EN
The author interprets – an often neglected film by Tian Zhuangzhuang (1987). The movie was made soon after poor reception of the director’s two avant-garde works, when he decided to complete several mainstream projects. Tian Zhuangzhuang himself did not really care about them too much. However, the author of the article discovers that the movie The Drum Singers, adapted from a novel by the outstanding writer Lao She, includes elements of the director’s mature style and also several of his favourite subjects. The author’s aim is to rediscover this forgot-ten masterpiece and discuss its artistic qualities.