Director: Wang Xiaoshuai
Screenplay: Wang Xiaoshuai, Hsu Hsiao-Ming, Peggy Chiao, Tang Danian
Starring: Cui Lin, Li Bin, Zhou Xun, Gao Yuanyuan, Zhao Yiwei, Pang Yan, Zhou Fangfei, Xie Jian, Ma Yuhong
Country: China, France, Taiwan
Running Time: 113 min
Year: 2001
Beijing Bicycle, released in 2001, was the first in a series of six films produced by the influential Taiwanese-Chinese producer Peggy Chiao under the ‘Tales of Three Cities’ banner. These ‘city portrait’ films covered Beijing, Taipei and Hong Kong.
Beijing Bicycle went on to win the Jury Grand Prix Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, as well as bagging the “New Talent Award” for its two young stars, Cui Lin and Li Bin.
This success proved to be a double-edged sword, however, as the film board of the Chinese State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television banned Beijing Bicycle from being screened in China after the producers were accused of sending it to Berlin without first acquiring approval from the board. Reportedly, director Wang Xiaoshuai had submitted it, but felt he wasn’t able to make the suggested changes in time for the festival.
The ban was lifted in 2004, with some changes made to the film (whether just in China or in all subsequent releases, I can’t say).
Beijing Bicycle certainly came to the UK, as I watched it in the early 2000s, based on the recommendation of a friend of mine. I remember being impressed by the film, so I was excited to hear that Imprint would be releasing it on Blu-ray, after presuming it had fallen through the cracks over the years.
Beijing Bicycle has quite a simple premise. Guo (Cui Lin) has moved to Beijing from the country and has managed to get a job as a courier to make ends meet. He’s given a brand new mountain bike by the company and told he must pay for it through his salary for the first month or two.
However, just as he reaches the end of his payment plan, his bike is stolen. Devastated and determined to get it back to keep his job, Guo scours the city for the bicycle. He soon finds it in the care of another young man, Jian (Li Bin).
Jian is equally as enamoured with the bike and won’t give it up without a fight (literally, with his school friends beating up Guo on several occasions). He claims he bought the bike, so he believes it’s as much his as it is Guo’s. The pair have to decide what to do about their predicament.
Owing a debt to Bicycle Thieves but, equally, having its own distinct personality and Chinese flavour, it’s a social drama with an eye for naturalism.
Using inexperienced actors in its lead roles (I won’t say non-professional, as they both went on to work on other films, following this) and keeping everything stylistically stripped back, it feels authentic, whilst retaining enough narrative drive to keep you watching.
The film has splashes of humour and also offers pathos without feeling overly sentimental or turning into what you might call ‘misery porn’. It feels a little repetitive, in places, but you genuinely care about Guo’s plight.
Jian is a slightly different matter, however. Whilst his touchingly awkward romance with Xiao (Gao Yuanyuan) is effective, I found his character less likeable and his stake on the bike less convincing. This might be the point, however. Whilst Jian’s family isn’t wealthy, the boy is in a better situation than Guo. His home life isn’t perfect, but he has a roof over his head and he’s at school, getting an education. He wants the bike to fit in and impress girls. To me, this feels like a comment on the disparity between the ‘economic migrants’ coming from the country to earn a living and the lost, aimless lower-middle-class youths populating the city. They’re both eaten up by Beijing, however, through a society where everybody takes advantage of everybody else.
Whilst it looks quite ‘raw’, on the surface, the film works cinematically through telling much of its story without an overreliance on dialogue. Long takes are occasionally used, too, letting scenes play out more organically.
Overall, Beijing Bicycle is a refreshingly economic drama that’s both touching and thought-provoking. I’m happy to have had the chance to watch it again.
Film: 
Beijing Bicycle is out now on Blu-Ray, released by ViaVision as part of their Imprint Asia series. The transfer is decent. It has a natural look in terms of colour and grain structure. It’s a tad soft, and there are some minor visible flecks and dirt, but overall, I think it’s a solid presentation. I’ve used screengrabs throughout this review to give you an idea of how it looks, though these have been compressed. Audio is solid too, though it seemed to go slightly quieter towards the end, strangely. There’s a little damage on the soundtrack in this section, too. It was a low-budget production, though, so this might be as originally presented. I will also add that it’s advertised as having ‘optional English subtitles’, but they’re actually burnt in.
Special Features & Technical Specs
– 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
– Theatrical Trailer
– Audio: Mandarin LPCM 2.0 Stereo
– Aspect Ratio 1.78
Imprint’s release of Beijing Bicycle is barebones, sadly. However, it’s a great film that I’m happy to see has resurfaced, so Imprint must be applauded for giving it a second chance.
Disc/Package:
