Zhang Yimou

Exclusive Clip from THE FLOWERS OF WAR Starring Christian Bale

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 20th, 2012 at 11:26 am

We’ve been provided with an exclusive clip from the upcoming historical drama The Flowers of War. Directed by Zhang Yimou (Hero), the film is set during the Japanese invasion of China in 1937 and stars Christian Bale as a priest who seeks refuge in a local church, where he meets a beautiful Chinese courtesan who helps him rescue a group of schoolgirls from a terrible fate at the hands of the Japanese. The pic is the most expensive movie that China has ever made, and the production values are on full display in the impressive trailers.

Hit the jump to check out the clip. The Flowers of War is in select theaters now.

New Trailer for THE FLOWERS OF WAR Starring Christian Bale

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: December 11th, 2011 at 6:37 am

Wrekin Hill has released the first U.S. trailer for The Flowers of War, the latest from Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou (Hero).  The film is set during the Japanese invasion of China in 1937.  Christian Bale stars as a priest who seeks refuge in a local church, where “he meets a beautiful Chinese courtesan who helps him rescue a group of schoolgirls from a terrible fate at the hands of the Japanese.”  The Flowers of War is said to be the most expensive China has ever made, and all that money appears on the screen.  The production values are stellar.  That combined with the use of English (about 40% of the dialogue) made Flowers the natural selection for China’s official Oscar submission.

Speaking of which, The Flowers of War will sneak into theaters in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco starting December 21 for an Oscar-qualifying run.  A wide release will follow in early 2012.  Watch the trailer after the jump.

New Images and Posters from THE FLOWERS OF WAR Starring Christian Bale

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 6th, 2011 at 1:35 pm

A batch of new images and posters from the drama The Flowers of War have gone online. Directed by Zhang Yimou (Hero), the Chinese period epic stars Christian Bale as a Jesuit priest who takes refuge in a cathedral with a group of people as the invading Japanese Imperial Army takes over Nanking in 1937.  The pic marks China’s most expensive film in history, and will serve as the country’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar this year. There’s one poster here that stands out (with the butterfly) but none hold a candle to the gorgeous one sheet that was released a few weeks ago. We also have a hefty amount of images from the historical drama.

Hit the jump to check out the posters and images. The Flowers of War opens in China December 16th and will have a qualifying run stateside soon.

THE FLOWERS OF WAR Starring Christian Bale Will Get Oscar-Qualifying U.S. Release in Late December 2011

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: November 7th, 2011 at 9:07 pm

China selected The Flowers of War as its official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar this year.  It’s a sensible move.  Director Zhang Yimou is a known quantity here in the States—his 2002 film Hero is #3 on the highest-grossing foreign language movies at the domestic box office.  Also, it stars Christian Bale, who is arguably even more of a known quantity around these parts after starring in those Batman movies, and winning an Oscar at last year’s ceremony for The Fighter.

That last point is especially noteworthy as Wrekin Hill announces their U.S. release plan for The Flowers of War.  The studio will unveil the period epic here sometime in late December after its worldwide premiere in China on December 16.  Wrekin Hill doesn’t have the precise date nailed down, but for a prestige film like The Flowers of War, late December is code for “We think this has a chance to win a few awards.”  For more on the film, read the press release after the jump.

International Trailer for Zhang Yimou’s THE FLOWERS OF WAR Starring Christian Bale

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 20th, 2011 at 10:27 am

The international trailer for Zhang Yimou’s war drama The Flowers of War (formerly 13 Flowers of Nanjing) has gone online.  Christian Bale stars as a Jesuit priest in a story about a group of people who take refuge inside a cathedral as the invading Japanese Imperial Army takes over Nanking in 1937.  If you want any further clarification on that plot, the trailer may not help you out.  Whereas most trailer we see provide some kind of narrative or over-arching theme, this one is a mish-mash of important scenes that don’t seem to have any particular order.  In one scene Bale is acting heroic and responsible and in another he’s drunk and looking for whores and it’s tough to see how he got from A to B.  Yimou looks like he’s pulled off some interesting battles that almost look like he’s trying to blend the wuxia style of his Hero with the gritty war-is-hell cinematography of a movie like Saving Private Ryan.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  40% of the movie is in English and the rest is in Mandarin and Japanese.  No U.S. release date has been announced, but The Flowers of War is China’s official entry for the Best Foreign Film Oscar, so we should expect to see the film sometime in 2012. [Update: We've received the official synopsis and have posted it after the jump.]

Zhang Yimou’s Epic Starring Christian Bale Now Titled THE FLOWERS OF WAR

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: September 9th, 2011 at 12:53 pm

Director Zhang Yimou’s latest effort, a war epic starring Christian Bale, now has a new moniker—The Flowers of War. Formerly referred to as 13 Flowers of Nanjing (as well as Heroes of Nanking), the film is based on Yan Geiling’s historical novel. The multi-linguial pic takes place in 1937 and tells the story of a group of people who take refuge inside a cathedral as the invading Japanese Imperial Army takes over Nanking. Yimou shot the movie approximately 40% in English and 60% in Mandarin. The director previously helmed the features A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop, and Under the Hawthorn Tree. The Flowers of War will have its World Premiere in Beijing, China on December 16, 2011.

Photos of Christian Bale on the Set of Zhang Yimou’s 13 FLOWERS OF NANJING

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: April 18th, 2011 at 8:16 pm

Principal photography on Zhang Yimou’s first multi-lingual film, 13 Flowers of Nanjing, began in January — tonight we have our first look at star Christian Bale in costume as “John.”  (Evocative, no?)  The film, based on the Yan Geling novel The 13 Women of Nanjing, centers on a group of refugees who find sanctuary in a church compound during the Sino-Japanese War: “The group, thrown together by the terrible chaos of war, risks their lives for the Church’s school children as they struggle to survive the violence and persecution brought on by the violent invasion of the city.”

Hit the jump to see the images and read more about 13 Flowers.

Principal Photography Begins on Zhang Yimou’s 13 FLOWERS OF NANJING Starring Christian Bale

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 10th, 2011 at 12:32 pm

Principal photography has begun on Zhang Yimou’s first multi-lingual film, 13 Flowers of Nanjing (formerly Nanjing Heroes).  As we previously reported, likely future Oscar-winner Christian Bale will play an American trapped in a Church compound in Nanjing, China during the Sino-Japanese war.  The film is Yimou’s follow-up to the curious A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop, and Under the Hawthorn Tree, the latter of which has yet to be released in the U.S.  Bale is also reportedly attached to star The Last Photograph, and, of course, The Dark Knight Rises.

Hit the jump for the full press release, which includes a synopsis for 13 Flowers of Nanjing.

Christian Bale to Star in Zhang Yimou’s NANJING HEROES

by Jason Barr    Posted: December 22nd, 2010 at 8:50 am

Christian Bale is set to star in an upcoming Zhang Yimou film, currently entitled Nanjing Heroes.  Yimou, who is thought to be one of China’s most famous directors (he directed the nation’s 2008 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony), is probably best known stateside for directing 2002′s Hero and 2004′s House of Flying Daggers, each of which garnered an Oscar nomination (in the “Best Foreign Language Film” and “Best Achievement in Cinematography” categories respectively).

Nanjing Heroes will take place during the Nanjing Massacre which occurred in 1937 as part of the Second Sino-Japanese War.  As for Bale, the thespian will play an American priest named John who helps a number of Chinese citizens escape what looks to be certain death.  Bale’s presence won’t be the only Hollywood influence on the film, as THR notes, that the special effects team behind Saving Private Ryan and The Dark Knight (Dark Side FX) has also been tapped to work on the project.  Nanjing Heroes will begin shooting, on location in Nanjing, in early January 2011.

Wacky Trailer for THE FIRST GUN, Director Zhang Yimou’s “Remake” of the Coen Bros. BLOOD SIMPLE.

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 18th, 2009 at 1:12 pm

If I didn’t know that Zhang Yimou’s (Hero) upcoming film The First Gun (formerly Amazing Tales: Three Guns) was a remake of/re-imaging of/in-anyway-connected-to the Coen Brothers classic, debut film Blood Simple., then I never would have guessed it from the Chinese trailer that just went online.  Now I don’t speak Chinese (or Mandarin or whatever dialect or language they’re speaking in the trailer) but none of the images clue me in to the plot of a cuckold who hires a hitman to murder his adulterous wife and her lover.  It’s not the setting.  I just can’t see the plot.  I guess maybe the guy in black with the bow and arrow and a cannon is the hitman?  Clearly, Yimou has made some radical changes, but when you see this trailer, I doubt you’ll think, “Huh.  This kind of reminds me of Blood Simple.”

Check out the trailer after the jump and maybe you can see a resemblance that I’m missing from all this.

LEGEND OF DRUNKEN MASTER, IRON MONKEY, HERO and ZATOICHI Blu-ray Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: September 19th, 2009 at 5:29 pm

For the film fanatic, there was an evolution. In the late 80′s and early 90′s, Hong Kong cinema came to a prominence because of the great works of filmmakers like John Woo and actors like Jackie Chan. This was the second boom of the industry after Bruce Lee invigorated youths in the 70′s, but died all too young.  And from that there was also a loyal following for the Shaw Brothers from some, and an interest in Chan – among others – but you had to live near a Chinatown or have a kick ass video store to find this stuff. Not everyone was so lucky. The crossover appeal was there, but mostly for film nerds willing to watch some shitty ass copies of great films. As time progressed Asain cinema of all stripes made a huge dent in nerd culture, with Japan and Korea following, as filmmakers like Takashi Miike, Takeshi Kitano, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and Chan Wook-Park became well known. My reviews of Legend of Drunken Master, Iron Monkey, Hero and Zatoichi after the jump.

The Coen Brother’s BLOOD SIMPLE Is Being Remade by Zhang Yimou

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: July 28th, 2009 at 9:40 pm

Sony Pictures Classic has acquired the North American rights to legendary Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s latest, currently untitled film.  This is not really big news considering that the studio has previously handled distribution for ten of the director’s earlier works, including “Raise the Red Lantern” and “House of Flying Daggers”.  No, the really cool part of this story is the nature of Zhang Yimou’s next project – a remake of the Coen Brother’s very first feature film “Blood Simple”.  To find out why, in this case, a remake of an excellent film is NOT a bad idea follow the jump…

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