Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (film)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Wayne Wang |
Produced by | Wendi Murdoch Florence Sloan |
Screenplay by | Angela Workman Ronald Bass Michael K. Ray |
Based on | Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See |
Starring | Jun Ji-hyun Li Bingbing Vivian Wu Wu Jiang Russell Wong Coco Chiang Hu Jingyun Archie Kao |
Music by | Rachel Portman |
Cinematography | Richard Wong |
Edited by | Deirdre Slevin |
Production
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IDG China Creative Media Limited
Big Feet |
Distributed by | Fox Searchlight Pictures (US) Pinnacle Films (Australia) |
Release dates
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Running time
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104 minutes[1] |
Country | China United States |
Language | Mandarin Chinese, English, Korean |
Budget | $6 million[2] |
Box office | $11,348,205 [2] |
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a 2011 historical drama film based on the novel of the same name by the author[3] Lisa See. Directed by Wayne Wang, the film stars Jun Ji-hyun, Li Bingbing, Archie Kao, Vivian Wu, and Hugh Jackman.
Rupert Murdoch personally arranged for the film to be released by Fox Searchlight Pictures,[4] which opened the film in North America on July 15, 2011.[5]
Plot
In nineteenth century China, two girls named Snow Flower (Gianna Jun) and Lily (Li Bing Bing) are forever bonded together as sworn sisters. They are paired as laotong by a matchmaker who is also responsible for arranging their marriages. They are isolated by their families and communicate by writing in a secret sisterly language, Nü shu (a historical practice in China in that period) on a unique Chinese fan that Snow Flower possesses.
Meanwhile, in the present day Shanghai, their descendants Sophia Liao and Nina Wei struggle with the intimacy of their own pure and intense childhood friendship. As teenagers, Sophia and Nina were introduced to the idea of laotong, and they signed a traditional laotong contract on the cover of Canto-pop Faye Wong's album Fu Zao (Restless in English). Faye Wong was their favorite singer and their liberated dancing to the "degenerate" sounds of the cheerful refrain "la cha bor" was one of the reasons Sophia's stepmother attempted to separate them. Eventually they are separated but come together again when Sophia falls into a coma after being struck by a taxi while cycling. Reunited at long last, they must come to understand the story of the strong and close ancestral connection hidden from them in the folds of the antique white silk fan or lose one another forever in the process.
Cast
- Li Bingbing[6] as Nina/Lily
- Jun Ji-hyun as Sophia/Snow Flower
- Vivian Wu as Aunt
- Hugh Jackman as Arthur
- Archie Kao as Sebastian
- Wu Jiang as Butcher
- Angela Evans as Ballroom guest
- Jennifer Lim (voice) as Snow Flower
- Christina Jun (voice) as Sophie
Production
The film was produced by IDG China Media. The filming locations were Hengdian World Studios, Heng Dian, China, and Shanghai, China with many scenes at The Peninsula Hotel on the Bund.
Reception
The film received generally negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 21% approval rating, based on 87 reviews.[7] On Metacritic, it has a score of 42 out of a possible 100, based on 31 reviews.[8]
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Snow Flower and the Secret Fan at Box Office Mojo
- ↑ http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-06-19/entertainment/fl-books-lisa-see-20110619_1_snow-flower-novels-author-q-a
- ↑ http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2011/07/17/weekend_box_office_harry_potter_8_beats_the_dark_knights_opening_weekend_re/
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links
- Official website
- Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). Snow Flower and the Secret Fan at IMDb
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan at AllMovie
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan at Box Office Mojo
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan at Rotten Tomatoes
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan at Metacritic
- Pages with broken file links
- 2011 films
- Film articles using image size parameter
- Official website not in Wikidata
- 2010s drama films
- Chinese films
- Chinese drama films
- American films
- American drama films
- English-language films
- Films directed by Wayne Wang
- Films set in China
- Films shot in China
- Chinese historical films
- Chinese independent films
- Fox Searchlight Pictures films
- American historical films
- American independent films