Product Description

The first American feature filmed in modern China, A Great Wall is a graceful, infectious and "perceptive comedy of clashing cultures and the pitfalls of assimilation" (The Washington Post). Actor/director Peter Wang "serves up a platter of insights into the universality of human nature" (The Wall Street Journal) in this heartwarming gem. After quitting his job as a successful computer executive, Leo Fang decides to pack up his American family and return to his roots in China. But when the thoroughly modern Fangs move in with their more traditional Beijing relatives, the joyous family reunion quickly disintegrates as each side tries to make sense of the other. Can the very different sides of Leo's family come together and break down the Great Wall thatdivides them?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33721 in DVD
• Brand: WANG,PETER
• Released on: 2002-11-05
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 102 minutes

Amazon.com
You expect a culture clash when a Chinese-American Silicon Valley computer hotshot quits his job and takes his thoroughly American family home to Beijing to see his sister. In the hands of director-star Peter Wang, it's more like a series of love taps as each family receives a gentle lesson in how the other half lives. The sights and sounds of Beijing's sleepy suburbs and bustling modern urban center was an eye-opening glimpse behind the Great Wall for 1986 audiences watching the "first American comedy shot in China," and the easy pace, the genial portrait of family life, and the subtle, almost fleeting references to the cultural revolution, give it a flavor steeped in both cultures. Perhaps Wang's evenhanded humor and innocence was only possible before the Tiananmen Square massacre, but it remains an enjoyable journey. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Funny, insightful, fully enjoyable
A Great Wall tells the story of a Chinese family living in America when the father, a first generation Chinese immigrant and computer specialist, decides to take his family home to China for a visit. What follows is a delightful study in cultural contrasts but, more importantly, a study in the special issues that 1st generation families face from both the perspective of the parents and the children. In the end, the movie still manages to be warm and light-hearted while still exposing the key issues in satyrical fashion. A really fun movie to watch over again. Highly recommended.

Cool Record of the Past
I like this film. Can't think of any others like it. Written, directed, and acted in by a Chinese-American immigrant, about relations between Americanized Chinese-Americans and Chinese folk in Beijing. The picture on the DVD looks great. In some ways it is more a document of the 80's than the current situation. Beijing of today is not like Beijing of 86 (I was there twice this year). Today, with a more open society and the internet, Chinese people are more knowledgable about US culture than they are portrayed in this film. (Can't say the reverse is true.) One criticism of the film is that it milks a lot of humor by portraying mainland Chinese society and people as quaintly backward (for example, the Chinese computer lab scene). I think that it is somewhat misguided to laugh at a poorer society just because they aren't as hip as our powerful, rich country. Still, I loved this film when I saw it in the 80's and the DVD is worth seeing or having.

a great look at cultural clashes and identity.......
A GREAT WALL is a great film, over twenty years later and is definitely worth watching. Director Peter Wang did a great job capturing the experiences of Chinese-American family, headed by their father (Peter Wang), a product of Silicone Valley, who, when passed up for a promotion believes that it is because he is Chinese. After that setback, he quits his job and uproots his family to go visit relatives in China. Yet, struggle exists everywhere (even if you try to relocate yourself to get perspective). Good lord knows the family experiences this in droves, due to cultural misunderstandings and language barriers. Yet, it is also a very important journey (filled with warm and happy moments, too). I enjoy that this film is so real and believeable. The actors are great and they truly work well together as an ensemble. It also provides insight for audience members unaware of the great divide between people that exists when some family relocates to the United States, while others remain in their native country. This is a great character study.