Hong Kong Movie Database
Encyclopedia
The Hong Kong Movie DataBase (HKMDB) is a bilingual (English
and Chinese
) website
that was created in 1995 by Ryan Law to provide a repository for information about movies originating from Hong Kong
and the people that created them.
The database
was initially populated with data on over 6000 films, and reviews from the defunct database hosted at egret0.stanford.edu. In subsequent years it has expanded to contain information on more than 13,000 films and 36,000 people, and to include many films from Taiwan
and Mainland China
.
The database can be searched by movie title or by person's name.
for cast
and crew
members, image and portrait galleries as well as user-contributed review
s. Additional information about individual films such as production company
, release date, box office
gross and languages spoken is included where known. Information about cast and crew members may include gender, birth dates and brief biographies.
There are over 13,000 reviews on the site, and more than 250,000 images. Images can be associated with a movie and with one or more people, and largely serve as an aid in identifying cast members.
Reviews can be submitted by any registered member, but cast and crew information can only be entered by an authorised editor
. The database has a forum
in which proposed additions or modifications can be raised by any member for consideration by the editorial team.
Since the on-screen credits in many older Hong Kong movies are often sparse and frequently contain errors themselves, and cast/crew members often worked (and sometimes still work) under different names, with a variety of different spellings, it can take some detective work to establish accurate credits for a particular film. Restricting the addition of data to an editorial team who specialise in Hong Kong cinema
means that the database typically contains more accurate information with respect to the films and people it covers than the Internet Movie Database
.
In 2006, access to the database was changed again to allow nearly full access to all areas of the database. Posting in the forum and submission of reviews still requires registration.
Other databases that specialise in Hong Kong Cinema
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
) website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
that was created in 1995 by Ryan Law to provide a repository for information about movies originating from Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and the people that created them.
The database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
was initially populated with data on over 6000 films, and reviews from the defunct database hosted at egret0.stanford.edu. In subsequent years it has expanded to contain information on more than 13,000 films and 36,000 people, and to include many films from Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and Mainland China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
The database can be searched by movie title or by person's name.
The Data
HKMDB contains creditsClosing credits
Closing credits or end credits are added at the end of a motion picture, television program, or video game to list the cast and crew involved in the production. They usually appear as a list of names in small type, which either flip very quickly from page to page, or move smoothly across the...
for cast
Cast member
A cast member is:* An actor who performs in a theatrical production, motion picture, or television program. The actors who perform in the show are collectively referred to as the cast....
and crew
Film crew
Television crew positions are derived from those of film crew positions.A film crew is a group of people hired by a production company for the purpose of producing a film or motion picture. Crew are distinguished from cast, the Actors who appear in front of the camera or provide voices for...
members, image and portrait galleries as well as user-contributed review
Review
A review is an evaluation of a publication, a product or a service, such as a movie , video game, musical composition , book ; a piece of hardware like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event or performance, such as a live music concert, a play, musical theater show or dance show...
s. Additional information about individual films such as production company
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
, release date, box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
gross and languages spoken is included where known. Information about cast and crew members may include gender, birth dates and brief biographies.
There are over 13,000 reviews on the site, and more than 250,000 images. Images can be associated with a movie and with one or more people, and largely serve as an aid in identifying cast members.
Reviews can be submitted by any registered member, but cast and crew information can only be entered by an authorised editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
. The database has a forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
in which proposed additions or modifications can be raised by any member for consideration by the editorial team.
Since the on-screen credits in many older Hong Kong movies are often sparse and frequently contain errors themselves, and cast/crew members often worked (and sometimes still work) under different names, with a variety of different spellings, it can take some detective work to establish accurate credits for a particular film. Restricting the addition of data to an editorial team who specialise in Hong Kong cinema
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
means that the database typically contains more accurate information with respect to the films and people it covers than the Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
.
Membership
The database was initially fully open to the general public, but in 2004 the system was changed so that only registered members could view information. Membership was free but required a commitment to contribute to the site in some way (for example, submitting reviews). This decision created controversy amongst the internet community, but led to an expansion of the editorial team and a large increase in the quantity and quality of data.In 2006, access to the database was changed again to allow nearly full access to all areas of the database. Posting in the forum and submission of reviews still requires registration.
External links
Other databases that specialise in Hong Kong Cinema