A Tale of the Wind

A Tale of the Wind French Une Histoire de vent is a 1988 French film directed by Joris Ivens and Marceline Loridan. It is also known as A Wind Story. It stars Ivens as he travels in China and tries to capture winds on film, while he reflects on his life and career. The film blends real and fictional elements it ranges from documentary footage to fantastical dream sequences and Peking opera. It was Ivens last film.

An old Chinese man practices martial arts with several younger men in front of a traditional Chinese building. Ivens, who is 90 years old, has been asthmatic since childhood, and asks the man how he manages to breathe so well. The literary character Sun Wukong, in a Peking opera appearance, watches from a tree. The man answers that the secret of breathing lies in the rhythm of the autumn wind. The man begins to dance. Sun Wukong then throws a banana peel before the man, who slips and falls. Ivens helps him up.Ivens visits the Golden Hands Buddha at the Dazu Rock Carvings. Intercut are Chinese landscapes seen from the air and footage of stormy weather. The Leshan Giant Buddha is seen. In the Gobi Desert, the team of technicians set up a camp. Ivens uses an inhaler and is swiftly examined by a doctor. A member of the group says that the wind will not appear for several days. ........

Source: Wikipedia