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: You must get a piece of jade, and keep it close. Then your blood will go into the stone, and the stone will get into your blood. The blood will then become stone, and you will stop bleeding.

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Connections

Features A Foreign Affair (1948)

User Reviews

Perfect.

For starters, it would be fair to say that I have seen this movie at least ten times. I was never bored... In fact, the magical atmosphere of the movie makes it beautiful to watch, and makes you enjoy every minute of it, even with the story aside. The cast is excellent, and the way that the actors 'ignore' the camera really makes you believe the story. The story has many layers, all of them viewed from an aspect of a dying man, packed with emotion, all masks down. The handover of Hong Kong and a love story, with all the cultural differences and barriers, is captured from a very close range. It's done almost like a documentary and strongly effects any spectator. The characters are complete, the story also, and everything else in the movie (from the photography and the music to the actual footage of HK and its people) only makes it more powerful. A beautiful movie.