Daily Commute

If you want to see a great bicycle movie, get Beijing Bicycle from your library or DVD rental place. (Here's the official site.) It's about a young Chinese man who gets a great job (for Beijing) as a bike messenger that comes with a very nice (for Beijing) MTB. The bike is his key to a decent livelihood, but it gets stolen early on in the movie.

I don't want to ruin more of the plot, so I'll only say that bicycles are central to the movie and to the lives of the characters. It's in Chinese with English subtitles, but it's worth it.

If you love bicycles, watch this movie. It's kind of a "Breaking Away" for utility cyclists.

Edit: Thanks to all for keeping the thread spoiler-free. If you have seen it and want to discuss it, I suggest starting a thread with a "spoiler-alert" title. I just don't have the time to write more in detail right now.

oilfreeandhappy

Thanks, I'll take your advice, and I'll give you my review later.

Albany-12303

Is it by any chance a re-make of the old Italian movie 'Bicycle thief' ?

same time

Yes, it is. But, it's not a scene-by-scene remake, it's a remake with the same premise, but a different script and characters.

Great movie, especially if you appreciate minimalism.

alanbikehouston

It is a terrific movie, well worth hunting for. The film makes clear how much the teenage boys who live in Beijing are similar to teenage boys who live in Iowa, Texas, or Guadalajara. Worried about impressing girls. Worried about how to get some money in their pocket. Needing transportation for both of those goals.

I often read people say "there is nothing wrong communism in China...the Chinese people wouldn't know how to live in a free country...they don't understand freedom".

"Beijing Bicycle" makes it very clear: everything that has value and meaning to young people in the USA has value and meaning to the young people of China...they do NOT deserve to live under communist slavery.

Daily Commute

Thanks. You've added something to my list.

lemurhouse

Personally, I didn't care for the movie that much -- it is certainly no "the bicycle thief". But it is worth watching and what I found particularly astonishing was the depiction of youth culture in modern Chinese cities. That country is changing so rapidly I don't see how it can take the stress. Its not the cultural revolution anymore -- but real revolution is happening right now.

Blue Order

I've seen the trailer on another video, and it looks very good.

Blue Order

Last time I looked, China wasn't communist. At this point, I don't even think they're trying to pretend they're communist.

Nachoman

Good flick. I agree.

alanbikehouston

Please go to "Google" news and "google" on "China" and Yahoo. Last week's big story: the communist dictatorship of China has been using the resources of Yahoo to hunt down Chinese whose e-mails are critical of communism. With the help of Yahoo, the communists tracked down a journalist who had advocated freedom for China. He was sentenced to eight years hard labor.

Also, if you "google" on "death penalty" and "China", you will see that the communists executed more people than the rest of the planet combined. Typical "crimes'? Asking for free elections. Asking for labor unions. Being an outspoken Christian.

The fact that the communists have been willing to sell "Chino-crap" to Wal-Mart at slave labor prices does not make China "free". Selling stuff to America has simply made the communist party astoundingly wealthy, and funded the largest Army in the world...an Army with only one goal: the continued enslavement of the people of China, Tibet, Hong Kong....and the future enslavement of the people of Taiwan, Phillipines, Malaysia, and Singapore.

You still don't believe me? Go to Beijing. Stand in a public square holding a sign that says "Free Elections". But, write your will, and say good-bye to your loved ones before attempting such a suicidal stunt.

Blue Order

You're confusing your economic terms with your political terms, which appears to be a typically American phenomenon. The only thing "communist" about the Chinese Communist Party is the word "communist" in the title. The Chinese economy is capitalist. The Chinese political system is totalitarian. The last vestiges of "communism" (to be accurate, there has never been a "communist" state)-- collective farms, state-provided apartments, health care, etc.-- have vanished. What remains in their place is a capitalist economy, and a totalitarian state.

Re-read what I actually wrote-- where did I say that "China is free"? What I actually wrote is "China isn't communist." There's a difference between the two statements. China isn't communist, it's capitalist. China is also totalitarian. There's a difference.

The goal of the "People's Army," as far as I can tell, is to keep the "Communist Party," and thus itself (being a political as well as a military complex), in power. The goal of the "Communist Party" is to make China a superpower, probably in this century. It wouldn't be the first time, by the way, that China emerged as a superpower.

The Chinese view Taiwan as a breakaway province, and always have had that view. Their goal is to bring Taiwan back into the fold. That goal has nothing to do with "spreading communism," and everything to do with maintaining the territorial integrity of a remergent Chinese superpower. The Chinese also view Tibet as a breakaway province, to be brought back into the fold. Hong Kong was never more than a British "colony," with a 99 year shelf-life. When that shelf-life expired, it reverted to Chinese control. It's an accident of history that the Communists were in power when the lease was up. There's no case to be made that Hong Kong was the victim of communist aggression.

As far as "the future enslavement of the people of...Phillipines, Malaysia, and Singapore," where is the evidence? There's absolutely no chance that China will try to export communism to these nations, because China isn't communist. The remaining possibilities are that China has territorial designs on these states-- that they will also be "brought back into the fold." As far as I know, these were never Chinese provinces, and as far as I know, China has never made noises about bringing them back into the fold, so it doesn't seem very likely. The remaining possibility is that as a remergent superpower, China will exercise its influence in its own backyard...kind of like the United States does now. That's hardly an argument that the Chinese goal is "the future enslavement of the people of .. Phillipines, Malaysia, and Singapore," although it might make an argument that superpowers tend to exercise their power to the detriment of lesser powers.

Apparently, we're gambling that capitalism and totalitarianism are incompatible, perhaps because we confuse our economic terms, like capitalism, with our political terms, like democracy. And apparently, the Chinese government is gambling that capitalism and totalitarianism are compatible, perhaps because they don't confuse their economic terms, like capitalism, with their political terms, like totalitarianism. It remains to be seen which theory will prevail.

* jack *

... uh, yeah. good flick.

curt in denver

Wow, check out the brain on you Blue. That was impressive

genec

Uh they are, don't let the friendliness of the people or the PR of the government fool you. There are many controls in place of the communist party that are subtle but strong.

The easiest to see is the recent conflict with Google delivering censored access to China.

What you cannot see is how access to the country is controlled for both visitors going in and those wanting to leave.

genec

Blue Order, I saw your reply and it is probably more accurate, based on "communism" and the reality of what is really happening there...

Daily Commute

Might I suggest that non-bike related comments about Chinese politics go to P&R? In this thread, please at least try to tie your comments back to the movie or to the use of bicycles in China.

georgiaboy

I liked the movie. Nice scenes of biking in China.

On a side note: Did any of you guys think the main character spinned in too high of a gear? Everytime scene in which he rode the bike my eyes were locked on his pedals as he spun ferociously.

Cyclaholic

The movie is fantastic. If you enjoy it the first time you'll want to watch again in a few weeks after the first viewing and you'll relish the more subtle complexities the second time around. Good cinematograpy albeit a little forced at times, but from an urban cycling cultural perspective it's a rare treat and a welcome break from lycra/dura-ace/carbonfibre.

Siu Blue Wind

I am impressed how the message gets across with so little dialogue.

I love the music in the opening, as well.

Fibber

Gotta check NetFlicks and see if it is available. They have had a number of Chinese films that our family has enjoyed watching.

I know that this is not the place for non-bike related comments, but I just wanted to comment on one aspect of Blue Orders response (otherwise, nicely stated):

"The Chinese economy is capitalist. The Chinese political system is totalitarian."

While capitalism is indeed making inroads, the total system is still tightly controlled. True, unabashed capitalism as practiced by most Western societies is just too radical to dovetail with the goals of a totalitarian society. I have made three trips to the mainland (1985, 1996, & 2002), so have seen remarkable changes in both personal freedoms and economic practices, but they still have such a long way to go.

Mach42

For those that have the IFC (International Films Channel) on Dish Network in the USA, they've shown this movie many times in the past. They might still be doing it. It's a pretty good movie.