Product: Shadow Magic [VHS] (2001)
Rating: 5.0
A must see movie for film buffs
This film depicts the early efforts to introduce motion pictures to China. It is done with great gentleness and warmth and reflects a deep love of Cinema. The cinematography is great, as other of the new films from china (like Raise The Red Lantern and King of Masks) and it reflects the role of cinema in our lives much as Cinema Paradisio did. It is one of the warmest and most enjoyable films I have seen in years. I can't imagine it not being a strong contender for an Oscar as Best Foreign Film. The philosophy of the Chinese film maker profiled (who really did make the first Chinese film) is much like the Don McClean line "Weathered faces lined with pain are soothed beneath the artists loving hand". You should see this!