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The World
(Jia Zhangke, 2004, China, 143 minutes)
After reaching an amazing level of national and international recognition making movies without state approval, playing film festivals, and circulating his films in bootleg form when need be, Jia Zhangke made a remarkably smooth transition to 2004’s The World, his first state-approved film. Set in The World Park outside of Beijing, where they have replicas of the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower, etc., The World follows the park’s young workforce (including, inevitably, Zhao Tao, here playing a dancer) as they navigate globalization against the backdrop of, well, the world. Shot in early HD, St. Louis cinephiles might recall that The World had its St. Louis premiere and exclusive run at the Webster Film Series back in November 2005.
In Mandarin and Jin with English subtitles. $8 for the general public; $7 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools; $6 for Webster University staff and faculty; $0 for Webster students with proper ID
