Journey of the Bonesetter's Daughter follows the creation of the San Francisco Opera's celebrated production of The Bonesetter's Daughter, based on Amy Tan's bestselling book of the same name. An ambitious, cross-cultural tour de force that brings together artists from China and the U.S, the opera tells a deeply moving story about the difficult but unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters - inspired by Tan's own family history.
Through intimate behind-the-scenes footage, this film captures the challenges and triumphs of a collaboration with such high emotional and artistic stakes. American composer Stewart Wallace's score integrates a Western orchestra with Chinese musicians performing on traditional instruments; Chinese opera director Chen Shi-Zheng uses virtuoso acrobats and lush video to add visual drama. As the production is mounted with more than 300 cast and crew, librettist Tan grapples with how best to capture and preserve the emotional truth of her family story in the drama unfolding on stage.
Extras include
- Extended interviews with Amy Tan and Stewart Wallace
- Mezzo-soprano Zheng Cao discusses immigrating to the U.S. and getting started in opera
- Behind the scenes with acrobats training in China
Producer: Monica Lam
Production Year: 2011
Director: David Petersen
Discs: 1
Subtitles: Y
Subtitle Language: English (SDH)
DVI: Y
Audio Format: 5.1 Surround
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 Widescreen