Top 10 Chinese films in 2011
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, January 23, 2012
6. Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
"Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale" was the epic of the year in Taiwan. The historical drama is directed by Wei Te-Sheng and produced by John Woo, based on the Wushe Incident in central Taiwan in 1930.
When Taiwan was a colony under Japanese rule beginning in 1895, the Seediq nation of Taiwanese aborigines were forced to lose their own culture and renounce their faith. The film depicts the Wushe Incident, which occurred in central Taiwan during Japanese rule. When the Seediq Bale, believing in the Rainbow, and the Japanese, believing in the Sun, met one another, they fought. The leader of Seediq Bale, Mona Rudao, led 300 warriors in battle against 3,000 Japanese troopers.
The film is divided into two parts: Part 1 is called "The Flag of Sun," and part 2 "The Bridge of Rainbow." Their combined running total is around four and half hours. The film was shown in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival and it was selected as a contender for nomination for the 84th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film in 2011, making the shortlist of nominees.
In 2003, Wei raised NT$ 2 million to shoot a 5-minute demonstration film in order to showcase the story and to garner financial support. Despite the short film's positive critical reception, Wei could not secure enough funding to begin filming. However, due to the popularity of Wei's first full-length film "Cape No. 7" in 2008, the director decided to revive the project. It began production in 2009 with a US$10 million budget. After it was released, the two parts made NT$ 900 million (US$ 30 million) in Taiwan alone, making it the highest grossing film ever on the island.
However, the original two parts were combined into a single cut version for various international festivals, which may seem somewhat incomplete. As a result the film has had mixed reviews. The film can be compared to such releases as "Braveheart," "Avatar," "300," "Pocahontas" and "Dance with Wolves." The film became a 2011 cultural phenomenon in Taiwan, when everybody, from young students to history academics, tried to research, discuss and explore the uneasy truths left behind by history.
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