The Blue Kite

The Blue Kite

A history untold, a memory unfolds.

1994 · 141 min · ★ 7.2 · Drama

A young man recalls his childhood growing up in a poor alley in Beijing during the 1950s and 1960s.

Directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang · Written by Cui Jiajun

Your Rating

Cast

Trailers & Videos

Make it a double feature

3h 51m together

The Blue Kite

Rock Kids

Both from Tian Zhuangzhuang.

More from Tian ZhuangzhuangSee all →

The Grand Mansion GateThe Grand Mansion Gate · 2001
The Grand Mansion Gate
★ 8.92001
SeriesDrama
This Chinese period drama series follows the fortunes of a prominent merchant family engaged in Traditional Chinese Medicine during the waning years of the Ching dynasty. The affairs of this family of doctors/pharmacists (which in those days were one and the same) are intimately linked with social upheavals of the time such as the encroachment of Christian missionaries and foreign imperialism as well as conflicts that inevitably emerge in a large upper class family. Comparable in scope and production value to such recent titles as "Downton Abbey", the lives and character of both masters and servants intertwine in plot lines that spans more than a generation.
Keep RollingKeep Rolling · 2020
Keep Rolling
★ 8.02020
MovieDocumentary
One of Hong Kong's most influential filmmakers, Ann Hui, becomes a “star” for the first time in Man Lim-chung's directorial debut. A forerunner of the New Wave, Hui’s tumultuous, forty-year career is an unequivocal testimony to her unyielding dedication to filmmaking, and her expedition into the metamorphic city. This biopic probes into the acclaimed director’s idiosyncratic world, where we witness her rashness and goofiness, as well as her humanistic concerns for the everyday nobodies which make her films so moving.
Jasmine WomenJasmine Women · 2004
Jasmine Women
★ 7.62004
MovieDramaFamily
Zhang Ziyi plays the youngest of three generations of women who leads lives in Shanghai. Joan Chen plays the great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother. The film recounts this family, the mistakes they make, and a cycle that the granddaughter breaks out of.
Us and ThemUs and Them · 2018
Us and Them
★ 7.62018
MovieDramaRomance
Ten years ago, on a train home during the busy Spring Festival travel period, fate brings Xiaoxiao and Jianqing together. Like many young couples, they meet, fall in love, and strive to make it work, but eventually, the harsh realities of life make them drift apart. Ten years later, they run into each other again. Will they make the most of this second chance and rekindle what they once lost?
Love EducationLove Education · 2017
Love Education
★ 7.52017
MovieDrama
When Huiying hears that her mother's dying wish is to be buried next to her husband, she discovers that his remains are in the countryside and cared for by his first wife. A conflict ensues, and Huiying's daughter, an intrepid reporter, breaks the story as the three women search for proof of love.
Rock KidsRock Kids · 1988
Rock Kids
★ 7.51988
MovieDramaMusic
Realistic portraits of Chinese youth embracing western culture
King of the ChildrenKing of the Children · 1987
King of the Children
★ 7.01987
MovieDrama
An unschooled young man, one of the countless victims of Mao's Cultural Revolution, is laboring in the countryside when he is assigned to teach in a nearby school. Gradually, he abandons the Maoist textbook and encourages the barely literate kids to write about their own lives and feelings.
Springtime in a Small TownSpringtime in a Small Town · 2002
Springtime in a Small Town
★ 7.02002
MovieDramaRomance
In a mansion decimated during World War II, a frustrated, bored housewife, Yuwen, is torn between caring for her ailing husband and her longing for a former sweetheart, a doctor who has come to treat her husband.
Shining for One ThingShining for One Thing · 2023
Shining for One Thing
★ 6.82023
MovieRomanceFantasy
Zhang Wansen plans to confess his love to Lin Beixing, a girl he has had a crush on for a long time after the college entrance examination, but the sudden concert accident turned everything into an irreversible tragedy. Helpless Zhang Wansen unexpectedly restarted this summer, and returned to Lin Beixing before the tragedy. The secret of restarting summer seems to be not as simple as imagined...
Knock KnockKnock Knock · 2021
Knock Knock
★ 6.82021
MovieThrillerComedy
In one night, in one room, three strangers–a thief, a retired policeman, and a delivery guy–are all present during the murder of the room's occupant. As the trio tries to figure out this bizarre situation, the stakes are raised when they discover a huge pile of cash. They soon realize that the only way to get out alive is to unravel this mystery. What initially seems like a coincidence, turns out to be destined from the beginning.
The CrossingThe Crossing · 2018
The Crossing
★ 6.72018
MovieDramaCrime
Studying in Hong Kong but living in Shenzhen, Peipei has spent 16 years in her life travelling between these two cities. To realize the dream of seeing snow in Japan with her bestie, Peipei joins a smuggling gang and uses her student identity to smuggle iPhones from Hong Kong to Mainland. Her family life and friendships begin to fall apart. The daily life of Peipei starts to get out of control.
Born to FlyBorn to Fly · 2023
Born to Fly
★ 6.72023
MovieActionDrama
A talented trainee pilot is given the opportunity to virtually test the latest fighter jet, which pushes him to his limits.
The Shadowless TowerThe Shadowless Tower · 2023
The Shadowless Tower
★ 6.72023
MovieDrama
Gu Wentong learns the whereabouts of his father, who lost contact with him more than 40 years ago. Encouraged by new friend, photographer Ouyang Wenhui, Gu Wentong decides to face his father and rebuild the long-lost father-son relationship.
My People, My CountryMy People, My Country · 2019
My People, My Country
★ 6.62019
MovieDramaHistory
Anthology of short films directed by several different directors.
The Go MasterThe Go Master · 2007
The Go Master
★ 6.52007
MovieDrama
The life of Go master Wu Qingyuan from his meteoric rise as a child prodigy to fame and fortune as a revolutionary strategic thinker, as well as the tumultuous conflicts between his homeland of China and his adopted nation of Japan.
Nice ViewNice View · 2022
Nice View
★ 6.42022
MovieDramaFamily
Desperate to pay for his little sister's surgery, a young man takes part in a risky business venture - only to encounter some serious setbacks.

More Like This

Desert HeartsDesert Hearts · 1985
Desert Hearts
★ 7.11985
MovieDramaRomance
While waiting for her divorce papers, a repressed literature professor finds herself unexpectedly attracted by a carefree, spirited young woman named Cay.
ChocolatChocolat · 2000
Chocolat
★ 7.02000
MovieComedyDrama
In the winter of 1959, a single mother and her young daughter arrive in a rural French town, where they open an unusual chocolate shop that disrupts the moral fiber of the strictly Catholic townsfolk and mayor.
The GodfatherThe Godfather · 1972
The Godfather
★ 8.71972
MovieDramaCrime
Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.
The Godfather Part IIThe Godfather Part II · 1974
The Godfather Part II
★ 8.61974
MovieDramaCrime
In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.
Dead Poets SocietyDead Poets Society · 1989
Dead Poets Society
★ 8.31989
MovieDrama
At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.
Stand by MeStand by Me · 1986
Stand by Me
★ 7.81986
MovieDramaAdventure
After learning that a boy their age has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four boys decide to go see the body. Gordie, Vern, Chris, and Teddy encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, but they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys' adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives.
CapoteCapote · 2005
Capote
★ 7.02005
MovieCrimeDrama
A biopic of writer Truman Capote and his assignment for The New Yorker to write the non-fiction book "In Cold Blood".
Gods and MonstersGods and Monsters · 1998
Gods and Monsters
★ 6.91998
MovieDrama
It's 1957, and James Whale's heyday as the director of "Frankenstein," "Bride of Frankenstein" and "The Invisible Man" is long behind him. Retired and a semi-recluse, he lives his days accompanied only by images from his past. When his dour housekeeper, Hannah, hires a handsome young gardener, the flamboyant director and simple yard man develop an unlikely friendship, which will change them forever.
Good Night, and Good Luck.Good Night, and Good Luck. · 2005
Good Night, and Good Luck.
★ 7.12005
MovieDramaHistory
The story of journalist Edward R. Murrow's stand against Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist witch-hunts in the early 1950s.
Revolutionary RoadRevolutionary Road · 2008
Revolutionary Road
★ 7.02008
MovieDramaRomance
A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Based on a novel by Richard Yates.
The FrontThe Front · 1976
The Front
★ 7.11976
MovieComedyDrama
A cashier poses as a writer for blacklisted talents to submit their work through, but the injustice around him pushes him to take a stand.
Balzac and the Little Chinese SeamstressBalzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress · 2002
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
★ 6.82002
MovieDramaRomance
During the Cultural Revolution, two young men are sent to a remote mining village where they fall in love with the local tailor's beautiful granddaughter and discover a suitcase full of forbidden Western novels.
James DeanJames Dean · 2001
James Dean
★ 6.82001
MovieDramaTV Movie
The man behind the legend and a knowing look at 1950s Hollywood are revealed in this dynamic biopic of the meteoric star whose troubled life echoed his gut-grabbing performances in East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant.
Queen & CountryQueen & Country · 2015
Queen & Country
★ 6.12015
MovieDrama
In this sequel to Hope and Glory (1987), Bill Rohan has grown up and is drafted into the army, where he and his eccentric best mate, Percy, battle their snooty superiors on the base and look for love in town.
Lust, CautionLust, Caution · 2007
Lust, Caution
★ 7.32007
MovieActionDrama
During World War II, a secret agent must seduce, then assassinate an official who works for the Japanese puppet government in Shanghai. Her mission becomes clouded when she finds herself falling in love with the man she is assigned to kill.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter