Life on a string = Bian zou bian chang

A blind musician has sustained himself with the belief that his blindness can be cured, but only after he has broken 1000 strings on his sanxian (a traditional three-stringed guitar). Although he has broken 995 he is now an old man approaching death who continues to roam the countryside with his restless young disciple promoting peace and harmony. This is not a conventional narrative, but a fable with an epic quality which explores the chasm between faith and magic, authority and disobedience, sacrifice and consummation. Kaige sees it as a plea for the rejuvenation of Chinese culture, civilization and identity, a plea which the Chinese authorities saw to be in some way subversive since they banned the film’s circulation in China. Cast includes Liu Zhongyuan, Huang Lei, Xu Qing. In Cantonese with English subtitles.