Summary:
Beijing, 1902: an enterprising young portrait photographer named Liu Jinglun, keen on new technology, befriends a newly-arrived Englishman who's brought projector, camera, and Lumière-brothers' shorts to open the Shadow Magic theater. Liu's work with Wallace brings him conflict with tradition and his father's authority, complicated by his falling in love with Ling, daughter of Lord Tan, star of Beijing's traditional opera. Liu sees movies as his chance to become wealthy and worthy of Ling. When the Shadow Magic pair are invited to show the films to the Empress Dowager, things look good. But, is disaster in the script? And, can movies preserve tradition even as they bring change?
| Runtime: | 115 min |
|---|---|
| Rating: | Rated PG for brief mild language. |
| Production: | Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen |
| Genres: | Drama, History, Romance |
| Countries: | USA, China, Taiwan, Germany |
| Languages: | English, Mandarin |
| Home Release Date: | Sep 11, 2001 |
| Director | Credit |
|---|---|
| Ann Hu | Director |
| Writer | Credit |
|---|---|
| Ann Hu | Writer |
| Bob McAndrew | Writer |
| Dan Huang | Writer |
| Huaizhuo Liu | Writer |
| Kate Raisz | Writer |
| Louyi Tang | Writer |
| Shiqiang Zuo | Writer |
| Yixiong Chen | Writer |
| Principal Cast | Credit |
|---|---|
| Jared Harris | Raymond Wallace |
| Yu Xia | Liu Jinglun (Liu Zhonglun) |
| Cast | Credit |
|---|---|
| Bin Li | Empress Ci Xi |
| Chuang Cheng | Mi Hu |
| Jingming Wang | Old Liu |
| Liping Lü | Madame Ren |
| Peiqi Liu | Master Ren (Ren JingFeng) |
| Qi Mu | Jewelry Tower |
| Qingzhuo Fang | Widow Jiang |
| Yufei Xing | Ling |
| Yukui Zhang | Lao Chang |
| Yusheng Li | Lord Tan (Tan Xinpei) |
| Zhongwei Zheng | Fu Guan |
| Producer | Credit |
|---|---|
| Albert Xiaoming | Associate Producer |
| Ann Hu | Producer |
| Charles Xue | Executive Producer |
| Cho Moon | Associate Producer |
| Eitan Hakami | Executive Producer |
| Katia Milani | Executive Producer |
| Sandra Schulberg | Co-Producer |
| Sanping Han | Executive Producer |
| Shun-Ching Chiu | Executive Producer |
| Steve Chang | Executive Producer |
| Tobin Heminway | Associate Producer |
| Ulrich Felsberg | Executive Producer |
| Xia Zhang | Co-Producer |
| Xiaobing Rao | Associate Producer |
| You-ning Lee | Co-Producer |
| Zheng Cheng | Co-Producer |
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