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Chinese Box [DVD] [1999] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Jeremy Irons (Actor), Li Gong (Actor), Wayne Wang (Director) | Format: DVD
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Region 1 encoding (requires a North American or multi-region DVD player and NTSC compatible TV. More about DVD formats.)

Note: you may purchase only one copy of this product. New Region 1 DVDs are dispatched from the USA or Canada and you may be required to pay import duties and taxes on them (click here for details). Please expect a delivery time of 5-7 days.


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Product details

  • Actors: Jeremy Irons, Li Gong, Maggie Cheung, Michael Hui, Rubén Blades
  • Directors: Wayne Wang
  • Format: Closed-captioned, Colour, Dolby, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Language: English
  • Subtitles: Spanish, French
  • Region: Region 1 (US and Canada DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: R (Restricted) (US MPAA rating. See details.)
  • Studio: Lions Gate
  • DVD Release Date: 29 Sep 1998
  • Run Time: 99 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: 6305078521
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 222,091 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)

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Customer Reviews

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A moving portrait of a relationship and a moment in history 9 Jan 2008
By Marcus Dixon
Format:DVD
From the DVD cover: "Jeremy Irons stars as John, a British journalist living in Hong Kong. John has fallen in love with Vivian (Gong Li), a bartender with a jaded past. Vivian is eager to secure her position in Hong Kong society and wants her successful boyfriend Chang to marry her. When Chang proves to be indecisive about their relationship, Vivian turns to John. Giving into their feelings for a brief but passionate affair, they now face inevitable change and unexpected obstacles in this touching and compelling film."

Nothing else I have seen or read captures the poignant and slightly fevered atmosphere of Hong Kong in the months leading up to the 1997 handover. The relationship between John (Irons) and Vivian (Gong Li), and what we learn of Maggie Cheung's character's past relationship (?) with her schooldays English boyfriend, seem to mirror aspects of the political and cultural relationship between the British and Hong Kong Chinese. The ending is deeply moving.

This film is infinitely superior and almost entirely different in terms of plot, and indeed everything else, from Paul Theroux's disappointing novel, Kowloon Tong, that apparently inspired the makers of this film.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Astounding picture... 30 Jan 2011
By Daniel Svensson
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have spent many sleepless hours trying to find out why this film hasn't been more recognized!

I have a collection now of well over 1200 films, including most of the best made from the silent era up to present day (I know what I'm talking about).

Chinese Box is one of the most multilayered and complex films ever made. It has a loose and almost improvisational feel to it that you rarley see in films. Gong Li, Jeremy Irons and Gong Li, respectively, have never been better.

The sceene where Irons come to the bar to say "I'm sorry" to a Gong Li, standing in front of a TV mimicing along with Marlene Dietrich singing in a thirties movie, is one of the most gripping, sensual and complex scenes ever put on film. And it just goes on and on and on... scene after scene that stays with you forever, either consciously or subliminal.

The scene when Irons try to pursuade Maggie Cheung to give an interview is just the coolest I've ever experienced. Marvellous acting, perfect timing, bisarre situation... Astounding!

Don't miss this one!
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2 of 13 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Lost time... 14 Aug 2006
By M. B. Alcat
Format:DVD
This film has a good plot (a romance, in a background of change in an exotic place), a great cast (Jeremy Irons, Li Gong, Maggie Cheung), and a well-known director (Wayne Wang, the director of "The Joy Luck Club"). Notwithstanding that, "Chinese box" falls short of expectations, and can only be defined as a forgettable movie.

In case you are still interested in this film, despite what I have just told you, I will outline the plot for you. The main character is John (Jeremy Irons), a journalist in love with Vivian (Li Gong), a lovely Chinese woman with a shady past that he cannot have. John discovers he is severely ill, and decides to make something in the last few months he has left. He wants to make a documentary regarding Hong Kong, the place where he lives as an expatriate. During his new endeavour, John meets a very troubled young woman (played by Maggie Cheung), and manages to document some of the turmoil that took place in Hong Kong before the Chinese takeover in 1997.

All in all, I regret renting this movie, and I regard the time I spent watching "Chinese Box" as lost. Not recommended.

PS: At least I didn't buy it!
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