Escape to Shanghai

Different from the previous one, Evening Liasion tells a sad and sentimental love story between a human being and a ghost. Besides its complete and deliberate plot, the film also boasts high artistic and historical value, with many of its picturesque camera shots depicting the local conditions and customs of Shanghai in the 1930s, such as the bustling market, the hawking vendors along the street, and the crowded bus. Through unique configuration and lighting, Chen vividly represented the prosperity of old Shanghai.

In 1998, Chen Yifei's new film - Escape to Shanghai, which Chen claimed was an art documentary, again put him under the spotlight. Three years after Evening Liasion's debut, Chen chose to shoot his third "Shanghai Serial" film on the 2,500 Jewish refugees who escaped to Shanghai for shelter and who was rescued in the end.

As he said, "I don't mind whether the film will be able to win a prize in international competition or to earn any money for me. All I want to do is to preserve something valuable and significant for the human kind as well as for Shanghai."

Though still focused on the old Shanghai of the 1940s, Escape to Shanghai is more valuable with its unique background and the various nationalities of its characters.

Author: Jessie

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