Principal cast
Tony Leung Chiu-wai as Wen-Ching, Hsin Shu-Fen as Wu Kuan Mei / Hinome, Chan Chung-Yung as Wen-Heung, Jack Kao as Wen Leung, and Tai Bo as Ah Jia
About the film
A City of Sadness at a glance.
Screen Path places this 1989 film at stop 199 in one curated journey through cinema. The learning experience adds context before you watch and deeper analysis after.
The story of a family embroiled in the "White Terror," the Kuomintang government's anti-communist political repression that was wrought on the Taiwanese people from 1947-1987.
Key craft credits
Chen Hwai-en (director of photography), Chi-Wah Lau (art direction), and Lam Shung-Man (art direction)
- Director
- Hou Hsiao-hsien
- Release
- 1989-10-21
- Runtime
- 158 minutes
- Genres
- Drama and History
- Country
- Taiwan
- Quiz
- 25 questions
The Screen Path journey
Before. After. Remember.
The featured film is watched outside Screen Path. The app provides the learning experience around it: a guide, an analysis, and a quiz with explanations.
01
Before you watch
Start with a spoiler-free video guide to the context and filmmaking choices worth noticing.
Spoiler-free02
After the film
Return after watching for a deeper video analysis of craft, meaning, and legacy.
Contains spoilers03
Quiz yourself
Answer 25 questions with clear rationales designed to make the ideas stick.
25 questions in this journeyWant to try a complete journey on the web? The Citizen Kane page includes the spoiler-free guide, after-film analysis, and a sample quiz.
Try Citizen Kane →Film data and images provided by TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.