Movies Like Yellow Earth (1984)

Yellow Earth is a 1984 drama, history, music film from Chen Kaige with a MovieMagicScore of 7.2/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Bob Roberts and Golden Door.

Drama History Music

Bob Roberts

1992

Millionaire conservative Bob Roberts launches an insurgent campaign against incumbent senator Brickley Paiste, firing up crowds at his rallies by singing '60s-style acoustic folk songs with lyrics espousing far-right conservative social and economic views.

6.5

MagicScore

Golden Door

2006

The story is set at the beginning of the 20th century in Sicily. Salvatore, a very poor farmer, and a widower, decides to emigrate to the US with all his family, including his old mother. Before they embark, they meet Lucy. She is supposed to be a British lady and wants to come back to the States. Lucy, or Luce as Salvatore calls her, for unknown reasons wants to marry someone before to arrive to Ellis Island in New York. Salvatore accepts the proposal. Once they arrive in Ellis Island they spend the quarantine period trying to pass the examinations to be admitted to the States. Tests are not so simple for poor farmers coming from Sicily. Their destiny is in the hands of the custom officers.

6.5

MagicScore

Bound for Glory

1976

A biography of Woody Guthrie, one of America's greatest folk singers. He left his dust-devastated Texas home in the 1930s to find work, discovering the suffering and strength of America's working class.

6.9

MagicScore

Tanna

2015

In a traditional tribal society in the South Pacific, a young girl, Wawa, falls in love with her chief’s grandson, Dain. When an inter-tribal war escalates, Wawa is unknowingly betrothed as part of a peace deal. The young lovers run away, refusing her arranged fate. They must choose between their hearts and the future of the tribe, while the villagers must wrestle with preserving their traditional culture and adapting it to the increasing outside demands for individual freedom.

6.6

MagicScore

Ae Fond Kiss...

2004

A young man upsets his Punjabi family when he falls in love with an Irish schoolteacher.

6.4

MagicScore

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

1999

A newly-wed man discovers that his wife is in love with another man and decides to unite them. Ignoring the ridicule he might have to face for this, he takes his wife to Italy in search of her love.

6.4

MagicScore

Late Marriage

2001

Zaza is a 31-year old Israeli bachelor, handsome and intelligent, and his family wants to see him married. But tradition dictates that Zaza has to choose a young virgin. She must be beautiful and from a good family, preferably rich. Zaza's parents, Yasha and Lily drag Zaza to meet potential brides and their families. Zaza has no choice. He plays along with his family, advocates of the suffocating traditions of their Georgian Jewish heritage. But Zaza always manages to somehow get out of being engaged. What his parents don't know is that Zaza is already in love. Judith is sensuous, strong and intriguing. She's also a divorcée with a 6-year-old daughter. So Zaza has kept Judith a secret from his family. He will have to choose between respect of the strict confines of family and tradition, or the love of his life.

6.0

MagicScore

Sunny

2008

With hopes of reuniting with her husband, who left for the Vietnam War without telling her, a young wife joins a traveling band as the lead singer.

6.3

MagicScore

The Last Emperor

1987

A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.

7.6

MagicScore

#10

Indochine

1992

Set in colonial French Indochina during the 1930s to 1950s, this is the story of Éliane Devries, a French plantation owner, and of her adopted Vietnamese daughter, Camille, set against the backdrop of the rising Vietnamese nationalist movement.

7.0

MagicScore

#11

The Battle at Lake Changjin II: Water Gate Bridge

2022

In the follow-up to "The Battle At Lake Changjin", brothers Wu Qianli and Wu Wanli undertake a new task for the People's Volunteer Army, defending a bridge part of the American troops' escape route from the advancing Chinese.

6.4

MagicScore

#12

Tumbledown

2016

A young woman struggles to move on with her life after the death of her husband, an acclaimed folk singer, when a brash New York writer forces her to confront her loss and the ambiguous circumstances of his death.

6.2

MagicScore

#13

Waves

2024

At the end of the 1960s, when the air is filled with rock-and-roll and student rebellions are changing the world, the older of two brothers joins a prestigious newsroom of the public radio broadcaster. Not long after, he finds himself in the middle of a dangerous conflict between journalists and the secret service.

7.4

MagicScore

#14

Assembly

2007

Follows a soldier trying to gain recognition for comrades who died in 1948, at a turning point in the civil war between the communists and the nationalist forces of the Kuomintang.

7.0

MagicScore

#15

The Battle at Lake Changjin

2021

Korean War, winter 1950. In the frozen and snowy area of Changjin Lake, a bloody battle is about to begin between the elite troops of the United States and China.

6.2

MagicScore

#16

American Pop

1981

The history of American popular music runs parallel with the history of a Russian Jewish immigrant family, with each male descendant possessing different musical abilities.

6.9

MagicScore

#17

Sopyonje

1993

A former pansori performer travels across South Korea in search of the student he studied with.

7.8

MagicScore

#18

A Mighty Wind

2003

Three eclectic, never-quite-famous folk bands come together for the first time in decades following the death of their manager to put on an reunion concert in his honor, at the request of his son.

6.7

MagicScore

#19

Juliet, Naked

2018

Annie is stuck in a long-term relationship with Duncan – an obsessive fan of obscure rocker Tucker Crowe. When the acoustic demo of Tucker's hit record from 25 years ago surfaces, its discovery leads to a life-changing encounter with the elusive rocker himself.

6.3

MagicScore

#20

Bleak Moments

1971

Moments from the uncompromisingly bleak existence of a secretary, her intellectually disabled sister, aloof and uneasy teacher boyfriend, bizarre neighbor and irritating workmate.

6.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Yellow Earth?

The top films similar to Yellow Earth by MovieMagicScore are Bob Roberts (6.5), Golden Door (6.5), Bound for Glory (6.9). Each shares drama/history/music themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Yellow Earth worth watching?

Yellow Earth holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.2/10 from 56 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Yellow Earth?

Yellow Earth (1984) is a drama, history, music film directed by Chen Kaige, starring Xue Bai, Wang Xueqi, Tuo Tan.

Where can I find more recommendations like Yellow Earth?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Bob Roberts Movies like Golden Door Movies like Bound for Glory Movies like Tanna Movies like Ae Fond Kiss...Movies like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

About movies like Yellow Earth

This ranked list pairs Yellow Earth (1984), a drama and history and music film from Chen Kaige, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Xue Bai take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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