Jiang Wen's latest film to set new standard
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, September 2, 2014
Chinese director-and-actor Jiang Wen unveiled his new movie, "Gone with the Bullets," in Beijing Monday and was confident it would be a new landmark in China's film history.
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Jiang Wen's new movie "Gone with the Bullets" will hit Chinese cinemas on Dec. 18, 2014. |
Jiang Wen and his all-star cast, including Ge You ("Personal Tailor," "Sacrifice"), Zhou Yun ("Let the Bullets Fly," "Bodyguards and Assassins"), Shu Qi ("Love," "If You Are the One"), and Wen Zhang ("Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons"), all attended the press conference in Beijing. The film’s producers also included eight industry giants such as China Film Group Corporation, Shanghai Film Group, Emperor Entertainment Group, Wanda Pictures and Columbia Pictures.
Since "Gone with the Bullets" is literally the most anticipated but most mysterious Chinese movie of the year, Jiang and his producers were confident that the movie will break the top grossing film record in China and beat the new champion, "Transformers: Age of Extinction" (2014) directed by Michael Bay, which grossed nearly 2 billion yuan (US$320.6 million) in China alone.
"I want the box office gross as high as possible," Jiang said.
The ambitious Jiang also anticipates an Oscar trophy, "As I know, China Film Bureau will decide and recommend which film will be submitted to the Academy Awards committee," Jiang said. "I’ll make the decision for them: I recommend myself. Otherwise, who can represent China to be there?"
La Peikang, the Chairman of China Film Group, said at the press conference that Jiang's film is assuring. "'Gone with the Bullets' will be the benchmark for Chinese film production."
"I feel we will witness a historical moment in Chinese film history," Zhang Hua, a senior executive with one of the movie's producers, Omnijoi Media Corporation Co. Ltd. He pointed out that "With the guarantee of strongest marketing and distribution, we can test how deep the waters of the China film market are and how big the potential will be."
The producers agreed that "Gone with the Bullets" is a super blockbuster and said that China needs more films like this in the future to resist a "Hollywood invasion."
Jiang's "Let the Bullets Fly" grossed 659 million yuan (US$107.2 million) four years ago to become one of the highest-grossing movies ever in China, winning over audiences and critics. "You can say 'Gone with the Bullets' is a sequel of 'Let the Bullets Fly,' but I can also say it is not," Jiang said, indicating that his films always use some similar elements which resemble each other.
"Gone with the Bullets," set in 1920s Shanghai, is based on a true story. Main characters Ma Zouri (Jiang Wen) and Xiang Feitian (Ge You) establish a notorious beauty pageant called the "Flowers Competition." All of the city's elite attend this gala event, but when Wanyan Ying (Shu Qi) unexpectedly wins, it sets into motion a series of tragic events that changes the characters’ destinies.
Keith Young is the choreographer for the movie, and Pixomondo ("Hugo") is handling the visual effects.
Jiang, who once hated 3D technology, became the first Chinese director to use IMAX 3D camera in Asia and the first director in the world to use Arri's Alexa M 3D camera, which was developed for James Cameron's "Avatar 2." Jiang said, "I first thought 3D would make me dizzy, but after I used the most advanced 3D camera, I found it fabulous, and not dizzying at all!"
"Gone with the Bullets" will hit Chinese cinemas on December 18, 2014.
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