Shadow Magic

IMDb link: 0238588
IMDb rating: 7.1 (847 votes)
Genres: Drama, Romance, History
Director: Ann Hu
Cast: Jared Harris, Yu Xia, Yufei Xing, Peiqi Liu and others

Release date: 22 Nov 2001
Release year: 2000
Runtime: 116 minutes
Country: China, Germany, Taiwan, United States
Keywords: year 1902, empress dowager, traditionalism, chinese filmmaking as subject, inspired by a true story, foreigner, slow motion scene, melodrama, reference to the devil, child

Plot:

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 Lumiere-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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