Postmen in the Mountains (Wang Xiaofeng)
- This topic has 2 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 1 month, 1 week ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Weird coincidence that we just talked about Chinese directors in the film thread (Fifth Generation vs. Sixth Generation directors), just as I reach this gobsmackingly beautiful score in my collection walkthrough.
POSTMEN IN THE MOUNTAINS was a 1999 film directed by a Fifth Generation director, Huo Jianqi, about a young man who is accompanied by his soon-to-be-retired postman father across a long postal route in the Chinese countryside, while the people they meet along the way give the son more information about his father than he was privy to up to that point.
It’s a gorgeous film, and although Jianqi is not as interesting as – say – Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou, the succulent cinematography alone is to die for.
The score is by Wang Xiaofeng, and I don’t know a lot about him. All I know is that this is a spectularly good score, very much in the mold of Zimmer’s masterpiece BEYOND RANGOON (and some Vangelis too!), with super-lush Chinese flavours, mixed with dreamy New Age synths and some acoustic elements.
We had to wait 20 years for the score to be released, but when it finally was, in 2019, it was a total revelation. Highly recommended to everyone with even a tiny penchant for this type of sound.
Don’t think I know any of the Fifth Generation filmmakers besides the two obvious ones, but this film looks like a must-see (it has a remarkably high score on Letterboxd too).
Yes, you must! If you can find it.
I have a soft spot for rural Chinese films, I think. Li Yang’s BLIND MOUNTAIN (2007) was a shattering experience years ago. It’s not a feel-good movie, to put it mildly, but with stunning mise-en-scene. POSTMEN IN THE MOUNTAINS is far more upbeat, in a bittersweet kind of way.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.