East Palace, West Palace details
| Format: | 15 DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Hu Jun, Si Han |
| Director: | Zhang Yuan |
| Genres: | Drama - General, Gay/Lesbian - General, World Cinema - Spanish |
| Studio: | AMAZON WEB |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
East Palace, West Palace |
15 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 31 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 21 Jun 2004 |
| Main languages: | Mandarin |
| Subtitles: | English |
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Most helpful review
A slow paced entrancing look into one aspect of 'gay' life in China.
By Bruce from Oxford, England , 04 Jul 2004[Highly rated reviewer]
East Palace, West Palace comes from Chinas, is in Mandarin with English subtitles, 90 minutes, and released in 1997. Starring Si Han and Hu Jun, and directed by Zhang Yuan.
The movie is basically a two-character drama, involving a young gay man (Si Han), identified as a writer, and a local policeman (Hu Jun) who arrests him for public cruising in a park, possibly in Beijing. The policeman is more than professionally curious about the young man, who seems to undersand the policeman's 'extreme interest' with the writer suddenly kissing the policeman.
The movie is almost completely focused on a nightlong interrogation of the young gay man by the policeman, touching on issues such as coming out, cruising, being married and gay, S&M, etc. The movie has political ramifications, comparing the intolerance of gays with interolance in general of human rights (in China).
I enjoyed the acting, tight directing, and the almost surrealistic moments of the movie. It is slowly moving, but I personally enjoyed this, and felt it added to the movie.- Was this review helpful to you?
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All reviews
(19)ASIAN GEM
By OscarFreak (415 reviews) from London , 11 May 2012a well crafted film about the perils of being gay in Beijing and the attitude of the local police force. The interplay between the lead actors was excellent and the director kept a tight rein on the proceedings, a film not to miss.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Well worth watching
By BenCooke (32 reviews) from Banchory , 30 Apr 2011A fascinating film, wonderfully acted and beautifully filmed, subtle in its political undercurrent, sometimes tense and sometimes moving as the relationship between the two men develops. Thoroughly watchable.- Was this review helpful to you?
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CHINESE MAGIC
By GRABLOCK (4 reviews) from Winchelsea , 16 May 2010I LOVED THIS FILM FROM START TO FINISH THE ACTING BY THE TWO CHINESE ACTORS IS SUPERB, IT GRIPS YOU AND THE WAY THE FILM CUTS FROM INSIDE TO OUTSIDE EXCELLENT.
IT MAKES YOU FEEL AS THOUGH YOU ARE ACTUALY WITH THEM IN THE ROOM AND THE TENSION GETS SO INTENSE YOU CAN FEEL IT, THAT IS GREAT ACTING- Was this review helpful to you?
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An insight
By a customer from Isle of Skye , 09 Oct 2009An interesting cameo of gay China - other reviews explain well the tight claustrophobic setting, and ask who's really the cruiser in this two-person piece.
I was intrigued by the unspoken acknowledgement of a gay sub-culture in Chinese city life, directly comparable to the 1950s here. I have no idea how current and accurate a picture it is! More about intrigueing your curious mind than entertaining you.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Can't make up my mind
By a customer from Bampton , 08 Nov 2008I can't make up my mind whether this was a masterpiece or a piece of complete and utter garbage. There is a lot of tension in the film and the acting is excellent. It was also a cultural eye opener. But there is no doubt that this isn't an action packed movie, but a reflective and intellectual one. Still it's one of those films you will remember in a long while, whether the impression is positive or negative!- Was this review helpful to you?
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