I saw this movie in Singapore in about 1979 and went back to watch it a second time right away, I enjoyed it so much. It's a re-telling of a legend, so don't expect total realism. The plot is easy to check out by Googling, since it's a traditional, well-loved tale of the Sani people, a subset of the Yi people. The love story is touching, and there's lots for the eye in the people, costumes, and way of life. But best of all for me was the music. It's just wonderful! I wish I could find this movie on DVD. I wish I could find the sound track on CD.
According to Wikipedia, Ashima is the first colour film of the People's Republic of China. The uploader of several clips of Ashima to YouTube says that Ashima and two other films were Chou En-Lai's attempt to move Chinese films away from strict doctrinaire, ideological subjects, but that when Mao's wife prevailed over him, the negative was put away and allowed to degrade badly.
According to Wikipedia, Ashima is the first colour film of the People's Republic of China. The uploader of several clips of Ashima to YouTube says that Ashima and two other films were Chou En-Lai's attempt to move Chinese films away from strict doctrinaire, ideological subjects, but that when Mao's wife prevailed over him, the negative was put away and allowed to degrade badly.
