Shadow Magic
Beijing, 1902: an enterprising young portrait photographer named Liu Jinglun, keen on new technology, befriends a newly-arrived Englishman who's brought projector, camera, and Lumière-brothers' shorts to open the Shadow Magic theater. Liu's work with Wallace brings him conflict with tradition and his father's authority, complicated by his falling in love with Ling, daughter of Lord Tan, star of Beijing's traditional opera. Liu sees movies as his chance to become wealthy and worthy of Ling. When the Shadow Magic pair are invited to show the films to the Empress Dowager, things look good. But, is disaster in the script? And, can movies preserve tradition even as they bring change?
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Cast
22 people
Jared Harris
Raymond
Known for
Chernobyl
Foundation
Xia Yu
Liu Jing Lun
Known for
In the Heat of the Sun
The Painted Veil
Liu Peiqi
Master Ren
Known for
The Story of Qiu Ju
Coming Home
Lü Liping
Madame Ren
Known for
24 City
Under the Hawthorn Tree
Yufei Xing
Tan Xiaoling
Also in
Ming Dynasty
今冬不言情
Jingming Wang
Lao Liu
Also in
斗鸡
Rooster-Fighting In The Royal Court
Li Yusheng
Lord Tan
Known for
Red Sorghum
The Breaking Ice
Yukui Zhang
Lao Chang
No other roles listed
Chen Chuang
Mi Hu
Known for
Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty
Lighting Up the Stars
Qi Mu
Jewelry Tower
Fang Qingzhuo
Widow Jiang
Known for
Keep Cool
Li Bin
Empress Ci Xi
Known for
The Painted Veil
The Road Home
Ann Hu Director · Yixiong Chen Writer Dan Huang Writer
United States release April 6, 2001 · Produced in China, Germany, Taiwan, United States · Languages Chinese, English
Production
C&A Productions
Production
Beijing Film Studio
Production
China Film Co-Production
Production
Central Motion Picture Corporation
Production
Post Production Playground
Production
Schulberg Productions
Production
Road Movies Vierte Produktionen
Production
China · Germany · Taiwan · United States
Produced in
Languages
Original title
西洋镜
Original language
Chinese
Spoken on screen
Chinese · English
Release dates
Canada · September 8, 2000
Theatrical
United States · April 6, 2001
Theatrical
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Some details come from TheTVDB.