- The Horse Thief
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The Horse Thief Traditional 盜馬賊 Simplified 盗马贼 Mandarin Dào mǎ zéi Directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang Produced by Wu Tianming Written by Zhang Rui Music by Qu Xiaosong Cinematography Hou Yong
Zhao FeiStudio Xi'an Film Studio Release date(s) 1986 Running time 88 min. Country China Language Mandarin The Horse Thief is a 1986 Chinese film by acclaimed director, Tian Zhuangzhuang. It follows one of Tian's favorite topics, Chinese minorities, a topic he touched upon in 1984's On the Hunting Ground and would return to in 2004's documentary, Delamu. Like these other films, The Horse Thief shows Tian's fascination with China's ethnic minorities, and in particular the Buddhist ceremonies that these peoples practice.
Film director Martin Scorsese listed the film as his favourite from the 1990s on the television show Roger Ebert & the Movies[1] (the film was not widely released in the United States until the 1990s). The Horse Thief was produced by the Xi'an Film Studio.
Plot
The film follows the titular horse thief, Norbu as he struggles to support his family in Tibet. After his son dies, however, Norbu strives to change his ways. Mirroring the starkness of the landscape, the film is nearly free of dialogue, with only the occasional terse exchange between characters.
References
- ^ Ebert & Roeper (2000-02-27), Best Films of the 90s, http://tvplex.go.com/buenavista/ebertandroeper/specials/bestof90s.html, retrieved 2007-11-07
External links
- The Horse Thief at the Internet Movie Database
- The Horse Thief at AllRovi
- The Horse Thief at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Horse Thief at the Chinese Movie Database
Cinema of China 
Films directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang 1980s Red Elephant (1982) • September (1984) • On the Hunting Ground (1985) • The Horse Thief (1986) • Street Players (1987) • Rock 'n' Roll Kids (1988) • Unforgettable Life (1989)1990s Li Lianying: The Imperial Eunuch (1991) • The Blue Kite (1993)2000s Springtime in a Small Town (2001) • Delamu (2004) • The Go Master (2006) • The Warrior and the Wolf (2009)Shorts Our Corner (1980) •
The Courtyard (1980)Categories:- Chinese films
- 1986 films
- 1980s drama films
- Films directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang
- Chinese film stubs
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