"Actor: Lei Zhao"

• The Beauty Of Beauties | Blu Ray | (08/04/2024) from £10.11   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Through the story of Xishi (Hsi Shih), one of Chinese history's greatest beauties, this costume drama tells the story of the war between two Chinese Kingdoms 2,500 years ago.After the kingdom of Yu is defeated by that of Wu, Goujian the King takes pains to prepare for his revenge and rebuilding his country. He knows well that the King of Wu, Fucha is lewd and lustful, so he offers Xisi to the court of Wu to serve as Fucha's concubine, with Fucha unaware that she is also a spy. She uses her charm to draw Fucha from his office and governess, leaving the ruling class of Wu rotten.Meanwhile Goujian secretly summons his friends and equips them with arms. After ten years of of war, can Goujian at last takes his revenge and reclaims his lands?This 1966 multiple award winning epic is lovingly restored in 4K from its original Camera negative.Product FeaturesBrand new 4K Remaster from the Original NegativesHigh Definition (1080p) Blu-ray in 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio2.0 Original Mandarin MonoNewly Translated English SubtitlesAn Interview with Oriental Cinema Expert Tony RaynsOriginal TrailerRestoration Comparison

• Cirque Du Soleil - Dralion | DVD | (28/01/2002) from £3.97   |  Saving you £16.02 (403.53%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The work of the Canadian circus troupe Cirque Du Soleil, Dralion is a show which has toured worldwide. It features elements of Chinese circus tradition interspersed with the troupe's own pan-cultural sense of stage spectacle. It's a combination of music, dance, clowning and acrobatics lavishly bathed in dry ice, strobe lights and a colourful array of oriental finery, elaborate costumes and props. Here you'l find Chinese women finding the strength from somewhere in their tiny bodies to balance by their hands atop 10-foot poles which are wheeled around gracefully; and young boys tumbling rapidly through revolving golden hoops; and bronzed dancers swinging through the air in balletic arcs from lengths of blue ribbon. What one could do without, though, is the She-Goddess' New Age babble throughout the proceedings, as well as the soundtrack, which is a queasy fusion of world music marinated in bass. There's also an over-indulgence of costume and choreography, presumably the work of the "avant garde" Cirque Du Soleil, though much here is distinctly apres-garde, reminding the viewer irresistibly of the musical extravaganza that was the daily centrepiece of the ill-fated Millennium Dome. All of this at times smothers and distracts from the impressive physical feats of the Chinese performers. Still, for the three million people who have witnessed this show worldwide this will certainly provide a worthy memento.On the DVD: a number of extra features include a featurette about the five-month deadline the troupe had to meet in putting together the show, splendid for those who thrill to the spectacle of tents being erected and dancers being winched carefully into the rafters of giant hangars. There's also a facility for viewing the performances from different angles. The show is presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio, and is generally pristine in both colour and definition. --David Stubbs

• Mountain Patrol | DVD | (12/12/2005) from £8.07   |  Saving you £7.92 (49.50%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Set during the mid '90s Mountain Patrol tells the tale of the deadly battles waged between the poachers - who have their sights set on Kekexili's endangered antelopes - and the group of mountain patrolmen who'll stop at nothing to punish them. A hotshot journalist is employed from Beijing to join the latter group and see what makes them tick. Thus begins a tireless pursuit for justice; in the process lives are sacrificed sandstorms are braved and the boundaries of inv

• The Road Home | DVD | (16/04/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The latest film by Chinese director Zhang Yimou, The Road Home (1999) is a story of past and present. In black and white we see a young businessman return to a rural village where his father has died. His mother wants a traditional funeral, which involves carrying the coffin several miles in the depths of winter. Then, in flashback and brilliant colour, we are told the story of his parents' courtship. His father had come as the local schoolteacher and had fallen in love with his mother, a local girl. Political complications ensue and they are separated for two years, but at last reunited. This apparently simply tale is told with great insight and dazzlingly beautiful camerawork, in a style which echoes the Italian neo-realist films of the 1940s. Perhaps it doesn't have the complexity of the director's earlier film, Raise the Red Lantern (1991), which starred the luminous Gong Li, but The Road Home has her match in Zhang Ziyi, who also starred in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). On the DVD: The quality of the sound and picture (in 2.35:1 ratio) are excellent. There are no additional features except for subtitles in English and 15 other languages. --Ed Buscombe