China Girl (1987)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Abel Ferrara

Writer:

Nicholas St. John (writer)

Release Date:

25 September 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A modern day Romeo & Juliet story is told in New York when an Italian boy and a Chinese girl become lovers...

Plot Keywords:

Italian | Gang | Chinese | Chinese Girl | Romeo And Juliet

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

James Russo	...	Alby
Richard Panebianco	...	Tony
Sari Chang	...	Tye
David Caruso	...	Mercury
Russell Wong	...	Yung Gan
Joey Chin	...	Tsu Shin
Judith Malina	...	Mrs. Monte
James Hong	...	Gung Tu
Robert Miano	...	Enrico Perito
Paul Hipp	...	Nino
Doreen Chan	...	Gau Shing
Randy Sabusawa	...	Ma Fan
Keenan Leung	...	Ying Tz
Lum Chang Pan	...	Da Shan
Sammy Lee	...	Mohawk
Johnny Shia	...	Jimmy Bing
Stephan Chen	...	Mr. Tang
Raymond Moy	...	Tommy Chyan
Josephina Gallego-Díaz	...	Rosetta
Caprice	...	Theresa
Anthony Dante	...	Costare
Robert LaSardo	...	Carlo Forza
Chi Moy	...	Yang
David Kelsey Reilly	...	Mounted Policeman I
Joe Pentangelo	...	Mounted Policeman II
Anthony Esposito	...	Don Carlucci
Diane Cheng	...	Nyu Ren
Frank Young	...	Waiter
John 'Cha Cha' Ciarcia	...	Cha Cha
John Orofino	...	Nicky (as Jon Orofino)
Ida Bernardini	...	Rosa (as Ida Bernadini)
Nancy Moo	...	Nightclub Dancer
Jadin Wong	...	Mrs. Lei
Carole Cortland	...	Italian Woman
Denise Leong	...	Mei
Ednah Holt	...	Background Singer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Francis Maiorino	...	Timmy (uncredited)

Directed by
Abel Ferrara

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Nicholas St. John		writer

Produced by
Mitchell Cannold	....	executive producer
Mary Kane	....	associate producer
Michael Nozik	....	producer
Steven Reuther	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Joe Delia

Cinematography by
Bojan Bazelli

Film Editing by
Anthony Redman

Casting by
Marcia Shulman

Production Design by
Dan Leigh

Set Decoration by
Leslie E. Rollins

Costume Design by
Richard Hornung

Makeup Department
Cydney Cornell	....	hair designer
Katherine James	....	makeup artist (as Katherine James-Cosburn)

Production Management
Mary Kane	....	production manager
Max Snow	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
June Chung	....	dga trainee
Louis D'Esposito	....	first assistant director
David Sardi	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Jacqueline Arnot	....	set dresser
Tim Farmer	....	construction coordinator
Peter Gelfman	....	property master
Matt Golden	....	storyboard artist
Douglas McDonald	....	property master
Paola Ridolfi	....	scenic artist
Michael Stockton	....	scenic artist
Victor J. Zolfo	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Marko A. Costanzo	....	foley artist
Michael DiCosimo	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Rick Dior	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jack Haigis	....	sound effects editor
Petur Hliddal	....	sound mixer
Lisa J. Levine	....	adr editor
Yehuda Maayan	....	boom operator
Dow McKeever	....	sound effects editor
Jim Rosenthal	....	sound editor
Marc S. Shaw	....	adr editor
Greg Sheldon	....	supervising sound editor

Special Effects by
Matt Vogel	....	special effects coordinator

Stunts
Danny Aiello III	....	stunts
Bill Anagnos	....	stunts (as Billy Anagnos)
Peter Bucossi	....	stunts (as Peter Buccossi)
Lisa Cain	....	stunts
Norman Douglass	....	stunts
Roy Farfel	....	stunts
Gene Harrison	....	stunt double: David Caruso
Phil Neilson	....	stunt coordinator
Michael Russo	....	stunts (as Mike Russo)
Alex Stevens	....	stunts
Gary Tacon	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Anthony John Baggott	....	first assistant camera
Paul Birk	....	best boy
Mel Cannon	....	grip
Mitch Epstein	....	still photographer
Robin Holland	....	still photographer
John Paul McIntyre	....	dolly grip
Anthony G. Nakonechnyj	....	gaffer (as Tony Nakonechnyj)
Daryl-Ann Saunders	....	still photographer
Fred Scialla	....	still photographer
Stephen Welch	....	key grip
Laura Zito	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Judy Claman	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Candis Heiland	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Christopher Andrews	....	associate editor
Christopher Andrews	....	editor: video
John Craddock	....	post-production executive
Mark Juergens	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Greg Arnold	....	music arranger
Jimmy Ienner	....	musical consultant
Garry Rindfuss	....	music mixer
Frank Nogueras	....	assistant music engineer (uncredited)

Other crew
Christopher Andrews	....	creative consultant
Chantal Bernheim	....	script supervisor
John 'Cha Cha' Ciarcia	....	production associate
Lori Eastside	....	choreographer
Alan Grabelsky	....	production executive
Paul J.Q. Lee	....	production associate
David Massar	....	location assistant
John Paul McIntyre	....	creative consultant
Randy Sabusawa	....	production associate
Paul Zulkowitz	....	location coordinator

Production Companies

• Great American Films Limited Partnership
• Street Lite
• Vestron Pictures

Other Companies

• J.G. Films  negative cutting
• R/Greenberg Associates  title design: main and end titles

Also Known As:

Krieg in Chinatown (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Çinli kiz (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
A Rapariga da China (Portugal) [pt]
China Girl - vihan maailma (Finland) [fi]
China girl (Greece) [el]
Chinka (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | UK:18 (cut) | Australia:R | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Great American Films Limited Partnership

Trivia:

Out of all of the films he has directed, Abel Ferrara has stated that China Girl is his favorite.

Quotes:

Enrico Perito: "You wanna be a wiseguy Alby?"

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Shakedown (1988)

Soundtrack:

La Donna Mobile

Romeo And Juliet of New York

William Shakespeare's eternal tale of young love gets yet another version in China Girl. Despite the racial tensions between the Chinese of Chinatown and the shrinking Italian population of Little Italy, Sari Chang and Richard Panebianco find each other and find love. Now if only those who might become their prospective in-laws will stop the hate.

China Girl was filmed completely on location in New York's neighborhoods of Little Italy and Chinatown. As the film says Little Italy where the fabled fictional Godfather had the Genco Olive Oil company is shrinking block by block as the Italians move out and a huge influx of Orientals move in and expand Chinatown. China Girl was done in 1987 so in twenty years the trend is exacerbated.

Players like James Russo, Russell Wong, and David Caruso have all gone on to bigger and better things, they're certainly more known than the leads are now. Still Panebianco and Chang are an attractive pair of kids.

The soundtrack is typical music from the Eighties in keeping with the times. Don't expect any songs for the ages like there were in West Side Story.

China Girl is a nice retelling of Romeo and Juliet a story that as long as there's life on planet Earth will never go out of style.