New York State Writers Institute - Classic Film Series

HAPPY TIMES November 21, 2003 (Friday) at 7:30 p.m. Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue (Free and Open to the Public) (China, 2001, 95 minutes, color, 16mm) (In Mandarin with English subtitles) Directed by Zhang Yimou Starring Zhao Benshan, Dong Jie, Dong Lihua, Fu Biao

Master-director Zhang Yimou presents a bittersweet comedy about contemporary life in urban China. The protagonists of HAPPY TIMES (Xingfu Shiguang) are befuddled would-be capitalists left behind by the tide of prosperity sweeping the People's Republic. Eager to be married, Zhao (Zhao Benshan) wins the affections of a divorcee by posing as a wealthy businessman. In order to pay for the lavish wedding she requires, Zhao and his friends hatch a plan to convert an abandoned bus into a "hotel" for privacy-starved couples.