An Old Man and His Dog
{{Infobox film
| name = An Old Man and His Dog
| image = An Old Man and His Dog poster.jpg
| caption =
| native_name = 老人与狗
| director = Xie Jin
| writer = {{Plainlist}}
- Zhun Li
- Zhang Xianliang
{{Endplainlist}}
| based_on = {{based on|邢老汉和狗的故事 ({{abbr|trans.|translation}} The Story of Old Man Xing and the Dog)|Zhang Xianliang}}
| producer = Zhigu Cheng
| starring = {{Plainlist}}
{{Endplainlist}}
| editing = Chunbao Wei
| music = Yongji Wang
| released = {{Film date|1993}}
| runtime = 90 minutes
| country = China
| language = Mandarin
}}
An Old Man and His Dog ({{Lang-zh|s=老人与狗|p=lǎorényǔgǒu}}) is a 1993 Chinese drama film directed by Xie Jin which stars Xie Tian, Baocheng Gao, Jin Meng, Siqin Gaowa, and Feng Enhe. It is based on the novel of the same name by Zhang Xianliang.{{Cite news |date=4 June 2022 |title=老人与狗的背后：主人动手，恶狗吃肉，拍完谢晋电影后人狗皆枪毙 |trans-title=Behind the Old Man and the Dog: The owner took action and the evil dog ate the meat. After filming Xie Jin's movie, both the man and the dog were shot. |url=https://k.sina.cn/article_7402571598_1b93a474e001017vly.html?from=ent&subch=film |access-date=21 February 2024 |work=Sina Corporation |language=zh}} Set in the 1970s, the story revolves around Xing Laohan (Xie), and his relationship with a young lady (Siqin).
The film gained notoriety for featuring serial killer and dog breeder Cheng Peng in the film as a body double for Xie, along with including Cheng's dogs, which he fed his victim's remains to. The film was banned for two decades after its release upon the discovery of Cheng's crimes, although the ban was rescinded sometime in the 2010s.
Plot
In the 1970s, in the countryside in Northwestern China, Xing Laohan (Xie Tian) is a bachelor who lives alone with only his dog for company. A woman (Siqin Gaowa) arrives one day, begging Xing for food. Her hometown had just been destroyed following a natural disaster, and the townspeople there were starving. Xing allows her to stay and provides her with food. During her time there, Xing feels happy to have company again. However, the woman is worried about her family back home, especially because she left without their permission. She eventually gets word that her family's conditions there have only worsened, and she leaves to head back to her hometown as she worries over them, especially over her fourteen-year-old daughter. Xing is distraught following her departure and, as she leaves, his village puts out a notice ordering all dogs to be killed for food. He loses both his dog and the woman by the time winter arrives. One winter morning, his neighbours check up on him and find him dead in his house.
Cast
- Xie Tian as Xing Laohan{{Cite book |last=Marion |first=Donald J. |title=The Chinese Filmography |publisher=McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers |year=1997 |isbn=9781476605425 |publication-date=16 October 2024 |pages=423}}
- Siqin Gaowa as Kuang Yuqing/Nunu
- Baocheng Gao as Wei Laohan
- Feng Enhe as Director Wei Tiangui
- Jin Meng as Ma Shanpo
Controversy
{{Main|Cheng Peng (serial killer)}}
In March 1993, during filming, Xie Jin struggled with finding a dog suitable for An Old Man And His Dog so he unknowingly approved Cheng Peng, a serial killer, and one of his dogs.{{Cite web |date=13 April 2020 |title=宁夏"狗食人"案：主人杀人恶犬吃肉，被处决前还参演过电影 |website=Sohu |trans-title=Ningxia "dog cannibalism" case: the owner murdered and fed his victims to his vicious dog, and also participated in a movie before being executed |url=https://www.sohu.com/a/387536317_393726 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220412110423/https://www.sohu.com/a/387536317_393726 |archive-date=12 April 2022}} He allowed Cheng to stay on set and help his dog perform in some of the scenes, with the payoff that he was cast as the body double for the main actor, Xie Tian, being filmed in some of the scenes in which the protagonist rides on horseback.{{Cite web |date=22 July 2020 |title=《老人与狗》为何被禁27年？恶狗吃过人肉，凶手拍完电影后 ... |trans-title=Why was The Old Man and the Dog banned for 27 years? The evil dog ate human flesh, and after the murderer finished filming the movie... |url=https://www.sohu.com/a/409020850_99892961 |access-date=24 January 2024 |website=Sohu |language=zh}}{{Cite news |date=20 March 2022 |title=1993年,他带狗参演电影《老人与狗》,拍完后人狗都被判处了死刑 |trans-title=In 1993, he took his dog to participate in the movie The Old Man and the Dog. After the filming, both humans and dogs were sentenced to death. |url=https://k.sina.cn/article_6971671462_19f8b43a6001010a3f.html?from=mood |access-date=21 February 2024 |work=Sina Corporation |language=zh}} Later when it was discovered that Cheng was a serial killer, the film was banned for two decades after its release, but the ban was rescinded sometime during the 2010s.
References
External links
- {{IMDb title|0185415|An Old Man and His Dog}}
{{Xie Jin}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Old Man and His Dog}}