The Chinese Feast
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Theatrical Screenings
Kinoteka 3
Muranów
Online Availability
Additional Materials
Film description
A popular Hong Kong restaurant faces a takeover by a massive corporate chain, and its only hope for survival lies in winning an elite culinary competition. Former criminal Sun and Wai, the red-haired, hot-headed daughter of the restaurant owner, set off on a difficult mission. Can they find a chef with the skills of a true master and save the family business?
In 1995, Tsui Hark desperately needed a box-office hit, as local market conditions had deteriorated sharply. This unpretentious Chinese New Year comedy – featuring a charming lead duo in Leslie Cheung and Anita Yuen, alongside a healthy dose of slapstick humour – delivered precisely that. The film delights with fierce culinary duels and beautifully shot, exquisite dishes that pay homage to traditional Chinese cuisine. (Note: The food featured on screen is non-vegan!) True to Tsui’s style, The Chinese Feast also weaves in subtle political commentary just two years before the Handover.
text:
Marcin Krasnowolski
Tsui Hark
A Hong Kong filmmaker of Vietnamese descent, he was born in 1950 and is widely regarded as one of the most versatile and influential figures in the history of popular world cinema. His first three films, considered landmark works of the Hong Kong New Wave, were not box-office hits, but they continue to astonish with their inventiveness and wealth of influences. It was only when Hark turned to commercial filmmaking that he truly demonstrated the full extent of his abilities, quickly establishing himself as a leading figure in mainstream cinema. From 1984 onwards, he also shaped the careers of key directors and actors, and above all actresses, as a producer. Many of them have since gone on to achieve international success. Thanks to his boundless energy and constant drive to explore new forms of cinematic expression, Hong Kong cinema developed a distinctive identity that helped turn it into a compelling export. Tsui Hark now works primarily in the Chinese film industry, making big-budget blockbusters.
1979 Zabójcze motyle / Dié Biàn / The Butterfly Murders
1980 Niebezpieczne spotkania pierwszego stopnia / Di yi lei xing wei xian / Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind
1984 Shànghǎi zhī yè / Shanghai Blues
1986 Kaczka po pekińsku / Dāo Mǎ Dàn / Peking Opera Blues
1989 Mistrz / Huang Fei Hong jiu er zhi long xing tian xia / The Master
1991 Dawno temu w Chinach / Wong Fei Hung / Once Upon a Time in China
1991 Bankiet / Hao men ye yan / The Banquet
1995 Ostrze / Dao / The Blade
1995 Chińska uczta / Gam yuk moon tong / The Chinese Feast
2005 Siedem mieczy / Qī Jiàn / Seven Swords
2011 Latąjace miecze ze Smoczej Bramy / Lóng Mén Fēi Jiǎ / Flying Swords of Dragon Gate
2021 Chángjīn hú / The Battle at Lake Changjin
2022 Chángjīn Hú zhī Shuǐmén Qiáo / The Battle at Lake Changjin II

