfinished and trying to complete it, both will get close despite the distance.

Extraordinary and beautifully filmed. One of the supreme jewels of this Chinese filmmaker who has accustomed to give us priceless treasures of cinema.

Fantastic film
This film is a favorite of mine. A wonderful, original story, fantastic setting, wonderful acting, great dialog and narration of the main character's struggles. The cinematography of this film is extraordinary. Visually stunning work. See this film.