NationStates Jolt Archive

I've been studying mandarin for some time now, and I seeing how movies are a great way to further your understanding of a language I was thinking of downloading some chinese movies that are mandarin spoken.

In other words, know any movies that meet that criteria and which are worth the time?

So far I've only been able to download one mandarin spoken movie: Shaolin Soccer. Great movie! I realize that using kazaa isn't ideal as I believe its userbase is mainly english oriented. So if there are other p2p-programs out there whose userbase is mandarin then let me know!

Thanks in advance. :)

Wasn't Crouching Tiger a Mandarin movie with english subtitles? Not one of my favorite Kung Fu movies at all, but it might fit your criteria.

I don't know but I'll find out. :)

why not RENT them from your local video store?

I hadn't thought of that! I've gotten so used to getting the movies I want from the net that it never occured to me. Still, I doubt my local video store carries many chinese movies, I can probably count them on one hand, but it's worth a try!

i live in a small town and my local store has bunches. it might be because we are a college town but doesnt everyone like chinese movies??

Great choice to watch movies to improve your skills! English isn't my first language and I taught it to myself by watching English-speaking television and movies.

The best peer-to-peer program available today, by far, is eMule. It's spyware-free, unlike Kazaa and others, it's faster, and there's a much wider selection.

As far as recommending movies, most of the famous Chinese films are from Hong Kong and therefore in Cantonese, however Mainland Chinese cinema has picked up recently, what with the PRC having more money and all. The most famous Mandarin language films in the past few years are Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero and House of Flying Daggers. There are certainly others but I can't think of them right now.

The films from the golden age of wu-xia pian, before the Shaw Brothers basically took over the industry, were mostly shot in Mandarin. I'm thinking about the first Wong Fei-Hung serials starring Kwan Tak Hing that were shot in the fifties and the sixsties. That's pretty obscure stuff, I guess, but you still may able to find some stuff on eMule.

I would recommend just googling for sites on Mainland Chinese and Mandarin cinema, there must be plenty out there, and then pasting the titles into eMule.

'Eat Drink Man Woman' is quite a nice Taiwanese movie you might want to check out. Written and directed by Ang Lee, whom you may have heard of.

'Eat Drink Man Woman' is quite a nice Taiwanese movie you might want to check out. Written and directed by Ang Lee, whom you may have heard of.Yeah, it's a great movie, and Taiwanese movies are a very good ideas since there's plenty of them, easy to find in the West, and are in Mandarin.

House of Flying Daggers

Wong Ka Wi is supposed to make good movies aka ChungKing Express

Not "House of Flying Daggers"! They speak so quickly that it was hard for my Chinese friends to understand let alone someone learning the language. I only managed to pick up bits of the plot from the far too rapidly changing subtitles (Simplified Chinese characters).

Crouching Tiger is much easier to understand (though I'm not very good at Mandarin yet so I still need subtitles as a crutch :( .)

For a really good historical film, get "The Emperor and the Assassin"...Its available in the US on DVD and such.

For a really good historical film, get "The Emperor and the Assassin"...Its available in the US on DVD and such.Sounds familiar, but I can't remember it. What's it about?

Zhang Yi Mou stuff is great. 'Not One Less', 'Raise the Red Lantern'; easy to understand, very visual.

Many Hong Kong Cantonese movies have a mandarin version as well, if you can find it.


Crouching Tiger is much easier to understand (though I'm not very good at Mandarin yet so I still need subtitles as a crutch :( .)

Use that crutch as little as possible, IMO. It seems to hurt more than it helps. The only way to strengthen a muscle is to use it, not to avoid using it.

Sounds familiar, but I can't remember it. What's it about?

I've mentioned it once or twice on this forum before. Its set in the warring States Period, just as Qin was starting to form the first Empire in ernest. The story is a layered tale mostly centering around two characters and the woman who loved them both in trun.

The Emperor, who is a somewhat complex figure, with strange motivations and sometimes almost childlike behavior. He's a joy to watch, his character's development is both subtle in places and dramatic in others.

The Assassin, who is deeply repentant for his past, in which a singular incident caused him to lose all sense of self. No longer caring for his own life in the slightest, he nevertheless steadfastly refuses to kill anyone. His stoic, almost dour portrayal is interesting, but not exciting.

The woman in the middle of the whole mess is Lady Zhao, who has a very complex story, but a straightforward "Willful and intelligent woman" character. While perhaps not the most complex role, the actress does a beautiful job with the part.

The scenery is simply outstanding, the weapons and armor look real and highly detailed, and the music is decent. You get a true sense of immersion and reality in the movie, only broken by an occasional scenes that seem oddly edited. The main draw of the film is the historical context; it does an amazing job of detailing some impossibly complex court intrigue that took place over 2200 years ago.

I've mentioned it once or twice on this forum before. Its set in the warring States Period, just as Qin was starting to form the first Empire in ernest. The story is a layered tale mostly centering around two characters and the woman who loved them both in trun.

The Emperor, who is a somewhat complex figure, with strange motivations and sometimes almost childlike behavior. He's a joy to watch, his character's development is both subtle in places and dramatic in others.

The Assassin, who is deeply repentant for his past, in which a singular incident caused him to lose all sense of self. No longer caring for his own life in the slightest, he nevertheless steadfastly refuses to kill anyone. His stoic, almost dour portrayal is interesting, but not exciting.

The woman in the middle of the whole mess is Lady Zhao, who has a very complex story, but a straightforward "Willful and intelligent woman" character. While perhaps not the most complex role, the actress does a beautiful job with the part.

The scenery is simply outstanding, the weapons and armor look real and highly detailed, and the music is decent. You get a true sense of immersion and reality in the movie, only broken by an occasional scenes that seem oddly edited. The main draw of the film is the historical context; it does an amazing job of detailing some impossibly complex court intrigue that took place over 2200 years ago.

That sounded like Hero. I looked it up, here: http://imdb.com/title/tt0162866/
Sounds good.

That sounded like Hero. I looked it up, here: http://imdb.com/title/tt0162866/
Sounds good.


There are generally quite a few movies on each of the more popular historical sagas. TV shows, as well - don't know if you can get ahold of those or not.

I've mentioned it once or twice on this forum before. Its set in the warring States Period, just as Qin was starting to form the first Empire in ernest. The story is a layered tale mostly centering around two characters and the woman who loved them both in trun. Snip-snip.Wow, this sounds amazing. I'll have to look it up. How old is it?

Mandarin TV shows are somewhat easy to get where I live (NYC). You can buy them off the street or at the little Chinese video store a few blocks down. Though most of the time they only come with simplified character subititles, which ticks me off sometimes because I can only read traditional. Traditional is harder to write but looks sexier.

Thanks for all the suggestions! :)

Should keep me busy and away from NS for a while. :D

Mandarin TV shows are somewhat easy to get where I live (NYC). You can buy them off the street or at the little Chinese video store a few blocks down. Though most of the time they only come with simplified character subititles, which ticks me off sometimes because I can only read traditional. Traditional is harder to write but looks sexier.

I can hardly read simplified because, like white people, they all look the same to an extent ><

Mandarin TV shows are somewhat easy to get where I live (NYC). You can buy them off the street or at the little Chinese video store a few blocks down. Though most of the time they only come with simplified character subititles, which ticks me off sometimes because I can only read traditional. Traditional is harder to write but looks sexier.

I'm Chinese and even I can't read Traditional. "Standard Chinese" uses all the simplified versions now, but Taiwan doesn't always comply with the mainland...

I can get Mandarin shows here easily, but it's Singapore Mandarin, which is sometimes wildly different from China Mandarin. We have some words that are adapted directly from Bahasa Melayu.

Even if you don't buy anything from here (http://www.zoommovie.com/chimoviedvd.asp), you can still get a few good movie titles that are all in Chinese.

Cool!

Wow, this sounds amazing. I'll have to look it up. How old is it?

According to Daistallia's link, its from 1999. It IS a lot like hero, but the battle scenes are nothing at all like hero's flighty, over-the-top Hong Kong sequences. As a matter of taste, I prefer E&A to Hero. Its more of a movie and less of a Jet Li Airlines promotional ;)

Hero felt half finished, and I found it odd that my favorite fight scene in the whole movie was between "Broken Sword" and the Emperor (which incidently was between the two cast members who had not done fight scenes in Kung Fu movies NEARLY as often as the rest of the cast).

Hero had tons of flair and style, but with much less substance than I had been hoping. It had so little to do with the time period (which is rich in possibilties) and so much to do with people flying in colorful clothes. Still a good film, mind you, but there's little comparison in quality.

Wasn't Crouching Tiger a Mandarin movie with english subtitles? Not one of my favorite Kung Fu movies at all, but it might fit your criteria.
I have just that - CTHD in Mandarin w/ English subtitles. And guess where I got it? Ares. LoL
And I have a soft spot for all 3 of Zhiayou Ziyi's big movies that migrated Eastward, to the West: Crouching Tiger..., Hero, and House of Flying Daggers. I consider the latter to be the best.

Great choice to watch movies to improve your skills! English isn't my first language and I taught it to myself by watching English-speaking television and movies.
And being a foreign lang. major, I am compelled to ask what is your native language? And how many other languages do you know? For I already respect you greatly for teaching yourself English through TV and movies. Although with our crazy taking-over-the-world-one-mcdonalds-at-a-time style culture, I'm not surprised.

LoL am now watching my ripped version of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon w/ Eng. subtitles, and I am suddenly reminded of 1) how beautiful the Mandarin Chinese language is, and I am inspired to begin studying it at my university next year, and of 2) how incredibly hott Zhiayou Ziyi is. Wow. If only, if only....