Chinese Box

1997 1h 39m EN

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 57

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The story of Hong Kong, from New Year's Day to June 30th, 1997, when the British left their colony and turned it over to the People's Republic of China.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Jeremy Irons
John
Gong Li
Vivian
Maggie Cheung
Jean
Michael Hui Koon-Man
Chang
Rubén Blades
Jim
Jared Harris
William
Josie Ho
Lilly
Chaplin Chang
Homeless Man

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Wayne Wang
Writers: Jean-Claude Carrière
Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, English
Countries: United States of America, France, Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

29 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: United States of America, France, Japan.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Wayne Wang, shot by Vilko Filač. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Graeme Revell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Christopher Tellefsen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jeremy Irons and Gong Li and Maggie Cheung carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0118851 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Wayne Wang directs. Vilko Filač behind the camera. Graeme Revell scores. Christopher Tellefsen cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America, France, Japan. Dialogue in Cantonese, Mandarin, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

129 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, English.
3International production across 3 countries: United States of America, France, Japan.
4Directed by Wayne Wang, shot by Vilko Filač. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Graeme Revell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Christopher Tellefsen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jeremy Irons and Gong Li and Maggie Cheung carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0118851 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 57 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.