SHADOW MAGIC
SYNOPSIS:
Set in Imperial Peking in 1902, Shadow Magic is inspired by the story of the arrival of
moving pictures in China. Threadbare English entrepreneur Raymond Wallace (Jared Harris)
arrives with his projector and some footage with hopes of making his fortune. Foreigners
are not particularly welcome, but young photographer Liu Jing Lun (Xia Yu) is instantly
attracted to the notion of film and his friendship and help enable Raymond to run a
business – even get an invitation to the Imperial Palace for a showing. But the new
entertainment threatens traditional Chinese opera, whose famed Lord Tan is competition to
the movies. And with whose daughter Liu falls in love. But neither the romance nor the
Imperial showing go smoothly.
Just like Cinema Paradiso allowed us to relive the magic of cinema through the eyes of
a young boy, Shadow Magic expresses a similar sentiment in its charming story in Imperial
Peking in the early 1900s. It's a gentle film that captures the wonder of the moving image
through the eyes of a young Chinese photographer, whose life is changed forever by its
impact. Based on a true story, Ann Hu's beautiful film showcases the intersection of
eastern culture and traditions with the advent of western technology. How can we forget
Liu's huge, expressive eyes as he discovers a brand new world? His amazement and
excitement is infectious, and suddenly we too rediscover that magic. What a wonderful
moment it is, when a room full of uninitiated Chinese watch black and white moving images
for the very first time. 'Something new at my age!' wonders one old man, who until now
thought he has seen it all. The juxtaposition of stark, rough images of trains, babies,
people walking and feeding birds, men drinking wine, are hugely affecting, set to Johann
Strauss' glorious Blue Danube Waltz and The Tales from the Vienna Woods. The ornate
costumes are exquisite, the settings striking, and there's a spectacular moment on the
Great Wall of China when Liu and Wallace consider their future. This is a world that
embraces arranged marriages, and the scenes that involve the bride-to-be in question
(Widow Jiang - wonderfully characterised by Fang Zingzhuo) are some of the film's most
amusing. Xia Yu and Jared Harris as Wallace are especially credible, but all the
performances are memorable – from the extraordinary opera star Lord Tan to Liu's
hen-pecked employer Master Ren. We clearly get a sense of their life beyond their
characters, and this endears us to them all. The blossoming romance between Liu and Ling
is sweet indeed; aptly echoing the fresh essence of the themes. The moment we have all
been waiting for is at the very end of the film, when members of the community see
themselves as they really are. Uplifting and gently amusing, Shadow Magic is an enchanting treat.
Louise Keller
Historically important as an official co-production between film studios in Taiwan and
China, Shadow Magic is a credible but slightly clumsy attempt at building social fusion
metaphor via the events it dramatises. Ann Hu, a New York resident Chinese, has a
commendable flair for visualising the story and for handling such a wide range of complex
elements – from individuals to entire cultures, from professionals to amateurs, from
Western style to Eastern tradition. However, there are some serious flaws in
characterisation, with both Raymond and Liu, the central figures of her story. Raymond is
thinly drawn and somehow ill-fitting as the intrepid entrepreneur, while Liu seems to
acquire English language skills periodically, then lose them, causing confusion and
undermining credibility. The film is eye-pleasing and has a haunting soundtrack, and
provides a glimpse into a crucial, changing era in China. It celebrates the birth of
cinema as a popular art form, but it fails to generate enough dramatic power through
character. And that’s the main reason it seems overlong.
Andrew L. Urban
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CRITICAL COUNT
Favourable: 1
Unfavourable: 0
Mixed: 1
See the TRAILER



SHADOW MAGIC (PG)
(CHINA)
CAST: Jared Harris, Yu Xia, Yufei Xing, Peiqi Liu, Liping Lu
DIRECTOR: Ann Hu
PRODUCER: Ann Hu
SCRIPT: Yixiong Chen, Ann Hu, Dan Huang, Huaizhuo Liu, Bob McAndrew, Kate Raisz, Louyi
Tang, Shiqiang Zuo
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Nancy Schreiber
EDITOR: John Gilroy, Keith Reamer
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Jixian Wang
MUSIC: Lida Zhang
RUNNING TIME: 115 minutes
AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: Col Tristar
AUSTRALIAN RELEASE: November 22, 2001
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