“Art films” and the nature of boredom
An exchange between critics and readers in the NYTimes prompts some thoughts about the nature of boredom and why so many people get defensive about “art […]
Review: West of the Tracks (2003)
Director: Wang Bing
Plot: Filmmaker Wang Bing spent three years charting the decline and decay of one of China’s major industrial regions in his over nine-hour, three-part documentary Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks. From 1999 to 2001, Wang traveled via freight train through the northeast district of Tie Xi. Beginning with the four-hour first section entitled Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks - Part One: Rust, the director visits three important factories in Tie Xi that are all on the verge of closure — a development sure to accelerate the region’s economic downturn.
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DVD of the week: West of the Tracks (Tie Xi Qu)
West of the Tracks (Tie Xi Qu) would be a remarkable film under any circumstances. But the fact that it was the first project of a young filmmaker, Wang Bing, essentially working alone with a digital video camera, shooting over a period of two […]