China's rebellious and incessantly audacious Yuan Zhang delves into the secret world of illicit homosexuality in his devastatingly erotic and politically astute film, EAST PALACE, WEST PALACE. Immediately banned by the Chinese government, the film follows the young gay writer, A-Lan, as he drifts in and out of China's hidden .. Read more
| Starring | Si Han, Hu Jun |
|---|---|
| Director | Zhang Yuan |
| Genres | Drama, Gay/Lesbian, World Cinema |
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China's rebellious and incessantly audacious Yuan Zhang delves into the secret world of illicit homosexuality in his devastatingly erotic and politically astute film, EAST PALACE, WEST PALACE. Immediately banned by the Chinese government, the film follows the young gay writer, A-Lan, as he drifts in and out of China's hidden homosexual haunts, where he is beaten, humiliated and harassed along with other gays. When a handsome policeman busts him for "cruising" the grounds of the Forbidden Palace, A-lan starts to see his behaviour as a dangerous obsession. When he is caught by the officer a second time, A-lan undergoes a loaded overnight interrogation laced with barely sublimated erotic tension in which he talks about his life as a homosexual to the enraptured officer. As A-lan describes the sometimes tortuous conditions of being gay in China, which he proudly proclaims "make life worth living," the master and servant relationship slowly evolves into one of curious attraction and fear. Zhang slyly uses the chamber drama taking place between A-lan and the officer to create a stunning metaphor for the sado-masochistic relationship that Chinese people have with their own authority figures. As the drama is played out, A-lan's dreamlike, tragedy-laced past mingles with symbolic images from Chinese opera. Each of A-lan's stories deftly seduces the officer and further illuminates A-lan's complex hidden courage.
| Starring | Si Han, Hu Jun |
|---|---|
| Director | Zhang Yuan |
| Studio | AMAZON WEB |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 31 mins |
| Certificate |  |
| Genres | Drama, Gay/Lesbian, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: Mandarin |
| Dubbed | None |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | Production year: 1998 To Rent: DVD: 21 Jun 2004 |
The most daring and achieved of all the 'illegal' independent films made in China in the '90s - and quite probably the... read more on Time Out
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A slow paced entrancing look into one aspect of 'gay' life in China.
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... read more »
[Highly rated reviewer]
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ASIAN GEM
a 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... read more »
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Well worth watching
A fascinating film, wonderfully acted and beautifully filmed, subtle in its political undercurrent, sometimes tense and sometimes moving as the relationship ... read more »
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CHINESE MAGIC
I 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.<... read more »
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