PREVIEW: The Flowers Of War (15)

Next week sees the long awaited return of Chinese director and artistic director of Beijing 2008 Olympic opening ceremony Zhang Yimou in the historical drama war film The Flowers Of War. Following on from his successful wuxia (martial arts) trilogy consisting of the richly colourful Hero (2002), House Of Flying Daggers (2004) and until now the most expensive film in Chinese cinema history, Curse Of The Golden Flower (2006), Yimou now provides us with a less fantastical and grandeur setting, yet retaining one of his other recurrent themes: the resilience of Chinese people in the face of hardship and adversity.

The film is set in 1937 during the second Sino-Japanese war, the scene of the horrific Nanking massacre, known commonly as the "Rape Of Nanking", whereby an estimated 300,000 people were raped, tortured and  killed, in the six weeks that followed the Japanese capture of what at the time was China's capital city. Enter John Miller (Christian Bale, hot off the heels of The Dark Knight Rises), an American mortician tasked with burying the priest of the local Catholic Church which is under protection by The Red Cross. Caught in the conflict and destruction he decides to spend the night in the convent, housing only student girls and one young boy, and travel on the next day. However a group of prostitutes from the local brothel break into the church claiming and seeking sanctuary. When a Japanese platoon sabotages the Church and discover the girls, who they then attempt to rape, Miller, in an act of heroism and bravery, dons the robes and poses a priest to protect the convent from the invaders. Although determined to shelter the naive girls from the violence, Miller is equally determined to get back home to America knowing that the last ship from Nanking will be leaving in a few days. He therefore must decide where his loyalty lies...

 

Selected as China's entry for Best Foreign Language Film at last year's Academy Awards (though sadly not making the final shortlist), the film garnered several other accolades, picking up a Golden Globe nomination and nominations for six Asian Film Awards including Best Film and Best Director. Its critical success was equally matched commercially after grossing nearly $100 million in China alone, becoming the top grossing Chinese film of 2011 and the sixth highest grossing film of all time at the Chinese box office behind heavyweight American imports Transformers: Dark Of The Moon and Avatar.

Zhang Yimou is certainly brave to tackle what is considered to be a running sore in China's 20th century history and fortunately the source material, horrific as it is, is nevertheless handled with great care and respect. Impressively directed and beautifully shot, combined with a powerful performance from Christian Bale that bears a resemblance to his 13-year-old self when he starred in Steven Spielberg's similarly themed Empire Of The Sun, this is a compelling and superbly acted drama that exerts an emotional grip that won't let go.

*Arguably the most eagerly-anticipated Chinese movie of the year... The Flowers of War is a big movie in every sense of the word, from its kinetic battle scenes to the beautiful photography and impressive performances from a mostly young and inexperienced cast*

Twitch Film

*Beautiful, emotional and exciting*

Empire Magazine

*The Flowers of War is ultimately an inspiring, stirring and unforgettable human drama in the face of a horrifying war. It is highly recommended*

Box Office Magazine

The Flowers Of War screens at Gloucester Guildhall on Friday 7th September at 7.45pm, Saturday 8th at 10.45am & 7.45pm and Monday 10th at 2pm.