- Country: China
- Genres: Drama, Music, Romance
- Release: 1991-01-10 (USA), 1991-09-08 (Toronto Film Festival), 1991-09-29 (New York Film Festival), 1992-02-23 (Berlin International Film Festival), 1992-03-18 (France), 1992-06-12 (Denmark), 1992-07-24 (Portugal), 1992-08-28 (Netherlands), 1992-09-04 (Sweden), 1992-09-12 (Japan), 1993-03-01 (Hong Kong), 1993-11-26 (Australia), 1996-07-07 (Finland)
- Director: Chen Kaige
- Writers: Chen Kaige , Shi Tiesheng
- Language: Mandarin
- Stars: Zhongyuan Liu , Huang Lei , Xu Qing , Yao Er Ga , Ma Ling , Jinzhan Zhang , Zhengyuan Zhang , Zhengyuan Zhang , Ling Zhong
- Runtime: 110 min
- Awards: 2 wins & 1 nomination
- AKA: A Vida por Uma Corda (Portugal, Portuguese Republic) , Life on a String (United Kingdom) , Hoppets strängar (Sweden) , A Vida Por Um Fio (Brazil) , Life on a String (United States of America) , La vie sur un fil (France, French Republic) , Жизнь на струне (Russian Federation) , Die Weissagung des Meisters (Germany) , La vita appesa a un filo (Italy) , Życie na strunie (Poland) , 人生は琴の弦のように (Japan) , Spådommen (Denmark) , Life on a String , Bian zou bian chang , Life on a String (Spain) , Az ezredik húr (Hungary) , Bian zou bian chang (China) , Life on a String , Håpets strenger (Norway)A Vida por Uma Corda, Az ezredik húr, Bian zou bian chang, Die Weissagung des Meisters, Hoppets strängar, La vie sur un fil, Spådommen, Zycie na strunie, 断了的弦, 边走边唱
- Plot:
Two blind men pursue ephemeral and unlikely hopes. One is an aged master, a wandering troubador venerated as a saint, in physical decline, waiting to break his 1,000th banjo string, an event his own master promised years before would bring him sight. The other is his apprentice, Shidou, who longs for a woman’s love and is enchanted with the radiant and spirited Lanxiu. The two men are encamped outside Lanxiu’s village, the saint using his energy and voice to bring peace between warring factions. Does sight await the saint when the 1000th string breaks? Can Shidou’s strength of character overcome provincial prejudice to win the hand of Lanxiu and a place in the village?
- IMDB:tt0101440
Life on a String Cast · · · ALL
Chen Kaige
Director
Liu Zhong Yuan
Old Master
Xu Qing
Lanxiu
Huang Lei
Shitou
Ma Ling
Noodle Stall Owner's Wife
Jin Zhan Zhang
Lanxiu's Father