Pushing Hands
Original price was: $34.95.$27.99Current price is: $27.99.
Price: $34.95 - $27.99
(as of Jan 04, 2025 21:54:03 UTC – Details)
Having just moved from Beijing, elderly tai chi master Mr. Chu (Sihung Lung) struggles to adjust to life in New York, living with his Americanized son Alex (Ye-tong Wang). Chu immediately butts heads with his put-upon white daughter-in-law, Martha (Deb Snyder), a writer who seems to blame him for her own paralyzing inability to focus. But when Chu begins teaching tai chi at a local school, his desire to make a meaningful connection comes to fruition in the most unexpected of ways. Pushing Hands is the debut film from Oscar-winning director Ang Lee, forming the first chapter in his “Father Knows Best” trilogy, which depicts the tensions between the traditional Confucian values of the older generation and the realities of modern life. Co-written by collaborator James Schamus, Pushing Hands was selected by the 1992 Berlin International Film Festival and won three Golden Horse Awards, paving the way for Lee’s worldwide success with films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain. Presented in a new 2K restoration.
MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
Package Dimensions : 7.56 x 5.35 x 0.67 inches; 2.72 ounces
Director : Ang Lee
Media Format : NTSC, Subtitled
Run time : 1 hour and 45 minutes
Release date : May 10, 2022
Actors : Sihung Lung, Lai Wang, Bozhao Wang, Deb Snyder
Studio : Film Movement
ASIN : B09WYY1FS4
Country of Origin : USA
Number of discs : 1
Frank –
Warm and Amusing film!
As my wife is Chinese, the story of a Father coming to live in the US resonates with me. I understand the cultural differences and the difficulty of Mandarin for English speakers, and English for Mandarin speakers – though I goy along very well with my mother-in-law on an extended visit. I especially enjoyed the tai chi scenes because my PhD adviser teaches tai chi, and I attended some of his classes. Heinsists that “pushing hands” should be “sensing hands” – makes sense, but Ang Lee’s title works well for English speakers who don’t know tai chi.I don’t think Ang Lee has dver made a bad film!This is a good one.
Cheng-Tao Chen –
If you are an immigrant, you should see this movie
The story that director Ang Lee tries to tell in this movie truly reflects what asian family is about and potential conflicts with western culture. Asian people (especially for son) always have responsibility to take care of their parents when they get older, under the same roof. This works well in Asia countries where this is a norm, but not in western country like US. Is there a solution for this potential conflict? Let Ang Lee tells you in this movie.
liber8 –
What can i say? Ang Lee is a god with a human touch!
I can’t think of another director like Ang Lee, in that his films are so vastly different from each other yet all are so great, each in their own unique way.Like many of his films (including Crouching Tiger), this one stars Sihung Lung, a great Chinese actor who unfortunately died of liver failure last month (May 2002) after filming “The Touch.” He is amazing to watch, as usual, and plays very credibly in Pushing Hands as a Tai Chi master who moves to New York City to live with his son, his son’s tightly strung Euro-American daughter in law and their bilingual child.The “parent immigrates to live with children and doesn’t fit in” story has been told many ways in many films, but somehow i doubt many of the rest of them are this human, this insightful, or this delightfully humorous.It’s really hard for one who hasn’t seen Pushing Hands to imagine from the title, the tagline, the trailer and reviews what makes this film great, because what makes it great is Ang Lee, his constant writing companion James Schamus (also of Crouching Tiger fame), and the great acting, led by Sihung Lung.If you’re not already a fan of Ang Lee’s other work besides Crouching Tiger (i.e. Eat Drink Man Woman, The Wedding Banquet, et al), then you might want to rent this one before you buy it, but if you already know you love Ang Lee, it’s worth the purchase.
William J. Long –
Thoughtful, Wise, But Still Fun.
This family/culture clash drama, with true-to-life and highly sympathetic characters, has a lot to teach about loneliness, frustration and human relations – and just the right amount of comic, controlled violence! I wanted to watch it for the martial angle, which was rather understated – got involved in the wonderful storytelling, instead – and then the taiji mastery came BACK and did so in a very satisfying way. But it’s the human story that stays with me.Great film.
“srgranger” –
Great Movie too bad they didn’t treat the DVD well.
Who thinks that the intelligent niche audience that would go see a non-Hollywood film would appreciate the sides being chopped off? This is one film that only an idiot would think did not need to be done in a widescreen format. This is DVD guys wake up! Great film though. Really touching and made me want to call all my elderly family when I got home. I have yet to see an Ang Lee film that isn’t worth a Special Edition version. Another wonderful film by a master.
Asian American History Buff –
anyone can do this… you just need to know how, and that knowledge is in this book
If you never heard of “Pushing Hands”, read this book, then start practicing. Find yourself a partner, and start slow and easy at first. Speed and Strength will come later on, so be patient. Remember, “The Longest Journey begins with Taking The First Step… “.
Frankie –
I have seen it before, somehow I have forgotten.
This movie chips away at my heart, I have a curiosity for a culture that I feel is missing. The tip of the iceberg is shown in all of the scenes, I now know that I am the one lacking of Chinese culture. I wish we had a million hybrid movies to express this love and perspectives to all beings of earth. I think I learned a lot when I have only opened a brief invitation.
Carno Polo –
Tthoroughly enjoyable and very perceptive. Strongly recommended.
Another great movie by Ang Lee and superb interpretation by Sihung Lung. The eternal problem of how do deal with our elders. Difficult to keep them at home with our spouses, yet difficult to abandon them in a hospice for old people. It can be a lose-lose situation. Or it can be a win-win situation if all concerned make an effort. In the end, in this movie, the grandfather successfully blends his need to keep in touch with son and grandson, but without interfereing in their lives too much.As always with Ang lee and Sihung Lung, food and cooking plays out all along the film. It is a healthy reminder of the central role food and eating together plays in family life in any culture. Tai chi is not a central part of this movie, and therefore I’d say the title is a bit out of context. Also, some of the fighting scenes where old Sihung Lung beats dozens of younger men while practically standing still are a bit exaggerated!The movie is set in the US with a Chinese protagonist, and as such does provide insights into the problematic meeting of Western and Eastern minds, though the issues it addresses are really universal. Strongly recommended.