Tag Archives: cinema of China

Il cinema ritrovato 2018 in review

Six weeks after the fact, you say? From the Department of Better Late than Never comes my recap of Il cinema ritrovato 2018: a wonderful festival of archival film of all eras and countries. Spoiler alert: I had a blast!

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A visual tour of the Shanghai Film Museum

Last year I was fortunate enough to visit Shanghai, and naturally indulged in some film-related activities while I was there. Checking out the beautiful Art Deco cinemas that still exist in the city was a high priority, as was making a … Continue reading

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Shanghai modern: the cinematic fiction of Mu Shiying

Shanghai in the 1930s: a glittering city, humming to the rhythm of its jazz-filled dance halls, streets lit up by neon signs, art deco buildings springing up like mushrooms. A whirlwind of dance, images of film stars vying with advertisements … Continue reading

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“Gossip is a fearful thing”: Ruan Lingyu’s 新女性 | New Women (CN 1935)

I’ll be in China in less than a week! So this seems like an appropriate time to take a look at another Chinese film from Shanghai’s golden era: 1935’s 新女性 | New Women, starring Ruan Lingyu in a heart-breaking role. … Continue reading

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Better living through athletics: Li Lili in 体育皇后 | Queen of Sports (CN 1934)

The first Chinese silent film that I ever saw was 1934’s 体育皇后, or Queen of Sports. It would have been 5 or 6 years ago, at the lantern festival in my home city, where they showed a few films on … Continue reading

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10 lost silent films that I’d love to see

As an art form, silent film lasted for a mere 40 years, c.1895-1935. It’s well known that the great majority of films from the silent era are now lost, whether due to destruction (either deliberate, as by many studios, or accidental, … Continue reading

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