I know this is a bit stupid coming from someone living in Taiwan but does anyone know where I can find DVDs of mainland Chinese movies (preferably with subtitles)? All my searches in Hsinchu and Taipei 101 have yielded nothing but police/triad movies (mostly from Hong Kong) and a tonne of Japanese and Korean movies.
I’m interested in finding some of Zhang Yimou’s earlier work as well as movies by Chen Kaige and Tian Zhuangzhuang and so far have been unsuccessful. 
There’s some of Zhang Yimou at Eslite dunhua, B2. I’m not sure if they all have chinese subtitles; I think many do. I’ve seen Raise the Red Lantern here with them.
I recently bought the uncut version of Hero in HK; I don’t think it’s here yet. It became available in China months before the US debut. I also got House of Flying Daggers, 2 DVDs, perhaps with some extras.
Zhang Yimou seems fairly easy to find at the bigger movie stores. Ah yes, there’s also Spot, the Taipei Movie House. They should have them all. Soundtracks are great there as well.
There’s some of Zhang Yimou at Eslite dunhua, B2. I’m not sure if they all have English subtitles; I think many do. I’ve seen Raise the Red Lantern here with them.
I recently bought the uncut version of Hero in HK; I don’t think it’s here yet. It became available in China months before the US debut. I also got House of Flying Daggers, 2 DVDs, perhaps with some extras.
Zhang Yimou seems fairly easy to find at the bigger movie stores. Ah yes, there’s also Spot, the Taipei Movie House. They should have them all. Soundtracks are great there as well.
I was looking for Kurosawa with English subtitles, no luck so far.
Thanks! I’ll be sure to check out those places next time I’m in the neighbourhood (I’m assuming they’re in Taipei…I’m in Hsinchu).
All in Taipei. I think Spot is the best bet. There maybe other big movie stores around but I haven’t tried looking yet.
I think other threads have mentioned a place in Taichung. They can even deliver rentals after you signup. It sounds like the best place for rentals in Taiwan.
I guess it’s all worth a look. Good thing you mentioned rentals as I haven’t checked any of the places here yet!
Rentals should be everywhere. Though people here don’t seem to be too fond of the newer Zhang Yimou movies. I guess they’re a bit too abstract.
I used to find a couple of really old Mainland Chinese movies in the 69 nt store on the corner of Roosevelt and Hsinsheng. They have some of the old movies up on the first row facing the wall, just left of the cashier. I found some of these in a small store in Hsimenting, too, in a tiny store where the big cd store used to be, next to the old Red Theater.
SPOT is probably one of the best bets for movies. They seemed to have almost everything I kept collecting anywhere else. Except for the ubiquitous “To Live” and “Red Lantern”, most of the old Zhang Yimou movies seem unavailable in Taiwan. I found a copy of “Ju Dou” once, in that place in Hsimenting. “Shanghai Triad” was easy to get at one point, I’m not sure it’s still around. Everything else (of the old ones) I bought in Mainland. The newer ones seem easier to get in Taiwan.
Same for Chen Kaige, of course. I’ve seen a copy of “Yellow Earth” a couple of times. But it’s so old, it doesn’t even have Chinese subtitles. And they speak some rural dialect. I bought it nontheless. But it’s not easy to understand. “Temptress Moon” and “Farewell, my concubine” are relatively easy to get. But I’ve never seen “Life on a String” or any other of the old ones around.
If you’re in Taipei, it always makes sense to check out the 69nt stores, especially the bigger ones. They usually have quite a selection of DVDs, and you might find some gems there that you won’t discover in Eslites or let alone FNAC. And prices tend to be lower.
HTH
Iris