Letter from an Unknown Woman is a novella by Stefan Zweig. Published in 1922, it tells the story of an author who, while reading a letter written by a woman he does not remember, gets glimpses into her life story.
Jiang Wen is a Chinese actor, screenwriter, and director. As a director, he is sometimes grouped with the "Sixth Generation" that emerged in the 1990s. Jiang is also well known internationally as an actor, having starred with Gong Li in Zhang Yimou's debut film Red Sorghum (1986), and more recently as Baze Malbus in the Star Wars film Rogue One (2016). He is the older brother of fellow actor Jiang Wu.
Devils on the Doorstep is a 2000 Chinese black comedy war film directed, co-written and produced by Jiang Wen, starring Jiang himself, Kagawa Teruyuki, Yuan Ding and Jiang Hongbo. Shot in black and white to mimic old-time war movies, the film premiered at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival on 12 May where it won the Grand Prix. The film was initially not allowed to be shown in theaters in its native China for a certain period but has eventually been made commercially available there since.
In the Heat of the Sun is a 1994 Chinese film directed and written by Jiang Wen. The film is based loosely on author Wang Shuo's novel Wild Beast. Jiang Wen, known as one of China’s best actors and seen in numerous films such as Red Sorghum (1988), Hibiscus Town (1987), The Imperial Eunuch (1991), and Letter from An Unknown Woman (2004), is also a very successful filmmaker and director.
Xu Jinglei is a Chinese actress and film director. She was hailed as one of the Four Dan Actresses in China. In 2002, Xu won the Huabiao Award for Outstanding New Actress for her performance in I Love You and the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress for Spring Subway. The same year, she won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Far From Home. In 2003, she won the directing debut award of the 23rd Golden Rooster Award for the first film she directed, My Father and I. In 2004, she won the Best Director Award at the 52nd San Sebastián International Film Festival for her film Letter from an Unknown Woman, which she composed, directed and starred in.
The Warlords, previously known as The Blood Brothers, is a 2007 epic action war drama film directed by Peter Chan and starring Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Xu Jinglei. The film was released on 13 December 2007 simultaneously in most of Asia, except Japan. The film is set in the 1860s, during the Taiping Rebellion in the late Qing dynasty in China and centers on the sworn brotherhood of three men.
Hibiscus Town is a 1986 Chinese film directed by Xie Jin, based on a novel by the same name written by Gu Hua. The film, a melodrama, follows the life and travails of a young woman who lives through the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution and as such is an example of the "scar drama" genre that emerged in the 1980s and 1990s that detailed life during that period. The film was produced by the Shanghai Film Studio.
I Love You is a 2002 Chinese drama film directed by Zhang Yuan and starring Xu Jinglei and Tong Dawei. The film was a co-production between the Xi'an Film Studio and Jewel Film Investment Company.
Spring Subway is a 2002 Chinese romance film directed by Zhang Yibai and starring Xu Jinglei and Geng Le. Sixth Generation director Zhang Yang also plays a role. The film represents a relatively new genre in China, the artistic "commercial film" with its international urban sensibilities designed to appeal to young middle-class Chinese. Spring Subway is a stylistic film that plays with chronological conventions and flashbacks, and with characters that often break the fourth wall to directly address the audience.
Spicy Love Soup is a 1997 Chinese film directed by Zhang Yang and written by Zhang, Liu Fendou, Cai Shangjun, and Diao Yi'nan based on a story by Zhang and Peter Loehr. Spicy Love Soup was produced by Loehr's Imar Film Company, Xi'an Film Studio, and Taiwanese financing.
My Father and I is a 2003 Mainland Chinese drama directed by actress Xu Jinglei in her directorial debut. The film centers around a young girl, played by Xu, and her father, played by Ye Daying, following the death of her mother in an accident. It was critically well-received, winning the Best Directorial Debut Award for Xu Jinglei at the 2003 Golden Rooster Awards. Internationally, it screened at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival.
Go Lala Go! is a 2010 Chinese romantic comedy film directed by Xu Jinglei. Film producer Patrick S. Cunningham collaborated with Xu Jinglei, and this film is considered one of the most successful collaborations between a Chinese director and American producer.
Sun Weishi was the first female director of modern spoken drama (Huaju) in Chinese history. Sun's father was killed by the Kuomintang (KMT) in 1927, and Sun was eventually adopted by Zhou Enlai, who later became the first premier of the People's Republic of China. While in Yan'an, Sun aroused the enmity of Mao's wife, Jiang Qing, beginning a rivalry between the two that lasted throughout Sun's life until her ultimate death at Jiang's hands. During World War II, Sun lived in Moscow, studying theater. Lin Biao was also in Moscow at the time and proposed to Sun before returning to China in 1942, but Sun rejected him. Lin married another woman, Ye Qun, in 1943. Ye held a lifelong grudge against Sun for her earlier relationship with Lin.
Tao Hong is a Chinese actress and former synchronised swimmer. A National Games of China champion, Tao was part of the Chinese national team at several synchronised swimming competitions from 1987 to 1991, including the 1991 World Aquatics Championships.
A Sentimental Story is a 1997 Chinese romantic thriller television drama series directed by Zhao Baogang and written by Hai Yan. The story is about a young policewoman falling in love with a gangster she pursues. A smash hit, the series is credited with catapulting lead actress Xu Jinglei, a little-known Beijing Film Academy student, to national fame.
Shangguan Yunzhu was a Chinese actress active from the 1940s to the 1960s. She was considered one of the most talented and versatile actresses in China, and was named one of the 100 best actors of the 100 years of Chinese cinema in 2005.
Somewhere Only We Know is a 2015 Chinese romantic drama film directed by Xu Jinglei. Filming took place in Prague, Czech Republic. The film was released on February 10, 2015.
Battle of Memories is a 2017 Chinese science fiction crime thriller film co-written and directed by Leste Chen and starring Huang Bo, Xu Jinglei, Duan Yihong, Yang Zishan and Ann Hsu. It was released in China on April 28, 2017 and received critical acclaim from critics.
Shu Xiuwen, also romanized as Shu Hsiu-wen, was a Chinese film and stage actress, as well as the first voice actress in China. She grew up in poverty but made a name for herself in the drama and film industry of Shanghai before the Second Sino-Japanese War, and then in the wartime capital Chongqing. She starred in numerous films and stage plays, including her most acclaimed film The Spring River Flows East, and was recognized as one of China's top four actresses.
Chun Tao is a feature film jointly produced by Nanhai Film Company and Liaoning Film Studio, directed by Ling Zifeng. Released in mainland China in 1988. The film was adapted from Xu Dishan's Chun Tao. After telling that Chuntao and Li Mao were scattered by the bandits on the wedding night, she went to Beijing to scavenge the wasteland and lived with Liu Xianggao. The emotional story of her life with two men after Li Mao's accidental disability.
