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The Joy Luck Club
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price:
$14.99
Asia Trips Trips Price:
$10.49
Your Savings: $ 4.50 ( 30% )
Subject To Change Without Notice
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Starring: Diane Baker, Michael Paul Chan, Rosalind Chao, Kim Chew, Chao Li Chi
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Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
Brand: KIELA,CHINH
EAN: 0786936182583
Format: Closed-captioned
Label: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2002-06-04
Running Time: 139
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: 1993
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Editorial Reviews:
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Produced by Academy Award(R)-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone (Best Picture -- PLATOON) and based on the powerful #1 best-selling book, THE JOY LUCK CLUB tells the uplifting story of four remarkable friends whose extraordinary lives are filled with joy and heartbreak. Their lifelong friendship reveals a mosaic of the startling events and conditions that have shaped their lives -- and how these experiences have affected the hopes and dreams they hold for each of their children. Hailed as one of the must-see films of the year, this exceptional motion picture is sure to entertain and inspire you from beginning to end!
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: The Bittersweet Club
Comment: "The Joy Luck Club" is an interesting movie. Like an assortment of dim sum, there are many flavors. It tells of four Chinese women who emigrate to the United States and the experiences of their daughters. It was produced by Oliver Stone, astoundingly, and directed by Wayne Wang at the beginning of his career. June (Ming-Na) is mourning the death of her mother,Suyuan,only to learn that she has half-sisters in China because of WWII. June now heads the Joy Luck Club,a gathering of women playing mah jong.
There are several entwined stories. An-Mei Hsu's mother was a concubine,a fourth wife who committed suicide to save her children. An-Mei's daughter, Rose,is now in the midst of a painful divorce. Lindo claims that another member of her household has a "spiritual pregnancy" by her husband to escape a sexless arranged marriage. Ying-Ying "Betty" St. Clair drowns her infant son in the movie to get back at her abusive husband; however, in the novel, it was an abortion. Wang's timidity in tackling the subject of abortion is a contrast to his recent Internet movie, "Princess of Nebraska",in which a teenaged girl from China comes to the US for an abortion and tries to keep her family in the dark. The mothers' problems come down to their daughters. Lindo is especially cruel, enjoying her daughter Waverly's tears. Lena is married to a wimpy husband who insists on equality, but is deeply unhappy.
"Joy Luck Club" has deeply human stories at its heart. It's about generational conflict, the power of family, the immigrant experience, and Chinese culture. It's beautifully done. San Francisco, the City by the Bay, becomes a convergence of East and West. There's joy and sorrow. It's bittersweet. Like a Chinese garden, it is intricate and for contemplation.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Seeing It Through Changing Generational Eyes
Comment: The very first time I saw this movie I was 17. My grandmother took me to see it.
As a teenage girl I was an emotional wreck over the mother-daughter dilemmas presented by this film. I cried the whole way through. I was so glad my grandmother brought a box of tissues with her.
I recently saw this movie again at 32 and felt engaged by it on a different level. Now understanding more the personal dilemmas of each of the female characters.
It's an interesting experience to witness one's own relationship to a story change with age and life.
While this story is specific to some of the extra added pressures of the Chinese and Chinese-American cultural experience, the tale itself can be understood by all who've ever dealt with parental conflict, issues of inadequacy, a need to rebel, marital strife, a desire to find oneself and so on.
Sadly, I've not read the movie's novel predecessor, though I think it would be no less satisfying an experience given Ms. Tan's talent for relaying the human experience of her characters as equally along with their Chinese experience.
Customer Rating:
Summary: One of my all-time Top 10
Comment: One of the greatest films ever made - it's got humor, pain, stupidity, and wisdom.
Customer Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorite Films
Comment: When determining whether to view or purchase a movie or novel, I make it a point to read the highest and lowest ratings of that product. This film is no exception. However, I must say, while not surprised by the volume and intensity of the one-star reviews, I'm perplexed by much of their detail.
One review sited the old adage that film should show rather than tell a story. While that may be true for some subject matter, it does not hold true for all. Additionally, narrative serves to do what action and dialogue cannot--fill the gap of the senses that sight and sound don't address. A well narrated tale is a pleasure to behold, especially when the narrator has the proper voice and emotion.
Joy Luck Club has become one of my favorite films. The only reason I can't give it a full five stars is because it is emotionally painful to watch. That is to say, the emotional toll is so great I must take breaks between repeated viewings. It is much the same with City of Angels and Shindler's List.
As to the issue of stereotyping Asians--especially Asian males--I can only say that from my perspective, "this" story addresses certain characters under certain circumstances. It paints some of them in an unfavorable light. However, I believe it would be unfair to believe the author was attempting to make a statement about all people of the group or even the bulk of the same people.
We have only to look at our present culture and the instances of violence against women to realize that such men are not merely characters of fiction. They still exist in today's society and in nearly every country across the globe. A news article from just two days past (30 August 2008) reported where five women in Pakistan were stoned, shot, and then buried alive because they wanted to chose they own husbands. To deny that animals who prey on women do not exist in every culture is simply to be blind to the world as it is.
That said, The Joy Luck Club was interesting, thought-provoking, well-paced, and emotionally draining. If that's the type of film you like, I would recommend it highly.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!!!
Comment: I had pegged "The Joy Luck Club" as a "woman's movie" (whatever that may mean to anyone). I had expected this to be more of a gender-focussed film that would make it as interesting to a male audience as a Rambo movie would be of interest to a female audience. I watched it recently I confess that I was very very wrong. This is a movie of so many dimensions that it defies any categorization other than "Great Movies". It tells six seperate stories and uses a trio of mother/daughter experiences and relationships to tell those stories. From the first to the last (and everything in between) these stories are woven together to give us all an insight to life and life's experiences. The contrast between Old World and New World are as instruction as the generational differences that we all are familiar with. Each story tells of an individual struggle against diverse challenges. The movie amplifies it's greatness by allowing a willing audience to share in the revelations that mother and daughter, "aunts and nieces", as well as "cousins" discover about each other. Each person grows from the discoveries in the stories that are shared and we, the audience, are all the better for the experience.
The acting is superb, the sets and costumes are outstanding, and the script and direction are first-rate. Maybe you have heard all about this movie, seen it several times, read the book, or otherwise know that "The Joy Luck Club" is a modern screen classic. I had the pleasure to discover that for myself and I am grateful for the experience. There aren't that many movies anymore that catch me by surprise like this one.
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