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Chinese Cinema | 
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China has exported some of the most dazzling and innovative feature films of recent decades, and many Chinese film directors and actors have become internationally famous as a result. The page offers a partial list of the more notable Chinese language videos and DVDs in the Wilmette Public Library Collection. Chang, Yi-mou. [Dir.] Red Sorghum. 1988 VHS Foreign Films Based upon the Yan Mo stories "Red Sorghum" and "Sorghum Wine", "Red Sorghum" tells the story a young woman sent by her father to marry the leprous owner of a rural winery in 1930s China. In the nearby sorghum fields she falls for (or is "felled" by) one of his servants. When the master dies, she inherits the winery, and with his former servants plots to rebel against a company of Japanese invaders. "Red Sorghum" was the first modern Chinese film to be released commercially in the United States. Starring Gong Li, Wen Jiang and Rujun Ten. (In Mandarin with English subtitles.)
[Note: Director Yi-mou Chang's name is variously rendered in pinyin as I-mou Chang, Yimou Zhang and Yi-Mou Zhang. He is also the director of "The Road Home," "Hero," and "House of Flying Daggers."]
Chuan, Lu. [Dir.] Mountain Patrol. 2004 DVD Foreign Films This remarkable film, based upon true events, chronicles the activities of the Kekexili Mountain Patrol, a Tibetan vigilante group sworn to capture or kill the poachers responsible for decimating the sacred antelope of the Kekexili region. Starring Duo Bujie, Zhang Le, Qi Liang and Xueying Zhao.
Hao, Ning. [Dir.] Mongolian Ping Pong. 2005 DVD Foreign Films Set in the remote and expansive Mongolian grasslands, this charming film follows the adventures of a group of young boys who discover a ping pong ball floating in a small creek. Never having seen a ping pong ball, they first guess that it is a bird's egg, or possibly a magic pearl. The story traces the boys' physical and imaginative journeys as they strive to discover the origin and nature of this foreign-seeming object. Starring Hurichabilike, Dawa, Geliban, Badema, Yidexinnanbu. (In Mongolian with English subtitles.)
Jiang, Xiao. [Dir.] Electric Shadows. 2005 DVD Foreign Films A delivery man crashes his bicycle into a mysterious young woman, sending her to the hospital for treatment of her injuries. After agreeing to feed her fish while she is hospitalized, he discovers her journal, which reveals her passion for the movies as well as an account of her unhappy youth. The journal also reveals information that wil bring resolution to painful childhood events in which both young people played a part. Starring Xia Yu, Jiang Yihong, Jiang Shan and Niu Zhenhua.
Kaige, Chen. [Dir.] Farewell My Concubine. 1993 DVD Foreign Feature One of the most astounding films to come out of China, Farewell My Concubine follows the lives of two lead performers in the Peking Opera, and of the woman who threatens their personal and professional relationship. Epic in scale and provocative in its imagery, the story is told against the backdrop of the Japanese invasion, civil war and the Cultural Revolution. Starring Leslie Cheung, Zhang Fengyi and Gong Li. Based upon the novel by Bihua Li. (In Mandarin with English subtitles.)
Lee, Ang. [Dir.] Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. 2000 DVD Foreign Feature The theft of the Green Destiny sword launches a breathtaking quest as Li Mu Bai -- embittered by the loss of his magical jade sword -- seeks to regain it and to win the heart of Yu Shu Lien. His challenge is further complicated by the involvement of a mysterious assassin whose story becomes entwined with that of Li and Yu. Starring Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi. (In Mandarin with English subtitles.)
Wong, Kar-Wai. [Dir.] In the Mood for Love. 2000 DVD Foreign Films After moving into a new building with their respective spouses, Chow Mo-Wan and Su Li-zhen become friends while their spouses are away. After they discover that their spouses are having an affair, they agree not to have an affair themselves, but to remain chaste although each is attracted to the other. This atmospheric film is set in Hong Kong in the early 60s, and stars Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung. (In Mandarin with English subtitles).
Ying, Ye. [Dir.] Red Cherry. 1995 VHS Foreign Feature This harrowing film, based upon a true story, depicts the horrors of war as seen through children's eyes. Two orphans, Chuchu and Lu Xiaoman, are sent away to a school in the Soviet Union just before the Nazi invasion. Left to their own resources, Chuchu and Lu must face deprivation and chaos in order to survive. Starring Ke-Yu Guo and Xiaoling Xu. (In Mandarin with English subtitles.)
Zhang, Yimou. [Dir.] Hero. 2002 DVD/VHS Foreign Feature This colorful epic is set during the "Warring States" period immediately prior to the establishment of the Qin Dynasty and the unification of China. The elaborate plot tells the story of a nameless warrior who seeks to avenge the massacre of his people and to assassinate the King of Qin. Starring Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Chueng and Zhang Ziyi. (In Mandarin with English subtitles.)
Zhang, Yimou. [Dir.] The Road Home. 2001 DVD Foreign Films Luo Yusheng returns from the city to the rural village where he was born to attend the burial of his father, a beloved school teacher. Despite enormous hardships, his mother insists that the traditional burial procession be observed, as it is believed that a body interred this way will never forget the road home. As Yusheng makes arrangements, the story of his parents' youthful courtship is recounted and he learns that -- in a time of arranged marriages -- theirs was the first marriage in the village to have been based upon love. Starring Zhang Ziyi and Sun Honglei. (In Mandarin with English subtitles.)
Zhang, Yimou. [Dir.] House of Flying Daggers. 2005 DVD/VHS Foreign Films Set in the era of the Tang Dynasty, this film tells the story of Mei, a beautiful dancer who is believed to be connected to a revolutionary gang called "The House of Flying Daggers," and of Leo, the government official who plots to use Mei to lead him to the gang's inner circle. From the director of "Hero" and "Curse of the Golden Flower." Starring Zhang Ziyi, Takesha Kaneshiro and Andy Lau. (In Mandarin with English subtitles.)
Zhang, Yimou. [Dir.] To Live. 1994 VHS Foreign Feature This extraordinary movie traces the fortunes of husband and wife Fugui and Jiazhen over the course of several years during which they experience the challenges of separation, financial reversals, political twists and personal loss. Set against the volatile backdrop of the Japanese invasion, the civil war and the Cultural Revolution, the film celebrates the power of persistance, trust and compassion to protect against the often tragic vicissitudes of life. Because of its strong anti-Communist stand, actress Gong Li and director Yimou Zhang were prohibited from working together for two years, and banned from speaking publicly about the film. Also starring Ge You as Fugui. (In Mandarin with English subtitles).
Created 01/16/07 by Brian Myers
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