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.
Monkey King: Hero is Back (2015)
7/10
Director: Tian Xiao Peng
By angering the gods, the legendary Monkey King was imprisoned for over 500 years, but when a child releases him from his curse, the warrior must now... Read more
Mountain Patrol ( Kekexili ) (2004)
7.7/10
Director: Lu Chuan
Starring: Duobuji , Zhang Li, Qi Liang, Zhao Xueying
Based on the true story of Beijing reporter, Ga Yu, who travelled to the remote mountain region of Kekexili on China's Tibetan border to cover a story... Read more
Not One Less (1999)
7.7/10
Director: Zhang Yimou
Starring: Wei Minzhi, Zhang Huike
Follow the adventures of a 13 year old girl who, despite her age, finds herself working as a substitute teacher in the school of her small Chinese vil... Read more
Platform (2000)
7.4/10
Director: Jia Zhang-ke
Starring: Wang Hong-wei, Zhao Tao, Liang Jing-dong, Yang Tian-yi
Aka "Zhantai". Jia Zhang-ke's ambitious film follows the lives of four friends over a turbulent 10 year period of Chinese history, from 1979 to 1989.... Read more
Raise the Red Lantern (1991)
8.2/10
Director: Zhang Yimou
Starring: Gong Li, Ma Jingwu, He Caifei, Cao Cuifeng
This magnificent film chronicles the life of a 1920s maiden who, at her mother's urging, agrees to marry a wealthy man. She becomes 'fourth mistress'... Read more
Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker (1995)
7/10
Director: He Ping
Starring: Ning Jing, Wu Gang, Zhao Xiaorui, Gao Yang
A beautiful woman is torn between loyalty to her ancestral heritage and her sensual desire for a rebellious artist. A visually stunning film set again... Read more
Red Sorghum (1989)
7.5/10
Director: Zhang Yimou
Starring: Gong Li, Wen Jiang, Liu Jia, Rujun Ten
A vivid, richly coloured drama about a young woman who takes on the management of her late husband's distillery in Northern China. All appears to be g... Read more
Reign of Assassins (2010)
6.9/10
Director: Chao-Bin Su
Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Kelly Lin, Woo-sung Jung
In Ancient China, "Drizzle" is the most deadly and ruthless assassin of the Dark Stone gang. After a life of theft and murder, she seeks to atone for... Read more
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005)
7.5/10
Director: Zhang Yimou
Starring: Ken Takakura, Nakai Kiichi, Shinobu Terajima, Jiamin Li
Ken Takakura gives a career-defining performance as an old Chinese fisherman who has been estranged from his son for many years. When he receives a c... Read more
Rouge (1989)
5.8/10
Director: Stanley Kwan
Starring: Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, Emily Chu, Man Tsz-Leung
This stunning film tells the story of a ghost's return to search for her long lost lover, leaping spontaneously between Hong Kong in 1934 and the pres... Read more