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Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon | |||||||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 三國之見龍卸甲 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 三国之见龙卸甲 | ||||||||||
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Korean name | |||||||||||
Hangul | 삼국지:용의부활 | ||||||||||
Hanja | 三 國 志:龍의復 活 | ||||||||||
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Directed by | Daniel Lee | ||||||||||
Written by | Lau Ho-leung Daniel Lee | ||||||||||
Produced by | Jeong Tae-won Suzanna Tsang Dong Yu | ||||||||||
Starring | Andy Lau Sammo Hung Maggie Q Vanness Wu Andy On Ti Lung | ||||||||||
Cinematography | Tony Cheung | ||||||||||
Edited by | Cheung Ka-fai Tang Man-to | ||||||||||
Music by | Henry Lai Wan-man | ||||||||||
Production companies | |||||||||||
Distributed by | China Film Group (China) SK Telecom (South Korea) Sundream Motion Pictures (Hong Kong) | ||||||||||
Release date |
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Running time | 101 minutes [1] | ||||||||||
Countries | Hong Kong China South Korea | ||||||||||
Language | Mandarin | ||||||||||
Budget | US$20 million [2] | ||||||||||
Box office | US$22.14 million [3] |
Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon is a 2008 Hong Kong action war film directed by Daniel Lee, who also writer with Lau Ho-leung. The film is loosely based on parts of the 14th-century Chinese classical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms . The film was reported budget of US$25 million. The film is a joint production between Hong Kong, China and South Korea. [4] [5] The film stars Andy Lau, Sammo Hung, Maggie Q, Vanness Wu, Andy On, and Ti Lung. The film was released theatrically in Hong Kong on 3 April 2008.
The film publicity stated that the film's script was inspired by chapter 92 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. [5] Patrick Frater of Variety wrote that the book is often cited as one of the four most important works in the corpus of Chinese literature. [6] The book is also frequently read in South Korea. As the action takes place late in the Three Kingdoms story, the warrior Zhao Zilong, played by Andy Lau, is the lead character. [7] The film was one of two Three Kingdoms-related films produced in 2007, the other being John Woo's two-part 288-minute Red Cliff . [6]
The film is set in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China. Zhao Zilong, a warrior from Changshan, enlists as a foot soldier in the army of the warlord Liu Bei and befriends Luo Ping'an, a fellow soldier who is also from Changshan. He scores his first victory in a night raid on an enemy camp.
Liu Bei and his forces retreat to Phoenix Heights when they are overwhelmed by the forces of Cao Cao, Liu Bei's rival. When Luo Ping'an fails in his mission to escort Liu Bei's family to safety, Liu Bei's sworn brother Zhang Fei tries to execute him. Zhao Zilong intervenes and engages Zhang Fei and Liu Bei's other sworn brother, Guan Yu, in a spear duel, managing to hold his ground after several rounds. Liu Bei is so impressed that he gives Zhao Zilong his armour and sends him to save his family. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei provide cover for Zhao Zilong while he searches for survivors. After finding Liu Bei's son Liu Shan, Zhao Zilong straps the infant to his body as he fights his way through enemy lines and charges towards Cao Cao, who has been observing the battle on a cliff. He seizes Cao Cao's sword and leaps to safety on the opposite cliff. Cao Cao's granddaughter, Cao Ying, witnesses the attack. Zhao Zilong later returns to Changshan as a hero and falls in love with a woman putting on a shadow puppet show dedicated to him.
Zhao Zilong continues to fight for Liu Bei and earns himself the nickname "Invincible General" as he has never lost a battle. After Liu Bei becomes emperor of Shu, he names Zhao Zilong one of his Five Tiger Generals alongside Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao and Huang Zhong. Following Liu Bei's death, the Shu chancellor Zhuge Liang persuades the new emperor, Liu Shan, to wage war against Shu's rival state Wei. By then, a grey-haired Zhao Zilong is the only Tiger General still alive. He insists on going to battle and brings along Guan Xing (Guan Yu's son), Zhang Bao (Zhang Fei's son), Luo Ping'an and Deng Zhi. Zhuge Liang gives him two envelopes and tells him when to open them.
When the Shu army reaches a fork in the road, Zhao Zilong opens the first envelope and follows the instructions to split the army into two groups. Guan Xing and Zhang Bao lead one group, while he and the others lead the other group. Zhao Zilong later engages Wei forces in battle and slays the four sons of the Wei general Han De. Afterwards, he realises he has fallen into a trap set by Cao Ying, Cao Cao's granddaughter who is now leading the Wei army. Retreating to Phoenix Heights, Zhao Zilong is besieged by the enemy and his troops suffer heavy casualties. He opens the second envelope and learns that Zhuge Liang has planned for him to distract the Wei army, while Guan Xing and Zhang Bao led the other force to capture enemy territory.
After attempts by both sides to provoke each other into attacking, Zhao Zilong duels with Cao Ying and defeats her but lets her go. Although he was injured in the duel, he orders his subordinates to keep it secret from their men so that their morale would not be affected. When the Wei forces advance towards Phoenix Heights, Zhao Zilong allows his subordinates to lead all his troops into battle. The Shu army is almost completely wiped out when the Wei forces use gunpowder traps. Han De and Deng Zhi perish in battle.
Zhao Zilong and Luo Ping'an watch the battle and its aftermath from Phoenix Heights. At the end, Luo Ping'an reveals that he had betrayed Zhao Zilong by revealing their location to the enemy because he had been jealous of Zhao Zilong all these years. Zhao Zilong had been rising through the ranks since he joined the army, while Luo Ping'an had remained a foot soldier. The two men make peace with each other. Luo Ping'an helps Zhao Zilong remove his armour and tearfully beats the war drum as Zhao Zilong makes his final charge towards the enemy.
Qian Zhijun was originally considered for the role of Liu Shan. [10] The film producers said that they invited Qian to act in the film because, in the words of China Radio International , "they think he's a really interesting guy and the movie needs a lighthearted character for comic relief." [11] An article from the China Film Group Corporation said that the role of Liu Shan suits Qian's appearance and that "Liu Shan was not a very bright person, the Chinese idiom lèbùsī shǔ (樂不思蜀 [note 1] ) originated from him, he was unassertive and submissive. To qualify for this role, an actor simply needs to relax his mind completely and have no thoughts. The level of difficulty in playing this character is 2 on a scale of 1 to 5 (in order of increasing level of difficulty)." [12] La Carmina of CNN said that Qian's obtaining of the role illustrated that he went "from obscurity to movie stardom". [13] In 2007 the film script was modified due to financing issues. The Liu Shan role was altered, and Qian's planned role in the film was removed. [14] The role of Liu Shan eventually went to Hu Jingbo.
The production companies involved in making the film are Visualizer Film Production Ltd, Taewon Entertainment, and SIL-Metropole Organization of mainland China. The individuals who headed the production were Susanna Tsang of Visualizer and Chung Taewon of Taewon. The Hong Kong company Golden Scene took sales rights within East Asia, including Japan. The company Polybona Films took sales rights within mainland China. Arclight Films took the international sales rights to the film, which it distributed under its Easternlight label. Arclight planned to handle the distribution at the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, and all other international points. [6]
Daniel Lee, the director, had a US$25 million budget. [15] [16] The budget was used for his location shoots in mainland China, which were scheduled to begin in March 2007. Variety said that the film "apparently" was to have 40,000 extras. This would be twice the number of extras used in each of The Lord of the Rings films. [16] Sammo Hung, a martial artist, served as the choreographer of fighting scenes. [8] [16] In addition, Sammo Hung also plays a character, Luo Ping'an, who is a friend of Zhao but becomes jealous of him. Hung expressed satisfaction in the performances of the actors. [8] As of 2008, it was the largest film production that Lee had directed. [15]
The creators opted to use computer graphics, a phenomenon common among war movies with large budgets made in the 2000s. Lee said that the computer graphics were crucial for the overall war scenes and for the smaller details. Lee explained that, while filming in a desert, the weather would change constantly, with rainy weather and sunny weather occurring during the day and snow occurring at night. To compensate for having "four seasons in one day", computer graphics were applied to alter the presentation of the setting. [8] Lee asked Mixfilm, a Korean company, to do the special effects for the film. Lee explained that "I wanted to film a 'documentary' version of 'The Three Kingdoms' through the characters. So I didn't want anything too beautified, and I am very satisfied with the results." [8]
With regards to historical accuracy in the film, Lee said that the creators were not striving for "100% historical authenticity which we were after" since "there were only fictional descriptions in Luo's novel and very limited reliable historical data on the costumes and weapons of the Three Kingdoms era, it did leave a lot of room for the imagination." [15] Lee further explained that "While insisting on retaining the Chinese cultural integrity of the designs, we decided to do a revamp of all the known elements derived from careful research and to develop a visual style that conveys the feelings and moods of the Three Kingdoms period." [15] Lee said that the historical China as depicted in the film "might differ from the historical looks in an average [viewer's] opinion, and would naturally surprise existing fans of the Three Kingdoms epic, [who] might already have their own preconceived visions of what each character, especially Zhao Zilong, looked like." [15] Lee stated that the film was not intended to perfectly represent the original work, which itself is derived from various fictions and oral traditions. Lee said that his film "incorporated more creative manifestations and personalization of the stories in order to explore the character of the legendary Zhao Zilong, both as a warrior and as a man." [15] Lee said that he had no intention of debasing the original work, nor did he have the intention of offending literary purists who were fans of the original book. [15]
Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
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Soundtrack album by | |
Released | 20 April 2009 |
Genre | Soundtrack |
Length | 70:53 |
Label | Java Music Productions |
Henry Lai Wan-man created the soundtrack. It has inspiration from the soundtracks of Ennio Morricone's "Dollars" films and several Hong Kong films such as Once Upon a Time in China . [5]
Track list: [17]
28th Hong Kong Film Awards [18]
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Dr. Ruby Cheung, the author of "Red Cliff: The Chinese-language Epic and Diasporic Chinese Spectators," described this film as one of the "immediate precedents" of the film Red Cliff . [20]
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The world premiere of the film occurred at the CGV Yongsan Theater in central Seoul, South Korea, on Monday 31 March 2008. The main actors, Andy Lau and Maggie Q, director Daniel Lee, and crew member Sammo Hung. Many of Lau's fans waited for him outside of the CGV Yongsan; as of 2008 Lau is very popular in East Asian countries. [7]
The film was broadcast on Iran's National TV during Nowruz 2008. [21]
Derek Elley of Variety wrote that the "[t]ightly cut movie has almost no downtime but also no sense of rush" and that the cast "is relatively clearly defined, and details of costuming, armor and massive artillery have a fresh, unfamiliar look." [5] Elley added that the music "motors the picture and gives it a true heroic stature." [5]
There was controversy regarding the costumes worn by the cast, as some critics argued that Zhao Zilong's armour resembles the samurai's. Lee responded, saying that elements from Japanese soldier costumes originated from Chinese soldier costumes, so one should not be surprised that they appear like Japanese soldier costumes. [15] In addition, some critics said that Maggie Q, an American actress, was not suitable to be placed in a Chinese period piece, due to her Eurasian appearance. Lee argued that "We didn't find it a problem at all, as historically inter-ethnic marriages were a strategy of matrimonial alliances, commonly adopted by China's rulers to establish peace with the aggressive neighbouring, non-Chinese tribes." [15]
The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from 220 to 280 AD following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Western Jin dynasty. Academically, the periodisation begins with the establishment of Cao Wei in 220 and ends with the conquest of Wu by Jin in 280. The period immediately preceding the Three Kingdoms from 184 to 220 was marked by chaotic infighting among warlords across China as Han authority collapsed. The period from 220 to 263 was marked by a comparatively stable arrangement between Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. This stability broke down with the conquest of Shu by Wei in 263, followed by the usurpation of Cao Wei by Jin in 266, and ultimately the conquest of Wu by Jin in 280.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ending with the reunification of the land in 280 by the Western Jin. The novel is based primarily on the Records of the Three Kingdoms, written by Chen Shou in the 3rd century.
Zhao Yun, courtesy name Zilong (子龍), was a military general who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China. Originally a subordinate of the northern warlord Gongsun Zan, Zhao Yun later came to serve another warlord, Liu Bei, and had since accompanied him on most of his military exploits, from the Battle of Changban (208) to the Hanzhong Campaign (217–219). He continued serving in the state of Shu Han – founded by Liu Bei in 221 – in the Three Kingdoms period and participated in the first of the Northern Expeditions until his death in 229. While many facts about Zhao Yun's life remain unclear due to limited information in historical sources, some aspects and activities in his life have been dramatised or exaggerated in folklore and fiction. In the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he was lauded as a member of the Five Tiger Generals under Liu Bei.
Han (漢; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han (蜀漢 ) or Ji Han (季漢 "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (Chinese: 蜀; pinyin: Shǔ; Sichuanese Pinyin: Su2 < Middle Chinese: *źjowk < Eastern Han Chinese: *dźok), was a dynastic state of China and one of the three major states that competed for supremacy over China in the Three Kingdoms period. The state was based in the area around present-day Hanzhong, Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Guizhou, and north Guangxi, an area historically referred to as "Shu" based on the name of the past ancient kingdom of Shu, which also occupied this approximate geographical area. Its core territory also coincided with Liu Bang's Kingdom of Han, the precursor of the Han dynasty.
The Five Tiger Generals is a popular appellation in Chinese culture for the top five military commanders serving under one lord. Although the term does not appear in Chinese historical records and is not used officially, it has been heavily used in literature texts, folklore, as well as popular culture.
The Battle of Changban was fought between the warlords Cao Cao and Liu Bei in October 208 in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. The battle took place at Changban.
Liu Shan, courtesy name Gongsi, was the second and last emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. As he ascended the throne at the age of 16, Liu Shan was entrusted to the care of the Chancellor Zhuge Liang and Imperial Secretariat Li Yan. His reign of 40 years was the longest of all emperors in the Three Kingdoms era. During Liu Shan's reign, many campaigns were led against the rival state of Cao Wei, primarily by Zhuge Liang and his successor Jiang Wei, but to little avail, due to their drastic mismatch in terms of population and geographic extent. Liu Shan eventually surrendered to Wei in 263 after Deng Ai led a surprise attack on the Shu capital Chengdu. He was quickly relocated to the Wei capital at Luoyang, and enfeoffed as "Duke Anle". There he enjoyed his last years peacefully before dying in 271, most probably of natural causes.
The Records of the Three Kingdoms is a Chinese official history written by Chen Shou in the late 3rd century CE, covering the end of the Han dynasty and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE). It is regarded as to be the authoritative source text for these periods. Compiled following the reunification of China under the Jin dynasty (266–420), the work chronicles the political, social, and military events within rival states Cao Wei, Shu Han and Eastern Wu into a single text organized by individual biography.
Liu Feng was an adopted son of Liu Bei, a warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty and founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He traced his lineage to a certain marquis whose family name was "Kou" (寇). He was also related to the House of Liu – the imperial clan of the Han dynasty from which Liu Bei descended – albeit not directly. He served as a general in his adoptive father's military forces.
Kessen II is a strategy game loosely based on the Three Kingdoms period of China. It is the sequel to Kessen in name only; both Kessen and the later sequel Kessen III are based on events in Japan and China. The gameplay involves playing out major battles as the storyline progresses, with cutscenes between each battle for the development of the events and major characters. Before battle, players are given a choice of strategies to take, although they can manually control all units in the battlefield. All units are controlled by the AI unless the player directly intervenes, and battles between forces are carried out in real-time. While in control of a unit, players are able to use special skills or magic spells to turn the tables, although enemy characters are also able to do so.
Yi Ji, courtesy name Jibo, was a Chinese diplomat and politician serving in the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He previously served under the warlord Liu Biao in the late Eastern Han dynasty before coming to serve Liu Bei, the founding emperor of Shu Han. Yi Ji was known as an excellent debater and helped write the Shu Ke (蜀科), the legal code of Shu, along with Zhuge Liang, Fa Zheng, Li Yan and Liu Ba.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a Chinese television series adapted from the classical 14th century novel of the same title by Luo Guanzhong. The series was produced by China Central Television (CCTV) and was first aired on the network in 1994. It spanned a total of 84 episodes, each approximately 45 minutes long. One of the most expensive television series produced at the time, the project cost 170 million yuan. It was completed over four years and involved over 400,000 cast and crew members, including divisions of the People's Liberation Army from the Beijing, Nanjing and Chengdu military regions. Some of the dialogue spoken by characters was adapted directly from the novel. Extensive battle scenes, such as the battles of Guandu, Red Cliffs and Xiaoting, were also live-acted.
Three Kingdoms is a 2010 Chinese television series based on the events in the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. The plot is adapted from the 14th century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms and other stories about the Three Kingdoms period. Directed by Gao Xixi, the series had a budget of over 160 million RMB and took five years of pre-production work. Shooting of the series commenced in October 2008, and it was released in China in May 2010.
Guan Gong is a Taiwanese television series based on the life of Guan Yu and parts of the 14th century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, while incorporating some elements of fantasy and Chinese mythology as well. The series was first broadcast in Taiwan on CTS from 31 July to 15 October in 1996.
Zhuge Liang is a Chinese television series based on the life of Zhuge Liang, a chancellor of the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period. The plot is based on stories about Zhuge Liang in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The series starred Li Fazeng as the title character and was first aired on Hubei TV in mainland China in 1985. The show has been applauded for its historically accurate sets and costumes.
Cao Cao is a Chinese television series based on the life of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty and laid the foundation for the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period. Directed by Hu Mei, the series aimed to portray a more historically accurate image of Cao Cao, who is traditionally depicted as a villain in Chinese culture. Starring Zhao Lixin as the eponymous character, the series was filmed at the Xiangshan Film City in Ningbo, Zhejiang between 1 November 2011 and 15 March 2012.
God of War, Zhao Yun, also known as Chinese Hero Zhao Zilong, released under the title Dynasty Warriors in Indonesia, is a 2016 Chinese television series directed by Cheng Lidong and produced by Zhejiang Yongle Entertainment Co., Ltd. The series starred cast members from mainland China, South Korea and Taiwan: Lin Gengxin, Im Yoon-ah and Kim Jeong-hoon. The story is loosely adapted from the 14th-century Chinese classical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, with Zhao Yun as the main character. It was first aired on Hunan TV from 3 April to 7 May 2016.
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) CNN . 16 March 2010. Retrieved on 11 May 2011. "However, Little Fatty went from obscurity to movie stardom: he played the Last Emperor opposite Maggie Q, Andy Lau and Sammo Hung in Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon."