Two Great Sheep
Encyclopedia
Two Great Sheep is a 2004 satirical Chinese film
directed by Liu Hao
and cast primarily with unknown actors.
Two Great Sheep tells the gentle story of a peasant couple, played by Sun Yunkun and Jiang Zhikun, who are charged with caring for two foreign sheep that they must somehow breed for the community.
Liu's second film and the first under government approval, Two Great Sheep can be located as part of a broader trend of independent Chinese filmmakers switching their focuses to state-approved productions during the early years of the 21st century. Besides Liu, these years saw many of the leading figures of the "sixth-generation" turning in their first SARFT
-approved productions, including Jia Zhangke
(2004's The World
), Zhu Wen
(2003's South of the Clouds
), and Wang Xiaoshuai
(2005's Shanghai Dreams
).
Two Great Sheep premiered at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival
on September 14, 2004.
province near Zhaotong
in southern China. Their lives are thrown into upheaval when the local mayor (Chen Dajiang) "rewards" them with two foreign sheep donated by a former villager, now an official in Beijing. The couple is then tasked with breeding the sheep for their wool
and to bring prosperity to their small community. Much to their chagrin, the sheep do not take to their new environment and the couple are forced into ever more ingenious ways of making the sheep appear greater than they really are. As they do so, they also come to value the sheep as companions in their family. When it becomes clear that the two "great" sheep are not the boon they were thought to be, the local authorities repossess the animals. Only now the simply peasant couple no longer wish to give them up.
, Liu started his career with the independent film, Chen Mo and Meiting
(2002). Though never released in China, the film caught the attention of Chinese producers at the China Film Group
(CFG), who selected Liu to participate in the New Film Project, a joint investment by the CFG and the Peking University
-Kwans Group to fund new directors. With expectations that the film would be not only critically, but more importantly commercially successful, the China Film Group invested ¥
5 million to Liu for his next project, Two Great Sheep.
The "New Film Project" would in turn give way to Beijing Starlight International, a new company focused on independent filmmakers which was also responsible for the film's international distribution and sales.
Shot primarily in the southern province of Yunnan
, Two Great Sheep was also produced in part by the Yunnan Provincial Association for External Cultural Exchange.
Steve Rhodes personified the latter view in his review of the film, seeing Two Great Sheep as a "simple film, simply told."
Many critics, however, chose a middle view, and saw the film primarily as a metaphor for China's bureaucratic machine and its effect on the common peasant. Derek Elley of Variety noted how the film "homes in on the stratified nature of Chinese rural society," though he does not go as far as to suggest what Liu Hao intended with the film. Elley does argue, however, that the film is distinct from similar films, notably Zhang Yimou's 1992 The Story of Qiu Ju
, mainly in that Two Great Sheep "lack[s] of bitterness or despair." A similar review noted that the film was nothing if not a celebration of the "tenacious resiliency of the will to survive."
Other critics took a negative view and saw the film's lack of bitterness or other strong "message" as a flaw. Slant Magazines Ed Gonzalez felt the film went on too long without a clear message, holding that he was "not exactly sure if Hao is for or against Bolshevism."
Cinema of China
The Chinese-language cinema has three distinct historical threads: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China, and Cinema of Taiwan. Since 1949 the cinema of mainland China has operated under restrictions imposed by the Communist Party of China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television and...
directed by Liu Hao
Liu Hao
Liu Hao is a Chinese filmmaker. He first rose to prominence in the early to mid 2000s.-Early life:Born and raised in Shanghai, Liu Hao spent much of his youth watching films by Ren Xudong and Cheng Yin and, as he grew older, the works of the fifth generation directors. In 1995, as his interest in...
and cast primarily with unknown actors.
Two Great Sheep tells the gentle story of a peasant couple, played by Sun Yunkun and Jiang Zhikun, who are charged with caring for two foreign sheep that they must somehow breed for the community.
Liu's second film and the first under government approval, Two Great Sheep can be located as part of a broader trend of independent Chinese filmmakers switching their focuses to state-approved productions during the early years of the 21st century. Besides Liu, these years saw many of the leading figures of the "sixth-generation" turning in their first SARFT
State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television
The State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television is an executive branch under the State Council of the People's Republic of China...
-approved productions, including Jia Zhangke
Jia Zhangke
Jia Zhangke is a Chinese film director. He is generally regarded as a leading figure of the "Sixth Generation" movement of Chinese cinema, a group that also includes such figures as Wang Xiaoshuai and Zhang Yuan....
(2004's The World
The World (film)
The World is a 2004 Chinese film written and directed by Jia Zhangke. Starring Jia's muse, Zhao Tao, as well as Chen Taisheng, The World was filmed on and around an actual theme park located in Beijing, Beijing World Park, which recreates world landmarks at reduced scales for Chinese tourists. The...
), Zhu Wen
Zhu Wen (director)
Zhu Wen is a Chinese short story writer turned director.-Early life and writing:Zhu Wen was born in 1967 in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province. He attended Southeast University in Nanjing, and graduated with a degree in electric power...
(2003's South of the Clouds
South of the Clouds
South of the Clouds is a 2003 Chinese film and the second film directed by the writer Zhu Wen. The film stands in stark contrast to Zhu's previous film. In terms of production, South of the Clouds received the cooperation of the state apparatus unlike 2001's Seafood which was an underground...
), and Wang Xiaoshuai
Wang Xiaoshuai
Wang Xiaoshuai is a Chinese film director, screenwriter and occasional actor. He is commonly grouped under the loose association of filmmakers known as the Sixth Generation of the Cinema of China....
(2005's Shanghai Dreams
Shanghai Dreams
Shanghai Dreams is a 2005 Chinese film directed by Wang Xiaoshuai and starring Gao Yuanyuan, Li Bin, Tang Yang, Wang Xiaoyang, and Yao Anlian. The film was produced by Stellar Megamedia, Debo Films Ltd...
).
Two Great Sheep premiered at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival
2004 Toronto International Film Festival
The 2004 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 9 through September 18.- Canada First :* CQ2 * I, Claudia * Ill Fated The 2004 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 9 through September 18.- Canada First :* CQ2 (Seek You Too) (Carole Laure)* I, Claudia (Chris...
on September 14, 2004.
Plot
The film follows a peasant couple, Zhao Deshan (Sun Yunkun) and his wife Xiuzhi (Jiang Zhikun), living in rural YunnanYunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
province near Zhaotong
Zhaotong
Zhaotong is a prefecture-level city located in the northeast corner of Yunnan province of Southwest China.-Demography:The prefecture, almost exclusively agricultural, is one of the poorest in China, which led the authorities to encourage young people to migrate to eastern and southern parts of...
in southern China. Their lives are thrown into upheaval when the local mayor (Chen Dajiang) "rewards" them with two foreign sheep donated by a former villager, now an official in Beijing. The couple is then tasked with breeding the sheep for their wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
and to bring prosperity to their small community. Much to their chagrin, the sheep do not take to their new environment and the couple are forced into ever more ingenious ways of making the sheep appear greater than they really are. As they do so, they also come to value the sheep as companions in their family. When it becomes clear that the two "great" sheep are not the boon they were thought to be, the local authorities repossess the animals. Only now the simply peasant couple no longer wish to give them up.
Cast
- Sun Yunkun as Zhao Deshan, a simple peasant farmer living in rural Yunnan who is tasked with caring with the eponymous sheep.
- Jiang Zhikun as Xiuzhi, his wife.
- Chen Dajiang as the mayor of Deshan and Xiuzhi's home village.
- Zhao Shengling as Liu, the provincial governor
Production
A graduate of the Beijing Film AcademyBeijing Film Academy
Beijing Film Academy is a coeducational state-run higher education institution in Beijing, China. The film school is the largest institution specialised in the tertiary education for film and television production in Asia...
, Liu started his career with the independent film, Chen Mo and Meiting
Chen Mo and Meiting
Chen Mo and Meiting is a 2002 Chinese romantic drama film written and directed by Liu Hao. It was Liu's directorial debut and stars Du Huanan and Wang Lingbo as the titular Chen Mo and Meiting....
(2002). Though never released in China, the film caught the attention of Chinese producers at the China Film Group
China Film Group
China Film Group Corporation , abbreviated as CFGC, is the largest and most influential state-run film enterprise in China.-History:The predecessor China Film Corporation was established in 1949...
(CFG), who selected Liu to participate in the New Film Project, a joint investment by the CFG and the Peking University
Peking University
Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...
-Kwans Group to fund new directors. With expectations that the film would be not only critically, but more importantly commercially successful, the China Film Group invested ¥
Renminbi
The Renminbi is the official currency of the People's Republic of China . Renminbi is legal tender in mainland China, but not in Hong Kong or Macau. It is issued by the People's Bank of China, the monetary authority of the PRC...
5 million to Liu for his next project, Two Great Sheep.
The "New Film Project" would in turn give way to Beijing Starlight International, a new company focused on independent filmmakers which was also responsible for the film's international distribution and sales.
Shot primarily in the southern province of Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
, Two Great Sheep was also produced in part by the Yunnan Provincial Association for External Cultural Exchange.
Reception
The New York Times critic Stephen Holden aptly summed up the two ways of viewing Two Great Sheep: as either "an uplifting fable about teamwork and good citizenship or as a spoof of a frightened society's blind obedience to authority."Steve Rhodes personified the latter view in his review of the film, seeing Two Great Sheep as a "simple film, simply told."
Many critics, however, chose a middle view, and saw the film primarily as a metaphor for China's bureaucratic machine and its effect on the common peasant. Derek Elley of Variety noted how the film "homes in on the stratified nature of Chinese rural society," though he does not go as far as to suggest what Liu Hao intended with the film. Elley does argue, however, that the film is distinct from similar films, notably Zhang Yimou's 1992 The Story of Qiu Ju
The Story of Qiu Ju
The Story of Qiu Ju is a 1992 Chinese comedy-drama film. The film was directed by Zhang Yimou and, as in many of his films, stars Gong Li in the title role. The screenplay is an adaption of Chen Yuanbin's novella The Wan Family's Lawsuit....
, mainly in that Two Great Sheep "lack[s] of bitterness or despair." A similar review noted that the film was nothing if not a celebration of the "tenacious resiliency of the will to survive."
Other critics took a negative view and saw the film's lack of bitterness or other strong "message" as a flaw. Slant Magazines Ed Gonzalez felt the film went on too long without a clear message, holding that he was "not exactly sure if Hao is for or against Bolshevism."
External links
- Two Great Sheep at Cinemasie