Chinese Box (1997)

The story of Hong Kong, from New Year's Day to June 30th, 1997, when the British left their colony and turned it over to the People's Republic of China.

Director:

Wayne Wang

Writers:

Jean-Claude Carrière (screenplay), Jean-Claude Carrière (story),

Stars:

Jeremy Irons, Li Gong, Maggie Cheung

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeremy Irons	...	John
Li Gong	...	Vivian
Maggie Cheung	...	Jean
Michael Hui	...	Chang
Rubén Blades	...	Jim
Jared Harris	...	William
Chaplin Chang	...	Homeless Man
Noel Rands	...	John's Friend at New Year's Party
Emma Lucia	...	Amanda Everheart
Ken Bennett	...	Rick
Russell Cawthorne	...	New Year's Party MC
Emotion Cheung	...	William Wong
Harvey Stockwin	...	Weeks
Jonathan Midgley	...	Jonathan
Bruce Walker	...	Bruce

Storyline

John is an English photojournalist who has spent over a decade in Hong Kong; his friend Jim often crashes in his cramped apartment. John's unrequited love is Vivian whom he aches for but has not the nerve to possess. Concurrent with England's transfer of Hong Kong back to the Chinese, John discovers that he has a rare form of leukemia and has only months to live. So John, Jim, and the disfigured proto-hippy Jean grab a digital video camera and prowl the streets, seeking to document the "real" Hong Kong one last time.

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Plot Keywords:

hong kong | chinese | video | video camera | new year | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Details

Country:

France Japan USA

Language:

English Cantonese

Release Date:

17 April 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Az utolsó éjszaka Hong Kong-ban

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

DEM 156,906 (Germany) (3 July 1998)

Gross:

$2,195,190 (USA) (17 July 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, NDF International, Pony Canyon

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When John and Jim stop during the motorcycle ride up the hill, the shadow of a cameraman is visible.

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Quotes

John: Just a week ago all I wanted was to tell Vivian how much I loved her. But now I see that's the one thing I mustn't do. I can't offload my illness onto her, or Jim, or Mary and the kids. I don't want the look in their eyes to remind me I'm dying. I wonder if I can hold out longer than the British. Not that I could be described as an empire.

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Connections

Features A Foreign Affair (1948)

User Reviews

A Grand Performance

I have seen this film three times now and it just seems to get better. Gong Li and Jeremy Irons were fabulous along with Maggie Cheung who played a fascinating character. The street scenes I thought really enhanced the ambience of the film and plot. Congrats to all who were involved in this film.