Set at the turn-of-the-century in China and based on a true story, SHADOW MAGIC focuses on Englishman Raymond Wallace – who sets up the first “movie” theater in China in the hopes of returning to Britian with a great fortune – and Chinese photographer Liu, whose involvement with Wallace arouses much disapproval in China.

For thoughts on Shadow Magic, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/66A22AvMBjM?si=qBfaf4w08Q1P_omU&t=2558]

Video Quality

Shadow Magic debuts on Blu-Ray in its original aspect ratio from a stunning new restoration. Sony tasked IndieCollect with restoring the title from a combination of the 35mm Original Camera Negative and the 35mm Dupe Negative using a 5K scanner. The results speak for themselves as you are treated to splendid natural film grain that resolves consistently without swarming or clumping. Nearly every single moment provides an element where impeccable detail emerges. Given that this movie is so heavily focused on the beauty in the moving image, it is a joy to see the frame look so lovely.

Every distinct element comes through with great clarity, especially in the texture of the locales, the costumes, and the production design. Facial features are impressive with natural skin tones revealing ridges and perspiration. Strong colors saturate the frame in elements such as clothing and other craft features. Black levels are pretty deep without any notable blocking or compression artifacts. Highlights are quite controlled and never veer into blooming. This was not on our radar even in the slightest, but we are glad Sony saw fit to put such care into this giving this a second life.

Audio Quality

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment delivers a Blu-Ray with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original mixture of Mandarin and English that faithfully recreates this material. This is a very subdued track, but the nuances keep things sonically engaging. Dialogue flows through clearly without being clipped by the score from Lida Zhang or any environmental effects. The sounds in the rear speakers are not bustling by any means, but they provide a reasonable expansion of the spaces. The environmental effects are carefully defined and given a considerate placement throughout the speakers. Sony has done an admirable job with this one. There are optional English, English SDH, and French subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Ann Hu provides a steady and informative commentary track in which she discusses the production of the film, the complicated nature of the co-production, developing the script based on very little existing historical fact, casting and working with the performers, the creation of the score, the shooting schedule, and more that is well worth a listen.

Theatrical Trailer: A two-minute trailer is provided.

Final Thoughts

Shadow Magic is a rich discovery that we are going to be thinking about for a while. Our love of movies is obvious, but there is something in the way this narrative depicts the art of the moving image that reinvigorates our love of the art form. The blending of Eastern and Western points of view works surprisingly well as the story services everyone equally. The film is a very warm, emotional experience that should be experienced by as many as possible. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a dynamite A/V presentation and some fine special features. If it sounds even slightly interesting to you, take a chance on it. Recommended

Shadow Magic can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.