Shadow Magic

Cultures clash and coalesce in this beautifully filmed tale about the arrival of the movie industry to China. In 1902 Peking, photographer Liu Jinglun (Xia Yu) is helping his boss (Liu Peiqi) prepare for a photo session with Peking's most important opera star, Lord Tan, when a foreigner, Raymond Wallace (Jared Harris), arrives. Raymond has come to introduce "Shadow Magic," the first silent movies, to Imperial Peking, and from their first flicker, Liu is captured by the magic of the moving images. With animosity to foreigners at a peak, Liu must hide his growing friendship with Raymond. Liu's interest in this new medium also jeopardizes his relationship with Ling (Xing Yufei), the daughter of Lord Tan. All the conflicts come to a head at the climactic birthday celebration of the Empress Dowager.