Wayne Wang

Chan Is Missing

Chan Is Missing

A mystery man, a murder, and a wad of missing cash—in his wryly offbeat breakthrough, Wayne Wang updates the ingredients of classic film noir for the streets of contemporary San Francisco’s Chinatown. When their business partner disappears with the money they had planned to use for a cab license, driver Jo (Wood Moy) and his nephew Steve (Marc Hayashi) scour the city’s back alleys, waterfronts, and Chinese restaurants to track him down. But what begins as a search for a missing man gradually turns into a far deeper and more elusive investigation into the complexities and contradictions of Chinese American identity. The first feature by an Asian American filmmaker to play widely and get mainstream critical appreciation, Chan Is Missing is a continuously fresh and surprising landmark of indie invention that playfully flips decades of cinematic stereotypes on their heads.

Film Info

  • United States
  • 1982
  • 75 minutes
  • Black & White
  • 1.33:1
  • English, Cantonese, Mandarin
  • Spine #1124

DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • High-definition digital master, approved by director Wayne Wang, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • Is Chan Still Missing?, a making-of documentary directed by Debbie Lum
  • New conversations between Wang and critic Hua Hsu and Wang and filmmaker Ang Lee
  • Conversation between Wang and film programmer Dennis Lim
  • Trailer
  • New English subtitle translation and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by critic Oliver Wang

    New cover by Drusilla Adeline/Sister Hyde

Purchase Options

DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • High-definition digital master, approved by director Wayne Wang, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • Is Chan Still Missing?, a making-of documentary directed by Debbie Lum
  • New conversations between Wang and critic Hua Hsu and Wang and filmmaker Ang Lee
  • Conversation between Wang and film programmer Dennis Lim
  • Trailer
  • New English subtitle translation and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by critic Oliver Wang

    New cover by Drusilla Adeline/Sister Hyde
Chan Is Missing
Cast
Wood Moy
Jo
Marc Hayashi
Steve
Laureen Chew
Amy
Peter Wang
Henry, the cook
Presco Tabios
Presco
Frankie Alarcon
Frankie
Judy Nihei
Lawyer
Ellen Yeung
Mrs. Chan
George Woo
George
Emily Yamasaki
Jenny
Virginia Cerenio
Jenny’s friend
Roy Chan
Mr. Lee
Leong Pui Chee
Mr. Fong
Credits
Director
Wayne Wang
Written by
Isaac Cronin
Terrell Seltzer
Wayne Wang
Produced by
Wayne Wang
Music by
Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo
Cinematography by
Michael Chin
Additional cinematography
Kathleen Beeler
Edited by
Wayne Wang
Sound recording
Curtis Choy

Current

Chan Is Missing: Lost (and Not Found) in Chinatown
Chan Is Missing: Lost (and Not Found) in Chinatown

Wayne Wang’s breakthrough feature, a milestone in Asian American cinema, is a humorous and intimate snapshot of San Francisco’s Chinatown.

By Oliver Wang