The Cinematheque

“Directed by a genius … As an exploration of what a talented filmmaker can do with a chef, some pots and pans, and a whole lot of food, this is a real tour de force.”

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Tsui Hark has often downplayed the personal aspect of his filmmaking, preferring to label himself an artisan. In The Chinese Feast, he finds an exact metaphor for his craft: the highly specialized, exactingly overseen world of high-end Chinese cuisine. No comparable field could require more esoteric knowledge, to-the-limit labour, or awareness of an audience’s taste. It’s an immediate and altogether physical act of creation, and one delivered with shock-to-the-system comedy, action-scene choreography, and genuinely unhinged—and perfectly cast—romantic energy. As Sun, Leslie Cheung delivers one of his greatest performances. His ex, a hotel chef, has left for a job in Toronto. Hoping to follow the same path, he searches for an apprenticeship, starts at the bottom, and runs into Wai (Anita Yuen). Their spark reinvigorates a dormant restaurant rivalry, and culminates in a competition—a showcase for how Tsui’s skillset makes all modern food cinematography look anemic by comparison.

In Cantonese with traditional Chinese and English subtitles

“One-of-a-kind … Tsui turns [each scene] into a fiery display of superhuman speed and dexterity, exhibiting on his side of the camera the same flamboyant mastery that the chefs show on the other.”

Hal Hinson, The Washington Post

“Lively, endlessly inventive … What Shanghai Blues does for popular music, what Peking Opera Blues does for opera, what Once Upon a Time in China does for herbal medicine and the lion dance, this movie does for Chinese cuisine.”

David Bordwell, Planet Hong Kong