Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day (1996)
The Yosemite Valley Railroad, which runs through the breathtaking scenery and stunning vistas of Yosemite National Park, is on the brink of failure. The grandson of a Chinese railroad laborer embarks on a romantic, but ultimately doomed, quest to save this railroad from being sold for scrap. His love of trains finds him working as a railroad-man, instead of at his father's profitable business. He manages to locate a wealthy eccentric investor to help him acquire the railroad, but its financial inviability makes this a quixotic reprieve, at best. The film also portrays the anti-Asian racism present in America at the conclusion of World War II.
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Very best movie i ever watch
Powerful
Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
One of the most subtly moving films I have ever seen.It doesn't tell you what to think, it doesn't tell you what to feel; it doesn't tell you anything at all. And for some people that is unbearable. But, it gives you everything.This film, widely forgotten by many yet passionately loved by a few, ends with a poem which has proved presciently self-referential:Lo! some we loved, the loveliest and best That Time and Fate of all their Vintage prest, Have drunk their Cup a Round or two before, And one by one crept silently to Rest. --The Rubaiyat of Omar KhayyamI am glad films like this were once able to be made. Perhaps they still can be made, I don't know. This one is a beautiful gem.
I really wanted to like this movie. The visuals are spectacular and the filler shots of vintage Los Angeles are amazing. A lot of work and care went into crafting all of the visuals, from the scenery to props and the whole railroad itself. The story has some serious possibility, even being based on an actual railway (the Yosemite Valley RR did exist and ended operations in 1945 and an 18 yr old kid named John McFadden who worked at the Pacific Electric Railway DID try to save the RR). But, alas, that's where it ends. The acting was painfully flat and almost felt like a first reading of a script at a high school play. None of the characters were even very compelling, except the YVRR itself. There were a couple of throw away scenes that depicted the racism against Asians, but they could have easily landed on the cutting room floor with no loss to the movie. The soundtrack is appropriate, but the abysmal acting kills this movie. It breaks my heart to say it, but with just better acting and a slightly better script and you have a great love letter to railroading history.
Black and white film making is elevated into the heavens with Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day. The story of a young Chinese- American struggling to resurrect the historic Yosemite Valley Railroad is a visual treasure. Unlike the brilliant black and white DP's of film noir, this film gives new energy to the screen. The slow pace of the story might put off some, but the pace is perfect for allowing the viewer to look behind the action at the lush setting of the Yosemite park.
Film begin with quote taken from Matthew 13:46. "Who, When he had found one Pearl of Great Price, went and sold all that he had and brought it."Very moving railroadmania theme, particular with revolving familiar Los Angeles scene, ie. Los Angeles Passenger Union Terminal (LAPUT) name. Pacific Electric's downtown streetcar routes which aren't there anymore and maintenance shop is a rare interesting layout. Right theme and excellent scope on begone Southern Pacific Railroad (also owned Pacific Electric) exposing former corporate culture. Good job, I think, with historical restoration and award-winning 1996 Sundance Cinematography Award led me to wrongly believe that this film took place in 1950's, era which part of nationwide customary act to abandon railroad lines. Great film to watch those with an entrepreneurial mind with preservation cause.