Liechang Zhasa
1984 - China - 76 min. - Feature, Color
AKA: On the Hunting Ground / The Rules of Hunting
AMG Rating: **** (High Artistic Quality, High Historical Importance)
Director: Tian Zhuangzhuang
Screenwriter: Jiang Hao
Cinematographer: Hou Yong, Lv Le
Genre: Avant-garde / Experimental, Drama, Rural Drama
Tones: Lurid, Disturbing, Gruesome
Country: China
Set In: Mongolia
Language: Mongolian (very few even you dont need at all)
Produced by: Inner Mongolia Film Studio
imdb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087841/
allmovie: http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:180926
Tian Zhuangzhuang's biography: http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/2246/2005-1 ... 193093.htm
Tian's portrait of the herdsmen of the Inner Mongolian steppes centres on the ancient code (the zasag) which governs their lives as hunter gatherers. Much of the film could easily pass for documentary, alternating domestic scenes with hunting scenes in which numerous small, furry animals are blasted with shotguns. The very minimal plot concerns a huntsman who infringes the code and is required to do both social and religious penance; the complete absence of explanations has rendered the film opaque to most audiences. But it's clear enough that Tian is (as in Horse Thief) interested in the contrast between living by a code and trangressing it - and it's not much of a stretch to see this as an alienated metaphor for his own generation's faith in, and later rejection of, Maoism.
This docudrama about a dispute in Inner Mongolia between two hunters comes from mainland China, which has regularly been accused of human rights abuses. In this film, animals such as deer are shot through with arrows and torn apart by hunting dogs, their fear and agonizing deaths caught for the camera. The director Zhuangzhuang Tian, scriptwriter Hao Jiang) and others responsible for this film appear to take these killings in stride. With underpar acting thrown into the bargain, there is not much to recommend Liechang Zhasha. — Eleanor Mannikka
This movie had created a huge storm in China, not so much because of the content of the movie, but where it was shot:
The site selected was a provincial natural reserve, which is equivalent to the protected area for endangered/threatened species at the state level. Although it is not at federal/national level, natural reserves like this are still entitled to every status like those national/federal natural reserves, and the only difference was that the majority of the funds are from provincial level, instead of national/federal level.
Under the excuse of economic development, the local officials ignored the environmental protection law and openly breaking the law by allowing the natural reserve to be used in the filming of this movie, so that the local government could make a big buck.
This true story behind the camera resulted in much greater drama in the real life by triggering series of debate, but the question was still left unanswered:
Half of the income paid by the movie company were indeed put into funds for this natural reservation, and the amount is already more than the annual budget. The local government claimed that by doing so, it would make up for the problem of inadequate funding and thus protecting the natural reserve better. However, most people believed that such practice is actually destructive because it ruined the natural environment first, and the rebuild later would never be able to return the natural reserve to its original state.
The dilemma is still lingering in China long after it first appeared by the shooting of this movie and there is still not a perfect answer.
Screenshot:
NOTE: When dutch director Joris Ivens saw "On the Hunting Ground" and "The Horse Thief" many years ago, he said Tian will become the greatest filmmaker of late 20th century, now do you think he is?
Although "On the Hunting Ground" is not Tian's first film, his "September" (1984) was made before but never released, yet OTHG is definitely his first groundbreaking film. This is the most horrible yet powerful chinese film I've ever seen, far away from those contemporary 5th generation films' style. It's a truly crazy film when I saw the scenes the blood poured down from the deer's mouth and the hunter cut off its head...I really closed my eye. This film made a huge debate in china and was banned in a long time, I thought it should be buried underground till everybody forgot it, but the fact is it came out and screened on TV! Just yesterday! So very lucky I recorded it.Warning all killing scenes and characters are real, no fake, no professional actors. Not recommend to everyone. If you are a real animal protector or zoophilist, please avoid this film.
Tian Zhuangzhuang - Liechang Zhasa - On the Hunting Ground (1984) RARE TVRIP by auess.avi 
Tian.Zhuangzhuang.-.On.the.Hunting.Ground.(93.sentences).ENG.SCRIPT.srt 
Thanks auess 
