Movies


There are so many excellent movies with Asian themes. On this page I will include only movies that I have actually seen and enjoyed (sorry, that knocks out all those kung-fu movies!). Obviously, there are some classics missing here (most notably Akira Kurosawa's movies) which I hope to add in the near future, as soon as I rent and view them.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence -- Starring David Bowie, Tom Conti and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Directed by Nagisa Oshima. 1983. A war of wills wages between British prisoners and their Japanese captors in a prisoner-of-war camp on Java during World War II. This is not your usual action-filled war movie. A very tense drama enhanced by the Academy Award-winning soundtrack composed by co-star Ryuichi Sakamoto. This movie is no longer available for sale on video, so you'll have to scour the clearance bins or find a used copy if you want to own this movie.

The Last Emperor -- Starring John Lone and Joan Chen. Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. 1987. The movie that dominated the Academy Awards in 1988, including Best Picture and another Best Soundtrack award for Ryuichi Sakamoto (along with David Byrne and Cong Su). Crowned Emperor of China at age 3, Pu Yi never had the power to control his own destiny, let alone that of his country. An amazing riches-to-rags story that keeps its balance by showing some character flaws in the "poor little emperor". Unfortunately, this classic movie is also out of print now, so you'll have to rent it.

Indochine -- Starring Catherine Deneuve, Vincent Perez and Linh Dan Pham. Directed by Regis Wargnier. Subtitled. 1992. A romantic triangle develops between a wealthy French plantation owner, her adopted Vietnamese daughter, and a French naval officer in French-controlled Vietnam. Slightly melodramatic in my opinion, but still a great story with beautiful cinematography and period costumes (that red dress on the cover is not a good example, by the way!). This movie won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1992.

Chungking Express -- Starring Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung, and Faye Wong (credited as Faye Wang). Directed by Wong Kar-Wai. Subtitled. 1994. Set in modern-day Hong Kong, this movie includes two separate stories about two policemen suffering from post-breakup blues who frequent the same snack bar. It's not a drama and it's not a comedy; it's sort of a light-hearted observation of relationships ending and beginning. Faye Wong (see my Music page) really steals the show and also sings the theme song, a Chinese version of the Cranberries' "Dreams".

Eat Drink Man Woman -- Starring Sihung Lung and Chien-Lien Wu. Directed by Ang Lee. Subtitled. 1994. In modern-day Taiwan, a widowed master chef and his three adult daughters try to understand each other while trying to sort out their own love lives. This movie shows in a humorous way that you might not know your family as well as you think you do.

A Taxing Woman -- Starring Nobuko Miyamoto and Tsutomu Yamazaki. Directed by Juzo Itami. Subtitled. 1987. A female tax inspector and a male tax evader match wits in a game of hide-and-seek. A satire of how far each side will go to get what is "rightfully theirs". There is a sequel called "A Taxing Woman Returns".

The Joy Luck Club -- Starring Ming Na Wen, Kieu Chinh, and Tsai Chin. Directed by Wayne Wang. 1993. Based on the novel by Amy Tan. The story of four Chinese women and their American-born daughters, shown through flashbacks. My highest praise for this movie goes to its accurate depiction of the relationship between immigrant parents and their American-born children, and the universal mother-daughter relationship. I also enjoyed the stories of each woman's life in China before coming to America. I did not, however, enjoy Ming Na Wen's performance. Sorry.

Movies featuring actress Gong Li -- A separate page for these special movies.

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