The Puppetmaster (film)

The Puppetmaster is a 1993 Taiwanese film directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. Based on the memoirs of Li Tian-lu, Taiwan's most celebrated puppeteer, this story covers the years from Li's birth in 1909 to the end of Japan's fifty-year occupation of Taiwan in 1945.

The Puppetmaster
Theatrical Poster
Chinese戲夢人生
MandarinXìmèng rénshēng
LiterallyDream life
Directed byHou Hsiao-hsien
Produced byChiu Fu-sheng
Written byChu T’ien-wen
Wu Nien-jen
StarringLim Giong
Li Tian-lu
Tsai Chen-nan
Narrated byLi Tian-lu
Music byChen Ming-chang
CinematographyMark Lee Ping-bin
Release date
1993
Running time
142 minutes
CountryTaiwan
LanguageHokkien

Many consider The Puppetmaster a masterpiece of world cinema. In the British Film Institute's 2012 Sight & Sound poll, seven critics and three directors named it one of the greatest films ever made.[1]

Plot

The film tells the story of Li Tian-lu (1910-1998), who becomes a master puppeteer but is faced with demands to turn his skills to propaganda during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan in World War II. This film is the second in Hou's trilogy of historical films that include A City of Sadness (1989) and Good Men, Good Women (1995).

Cast
Actor Role
Li Tian-luHimself
Lim GiongLi Tian-lu (young)
Tsai Chen-nanKo Meng-dang (father)
Yang Li-yinLai Hwat (stepmother)
Vicky WeiLei Tzu

Awards

The film won the Jury Prize at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival[2] and the FIPRESCI Prize at Istanbul International Film Festival.

References
  1. ""Puppetmaster, The" (1993)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  2. "Festival de Cannes: The Puppetmaster". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-08-22.


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