21st Century Chinese Cinema: London BFI Southbank
August 26th, 2008 by Lu Pin
From BFI website:
Chinese cinema seemed pole-axed in the 1990s by the shift from state control to the private sector, but it suddenly looks rejuvenated. With everything from big-budget spectacles to small, digital indies setting new creative highs, Tony Rayns has curated a selection of dazzling London premieres.
This selection of movies, all but one of them new to London and some well overdue, offers a spot-sample of terrific work in fiction and documentary, mainstream entertainment, arthouse challenges and avant-garde comedy. China still faces countless social and political problems, but its film culture has never been in better shape.
Okay this is slowly killing me. I don’t know if you can help me, but while traveling in China this past year, I had a lot of opportunity watch movies on the buses. There was one particular male actor who showed up repeatedly in quite a few of the martial arts - comedy films, and I can’t figure out WHO he is or what his name is, and it’s killing me! I don’t even know the names of these movies, but I presume that they’re from the late 80s, early 90s…one is about a girl that used to be a ‘trash girl’ but was mistaken for a princess (I think) but later on got thrown into jail. This guy comes in and saves her from the burning prison.
The other movie, with the same actor, is set in ancient China, and the actor plays a famous calligrapher who hides his identity and falls in love with one of the women at the temple. Also martial arts-comedy.
Oh yes, and one important thing about these movies is that they have EXCELLENT English subtitles.
Anyways, I was just hoping you might know who this actor is. Thanks!
I like Chinese movies, I have long been a fan of Jackie Chan and I love the Curse of The Yellow Flower, I would like to see more of these movies on cable, most of the American movies are not good at all.
Hi, i just went through this website, really good. very interesting. It is a good opportunity for foreigners to learn more about Chinese film. By the way, we are doing a Chinese culture and travel related website( the company based in london), which is http://www.mychinapage.com, it is beta version now, going to be launched on january next year, im just thinking are you interested to open a film blog in our website, let more and more people know Chinese film, and also we can promote you. actually we have got people doing Fengshui, Martial art, and China travel topics, it would be great if you can join us. Any interest, please let us know. thanks
To Karen
I’m not completely sure, but I think you’re looking for Stephen Chow. He’s a Hong Kong actor and director, (which probably explains the english subs.)
Kung Fu Hustle is a famous and recent one by him, but I saw loads of the early ones on Chinese TV too. God only knows what they’re called!