China Synopsis
变脸
Wang Bianlian is an aging street performer known as the King of Mask for his mastery of Sichuan Change Art in a true story. His wife left him with and infant son over 30 years ago. The son died from illness at age 10. This left Wang a melancholy loner aching for a male descendent to learn his rare and dying art.
The 1994–1996 China Window
16 China films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. The King of Masks sits at position #7.
#1The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
★ 9.3 · 1994
#2To Live
★ 8.0 · 1994
#3A Chinese Odyssey Part 2
★ 7.7 · 1995
#4In the Heat of the Sun
★ 7.7 · 1994
#5Back to Back, Face to Face
★ 7.6 · 1994
#6Eat Drink Man Woman
★ 7.5 · 1994
-
#7The King of Masks
★ 7.3 · 1995
#8The Emperor's Shadow
★ 7.3 · 1996
Other Titles From Shaw Brothers
The 1990s China Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 1990s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when The King of Masks premiered. 41 total titles in this decade from China.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #248 of 946 China films indexed here (74th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is +0.6 points above the China average of 6.7/10.
Among China Drama productions specifically: #159 of 547 (top 29%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | China |
|---|---|
| All Production Countries | China, Hong Kong |
| Original Language | Chinese |
| Production Companies | Shaw Brothers |
| Runtime | 1h 42m |
| Release Date | June 9, 1995 |
| IMDb | tt0115669 |