Shadow Magic

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Starring: Jared Harris
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Type: DVD
Directed By: Ann Hu
Studio: Sony Pictures
Release Date: 2001-09-11
Running Time: 115 minutes

Description Not Available

Magically colorful, inspirational, enlightening

I cannot help but noticing the striking colorful images the scenes provided. Just framing the scenes would have created a beautiful picture. Although the settings were a little to clean and new, the costumes were excellent. This 2000 turn of the century story with inspiration and love is directed by Ann Hu. Watch the commentary by Hu for wonderful insight into the making of the film. Like most Eastern movies, this is clean and something for the whole family.

The story dates to 1902 China. A young man, Liu, is so inspired by western technology and moving pictures, that he submits himself to become the assistant to a traveling English photographer. With persistence, he succeeds and the townspeople become delighted with images of themselves. The conflict arises when Liu is in love with the famed opera star's daughter. He doesn't want to jeopardize his position.

This film is lengthy, beautiful images, sepia tone and striking reds and shadows. The subtitles are displayed for easy reading. Stick with it for a glimpse into the past.....Rizzo

Shadow Magic
What an interesting movie - a real find. Very intelligently written and beautifully executed, the movie "reflects" the birth of motion pictures and how mysterious and wonderful it appeared to people experiencing it for the first time.

I really wanted to like this movie
And there really is nothing wrong with it, other than I was maybe hoping for something really spectacular and intriguing, and what I got was kind of... dull. Shadow Magic is about one of the first introductions of movies to China. In SM the person doing the introducing is Raymond Wallace, an englishman who's wife had just recently left him. A young man named Liu, who is continually fascinated with western technology, allies himself next to Wallace to bring the movies, aka Shadow Magic, to China. Of course life is not easy, and it is tradition and the arranged marriage to the wrong woman that complicates matters. As I said earlier, I really wanted to like this movie. And honestly, I can't quite pin down what it was that disappointed me about it. It flows along at a considerable pace, and has that sweet sentmentality that countries like Ireland and England have practically put a copyright on. But I suppose I was expecting something more, and I was let down. Either which way, I would recommend this film for a historical aspect. But don't expect anything above average.

For everyone learning to speak Chinese a real blessing
I enjoyed the heck out of this movie, but even if I did not, the best part is that the Chinese spoken is easy to understand. The actors speak very clearly and the captioning actually is in the frames where the speaking occurs. The sound tracking is very clean. I have been watching a lot of Chinese films while I learn to speak Chinese.Too many times it is impossible to follow the voices. This film is great for voice clarity. speed of speaking, lack of complex sentences, and tracking. You can even hear the tonality of the language. A real blessing to begining suffering student.

Universal themes wrapped in a unique package
Only at the beginning of this movie do you strain with captions. As you progress they become almost second nature and you are transported into the story.

I was surprised as the basic story on the surface seems to tell of how people deal with new technology. This is the introduction of moving pictures or "Shadow Magic."

The reality of the story is the friendship of two people Raymond Wallace (Jared Harris), Liu Jinglun (Xia Yu), and their relation ship to others. Raymond is dumped by his wife for someone with money; yet finds his self and future in the making of film. Liu is in a rigid culture, including family and friends, which is trying to force him into marring a rich widow instead of the young aristocrat girl Liu Jinglun (Yufei Xing) he loves.
Can Liu over come the culture and individual prejudices or will he re-assimilate?
And what is to become of Raymond?

Though, short of a tear jerker, you will still get involved with their lives and marvel at the cinematography.