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Tóngnián wangshì ()

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The semi-autobiographical film on director Hou Hsiao-Hsien's childhood and adolescence, when he was growing up in Taiwan, living through the deaths of his father, mother and grandmother.
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6 photos

Cast

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Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chia-bao Chang
Neng Chang
Chih-Chen Chen
Han-wen Chen
Bao-te Chiang
Tung-hung Chou
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Hsiao's love interest
Hsiang-Ping Hu
Tung-lai Kao
Chung-Wen Lin
Kuo-bao Liu
Cheng-ye Lo
Shun-lin Lo
Tse-chung Lo
Mei-Feng
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Grandmother
Te-chen Tao
Su-Ying Wu
Sheng-hua Yen

Directed by

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Hsiao-Hsien Hou

Written by

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T'ien-wen Chu ... ()
 
Hsiao-Hsien Hou ... ()
 
Nien-Jen Wu ... ()

Produced by

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Hsin Chih Hsu ... producer

Music by

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Chu-chu Wu

Cinematography by

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Ping Bin Lee

Editing by

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Ching-Sung Liao
Chi-Yang Wang

Editorial Department

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Li-Yu Chen ... assistant editor
Fan-Chang Sung ... assistant editor
Chi-Yang Wang ... supervising editor

Art Direction by

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Chung-Wen Lin

Makeup Department

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Chin-Fang Chang ... makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Hsiao-Ming Hsu ... assistant director

Art Department

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Chao-Chieh Chang ... labor foreman
Chieh-Yu Hou ... labor foreman
Kai Liu ... poster design
Lu-Yung Tu ... props
Chia-Hung Yuan ... props

Sound Department

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Chiang-Sheng Hsin ... sound recordist
Duu-Chih Tu ... sound
Ting-yi Wu ... assistant sound
Ching-an Yang ... assistant sound

Camera and Electrical Department

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Huai-En Chen ... still photographer
Ming-Chun Chen ... assistant camera
Hsi-Shun Chi ... assistant lighting
Shu-Chang Hsiao ... assistant lighting
Ching-Fu Li ... assistant lighting
Chun-Ming Lu ... assistant camera
Fu-Hsing Tseng ... gaffer / lighting director
Shen Wang ... assistant lighting

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Ching-Wen Chu ... wardrobe

Music Department

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Chu-chu Wu ... composer: theme music

Additional Crew

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Chi-Pin Chao ... planner

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

This depiction of childhood and adolescence draws heavily from the filmmaker's own boyhood. Like many of their compatriots, Hou's family moved from the mainland to Taiwan in 1948 and was unable ever to return. The film focuses on the widening generation gap in a family cut off from its cultural heritage. Written by International Film Circuit

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Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • 童年往事 (Taiwan)
  • Tóng nián wǎng shì (Taiwan)
  • The Time to Live, the Time to Die (Canada, English title)
  • A Time to Live and a Time to Die (Canada, English title)
  • A Time to Live, a Time to Die (United States)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 138 min
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Did You Know?

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Trivia This film is inspired by screenwriter-turned-director Hou Hsiao-Hsien's coming-of-age story. It is the second installment of Hou Hsiao-Hsien's "Coming-of-Age Trilogy" that features three prominent Taiwanese screenwriters' coming-of-age stories - the other two are A Summer at Grandpa's (1984) (inspired by the childhood memories of Chu Tien-Wen) and Dust in the Wind (1986) (inspired by the coming-of-age story of Wu Nien-Jen). See more »
Movie Connections Featured in When Cinema Reflects the Times: Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Edward Yang (1993). See more »
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