By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Ann Hu
Starring: Jared Harris | Liu Peiqui | Xia Yu | Xing Yufei
Country: china, germany, taiwan
Year: 2001
Running time: 115
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0238588
Jeffrey says: “I was a little distracted at the beginning of the movie by the transition from what appeared to be historical footage to what appeared to be artificially aged contemporary footage. I thought it should have been either one or the other. That’s a quibble. Otherwise this was a pleasant little movie about the developing friendship between two people from different cultures with a common love, in this case technology. I found the developing romance contrived and maybe unnecessary, but then the friendship between the two men was contrived, too, so maybe that was okay.
“I liked the scenes at the movie house and the opera with the interplay between members of the audience. It seemed like watching a performance communally could be pleasant. Probably more so at a silent movie. I liked watching the operation of the seemingly historically accurate projection equipment and camera.”
Jim says: “This is a beautiful film that nobody in this country will see.”
Michael says: “First-time filmmaker Ann Hu tells a moving and fascinating tale of romance and the drama of the cultural clash between China’s ancient traditions and modern Western culture in the form of film. When a Western stranger shows up in China at the turn-of-the-century with a new ‘shadow magic,’ or pictures that move, the only interested party is young Liu, a forward-thinking assistant in a photo studio. In a country as rooted in tradition as China, thinking out of the box is hardly encouraged, and Liu faces pressures from his boss, Master Ren, his father, and even the father of the woman he loves from afar, a famous Chinese opera performer, Lord Tan, whose livelihood is subtly threatened when the Westerners ‘shadow magic’ starts to draw interest.
“Yu Xia was captivating as Liu, struggling with the knowledge that China needed to move forward, yet still bound by tradition. Also outstanding was Peiqi Liu as Master Ren, who is continuously exasperated by Liu’s lack of focus on tradition and his job, yet cares for the young man as a son. And then there’s Qi Mu as Jewelry Tower, who could only be Liu’s father’s male lover… what an intriguing character!
“Hu serves up a lovely story that in the hands of a Hollywood studio would have certainly been cliched and filled with stock characters. In Hu’s obviously caring hands, the characters become real, with more to say than the obvious route… and some of the shots were stunningly gorgeous.
“It’s very disappointing knowing that this film will probably be seen by very few people. If you enjoyed KING OF MASKS from a couple years ago, SHADOW MAGIC will also be a joy for you..” 4 cats
Scot says: “I’d like to recommend SHADOW MAGIC for anyone interested in the early history of cinema. Told from a fresh perspective (the introduction of film to China) it uses the original Lumiere short films to effectively illustrate the revolution in art sparked by motion pictures. ”