Around China with a Movie Camera

Jul 18, 2016

1h 8m

★ 4.2

Take a trip back to China in the first half of the twentieth Century with this presentation of extraordinary, rare and beautiful travelogues, newsreels and home movies.

Overview

A new film compiled from the BFI National Archive's unparalleled holdings of early films of China, features films from 1900-48 filmed across China. The cinematic journey of Around China with a Movie Camera contains many films which may never have been seen in China, or at the very least not for over 70 years. These travelogues, newsreels and home movies were made by a diverse group of British and French filmmakers, some professionals, but mainly enthusiastic amateurs, including intrepid tourists, colonial-era expatriates and Christian missionaries.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

BFI

Around China with a Movie Camera Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

No Cast found.

Director Philip Haas and artist David Hockney invite you to join them on a magical journey through China via a marvelous 72-foot long 17th-century Chinese scroll entitled The Kangxi Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour (1691-1698), scroll seven . As Hockney unrolls the beautiful and minutely detailed work of art, he traces the Emperor Kangxi’s second tour of his southern empire in 1689.

8.0

Behind the Walls of the Forbidden City

Mar 5, 2024

Secluded from view by nine-meter-high walls and composed of 980 buildings, the Forbidden City in Beijing is the largest imperial palace ever built in the world. Three majestic structures form its center and host the city's ceremonies, each of which is considered an architectural masterpiece. In 1406, construction of the Forbidden City was launched at the initiative of one of China's most powerful sovereigns and founder of the Ming dynasty: Yongle. Endowed with divine power, the construction has already resisted more than 200 earthquakes.

6.3

People's Republic of Desire

Nov 30, 2018

In China’s popular live-streaming showrooms, three millennials – a karaoke singer, a migrant worker and a rags-to-riches comedian – seek fame, fortune and human connection, ultimately finding the same promises and perils online as in their real lives.

6.7

Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness

Apr 29, 1927

Elephants disrupt the lives of a family deep in the jungles of Northern Siam, and an entire village.

4.2

Blow Job

Jul 16, 1964

Andy Warhol directs a single 35-minute shot of a man's face to capture his facial expressions as he receives the sexual act depicted in the title.

3.0

The History of the Civil War

Jun 1, 1921

The epic story of the Russian Civil War (1918-21): the White Terror, the counterrevolutionary uprisings, the guerrilla war, the Kolchak front, the Wrangel front and the Kronstadt rebellion. Chaos and violence, devastation and death.

No Image Available

6.0

Moments in Helsinki

Jan 2, 1971

A compilation of excerpts from old Helsinki-themed documentaries and new material.

10.0

Petzl RocTrip China 2011

Oct 30, 2011

During a reconnaissance trip, Olivier Balma, a guide and instructor at CMDI, accompanies Erwan Le Lann into the Getu Valley, in the heart of Guizhou Province. They discover a practically untouched site with a unique giant arch filled with limestone tufas. The project takes shape with the agreement of the government and the Chinese Mountaineering Association. It takes a group of climbers two trips to put up 250 new routes of all levels. During the Petzl RocTrip, hundreds of Chinese and visiting climbers get together to climb these routes. The highlight of the event is when the Spaniard Dani Andrada sends his project, Corazon de Ensueno. In front of a big crowd, he frees the extremely difficult eight pitches, all tied in with his partner, Chris Sharma. Since then, the Getu Valley has become a prime climbing destination, thanks to the magnificent routes and to the warm and authentic hospitality of the valley's inhabitants.

6.9

Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang

Oct 20, 2014

Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke returns to the shooting locations of his films, along with his actors, friends and close collaborators. Jia recalls the inspiration sources for his movies, such as Platform, Still Life and A Touch of Sin. The film is the memory of a filmmaker and of a country in convulsion, China, which reveals itself little by little.

9.0

Secrets of the Forbidden City

Oct 18, 2017

The Forbidden City is the world’s biggest and most extravagant palace complex ever built. For five centuries, it was the power center of imperial China and survived wars, revolution, fires, and earthquakes. How did the Ming Emperor’s workforce construct its sprawling array of nearly 1,000 buildings and dozens of temples in a little over a decade?

8.0

Chinese Chariots Revealed

May 17, 2017

For over 1,000 years, chariots were indispensable weapons in ancient China. The art of chariot driving and special warfare were used there for longer than anywhere else. Their contribution to the unification of the Chinese empire is undisputed. New archaeological discoveries reveal how the Chinese developed and perfected this sophisticated weapon. In the Bronze Age, over 3,000 years ago, chariots and other war equipment arrived in China from Central Asia via the Hexi Corridor. In addition to trade and new alliances, their spread was mainly due to the Zhou dynasty's incessant military campaigns against rebellious vassal states and the constant attacks by the mobile cavalries of its northern neighbors. Manned with spearmen or archers, the chariots were a decisive weapon in battle.

8.0

Treasures of the Terracotta Army

Jul 19, 2017

No overview available.

0.0

Ian Wright - It Shouldn't Happen To A Footballer

Nov 6, 2006

Ian Wright: It Shouldn't Happen To A Footballer' comprises the best of the best legendary footballing mishaps, as chosen by the thousands of readers of the nation's favourite football bible, FourFourTwo magazine. In the biggest ever survey of its type, FourFourTwo united the nation's terraces to establish once and for all the most humiliating footballing cock-up. Guaranteed to include all the best (and worst!) moments from football history, 'Ian Wright: It Shouldn't Happen To A Footballer' also includes up-to-date action from the 2005-2006 Premiership season and FA Cup. Picked by the fans, for the fans, this is the ultimate stocking filler for football lovers everywhere, and sure-fire family fun this Christmas.

0.0

Moonwalk

Apr 18, 2024

This short documentary film captures the natural movement of the moon mixed with an experimental musical track that accompanies the rhythm of the "walk" on the stage that the protagonist occupies, the sky.

8.0

The Tea Explorer

Invalid Date

The Tea Explorer documentary follows the journey of tea enthusiast Jeff Fuchs along the Tea Horse Road, a 1300-year-old trade route in the Himalayas. It combines the author's passion for both tea and mountains, tracing the route's history, meeting the people who live along it, and exploring the significance of tea in the region.

No Image Available

0.0

Draussen bleiben

Oct 24, 2007

No overview available.

4.9

Visions of Europe

May 1, 2004

Twenty-five films from twenty-five European countries by twenty-five European directors.

Around China with a Movie Camera

Overview

Genres

Production Companies

Around China with a Movie Camera Trailers

Cast

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