Shadow Magic (2001)
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?
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What a waste of my time!!!
An action-packed slog
I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.
a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
Unlike some movies which you can wonder around and do other things, this movie kept me in front of the screen for the entire two hours. I loved every minute of it.However, I have to say that the story is not very believable. Especially when the foreigner was expelled by the government, and then later on, actually sent a package to the guy who helped him. Xiao Liu is a very good actor, he shows his emotions, and he shows his silliness, and his love toward that girl.
This film is loosely based on history of the introduction of motion pictures to China, with a westerner Raymond Wallace, bringing in the format to the country and the shock and fear people had on this new piece of technology. At the same time, it is embraced by a chinese named Liu Jinglun, who has the curiosity for new things. Together, they eventually persuade the people embrace the medium.It is a light film, with the Liu facing the dilemma of respecting his culture and tradition or embracing the new medium that is so frightening to his people. There is also the side plot of his desire to marry Lord Tan's daughter, but he would have to be rich. His path to richness would also make Lord Tan lose respect for him, since Lord Tan is a performer in the old medium of stage theater and his moving pictures would push that into oblivion. Of course, we end up with a happy ending because the new medium becomes a tool to supplement everything around it instead of taking it over. Which is basically the point of the story. Don't fear it, embrace and integrate it into your environment.This film does not tackle the subjects it encounters very hard, it uses light mellowdrama and resolve all the issues amicably.All in all, this film is easy to enjoy, but it will not be mistaken for the fifth generation films that came out of china a decade or so ago.
... the acting by Mr. Wallace is really terrible. Being the only foreigner in this Chinese movie, the role could have been a master performance by an experienced actor or new talent. However, the acting is so bad, that it disturbs the otherwise quite nicely flowing story about how the movies came to China.
`Shadow Magic' recaptures the joy and amazement of the first movie audiences. It also shows the power of film in its ability to bring the world a little closer, overcome cultural barriers and to preserve ourselves for generations yet to come. Certainly, anyone who truly loves the art of the motion picture will enjoy this film. It's a great first effort by writer/director Ann Hu, who will hopefully have many films to follow.