Sylvia Chang

  • Han Hsiang Li – Jin yu liang yuan hong lou meng AKA The Dream of the Red Chamber (1977)

    1971-1980Han Hsiang LiHong KongMusicalRomance

    Quote:
    Li Han-Hsiang’s adaptation of the classic Qing Dynasty novel will take viewers to the heightened pleasures of love and the despairing depths of betrayal. Timeless beauty Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia appears as Chia Pao-yu in her first attempt at a gender-bending role, an art she will wield complete mastery over in later films. Pao-yu is in love with his cousin, Lin Tai-yu (Sylvia Chang), but his family has other marital plans for him that will leave both broken-hearted.Read More »

  • Hark Tsui – Shang Hai zhi yen AKA Shanghai Blues (1984)

    1981-1990DramaHark TsuiHong KongMusical

    AMG: Shanghai Blues combines romantic comedy, slapstick, music, and several classic coincidences (a favorite ploy of director and writer Tsui Hark to tell the story of a man (Kenny Bee) and a female dancer (Sylvia Chang) who meet under a Shanghai bridge in 1937 as they seek shelter from the Japanese bombing of the city. They are immediately drawn to each other and make a pact to meet under the bridge again when the war has ended. But their plans are thwarted and ten years later, the man gets an apartment in Shanghai (where he works as a musician, songwriter, and clown) unaware that the dancer — for whom he has been searching — is his downstairs neighbor. Meanwhile, a young, bubbly woman makes friends with the dancer at the club where she performs and inadvertently causes a considerable mix-up that at first looks fated to keep the star-crossed lovers apart.Read More »

  • David Lowell Rich – Madame X (1966)

    1961-1970David Lowell RichDramaUSA

    The lower-class wife (Lana Turner) of a wealthy socialite (John Forsythe) is caught in a compromising situation with a male companion (Ricardo Montalban), and forced by her brutal mother-in-law (Constance Bennett) to “die” and live under an assumed name in Europe. Out of guilt and loyalty, she forgoes a renewed chance at romance with a concert pianist (John Van Dreelen), and descends into a life of alcoholism and despair. When a seedy acquaintance (Burgess Meredith) finds out who her husband (now governor of New York) and son are, he tries to blackmail her; she kills him, and stands on trial for her life as “Madame X” — not realizing that her lawyer (Keir Dullea) is actually her grown son.Read More »

  • Mabel Cheung – Ba liang jin AKA Eight Taels of Gold (1989)

    1981-1990DramaHong KongMabel CheungRomance

    Quote:
    Mabel Cheung may be one of the lesser known names of the early 80s Hong Kong New-Wave – directors such as Tsui Hark and Ann Hui gaining a greater attention worldwide – yet she has an indelible auteur’s stamp that ensure her greater works will stand the test of time. The subtle strokes which she paints works such as the sublime ‘An Autumn’s Tale’ are testament to the efficacy of her understated, yet consistently resonant style. ‘Eight Taels Of Gold’ is the opportunity to see the auteur behind the lens directing one of Hong Kong’s most beloved stars, Sammo Hung, as he participates in a rare non-action role.Read More »

  • Johnnie To – Hua li shang ban zu AKA Office (2015)

    2011-2020ChinaComedyJohnnie ToMusical

    Synopsis: In this stylish musical, a CEO’s plan to take her company public hits a roadblock when an audit exposes a great deal of corruption. As a result, the stock bonus her former mentor had promised her is in jeopardy.Read More »

  • Gan Bi – Di qiu zui hou de ye wan AKA Long Day’s Journey Into Night (2018)

    Drama2011-2020ArthouseChinaGan Bi

    Synopsis:
    Luo Hongwu returns to Kaili, the hometown from which he fled many years ago.He begins a search for the woman he loved, and whom he has never been able to forget.Read More »

  • Sylvia Chang – Nian Nian AKA Murmur of the Hearts (2015)

    Drama2011-2020Hong KongSylvia Chang

    29f7c043f76a2bde437fd0d52a185152

    Synopsis (by Giovanna Fulvi @ tiff.net)
    Legendary Taiwanese actress and filmmaker Sylvia Chang directs this magical story of estranged siblings whose shared memories of their mother’s fairy tales begin to draw their lives together once again.
    A stirring ensemble drama, the first film in seven years from Sylvia Chang (also appearing at the Festival in Office, based on a play she wrote, and Jia Zhang-ke Mountains May Depart) deftly navigates cross-currents of past and present, fantasy and reality, to arrive at a moving depiction of the ways in which our adult lives are circumscribed by limits set in childhood.
    As children growing up on Green Island, a former prison island off the east coast of Taiwan, Mei (Isabella Leong) and Nan (Lawrence Ko) were enthralled by their mother’s tales of mermaids who long to know the world beyond the sea.Read More »

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