Fandor 100 Essential Chinese Movies

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Created by benitotambara.

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Among the many recent additions to the Fandor catalog, I am most excited by several classic Chinese films that I consider to be among the very best to have ever been made in that language: The Big Road, Street Angel (a film I love so dearly that I modeled my wedding photos after some of its iconic shots), Crossroads, Spring in a Small Town, to name a few. The sight of these titles got me thinking: what are the essential movies that anyone curious about Chinese cinema needs to see? The following video of 50 essential Chinese language films – and expanded list of 100 essential films found further below – is my attempt at an answer.

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  1. 1 new

    Lao gong zhi ai qing

    1922, in 0 top lists Check
  2. 2 new

    Xiao Wanyi

    1933 — a.k.a. Little Toys, in 2 top lists Check
  3. 4 new

    Shen nu

    1934, in 10 top lists Check
  4. 6 new

    Dalu

    1935 — a.k.a. The Big Road, in 4 top lists Check
  5. 7 new

    Ma lu tian shi

    1937 — a.k.a. Street Angel, in 6 top lists Check
  6. 8 new

    Ye ban ge sheng

    1935, in 3 top lists Check
  7. 10 new

    Yi jiang chun shui xiang dong liu

    1947 — a.k.a. The Spring River Flows East, in 5 top lists Check
  8. 11 new

    Taitai Wansui

    1947, in 1 top list Check
  9. 12 new

    Xiao cheng zhi chun

    1948 — a.k.a. Spring in a Small Town, in 10 top lists Check
  10. 13 new

    Wanjia denghuo

    1948 — a.k.a. The Lights of Ten Thousand Homes, in 2 top lists Check
  11. 14 new

    Wuya yu maque

    1949 — a.k.a. Crows and Sparrows, in 1 top list Check
  12. 16 new

    Qing gong mi shi

    1948 — a.k.a. Sorrows of the Forbidden City, in 1 top list Check
  13. 17 new

    Wo zhe yi bei zi

    1950 — a.k.a. Life of a Beijing Policeman, in 3 top lists Check
  14. 19 new

    Wei lou chun xiao

    1953, in 1 top list Check
  15. 21 new

    Man Bo nu lang

    1957 — a.k.a. Mambo Girl, in 2 top lists Check
  16. 22 new

    Hao men ye yan

    1959, in 1 top list Check
  17. 23 new

    Lin zexu

    1959 — a.k.a. The Opium Wars, in 2 top lists Check
  18. 25 new

    Ye mei gui zhi lian

    1960 — a.k.a. The Wild Wild Rose, in 3 top lists Check
  19. 26 new

    Ke lian tian xia fu mu xin

    1960 — a.k.a. The Great Devotion, in 1 top list Check
  20. 29 new

    Liang Shan Bo yu Zhu Ying Tai

    1963 — a.k.a. The Love Eterne, in 4 top lists Check
  21. 31 new

    Wutai jiemei

    1964 — a.k.a. Two Stage Sisters, in 6 top lists Check
  22. 32 new

    Po xiao shi fen

    1968, in 2 top lists Check
  23. 33 new

    Du bei dao

    1967 — a.k.a. The One-Armed Swordsman, in 4 top lists Check
  24. 34 new

    Long men kezhan

    1967 — a.k.a. Dragon Inn, in 8 top lists Check
  25. 35 new

    Xia nü

    1971 — a.k.a. A Touch of Zen, in 15 top lists Check
  26. 36 new

    Dong fu ren

    1968 — a.k.a. The Arch, in 6 top lists Check
  27. 37 new

    Dong nuan

    1969 — a.k.a. The Winter, in 1 top list Check
  28. 39 new

    Qiu Jue

    1972 — a.k.a. Execution in Autumn, in 3 top lists Check
  29. 40 new

    Jing wu men

    1972 — a.k.a. Fist of Fury, in 8 top lists Check
  30. 41 new

    Zai jian Zhongguo

    1978 — a.k.a. China Behind, in 1 top list Check
  31. 43 new

    Ban jin ba liang

    1976 — a.k.a. The Private Eyes, in 4 top lists Check
  32. 44 new

    Shao Lin san shi liu fang

    1978 — a.k.a. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, in 8 top lists Check
  33. 45 new

    Jui kuen

    1978 — a.k.a. Drunken Master, in 9 top lists Check
  34. 46 new

    Dip bin

    1979 — a.k.a. The Butterfly Murders, in 3 top lists Check
  35. 47 new

    Fung gip

    1979 — a.k.a. The Secret, in 2 top lists Check
  36. 48 new

    Zhuang dao zheng

    1980 — a.k.a. The Spooky Bunch, in 3 top lists Check
  37. 49 new

    Foo ji ching

    1981 — a.k.a. Father and Son, in 1 top list Check
  38. 50 new

    Tau ban no hoi

    1982 — a.k.a. Boat People, in 8 top lists Check
  39. 51 new

    Shu Shan - Xin Shu shan jian ke

    1983 — a.k.a. Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain, in 5 top lists Check
  40. 52 new

    Er zi de da wan ou

    1983 — a.k.a. The Sandwich Man, in 3 top lists Check
  41. 53 new

    Xiao Bi de gu shi

    1983 — a.k.a. Growing Up, in 1 top list Check
  42. 54 new

    Huang tu di

    1984 — a.k.a. Yellow Earth, in 9 top lists Check
  43. 55 new

    Si shui liu nian

    1984 — a.k.a. Homecoming, in 1 top list Check
  44. 56 new

    Sang gong kei bing

    1984 — a.k.a. Long Arm of the Law, in 2 top lists Check
  45. 57 new

    Tóngnián wangshì

    1985 — a.k.a. A Time to Live, a Time to Die, in 8 top lists Check
  46. 58 new

    Qing mei zhu ma

    1985 — a.k.a. Taipei Story, in 8 top lists Check
  47. 59 new

    Ying hung boon sik

    1986 — a.k.a. A Better Tomorrow, in 10 top lists Check
  48. 60 new

    Kong bu fen zi

    1986 — a.k.a. The Terrorizers, in 6 top lists Check
  49. 61 new

    Chou tin dik tong wah

    1987 — a.k.a. An Autumn's Tale, in 4 top lists Check
  50. 62 new

    Lung foo fung wan

    1987 — a.k.a. City on Fire, in 4 top lists Check
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Last updated on Dec 31, 2012; source