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Charmingly sweet, Shadow Magic captures the sense of wonder of audiences experiencing the world of motion pictures for the first time. Read critic reviews
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Watch Shadow Magic with a subscription on Amazon Prime Video.
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Movie Info
Peking, 1902. The Feng Tai Photo Shop is in a frenzy of preparation for the arrival of Peking's most important opera star, Lord Tan. Liu Jinglun (Yu Xia), the chief photographer, is oblivious to the chaos as he tinkers with a broken Victrola he has found in a junk pile on his way to work. His boss, Master Ren (Peiqi Liu), chides Liu for his incessant fascination with Western novelties, which he feels have no place in traditional Chinese society.
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Rating: PG (Mild Language)
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Genre: History, Drama
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Original Language: Chinese
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Director: Ann Hu
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Producer: Ann Hu
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Writer: Ann Hu, Dan Huang, Bob McAndrew, Kate Raisz, Louyi Tang
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Release Date (Theaters): wide
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Box Office (Gross USA): $149.3K
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Runtime:
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Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
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Production Co: China Film, C & A Productions, Post Production Playground, Central Motion Pictures Corporation, Road Movies Vierte Produktionen, Beijing Film Studio, Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Schulberg Productions
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Sound Mix: Surround
Cast & Crew
Critic Reviews for Shadow Magic
Audience Reviews for Shadow Magic
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The story of the introduction of film to a turn of the century China weary of and hostile to Western encroachment is framed by a tale of a young man struggling with his wonder with new technology versus a class system that insists he "know his place". Although thin in places the subject matter still charms.
kevin w Super Reviewer -
[font=Century Gothic]In "Shadow Magic," it is Peking in 1902 where Liu(Xia Yu), the chief photographer for a prestigious photo studio, is seeking innovative ways to help, including playing a recording of western classical music during a photo shoot. His boss(Liu Peiqi) thinks he needs to settle down and arranges a marriage between Liu and the Widow Jiang(Fang Qingxhuo). Fearing a fate worse than death, Liu starts assisting Raymond Wallace(Jared Harris), an Englishman with a new invention called a movie projector.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]Inspired by a true story, "Shadow Magic" is an interesting and overlong bit of history that is let down by a thin plot. The power of the images speak for themselves as they capture unfamiliar lands and peoples who are thousands of miles away. What the movie is concerned with is the opening of China to new ideas from the West but a hundred years later, there is too much of this, especially Hollywood films that flood the market. At the same time, there are much less Chinese films or other forms of culture flowing back the other way. [/font]
walter m Super Reviewer
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