Steve Skafte For such a slow paced documentary, you might at first doubt it's ability to draw you in. Initially, I watched the film because I somehow expected it to be one man's journey into the depths of China. But, no, it's not really about that. Instead of diving into China as a geographical location, "Up the Yangtze" concerns itself with the culture and politics of modern China as it affects the average citizen.Two characters are central to this documentary's narrative. 'Cindy' who lives with her family in a shack beside the rapidly rising river, and 'Jerry' who comes from a higher standard of life in the city. They both find themselves working on a cruise ship which goes up and down the Yangtze river. The passages which deal directly with the ship and ship's passengers are rather revealing. The tourists come off largely as self-absorbed and unimaginative people with far too much money. They seem to all share peculiarly uninterested attitudes. This comes in rather stark contrast to the locals' acute awareness of their situation.There are several interviews throughout the course of the film that reveal a darker side than might first be visible. This is particularly poignant during an interview carried on with a shopkeeper while a heated argument goes on outside.Certain limitations are apparent in such a focused documentary, but it's very interesting and more than worth your attention.RATING: 7.0 out of 10

arzewski Saw it after seeing the bill board of a spectacular image of row boats in a steep and narrow gorge, and thinking it was going to be a beautifully-landscaped documentary, was looking forward for it with great expectations. Turned out to be a dud: it was slow, with many almost-still images. On the other hand, it was interesting to see the personalities of the workers on the ship. But the scenes of the shack along the river, the carrying of furniture and belongings, and the river rising, were just to "classic" documentary style, and just too boring (leave those for public television). I guess, what I am trying to say, when making a documentary, think about addressing an audience of 17-year old. Put some jazzy stuff in it, move it a bit, make it more dynamic. Ironically, this documentary's audience, the mid-aged good-feeling fellas in their mid-50's, is the same population profile that fits the Canadian and American tourists to the boats as shown in the documentary. Maybe they should give copies of this documentary to the tourists...

david-1843 Everybody thinks that, armed with a camera, they can make a film. I thought that the subject matter contained in this particular effort was enough for a 10 minute news special; yet the themes were much more profound. Where was the focus of this film? Was it the dam? Was it the loss of the beautiful gorges of the Yangtze? Was it the seedy exploitation of the Westerners wanting to see the real China? Hard to say. Many shots were condescending and insulting to the protagonists involved, and smacked of immaturity and amateurism. I would have to say that these moments made me hate this film. Audience manipulation par excellence. They could have made a wonderful film with all the material they had but seemed to lack the necessary sensibility. Strange, as I gather the filmmaker has Chinese roots. You would have thought that a greater love of the director's homeland would be in evidence! The audience of my art-house cinema left unmoved. It wasn't just me.

wangyimin999 This cinema masterpiece is experience of Chinese not westerner story. I hope you will go to take in this experience and learn more about middle kingdom. This movie is fair and shows piece of Chinese life. Do not miss this masterpiece. It made me laugh it made me cry. It made me think about my homeland.this is from variety Asia online: "If the title "Up the Yangtze!" suggests "up a creek!," it's no coincidence. China's Three Gorges Dam is considered by many experts to be a full-steam-ahead eco-disaster, but helmer Yung Chang's gorgeous meditation is more concerned with the project's collateral human damage: old farmers evicted, young people in servitude to Western tourists, all brought about by an endeavor whose collective weight may ultimately tilt the Earth's axis. A gloriously cinematic doc of epic, poetic sadness, "Yangtze" should be a hit on the specialized circuit and could break out, thanks to its embrace of irony rather than righteous indignation."i think this review is right. i'm very happy for this film and i think, as a Chinese, it is important to see all of the sides of our story. that way we can grow to learn to be better.