what are the "essential" Chinese movies (e.g. To Live, Raise the Red Lantern, etc.) (1 Viewer)

[VincentY]

thanks for all your suggestions. i now have a modest lil collection of chinese dvds! it is a good genre to have in my collection.

i have a few wu xia (kung fu) ones, some zhang yimou (not ones like raise the red lantern, which i can rent from any rental store around the corner), some humor (God of Cookery, etc.), and a couple of contemporary ones that were recommended for me.

any additional suggestions will be much appreciated!

 

[Peter Kim]

Farewell My Concubine (Chen Kaige)

Comrades, Almost a Love Story (Peter Chan)

Eat, Drink, Man, Woman (Ang Lee)

Autumn Moon (Clara Law)

 

[andrew markworthy]

I think it's worth noting that if you just look at 'Chinese cinema' in terms of Red Lantern, Yellow Earth et al, you're looking at the creme de la creme of arthouse movies. It'd be like a Chinese equivalent of HTF saying 'for Western movies, try Citizen Kane, Belle et la Bete, the Three Colours Trilogy' etc. Of course the movies in question are superb, but bear in mind that they're not exactly demographically representative.

If you want to have a look at a wide range of Chinese movies, try http://www.dddhouse.com/cms/dddhouse/en/index.jsp.

 

[VincentY]

andrew,

a very "worthy" comment.

then, may i adjust my question slightly and sub-divide Chinese cinema into sub genres: chinese drama, chinese action, Hong Kong drama, Hong Kong action/contemporary action, Hong Kong humor.

what would be the "top picks" within those catagories?

thanks!

 

[Jean-Michel]

Jia Zhang-ke's Platform is perhaps the best Chinese film I have ever seen. Unfortunately it has not been released in the U.S. (although I hear it will be playing in New York this spring and may expand elsewhere), but Artificial Eye is releasing it on DVD next week in the UK for those of you with region-free players.

 

[Gary_Morris]

King of Masks (Wu Tianming) is probably the most touching Chinese film I've ever seen. It's a great story, great acting and some wonderful scenery. It's always the first film I recommend to anyone interested in Chinese cinema.

 

[Brendan Brown]

I'll suggest Takashi Miike films but only if you have the stomach for them

'Audition' represents the most flagrant breach-of-contract between filmmaker and audience...delightful.

 

[Tim Fleming]

I'll suggest Takashi Miike films but only if you have the stomach for them

If only he were Chinese and not Japanese

 

[Brendan Brown]

aargh, misread the title! oh well, watch 'em anyway

 

[VincentY]

Gary,

is the king of masks only available on 1.33 aspect ratio?
do you know where to find a widescreen version?

thanks.

 

[Gary_Morris]

The Region 1 Columbia/Tristar release is only available in 1.33. I've seen imported Region 0 versions on ebay that are supposed to be letterboxed. I can't vouch for their quality or authenticity though.

 

[Ted Lee]

pretty funny...i just asked the same question over the weekend. i listed some of my favorites at the very top:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=125609

 

[Ted Lee]

btw - is shaolin soccer available in the US for rental? i haven't seen it anywhere...

 

[Jean-Michel]

btw - is shaolin soccer available in the US for rental? i haven't seen it anywhere...

Unless you have a store nearby that specializes in HK/Asian DVDs, you're probably out of luck on that one.

 

[Ken Stuart]

I hate the whole concept of "essential" anything.

It is just a way of saying "I am uncomfortable with the vast amount of art that is produced, and I want some sort of authority to tell me that I don't have to bother with 99% of it".

For example, I have seen a great number of avant-garde films, and a good number of Chinese films, and I thought that the aforementioned (and oft-mentioned) "Ashes of Time" was a complete waste of the couple of hours I spent watching it. However, I know that there are other people who feel just the opposite about the film. Since my life is possibly entirely different than theirs, what I value is quite different than what they value - which is just fine, and makes things more interesting...

 

[VincentY]

maybe essential anything might not the the best way to put it, but for me, just starting my collection 3 weeks ago, some advice is very helpful, and i really thanks all you guys to have helped me so far.

i have a nice lil collection now, and only after 3-4 weeks!

all your advice has helped me focus on some of your favorite dvds!

 

[Jason GT]

To Ted Lee:

I understand that Sacramento has a large Chinese population?! In any event, you should be able to find it in San Francisco.

Also, you'll find that HK DVDs tend to be very inexpensive relative to NA discs. For example, buying Shaolin Soccer online from an HK Etailer like dddhouse will set you back just $10 USD (plus shipping). If you have a list of movies you want to check out, it may be worth it to order 5 or so of them at once to save on shipping.

 

[Lin Weiwen]

Vincent, you should also check out The Road Home and Shanghai Triad too by Zhang Yimou. Do not give HERO a miss too!! The film has splendid cinematography that will blow you away!!

Tian Zhuang Zhuang's The Blue Kite is a must watch too!!

I remember watching this particular film in a cinema with my parents when I was very young. The film plays out the childhood and youth periods of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung in their Chinese opera troupe days. They got some kid who looks a little like Jackie to act in his role. And yup, some plump fellow played young Sammo. Sammo Hung himself stars in the film as the opera troupe's master who runs a strict hand over his tutelage. The film's rather good and definitely worth a watch. Oh yes..the title is Painted Faces or in Chinese "Qi Xiao Fu"(literally:The Seven Lucky Ones).Can't seem to recall who the director was though.

 

[Ted Lee]

thx for the tip jason. there are quite a few asians in sac, so maybe i'll make a trip...otherwise s.f. is only about an hour away.

 

[Lew Crippen]

I hate the whole concept of "essential" anything.

It is just a way of saying "I am uncomfortable with the vast amount of art that is produced, and I want some sort of authority to tell me that I don't have to bother with 99% of it".

I think that I disagree with this. To me ‘essential’ in the sense that Vincent (and many others) uses it; means a list of quality, representative films that can be used as a base to further understand the whole.

In this sense, 99% of the films are not in a ‘don’t have to bother with it’ group—they just can be considered on their merits after acquiring sufficient background so that reasonable choices can be made.