REEL ODDITIES: SHANGHAI BLUES

New 4K restoration! In 1937 Shanghai, a soldier and a young woman have an awkward meet-cute in darkness under a bridge as they seek refuge during a bomb raid. Ten years later, the soldier, now a burgeoning songwriter and tuba-player in a marching band, is back in town desperately searching for his would-be soulmate.&nbsp;Consummate auteur Tsui Hark almost singlehandedly reinvented Hong Kong cinema in the 80’s and 90’s with uber-kinetic genre opuses, amping up cinematic spectacle whether with special effects or sheer unbridled energy. This Hong Kong styled homage to the screwball comedies of yesteryear features black belt level slapstick and delightfully droll romcom shenanigans.<div>1984 / Hong Kong (English Subtitles) / DCP</div><div><br></div><div><div>"Critic's Pick! [A] constant charmer. Watching it is a buoyant experience.... Tsui’s affection for his characters rings as clear as his love for screwball comedy antecedents...." - Glenn Kenny, The New York Times</div><div><br></div><div>"It’s impossible not to be carried along by the delirious rush of silliness in this knockabout screwball comedy." - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian</div><div><br></div><div>"It’s old school Hollywood filmmaking—comparisons to Lubitsch or Paul Fejos’s Lonesome are not unwarranted—a bittersweet look at the lunacy of a world turned upside down by decades of war and chaos. Chang’s melancholy and soulful performance is the film’s heart, the core around which Yeh and Bee’s crazier antics swirl." - Sean Gilman, Mubi</div><div><br></div><div><div>SCREENING: WED 6/3 7PM (subtitles); WED 6/17 7PM (subtitles); WED 6/24 7PM (subtitles)</div><div><br></div><div>Tickets are now available online and at the box office beginning 30 minutes before showtime.</div><div><br></div><div>This show has ADA area seating or specifically held seats available. Please call the box office at (360) 754-6670 x16 or email boxoffice@olympiafilmsociety.org if you have any questions. The wheelchair positions should not be selected by patrons who are not using wheelchairs or in need of ADA seating.</div></div></div>ComedyPT1H43M2026-06-03
Kenny Bee
Sylvia Chang
Sally Yip Sin-Man
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark
REEL ODDITIES: SHANGHAI BLUES"REEL ODDITIES: SHANGHAI BLUES"

Showtimes

Capitol Theater