The newly minted 4K restoration of Edward Yang's (楊德昌) 1991 masterpiece, "A Brighter Summer Day (牯嶺街少年殺人事件),” was presented in an exclusive four-day engagement at BAMcinematek (Brooklyn Academy of Music) in New York.
"A Brighter Summer Day” charts the coming-of-age story of a teenage boy as he grows up amidst political turmoil, warring street gangs, and the encroaching influence of American pop culture in 1960s Taiwan.
The film's novelistic sweep — its expansive running time of almost four hours, an immense cast of more than 100 amateur actors, and a masterful accumulation of details — creates a richly realized, intoxicating portrait of young love, rock ‘n' roll, and teenage abandon.
A sprawling examination of what it means to be Taiwanese, the film takes its name from the lyrics of "Are You Lonesome Tonight?” by Elvis Presley. The Chinese title however, translates to "The Murder by a Boy on Guling Street.”
This was also the film that spurred the acting career of Chang Chen (張震), who received a Golden Horse nomination for best lead actor at the age of 15. Chang went on to become a recurring figure in the films of Yang's fellow New Taiwanese Cinemadirector, Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢).