''Chinese Box'' is a 1997

romantic drama Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...

film directed by

Wayne Wang Wayne Wang (; born January 12, 1949) is a Hong Kong-American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Considered a pioneer of Asian-American cinema, he was one of the first Chinese-American filmmakers to gain a major foothold in Hollyw ...

and starring

Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards, ...

Gong Li Gong Li ( zh, s=巩俐, t=鞏俐; born 31 December 1965) is a Chinese-born Singaporean actress. She is regarded as one of the best actresses in China today, known for her versatility and naturalistic performances. She starred in three of the ...

Maggie Cheung Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (; born 20 September 1964) is a Hong Kong actress. She is one of the most successful and internationally acclaimed actresses in Asia, renowned for her diverse and versatile performances as well as her natural acting skills ...

, and

Michael Hui Michael Hui Koon-man (born ; 3 September 1942; also known as Mr Boo!) is a Hong Kong people, Hong Kong actor, comedian, screenwriter, scriptwriter and Film director, director. He is the eldest of the four Hui brothers (together with Ricky Hui, ...

. It is set and was made at the time of

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

handover In cellular telecommunications, handover, or handoff, is the process of transferring an ongoing call or data session from one channel connected to the core network to another channel. In satellite communications it is the process of transf ...

to the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

on June 30, 1997. The film credits

Paul Theroux Paul Edward Theroux ( ; born April 10, 1941) is an American novelist and travel writer who has written numerous books, including the travelogue '' The Great Railway Bazaar'' (1975). Some of his works of fiction have been adapted as feature films ...

as a source for the story, based on themes he explores in his 1997 novel ''

Kowloon Tong Kowloon Tong () is an area of Hong Kong located in Kowloon. The majority of the area is in the Kowloon City District. Its exaclocationis south of the Lion Rock, north of Boundary Street, east of the East Rail line and west of Grampian Road. It ...

''. It enjoyed modest box office success in the United States.

Plot

The movie unfolds at least nine different stories on very different levels. First, there is John as a reporter, trying to capture interesting scenes on the streets of Hong Kong, persuading himself his work gives his life a tangible meaning. Second, there is Vivian who is looking to find a balance in life, trying to escape from the underground she once was a part of and forget about her past, but is hindered in her attempts by prejudices that go back thousands of years in the Chinese society (including Hong Kong). Third, there is Vivian (still), with a chance to discard most of her problems by simply marrying John and moving to England with him. Even though she is tempted to do so, she knows this would just be running away from the core of the problem and could not be a long-term solution, mostly because of their different cultural backgrounds and maybe even because of a subtle uncertainty regarding John's ex-wife and former life. Fourth, there is Jean, with her own story and with a typical Hong Kong here-today-who-knows-where-tomorrow attitude - living the moment, enjoying and suffering at the same time, embodying a perfect reflection of modern life, especially so easily seen in Hong Kong in the late 1990s. She understands all of the different kinds of hardships that come in life and, with her face somewhat disfigured, is marked more intensely than most, but also knows where to draw the line in selling herself. John tries to help her, but does that in a dishonest way, which disappoints her tremendously. According to a note in film's credits, Jean's story was inspired by a short story by the American-British author Rachel Ingalls.Calendarlive.com
/ref> Fifth, there are John and Jim. Close, mutually understanding, with enough humor and sarcasm to keep them going through both the good and the bad days. Even though their outlooks towards life differ significantly, their love for the job (journalism) creates a strong bond of true friendship. Sixth, there is Chang, a man of power, of high position, but a wimp in his heart. His immense wealth cannot replace what he lacks in personality. He has no charisma, no morality, no care, and exists purely on his imaginary throne of pretentiousness and status. While he is ashamed of Vivian, he does love her, but in a pathetic, cowardly way. He is very much into 'saving face' and can not find an equilibrium in his life (professional nor personal). He agrees to marry Vivian, but deceives her by arranging merely a mock wedding photo session, so she could have some pictures to send to her family. Vivian burns all of the photos and accepts the notion she will never be happy nor free. Seventh, there are John and Vivian. A story of true love that just isn't meant to be. Not because they wouldn't want it to, but because of the constraints of the societies they live in. Eighth, there is John (again), perplexed with his own mortality, which he is suddenly forced to face. Ninth, there is the political aspect of Hong Kong politically becoming a part of China again, which (at the time) was a great uncertainty.

Cast

Production

The movie shows the actual temporary press room which was specially set up for the press coverage of the handover, and located in the old part of the Convention and Exhibition Centre. Certain scenes were shot at the Main Bar of the Foreign Correspondents' Club.F.C.C Facilities - Main Bar
The main characters residence in the film was shot in a flat located along

Central–Mid-Levels escalator The Central–Mid-Levels escalator and walkway system in Hong Kong is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world. The system covers over in distance and traverses an elevation of over from bottom to top. It opened in 1993 to p ...

s, just below Hollywood Road in Central.

Reception

References

External links

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"Hong Kong as City/Imaginary in ''The World of Suzie Wong'', ''Love is a Many Splendored Thing'', and ''Chinese Box''", by Thomas Y. T. Luk, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
{{Golden Osella 1997 films Films set in Hong Kong 1997 romantic drama films American romantic drama films Films about Chinese Americans Films about interracial romance Films directed by Wayne Wang Films with screenplays by Jean-Claude Carrière Films scored by Graeme Revell Paul Theroux Chinese-language American films Cantonese-language American films 1990s American films Works about the handover of Hong Kong Golden Osella winners