The Big Road (Chinese: ??; pinyin: Dàlù), also known as The Highway, is a 1934 Chinese film directed by Sun Yu and starring Jin Yan and Li Lili. It is a silent film but with music and sound effects added post-production. The film deals with a group of workers who are constructing a highway for use in the war against the Japanese.
The Big Road | |
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Chen Yen-yen in the Big Road with Zhang Yi | |
Directed by | Sun Yu |
Written by | Sun Yu |
Starring | Jin Yan Li Lili Zheng Junli |
Cinematography | Hong Weilie |
Production company | Lianhua Film Company |
Distributed by | United States (DVD): Cinema Epoch (dvd) |
Release date | 1934 |
Running time | 104 min |
Country | China |
Language | Mandarin Chinese |
The Big Road was named the 30th greatest Chinese film ever made by the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2004.
Screenplay
Six cheerful young men work hard during the Second Sino-Japanese War constructing a highway which will enable the Chinese army to send men and logistics to the frontline against the Japanese. Deputy Hu, a hanjian, initially tries to bribe them, but later locks them up in a cell when they refuse to halt the construction and flee. Two girls from a local eating house who befriend them manages to rescue them, but one of the six men died in the process. The workers finish the highway on time, but end up sacrificing their lives after being gunned down by Japanese fighter aircraft once their work is completed.
- Jin Yan
- Li Lili
- Zheng Junli
- Yan Jin - Ge Jin
- Chen Yen-yen ...
- Xiang Ding
The Big Road was released in the United States on Region 0 DVD on May 8, 2007 by Cinema Epoch. The disc featured English subtitles and also included Sun Yu's Queen of Sports.
- List of Chinese films of the 1930s
- Nudity in film (East Asian cinema since 1929)