Wang Bianlian is an aging street performer known as the King of Mask for his mastery of Sichuan Change Art in a true story. His wife left him with and infant son over 30 years ago. The son ...
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Title: Bian Lian (1996)
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22 wins & 3 nominations.
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Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
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Li Chen | ... | Ms Wen |
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Zhaoji Jia | ... | Slave trader |
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Zhigang Zhang | ... | Sulan, Luo |
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Zhigang Zhao | ... | Liang Sao Lang |
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Renying Zhou | ... | Gou Wa ("Doggie") |
| Xu Zhu | ... | Bianlian Wang | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Wang Bianlian is an aging street performer known as the King of Mask for his mastery of Sichuan Change Art in a true story. His wife left him with and infant son over 30 years ago. The son died from illness at age 10. This left Wang a melancholy loner aching for a male descendent to learn his rare and dying art. A famous master performer of the Sichuan Opera offers to bring him into his act, thus giving Wang fame and possible fortune, but Wang opts for staying the simple street performer. Then, one night after a performance he is sold a young boy by a slave trader posing as the boy's parent. "Grandpa" finds new joy in life as he plans to teach "Doggie" (an affectionate term often used for young children in China) his art. All is well until Doggie is found out to really be a girl. Written by Steve Uptegraft <bluzman@voyager.net>
Genres:
DramaCertificate:
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Details
Language:
MandarinRelease Date:
16 August 1996 (Hong Kong) See more »Also Known As:
King of Masks See more »Filming Locations:
Shanghai, ChinaEdit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$394,272, 11 June 1999Gross USA:
$1,104,619, 27 February 2000Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby SRColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?
Goofs
When Wang (The Mask King) is performing for the soldiers who insist on having his secret, his missing front tooth is there in one scene, then gone in the next. See more »Alternate Versions
Original Chinese version runs 101 minutes; international Version runs 91 minutes. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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I enjoyed the cinematographic recreation of China in the 1930s in this beautiful film. The story is simple. An older male performer wants to pass on his art to a young man although he has no living children. The faces of the actors are marvelous to see. The story reveals the devotion and gratitude of children to those who treat them well and their longing to be treated well. The operas in the film remind me of FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE, which was more sophisticated and intricate. The story here reminds me of a Dickens tale of days when children were almost chattel. The plot is a bit predictable and a bit too sentimental for me but well worth the time to view for the heroism, humanity, and history portrayed.