
Goodbye, Dragon Inn. 2003. Taiwan. Directed by Tsai Ming-Liang. With Lee Kang-Sheng, Chen Shiang-Chyi, Shih Chun, Miao Tien, Yang Kuei-Mei. DCP. In Mandarin, Taiwanese; English subtitles. 82 min.
Ghostly visitors pay their final visit to a movie theater that is about to go out of business; some cruise the bathrooms and hallways for pickup opportunities while others savor King Hu’s martial arts masterpiece Dragon Inn, projected in the sparsely attended hall. Among the silent viewers are two real-life stars of the 1967 classic, watching themselves perhaps for the last time on the big screen. With almost no dialogue, the film quietly mourns the glorious days of single-screen cinema. Winner of the FIPRESCI award at the Venice International Film Festival. Screening here in a digital restoration.