Chinese Cinema
Alice's collection of Chinese films is growing as the film industry there expands and begins to embrace an ever-increasing international audience. Films from China are often marked by great craft and attention to detail, and the stories are involved and often carry a political subtext. Though we have very little that is pre-1990, there is everything here from engaging personal stories to sweeping historical epics.
Pictured: Maggie Cheung in the stylized and breath-takingly beautiful 'Hero' from master craftsman Zhang Yimou.
The King of Masks (1996)
7.6/10
Director: Wu Tianming
Starring: Chu Yuk, Chao Yim Yin
"The King of Masks" tells a tale steeped in ancient tradition, simultaneously challenging the socio-sexual inequity still plaguing China today. On the... Read more
The Mermaid (2016)
6.3/10
Director: Stephen Chow
Starring: Deng Chao, Yun Lin, Show Luo, Yuqi Zhang, Pierre Bourdaud
From Stephen Chow, director of Kung Fu Hustle, comes The Mermaid: the comedic action-filled phenomenon that has become China's biggest film of all ti... Read more
The Message (2009)
7.4/10
Director: Qunshu Gao, Kuo-fu Chen
Starring: Xiaoming Huang, Dahong Ni, Wang Zhiwen, Zhang Hanyu
1942, Nanking: following a series of assassination attempts on Japanese officials, the spy chief collects those suspected of the attempted-sabotage in... Read more
The Missing Gun (2002)
6.8/10
Director: Lu Chuan
Starring: Wen Jiang, Ning Jing
Small-town Chinese policeman Ma Shan (Jiang Wen) wakes up the morning after his cousin's wedding to discover that his gun - a rare, state-issued firea... Read more
The Nightingale (2013)
7/10
Director: Phillipe Muyl
Starring: Boatian Li, Xiaoran Li, Xin Yi Yang
Zhigen, an old Chinese farmer, has lived alone in Beijing for over 20 years after moving to the city to allow his son Chongyi to attend university. He... Read more
The Promise (2005)
5.6/10
Director: Chen Kaige
Starring: Cecilia Cheung, Hiroyuki Sanada, Nicholas Tse, Dong-kun Jang, Liu Ye, Chen Hong
From the director of 'Farewell My Concubine' comes this visually stunning tale of passion, set in China's mythical past, that unfolds against a backdr... Read more
The Road Home (1999)
7.9/10
Director: Zhang Yimou
Starring: Sun Honglei, Zhang Ziyi, Zheng Hao, Zhao Yuelin, Li Bin
An exotic and exquisite film set in the unfamiliar Chinese outback that tells a simple, sweet love story in flashback. Sun Honglei, Zheng Hao and Zhao... Read more
The Secret of the Magic Gourd (2007)
5.3/10
Director: John Chu, Frankie Chung
Starring: Gigi Leung, Guo Kai Min, Zhu Qi Long
Based on a classic children's book by Zhang Tian Yi, Disney's first film created for Chinese audiences combines live action and animation to chronicle... Read more
The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2011)
5.9/10
Director: Tony Ching Siu-Tung
Starring: Jet Li, Charlene Choi, Eva Huang, Raymond Lam
White Snake (Eva Huang) in the guise of a beautiful woman falls in love with a young herbalist, Xu Xian (Raymond Lam). At her own risk but with the he... Read more
The Sorcerer and the White Snake ( Blu-ray ) (2011)
5.9/10
Director: Tony Ching Siu-Tung
Starring: Jet Li, Charlene Choi, Eva Huang, Raymond Lam
White Snake (Eva Huang) in the guise of a beautiful woman falls in love with a young herbalist, Xu Xian (Raymond Lam). At her own risk but with the he... Read more