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GeneChing
05-15-2007, 10:07 AM
John Woo's Three Kingdoms epic seems to be really struggling.


Chow Yun-Fat Walks Off John Woo's 'Red Cliff' During Production (http://www.cinematical.com/2007/04/17/chow-yun-fat-walks-off-john-woos-red-cliff-during-production/)
Posted Apr 17th 2007 1:01PM by Christopher Campbell

The image It made perfect sense: John Woo's return to Chinese-language cinema was to star Chow Yun-Fat, who last collaborated with the director on the Hong Kong action classic Hard Boiled. The new film (or films, as it might be too long for just one), titled The Battle of Red Cliff, is an historical war epic set in the year 208, and Chow was to play Zhou Yu, the chief strategist for the Kingdom of Wu. But Chow has just walked off the production, which has already begun shooting, and the actor and the producers have different interpretations of why he has left so abruptly.

According to Chow, his departure was due to his inability to prepare for the role; he claims he only last week received the script. Producer Terence Chang, on the other hand, says that Chow's demands were too high and that he walked because he didn't get what he wanted. The script handed to Chow last week was merely a revision to one the actor had been given last year. Another topic of conflict is Chow's salary. According to the actor, he took a pay cut and was being paid in installments. Chang says the actor was to be paid $5 million plus royalties.

Chow also pointed out that his contract followed the model he uses on Hollywood films and implied that Red Cliff's producers need to get used to the way things are done in Hollywood. As if abandoning the director who made him an international star wasn't enough, he had to go and confirm that he's now too important to go back to his roots. Of course, anyone familiar with Bulletproof Monk and Anna and the King can attest to Chow's true significance to Hollywood's audiences. Chow is now the third big name to be removed from Red Cliff; previously Ken Watanabe and Tony Leung were also involved, but each dropped out for different reasons. Anyway, if you were really dying to see another collaboration between Woo and Chow, there's always the new video game Stranglehold, which hits stores this summer.

Here's an earlier post

Woo Casts Four in The Battle of Red Cliff (http://www.filmwad.com/woo-casts-four-in-the-battle-of-red-cliff-981-p.html)

John Woo has cast Chow Yun-Fat, Ken Watanabe, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Taiwanese supermodel Lin Chi-Ling in his Chinese costumer, The Battle of Red Cliff, a co-production with the China Film Group.

Based on the classic Chinese novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” the film is set in the final days of the Han Dynasty in the year 208 and covers the war that established the Three Kingdoms period, when China had three rulers.

Historians reckon 1 million soldiers took part in the original battle of Red Cliff. Woo plans to set up six units to simultaneously shoot various scenes for the war epic.

Woo is again teaming with longtime associate Terence Chang to make the film, which is aiming for release in the runup to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

“Red Cliff” is due to start shooting in March from a screenplay by Wang Hui-ling (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).

doug maverick
05-15-2007, 10:11 AM
yeah i've been talking about it for a while. the cast keeps switching up because of scheduling chow yun fat was gonna be in it but he droped out and people keep leaving and coming back. gotta friend who is working on this and he said, that he mentioned to john that there is a very popular game in the us based off of the novel, he was intrigued by it. that actually might be the selling point for the states. but the chinese version is gonna be released in two two hour parts and where just gonna get one film. which sucks

GeneChing
05-15-2007, 03:52 PM
I was tempted to pluck some of your posts about this on other threads and compile them here, but it was too complicated. Nevertheless, I think Red Cliff needs its own thread here, so now you have a place to post them. ;)

doug maverick
05-17-2007, 08:52 AM
http://www.netfamily8787.com/forum_entry.php?id=136019&page=0&category=all&order=time

doug maverick
05-17-2007, 08:53 AM
[/URL]


[url]http://bp0.blogger.com/_sta5TiWPdIs/Rh5LAmBeORI/AAAAAAAACe0/FqsdgXZb8cY/s1600-h/battlecost.jpg (http://image2.sina.com.cn/ent/m/p/20http://image2.sina.com.cn/ent/m/p/2007-04-18/U1825P28T3D1524751F326DT20070418182244.jpg 07-04-18/U1825P28T3D1524751F326DT20070418182244.jpg)

the last one is of the actor playing cao cao

doug maverick
05-17-2007, 08:57 AM
here some secret pics of takeshi kaneshiro as zhuge liang, can't say where i got it. cause the person might get in trouble if it was known it was him but he posted it on his site so:

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/869/3948553qa7.jpg (http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/869/3948553qa7.jpg)
http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/8379/1825462vb3.jpg
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4308/1825461ti0.jpg (http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4308/1825461ti0.jpg)

doug maverick
05-17-2007, 08:59 AM
jus to let everyone no just heard it from a credible source, chow yun fat has rejoined the cast but has a smaller role.

GeneChing
09-20-2007, 10:51 AM
It's been a while since we've had a RC update

"Red Cliff" stands tall as pressure piles on (http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/2095/1/)
Written by Clifford Coonan
Thursday, 13 September 2007

BEIJING -- The John Woo-helmed "Red Cliff," Asia's biggest movie production ever -- and one of its most beleaguered -- plans to wrap on schedule. But a lot of challenges still lie ahead for the pic, securing North American distribution and living up to the high expectations of the Chinese government among them.

Extremes of weather have taken an epic toll. Shooting in the dry summer heat was a challenge in the northern China desert locations, while torrential rains washed away part of an outdoor set for the film in Hebei.

Budget for the film is "south of $80 million," according to Terence Chang, the pic's producer and Woo's partner in Lion Rock Entertainment. That's an enormous sum when a budget of a few million is considered high in most Asian countries.

Coin came from four Asian equity investors: China Film Group, CMC Entertainment in Taiwan, Avex in Japan and South Korea's Showbox.

"Things are doing fine. We've still got about a month to shoot; we expect to wrap end of October, maybe mid-November," Chang said.

It's Woo's first Chinese-language project after many years in Hollywood, helming projects such as "Broken Arrow," "Face/Off" and "Mission: Impossible II."

The screenplay by Woo Chan Khan, Guo Zheng and Sheng Heyu is for a four-hour film. For Asian territories, pic is to be split into two parts, with the first skedded for release in July and the second in December 2008.

Auds in other territories will receive a single movie, expected to clock in at 2½ hours, which will probably be released in December next year. Pic, repped in international territories by L.A.-based Summit Entertainment, was widely sold at the February edition of the European Film Market.

"We've already sold it to a lot of European territories, but we are holding back on North America because people have a wrong impression about Chinese films there. They think of 'Hero' and 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' so we want to show them the movie when it's finished," Chang said.

Industry sources said a lot of money is being sought for the North American rights, and studios are holding back, wary following the less-than-spectacular international performances of Chinese martial-arts pics.

Before the weather problems, the movie, based on the classic Chinese novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," was dogged by personnel issues.

Tony Leung Chiu-wai dropped out of the film in March; then Chow Yun-fat exited. That brought Leung back in the lead role.

Cast also includes Takashi Kanashiro, Zhang Fengyi, Chiling Lin, Chang Chen, Vicky Zhao and Hu Jun.

The Chinese government desperately wants the movie to be a success as it will showcase the nation's history ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Chang said.

Craig Hayes is visual effects supervisor, brought in by the Orphanage. Most of the principal CGI will be done in San Francisco.

doug maverick
09-20-2007, 01:01 PM
i think it will be a success here, i know they gonna change the name to dynasty warriors for the american release. it's being kept hush hush but thats the plan since theres already a succesfull video game franshise to bank on. but although this is woo's first film in a while and i was so hyped about this movie because it had so many good actors. it fell off, all the big name asian actoprs that u would love to see in a film fled and from what i hear its bad producing which strange cause tarrence change is usually on the ball. how this film will i'm thinking of a japnese film right now with alot of big battle but i don;t remeber the name it was a kurasowa flick. and i know woo is going to pay homage to him. i hope its good, and i hope to see some two swords action in place of the guns.lol

sanjuro_ronin
09-20-2007, 01:05 PM
You thinking RAN ?

doug maverick
09-21-2007, 05:58 AM
yeah that was it thanks.

GeneChing
11-12-2007, 12:08 PM
Another update. I'm still into this project. It's a good excuse to reread Three Kingdoms.


China channel pumps up 'Cliff' (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117975750.html?categoryId=13&cs=1)
CCTV to broadcast footage from Woo film
By CLIFFORD COONAN
BEIJING -- The movie channel of Chinese state broadcaster CCTV will broadcast 2½ hours of live footage from the set of John Woo's latest pic, "Red Cliff," which is shooting near Beijing.

China Film, one of the investors in what is the most expensive Asian movie of all time with a budget of $80 million, told the Beijing Times that CCTV's movie channel would show the "real-time film sequence" on Nov. 17 and pic's stars would be present on that day.

Funding for "Red Cliff" comes entirely from independent producers in the region -- China Film, CMC Entertainment in Taiwan, Avex in Japan and South Korea's Showbox.

Shooting began in April, and the pic marks a return to Chinese-language movies for Woo. Shooting in China has been dogged by bad weather, and the project has had to overcome some serious casting changes, with longtime Woo collaborator Chow Yun-fat dropping out and Tony Leung leaving and then returning to the production.

Other Asian stars taking part in the pic include Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhang Fengyi, Chiling Lin, Chang Chen, Vicky Zhao and Hu Jun. All will feature in the live broadcast, the report said.

"Red Cliff" is based on a segment of the sprawling classic Chinese novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and is set in the final days of the Han Dynasty, in the year 208, covering the war that established the Three Kingdoms period, when China had three rulers.

Film experts and historians will be on hand to explain certain cinema techniques and the historical background to the story, and the live broadcast will incorporate 20 documentary films to help educate auds, it said.

The production is moving to Yixian Reservoir in Hebei to shoot the climax of the movie, and the Movie Channel will broadcast a number of sequences of the shooting, promising "multi-angle and 3-D live broadcast, revolving around the working scenes."

Zenshiite
11-12-2007, 06:18 PM
Well, you know we are all going to find a way to get ahold of the 2 part Chinese version.

Also, I love to play Dynasty Warriors with a friend.

GeneChing
11-21-2007, 12:51 PM
Go to the article for the pics and links to the sina.com vids.



'Red Cliff' Stills and Videos (http://www.asianpopcorn.com/default.asp?display=1201)

China’s CCTV Movie Channel broadcasts 150 minutes of real time film sequence of the movie ‘Red Cliff’ on November 17 (Saturday). It is the first time in China's television history to broadcast such a long, large-scale and real time film sequence. Tony Leung acting as Zhou Yu, Hu Jun acting as Zhao Yun, and Chang Chen acting as Sun Quan are on site. Takeshi Kaneshiro acting as Zhuge Liang, Chiling acting as Xiao Qiao, and Zhao Wei acting as Sun Shangxiang are absent.

Red Cliff, directed by John Woo, is the most expensive movie in Asian film history. It has become the focus of media attention since it was launched this April. You can see the videos on Sina.com (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

doug maverick
11-21-2007, 01:14 PM
man i hope this film does well. with john i'm sure it'll be good we haven't really scene him do his thing in a while.

GeneChing
12-11-2007, 11:45 AM
There better be an intermission so I can go potty...;)


John Woo's rocky return to China (http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/5113/1/)
Written by Clifford Coonan
Monday, 10 December 2007

BEIJING -- When "Red Cliff" filmmakers look over the edge, they can finally see the finish line. After a production schedule blasted by thesp-scheduling issues and appalling weather, the biggest Chinese movie of all time is now substantially in the can, although some shooting on the John Woo-helmed pic will continue until February.

Terence Chang, the pic's producer and Woo's partner in Lion Rock Entertainment, says shooting officially wrapped Nov. 30, but some second unit work remained to be done, and he doubted the pic would be ready in time for Cannes next year.

"We'll deliver it in May, but maybe it won't be quite ready. ... It's been a long shoot but we're in pretty good shape," Chang says.

"Red Cliff" is Woo's first Chinese-language effort after years in Hollywood helming projects such as "Broken Arrow," "Face/Off" and "Mission: Impossible 2." With a budget of $80 million, "Cliff" is the most expensive movie ever made in Asia, with funding coming entirely from independent producers in the region -- China's China Film, CMC Entertainment in Taiwan, Avex in Japan and South Korea's Showbox.

This story is based on part of the classic Chinese novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." Set in the final days of the Han Dynasty, in the year 208, it covers the war that established the Three Kingdoms period, when China had three rulers.

The production has been dogged by difficulties, many of them weather-related -- torrential rains washed away part of an outdoor set in Hebei in northern China -- but some linked to the myriad personnel changes on the film.

In March, Tony Leung Chiu-wai ("Lust, Caution") dropped out of the pic. At the time, he says he felt unable to commit to the six-month shoot "Red Cliff" demanded, and he was replaced by Takeshi Kaneshiro. Soon afterwards, close Woo ally Chow Yun-fat ankled.

The circumstances of Chow's departure remain mysterious -- Chinese media say it was because of unreasonable demands by the thesp and conditions that completion bond company CineFinance could not accept. Chow countered, saying the same firm bonded him twice before with the same requirements.

It came as a shock, given that Woo made Chow a legend -- establishing him as Hong Kong's Robert De Niro in movies such as the 1986 pic "A Better Tomorrow" and "Hard Boiled."

Then, two days after Chow ankled, Leung was back in the lineup as lead actor, replacing Chow. The remaining cast includes Zhang Fengyi, Chiling Lin, Chang Chen, Vicky Zhao and Hu Jun.

CineFinance became involved in the production, but Cheng denies speculation that the completion bond company had taken over the picture.

There have also been rumors of deaths on the set, which Cheng rejects. "That's the first I've heard of it," he says.

"Red Cliff" is written as a four-hour film. For Asian territories, the pic is to be split into two parts, with the first released in July in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea, and October in Japan.

Auds outside Asia will get a single movie, expected to clock in at 2½ hours, coinciding with the release of the second part in Asia in December next year.

Repped in international territories by L.A.-based Summit Entertainment, the pic was widely sold at Berlin's European Film Market, but still has no North American distributors.

"I don't want to discuss sales until I have a film to show," Chang says.

GeneChing
12-18-2007, 10:37 AM
How do you say carbon offsets in mandarin?


"Red Cliff" to Recover After Battle (http://english.cri.cn/3086/2007/12/17/1261@305474.htm)
2007-12-17 21:41:16
John Woo's upcoming historical epic "Battle of Red Cliff" is not going to be another environment killer, said one of the film's producers.

Shooting of the ancient war film wrapped up on Monday at Yishui Lake, in northern China's Hebei province, where all the sets were burned to construct one of the film's biggest scenes.

Construction of the sets took half a year, and clearing up the residue will be just as time-consuming, noted the unnamed producer, who stressed that the film's crew is determined to return the location to what it once was.

Director Chen Kaige's 2005 blockbuster film, "The Promise," was widely criticized for the environmental damage it caused while filming in southwestern Yunnan Province, where it left behind a large amount of on-set waste.

In April this year, the country's top authority for radio, film and television issued a rule banning all film and television shoots from natural reserves, scenic areas and historical sites around the country.

doug maverick
02-07-2008, 04:07 AM
low res trailer of this bad boy, my faith is totally restored in this project. and if you look close you will see something you have never ever scene in a john woo movie Battle Of Redcliff (http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/first-trailer-for-john-woos-battle-of-red-cliff-arrives#extended)

sanjuro_ronin
02-07-2008, 06:48 AM
Wow, slow motion action sequences and posing, never seen that before in a John Woo film !
:D

doug maverick
02-07-2008, 06:56 AM
watch it again and really watch it and think about every john woo film you ever saw and you will see something in that trailer you never seen in a john woo film.

sanjuro_ronin
02-07-2008, 06:59 AM
watch it again and really watch it and think about every john woo film you ever saw and you will see something in that trailer you never seen in a john woo film.

Asian people ?


:D


I'm just messing with you bro.
I give up, what's there that wasn't there before?

doug maverick
02-07-2008, 07:05 AM
a love scene... i know its something small but john woo has never done one not even in his american films.

sanjuro_ronin
02-07-2008, 07:14 AM
a love scene... i know its something small but john woo has never done one not even in his american films.

Really?
I was not aware of that.
Wasn't t there one in MI 2 ?

doug maverick
02-07-2008, 07:35 AM
no there was kissing yes, but no love scene. besides that was pg 13 so probably couyldn't even have a love scene in the film. that clip in the trailer looks like a down and dirty love scene. you know what i mean

sanjuro_ronin
02-07-2008, 07:55 AM
no there was kissing yes, but no love scene. besides that was pg 13 so probably couyldn't even have a love scene in the film. that clip in the trailer looks like a down and dirty love scene. you know what i mean

Cue the 70's porn music !

jethro
02-07-2008, 08:07 PM
Looks awesome.

GeneChing
03-18-2008, 11:27 AM
Just in time for the Olympics...


John Woo's "Red Cliff" to Premiere in July (http://english.cri.cn/3086/2008/03/14/176@333917.htm)
2008-03-14 17:31:15 CRIENGLISH.com

"The War of the Red Cliff," Hong Kong director John Woo's latest historical war epic, is set to premiere July 10.

The first movie in the two-part series will open on the Chinese mainland and in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Han Sanping, the film's co-producer and board chairman of China Film Group Corporation, announced the news on Friday, Web site sina.com reported.

The film is still in production, though shooting wrapped in December.

Production of the second movie is expected to wind up within the year, and is tentatively scheduled for a December release.

In May, John Woo and the cast, which includes Tony Leung, Chang Chen and Taiwanese supermodel Lin Chi-Ling, will go to the 61st Cannes Film Festival to promote the films.

"The War of the Red Cliff" is based on the war of the same name during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 BC), when China had three rulers.

SPJ
03-18-2008, 08:39 PM
I like Zhao Wei over Lin Zhi ling.

overall the caste is full of young and "beautiful" people.

Zhu Ge Liang or Kong Ming would be older and more experienced and not a handsome and young chap.

Guang Yun Chang or Guang Yu/gong would be tall and bulky and not just with a red face.

--

other than that, it is going to be a great film.

looking forward to it.

:D;):):cool:

GeneChing
05-13-2008, 09:53 AM
Jack Black was on Leno last night pushing Kung Fu Panda (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39752). He said it was Cannes like 'can of beans' not Cannes like 'Wrath of Khan'.


"Red Cliff" to embark voyage to Cannes (http://www.asianpopcorn.com/default.asp?display=_Red_Cliff_to_embark_voyage_to _Cannes-4960)

It's still two months before the public release of John Woo's "Red Cliff". The high-profile production plans a visit to Cannes for the upcoming film festival.

Producer Terence Chang and lead actor Hu Jun showed up at the press conference. Hu plays general Zhao Yun in the production by the internationally acclaimed John Woo.

It took eight months to finish all his scenes. That's longer than planned. But Wood says the extension was due to Hu's excellent performance. The battle of Changbanpo, is a key part of the plot and took up a good deal of the production time.

Hu Jun, Actor, said, "We spent about three seasons shooting that part. The director and producer were impressed by Zhao Yun, and added weight to the role. We started in the spring and filmed through summer and fall."

Posters been released to the public seems to enhance the stature of Zhao Yun. The new image sets a stark contrast to previous versions adaptations.
View all of it at >> www.cctv.com

GeneChing
06-11-2008, 09:39 AM
...what a tragic way to go.


Stuntman dies during "Red Cliff" filming (http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN1139584620080611)
Wed Jun 11, 2008 11:28am EDT
By Alex S. Dai

SHANGHAI (Hollywood Reporter) - A stuntman died and six crew members were injured Monday in a fire on the set of John Woo's "Red Cliff."

Co-producer Lion Rock Prods. said the accident occurred while a scene was being shot that involved a burning ship crashing into another ship. High winds caused the fire to quickly grow out of control, engulfing both ships in flames.

The accident took place at about 3 a.m. in Xiaotang Shan, on the outskirts of Beijing.

"The crew of 'Red Cliff' is deeply distraught and full of regret," Lion Rock said. "Every effort is being made to make arrangements for the deceased, his family and the injured crew members."

Woo received news of the accident while in Hong Kong promoting Part 1 of the two-part film, set for release in early July in most of Asia. He is traveling back to Beijing to assess the situation and complete filming.

"Red Cliff" is billed as China's largest production to date. The $80 million historical drama is a co-production between U.S.-based Lion Rock, China Film Group and Japan's Avex Entertainment.

The film stars Hong Kong actor Tony Leung, China's Zhang Fengyi and Taiwan's Takeshi Kaneshiro.

GeneChing
06-25-2008, 09:45 AM
Sichuan is where the quake (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=869433) happened.


"Red Cliff" to Come Out Huge (http://english.cri.cn/3086/2008/06/25/1261s373165.htm)
2008-06-25 20:58:46

Director John Woo wants his new film "Red Cliff" to have a memorable opening, and the construction of a massive set where the film will premiere started one week ahead of time.

The tourism hotspot Wuhou Memorial Temple in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, where "Red Cliff" will have its global premiere on July 3, welcomed on Wednesday the arrival of ten cargo trucks loaded with equipment, West China Metropolis Daily reports.

On the trucks were sound and stage lighting instrument worth over one million yuan (145,679 U.S. dollars), the newspaper says.

At the center stage, workers have repainted the old red wall, and in the following days they will install complex stage decorations and several LCD walls.

Because "Red Cliff" is about a historical battle in 208 AD during the Three Kingdoms period, rows of ancient battle drums will be displayed at the sides of the stage.

On the night of the premiere, the number of performers will excel 2,000, West China Metropolis Daily says. A hundred relief workers of the Sichuan earthquake will be invited to the event, and ten of them will walk the red carpet with film stars.

Wuhou Memorial Temple was chosen to host the premiere because it was built to pay tribute to Zhuge Liang, a legendary military strategist in the Three Kingdoms period who is one of the protagonists in "Red Cliff," portrayed by Takeshi Kaneshiro.

The film, to be released in two segments, also features Tony Leung, Chang Chen, Chiling Lin, and Zhao Wei.

GeneChing
07-03-2008, 09:40 AM
...on the big silver screen.


Red Cliff set to lift quake gloom (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-07/03/content_6815015.htm)
By Liu Wei (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-03 08:17

Films have a very important social role to play. That view will be consolidated tonight when China's most expensive blockbuster premieres at an iconic venue in Chengdu.

The country's film community has done much to help the May 12 earthquake survivors in Sichuan province. But the opening of $80-million Red Cliff (Chibi) could well be the most helpful.

Directed by Hong Kong-born veteran John Woo, Red Cliff opens tonight in Chengdu's Wu Hou Shrine - the first time such an event will be held in a top cultural heritage building.

Woo, who has worked in Hollywood too, is also the first person to organize a big public event in the capital of Sichuan province after the quake.

The shrine, built in AD 223, consists of memorial halls and mausoleums of warlord Liu Bei and his strategist Zhuge Liang - both of whose characters play leading roles in the film - and ministers and generals of the Shu kingdom, one of the three kingdoms that co-ruled China from 220 to 280.

About 2,000 people will watch the film tonight, but before that they have to pass through six security checks.

And the grand stage in front of Jianxin Hall in the shrine complex will see about 2,000 actors perform live.

Elementary school students will recite an ancient poem about history, traditional Sichuan mask-changing performers will show their electrifying skill, and musicians will play the ancient instrument, guqin, an important prop in the film too.

The film's behind-the-scene footage will also be screened, as will be its 10-minute trailer.

Woo has invited 100 doctors, nurses, soldiers, volunteers and journalists who experienced the quake and helped with the rescue and relief work or reported about them to attend the ceremony. Ten of them will walk the red carpet with the stars.

Xie Hui, head of the Wu Hou Shrine, says the premiere will show people that Chengdu is recovering from the quake.

Mainland actor Hu Jun, who plays a fearless general in the film, says he will be more than delighted if the film can help people forget their pain and regain courage even for two hours.

The local government has supported Woo's effort wholeheartedly. The film that has grabbed Asia's and the world's attention even before being screened is considered by many as an excellent vehicle that can promote Chengdu.

Grand opening ceremonies have become more of a norm with Chinese blockbusters after Zhang Yimou's Hero premiered in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing six years ago.

For his Curse of the Golden Flower, about 50 million yuan ($7.3 million) was spent on its premiere two years ago. And the opening ceremony of Chen Kaige's The Promise cost 20 million yuan ($2.9 million).

Red Cliff hits the screen on the Chinese mainland, and in Hong Kong and Taiwan, on July 10. Its global release is scheduled for next year.

GeneChing
07-03-2008, 09:43 AM
Of all of Woo's flicks to reference - Face Off & MI2?! :rolleyes:


Woo's $80 Million `Red Cliff' Has Recouped Costs, Producer Says (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=ahhvyQLr9txs&refer=muse)
By Le-Min Lim
Enlarge Image/Details

July 3 (Bloomberg) -- Investors in John Woo's blockbuster ``Red Cliff'' have recouped the $80 million spent making Asia's most expensive film, said producer Terence Chang.

The sale of the movie's distribution rights in Asia has covered its costs, Chang said in a phone interview. ``Red Cliff,'' a five-hour story about warring nations in China in 208 A.D. that waged an epic naval battle, is the first movie Woo has directed in Asia since he left Hong Kong for Hollywood two decades ago to make hits like ``Face/Off'' and ``Mission: Impossible II.''

``The scale, reach and appeal of this movie's subject matter is unprecedented in Asia,'' said Joseph Liao, production manager at Taiwan's CMC Entertainment Group, which invested $10 million in the project. The movie's other owners include state-run China Film Group, South Korea's Showbox Entertainment and Japan's Avex Entertainment Corp.

Liao said ``it's safe to assume'' CMC will recover its investment through the sale of screening rights. China Film and Showbox couldn't be reached for comment.

``Red Cliff'' will be edited into a 2 1/2-hour version for screening in Europe later this year. It will be shown in two parts for Asian audiences: the first is scheduled for Asia-wide release on July 10, the second is planned for late January. Producers are in talks with potential U.S. distributors, said Chang.

Loan Recovery

Standard Chartered Plc, which lent money against the film's earnings outside Asia, said the London-based bank is confident of recovering the loan soon, judging by distributor demand for the film in Europe. It won't disclose the financing terms, only that the loan was the biggest of its kind approved by the bank.

``We have had a good experience with this film,'' said Lee Beasley, director of creative industries at Standard Chartered, in an interview. ``It shows prospects for film financing in Asia, even for big-budget movies, are very promising.''

Movies in Asia have average budgets of $10 million or less, and are usually funded by studios and wealthy individuals. The opening of the mainland Chinese market has given Asian producers another incentive to boost spending and encouraged banks to finance projects. Hong Kong and India are among the biggest movie- production hubs outside the U.S.

India produces more than 1,000 films a year; Hong Kong made 50 movies in 2007, while Hollywood made about 300 pictures last year, industry figures showed.

For the film, Woo hired Hong Kong actor Tony Leung, winner of the best-actor award at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival; production designer Tim Yip, who worked on Academy Award winner ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon;'' and extras from the People's Liberation Army for the battle scene. Filming began in April 2007 and was plagued by problems from the start, culminating in the death of a Chinese stuntman on the set last month.

The death ``was the biggest regret of my career,'' said Woo at a press conference in Hong Kong on June 30. Woo, 62, said ``Red Cliff'' is his most important work to date and will test the appeal of a foreign-language film on a Chinese story outside Asia.

``To Asia, this is a historical epic,'' said Chang. ``To audiences outside Asia, they expect a big John Woo action film.''

Chang said the film will ``appeal to both groups.''

GeneChing
07-10-2008, 09:50 AM
I really want to see this on the big screen but that might be tough for a while here in the states... :(


Full House for "Red Cliff" on Opening Day (http://english.cri.cn/3086/2008/07/10/1261s379152.htm)
2008-07-10 13:46:27

The costliest Chinese film seems to have the potential to be the most profitable as well. John Woo's "Red Cliff" opened on Thursday, attracting a full house at almost every theater screening the film.

Theaters in Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou and many other cities reported unusually high attendance for the opening of the historical epic shortly after midnight on Thursday, Sohu.com reports.

Despite its grand premiere last week, it was the first time the two-hour and 20-minute film was screened in its entirety.

An audience member in Beijing told Sohu that she heard that John Woo had spent five years making "Red Cliff," which aroused her curiosity in the film.

Moviegoers were also impressed by the film's magnificence, Sohu says. "Red Cliff" is based on a well-known historical battle in 208 AD in which thousands of ships were burnt. The biggest scenes involved 2,000 actors and crew members, and around 1,300 special effects are used, an earlier report on Shanghai Daily says.

A few viewers on Thursday voiced disappointments that the lines spoken by these ancient characters were too modern, but Sohu found in a survey that generally speaking, the audiences gave the film a thumbs-up.

The lengthy film also left some fans feeling exhausted, yet John Woo has done his best to cut it short. The current release is just half of the "Red Cliff" series. Woo said before that it's very difficult to condense the story into two hours so he split it into two parts to allow more room for character development.

The second part is set for release in Asia in December, when Western audience will also get to see a single, condensed release.

The US$70 million "Red Cliff" is said to be the most expensive Chinese-language film ever made. Its star-heavy cast spans talents from Hong Kong, Taiwan and the mainland, including Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Lin Chi-ling, Zhao Wei and Hu Jun.

doug maverick
07-10-2008, 02:09 PM
i heard they were going to do a soft opening of it here in the states and if it does well it will be wide released.

GeneChing
07-16-2008, 09:32 AM
"Red Cliff" declares opening victory in Asian market (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/12/content_8533341.htm)
www.chinaview.cn 2008-07-12 10:39:02

BEIJING, July 12 (Xinhua) -- "Red Cliff", reportedly Asia's most expensive ever film, gained 27 million yuan (3.91 million U.S. dollars) of box office on its first-day release, setting the highest record among homemade movies.

The first of this two-part epic motion, adapted from China's classic historic fiction Romance of the Three Kingdoms, hit cinemas in Asia on July 10.

Its first-day box office was the highest among all movies released in the mainland so far this year and higher than last year's Hollywood blockbuster Transformers whose first-day box office was 22.41 million yuan.

Weng Li, spokesman of the China Film Group Corporation, the movie's main investor, said that the group was confident of its box office later on.

"The romantic epic fits in the taste of audience of all ages and the upcoming summer vacation will bring more people to the cinema. I believe more records will be set," he said.

In its first day release, the movie also gained 17 million New Taiwan dollars in Taiwan and 2 million HK dollars in Hong Kong.

The movie directed by Hollywood-based Hong Kong director John Woo has several leading Asian stars in its cast, including award-winning Hong Kong actor Tony Leung, Taiwan supermodel Lin Chi-ling, Taiwanese-Japanese heartthrob Takeshi Kaneshiro and mainland's leading actor Zhang Fengyi.

It attracted public attention for the 80-million-US-dollar investment, said to be the most expensive of all Asian movies.

The movie revolves around the epic Battle of Red Cliffs in 208 AD in China's Three Kingdoms period. It was a famous military case of the weak winning the strong, in which a 50,000-strong allied forces of the southern warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan defeated the powerful 800,000 troops of the northern warlord Cao Cao.

The biggest scenes in the movie involved 2,000 actors and crew, and a large amount of special effects were used, according to earlier media reports.

The movie's second episode is set to be released in December. By then, a condensed version covering both episodes will also be released outside of Asia.

108 million yuan - what an auspicious number...


"Red Cliff" Breaks Opening-Weekend Box Office Record (http://english.cri.cn/3086/2008/07/16/1261s381554.htm)
2008-07-16 13:18:16

John Woo's historical epic "Red Cliff," reportedly the most expensive film ever made in Asia, has earned 108 million yuan (US$15.78 million) in the Chinese mainland since its cinema debut on Thursday.

The opening weekend box office takings are a record for a Chinese film, compared to other domestic blockbusters such as Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Golden Flower"(96 million yuan) and Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," the Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post reported on Tuesday.

"Red Cliff" beat the Dreamworks production, "Kung Fu Panda," which earned about 50 million yuan in ticket sales on the opening weekend.

It also opened strongly in Taiwan, Hong Kong and elsewhere in Asia, including South Korea and Singapore, taking in a total of 25 million U.S. dollars across Asia.

Hollywood blockbuster "Transformers" took five days to break the 100 million yuan mark in the Chinese mainland last year.

"Red Cliff" revolves around the epic Battle of Red Cliffs in 208 AD, a decisive battle, immediately prior to China's Three Kingdoms period, between allied forces of the southern warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan, and the numerically superior forces of the warlord Cao Cao.

Tony Leung, Lin Chi-ling and Takeshi Kaneshiro are among the film's A-list cast.

doug maverick
07-16-2008, 10:48 AM
looks like john woo is back. can't wait to see this. i know i'll be tempted to pick up a chinatown bootleg but i'm going to wait to it hits theaters.

doug maverick
08-20-2008, 11:17 PM
alright so turns out i don't have to wait for it to hit ny theaters and i don't have to buy a bootleg. got a chance to see a private screening at a really nice house in the hamptons belonging to(actually i don't know whose house it was.lol)anways so let me just say that john woo must be stinking up santa monica(where lion rock ent is based) cause he's the sh!t. he's got his swag back with this film he showed all those chinese filmmakers how to make a period film, it had action/comedy/drama and ofcourse the patented tony leung sex scene(i swear he puts that in his contract) the first 18 minutes is filled with lots of action although the action was directed buy corey yuen(we all know how i feel about his chorey) dion lam was the actual choreagrapher and it was good. i'm so hyped for the second part no wonder it's breaking all the records in china. you guys are going to be very happy with this film.

Shaolinlueb
08-21-2008, 08:24 AM
nice i cant wait for it!

Zenshiite
08-21-2008, 05:55 PM
Maybe it'll do the film festival rounds and I can catch it. I really want to see this.

Still need to see Mongol.

doug maverick
08-21-2008, 06:58 PM
well you might as well wait to december when its set to hit american theaters. my only problem is that the american version will combine part one and two. so i'm wondering how much is going to get cut out.

SPJ
08-25-2008, 06:48 AM
I bought the dvd for the first episode (half).

overall, it is good.

the fighting is a bit long or just about the whole movie.

it has 2 land battles.

1. Liu bei was retreated, the shiny shields blinded the horses.--

2. Liu and Sun or zhu ge liang and zhou yu together against the elite army of cao cao.

--

a turtle or ba gua formation

--

can't wait to see the other half.

which is about the water battle. or war on the river.

:cool:

SPJ
08-25-2008, 06:54 AM
1. Zhao zi long using the long spear and rode the white horse--

2. Zhang Fei was with great force and loud voice. He may grab weapons from the enemy and defeat several people at the same time with empty hands.

3. Guan Yu using the da dao.

4. Liu Bei stringing the straws to make a shoe.

5. Cao Cao loves Zhou Yu's wife xiao qiao.

--

these are all accurate.

growing up hearing tales from story tellers in front of the temple, on the radio, reading all the novels.

the romance of the three kingdoms.

I think I like the stories too much.

and of course, would like the movie a lot.

:cool::)

SimonM
08-25-2008, 07:19 AM
Sanguo Yanyi is such a rich and varied story. I was not raised on a diet of it and yet, discovering the novel at the age of 25 it has become one of my favorite stories.

GeneChing
09-08-2008, 05:15 PM
John Woo is back on his game with Red Cliff. I loved it. I can hardly wait for part 2.

TaichiMantis
09-09-2008, 08:48 AM
John Woo is back on his game with Red Cliff. I loved it. I can hardly wait for part 2.


"Outside of Asia, a single 2½ hour film will be released in January 2009"

is this true?

Zenshiite
09-09-2008, 09:42 PM
http://www.campusist.com/video/red-cliff-china-movie-english-sub

There you go. Watch it online. There're also torrents somewhere.

doug maverick
09-10-2008, 08:35 AM
thats illegal dude. we're trying to get people to go see this film in the theaters so hollywood ould make more of these types of films, and here you are catering to illegal downloads which btw make ticket prices more expensive. please erase your post. thank you and go see the movie when it comes out in theaters like everyone else.

Zenshiite
09-10-2008, 10:51 PM
Good lord. You act like you can't already get this flick in Chinatowns all over the country or something.

FYI, I'll go see it in the theater just like I went to see Hero and House of Flying Daggers in the theater even though I'd already gotten copies of the DVDs in Chinatown.

It's a matter of wanting to see the film ASAP, I'm betting alot of people who like these sorts of movies WILL go to theaters to see it because it's worth going to the theater to see even if you've already seen it via some other means. Either scoring the DVD in Chinatown video shops or streaming it online.

doug maverick
09-11-2008, 12:05 AM
yea your right. idk i was just ****ed off about something, a friend of mines just put sold his indie film and we saw it up on an illegal downloaidng site and we're like WTF. i mean big hollywood films that can afford the hit is one thing but going after small time producers is where i get ****ed off. cause in six months when he gets his little check in the mail its going to be ten times smaller then what it could've been. so i was just p.o'd at the whole thing sorry man didn't mean to get at you or that. and your right about what u said up there. but trust me it was so much cooler seeing this in a theater.

SPJ
09-11-2008, 06:56 AM
I bought a copy of dvd (china edition/copyright) in a bookstore in east LA.

I paid my due.

much enjoyed the movie.

it is the most costly movie to make ever in china and east asia.

all the costumes, horses, setup for the scenes like building the palace, fortress etc.

and the salaries for zhao wei (zhou yu's sis), lin zi ling (xiao qiao), liang jia hui(zhou yu), jin cheng wu (zhu ge liang)----

com'on man, buy the ticket or dvd (copyrighted in china or north america)

:)

Zenshiite
09-11-2008, 09:12 PM
Doug, no harm no foul. I feel you. I have a friend that owns a record label and it ****es me off to see his releases on file sharing stuff. It's taking food out of his family's mouths. Like I said before, having watched this online isn't going to stop me from hitting up the theater whenever it's released and paying the ticket price. Chances are the subtitle translation will be a bit different like it was for Hero(which I have two copies of, the Chinatown one I got and the US release). I'll probably buy it when it hits DVD in the states too because I'm sure they'll have special features that I want to watch.

Also, I thought the movie was GREAT. It was bittersweet to leave it on a cliffhanger though. Can't wait til the next part comes out!

SimonM
11-06-2008, 08:16 AM
If I come across a DVD of Red Cliff I'll buy it, having previewed it by download. It was an excellent movie and I have no problem with "showing my support" for the wealthy executives who put the money together to make the film (as the lions share of dvd monies goes to them) however, to date, I haven't seen any DVD edition of the film available in the city in which I live.

Can't wait for part 2...

I adored the characterization of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Picture perfect actors; picture perfect portrayals. Even the scene where Guan Yu (as opposed to Zhang Fei) single-handedly holds off the Cao Wei army - despite the non-cannonical nature of the scene felt like it fit just right because it managed to summarize the complex relationship between Cao Cao and Guan Yu so succinctly.

SPJ
11-06-2008, 10:06 AM
I am also waiting for part II

which is about the battles on the water, althou most would be images computer generated or cgi.

still think guan yu would be a lot taller and buffier.

zhang fei with a bigger or wider body

and zhu ge liang needs to be older and more experienced look.

no complaints about xiao qiao and zhou yu sis. they are very well played or acted.

--

:)

SimonM
11-06-2008, 10:12 AM
I am also waiting for part II

which is about the battles on the water, althou most would be images computer generated or cgi.

still think guan yu would be a lot taller and buffier.

zhang fei with a bigger or wider body

and zhu ge liang needs to be older and more experienced look.

no complaints about xiao qiao and zhou yu sis. they are very well played or acted.

--

:)

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei have had their dimensions elevated to the point where portraying them as they are described would probably have required a lot of CGI. The men are described as near giants!

I thought that the actors were perfect for displaying the humanity of these two historical figures as one of the things that I enjoy most about Sanguo Yanyi is the fundamental humanity of all the characters in it.

Also wasn't chibi during Zhuge's (relative) youth? Certainly it was early in his career with Liu Bei as it predates the capture of Sichuan, the foundation of the Shu Han dynasty and the extended Zhuge Liang regency.

As for Xiao Qiao and Sun Xiangshang I agree, no complaints.

In fact the only complaint I have about casting is Liu Bei himself who feels just a little bit too venerable.

I loved the coreography of the zilong spear fight at the beginning, when he rescues Ah Dou.

GeneChing
11-14-2008, 05:09 PM
Aren't there already some Three Kingdom operas?

'Red Cliff' Adapted to Peking Opera (http://english.cri.cn/3086/2008/11/13/1261s423694.htm)
2008-11-13 15:34:17 CRIENGLISH.com

Imagine a Peking opera performance telling the story of John Woo's "Red Cliff" while reminding you of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.

Zhang Jigang, assistant director of the August 8 spectacular, will make his Peking opera directorial debut when his version of "Red Cliff" premieres at the end of the year, the director announced on Wednesday.

The battle of Red Cliff, a well-known historical event in China, tells the story of a magnificent water battle which occurred around 208 AD. In John Woo's smash-hit film, the biggest scenes involved more than 2,000 cast members.

Such scale leaves a doubt as to whether Zhang will be able to tell the story on the limited theatrical stage.

Yet the director, who seemed to want to keep details under wraps, declined to elaborate on what the audience can expect from this show.

However, Zhang did say he would create more opportunities for the beauty Xiao Qiao, a role previously downplayed by male-dominant operatic adaptations.

In John Woo's star-studded film, Xiao Qiao is played by Taiwan model-turned actress Lin Chiling.

Like Woo's film, Zhang's opera will also feature well-known stars. The director says the cast will include Yu Kuizhi and more than a dozen first-class Peking opera masters.

The play is set to premiere at Beijing's National Center for the Performing Arts on December 22.

Zhang Jigang, whose works also include the well-received "Thousand-Hand Guanyin" dance, confessed that he was not a Peking opera fan. The upcoming show is partly for his 92-year-old mother, who the director says has shown him the necessity of promoting traditional Chinese art.

SimonM
11-17-2008, 11:00 AM
Yeah,

a few....

If by few you mean so many you'd have trouble counting them all. :p

GeneChing
11-17-2008, 06:51 PM
Like I said before, I can hardly wait...


Part Two of "Red Cliff" to Premiere in Jan. (http://english.cri.cn/3086/2008/11/15/1722s424326.htm)
2008-11-15 18:13:32 Xinhua

Related: Sneak View of 2nd Half of 'Red Cliff'

The second installment of "Red Cliff", reportedly Asia's most expensive film, will premiere in cinemas on Jan. 15, ten days ahead of China's annual Spring Festival holiday.

The trailer for Taiwan and Hong Kong was available on-line on Friday, while the trailer for the mainland is to be released in December, according to the Beijing-based Legal Evening News on Friday.

Taiwan supermodel Lin Chi-ling, who said only a few words in the first part, will take the spotlight in the second episode, the paper said.

The first instalment of the two-part epic, adapted from the Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms, debuted in Asia on July 10.

On its first day, the movie took 17 million New Taiwan dollars and 2 million Hong Kong dollars.

Directed by Hollywood-based Hong Kong director John Woo, the cast features leading Asian stars, including award-winning Hong Kong actor Tony Leung, Taiwanese-Japanese heartthrob Takeshi Kaneshiro and mainland actor Zhang Fengyi.

It attracted public attention for the 80-million-U.S.-dollar investment, said to be the most expensive Asian movie of all time.

The story revolves around the epic Battle of Red Cliffs in 208 AD in China's Three Kingdoms period. It was a famous military case of an underdog victory, when the 50,000-strong allied forces of southern warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan defeated the 800,000 troops of the northern warlord Cao Cao.

The biggest scenes involved 2,000 actors and crew, and a wide range of special effects.

GeneChing
11-25-2008, 01:16 PM
I'll have to be sure to watch the part one again before Jan 14th.


"Red Cliff 2" makes battle plans for Asia (http://varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/7516/)
Written by Marcus Lim
Wednesday, 19 November 2008

HONG KONG – The second installment of John Woo's $80 million period epic "Red Cliff" will premiere in China on January 15, 2009 and mark the first step in a tightly coordinated release campaign across the Asian region.

The film's finalized release date is more than a week ahead of the main Chinese New Year holiday, which in 2009 falls on Jan 26, and is intended to maximize its B.O. potential with holiday auds.

Pic will also open in Taiwan and Hong Kong on Jan 15, with three territories, South Korea, Thailand and Singapore getting a Jan 22 release. Malaysian audiences will see the Tony Leung-starrer a day later, on Jan 23.

"Red Cliff" was financed by a pan-Asian consortium of companies from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.

The first part of "Red Cliff" was released in July this year grossing a cumulative $62.7 million in the same six key Asian territories. Part one was released in Japan earlier this month and has taken $26 million to date from 2 million admissions. Japanese release of second part is now set for mid-April 2009.

Competition for audience share during the Chinese New Year season is robust and it is unlikely that "Red Cliff" will get the holiday period all to itself.

In Singapore, local crowd-pleaser Jack Neo is prepping his latest Chinese-language comedy "Love Matters" to open wide on Jan 22, while in Hong Kong "Red Cliff" will battle it out with the latest star-studded entry to the comedy franchise "All's Well End's Well." "All's Well" production company, Mandarin Films is targeting a Jan 22 release in Hong Kong.

"We don't see any problems [with competition] because the films target different subject matter," Christy Choi, assistant distribution manager of Mandarin Films, said.

"Red Cliff" is distributed in Hong Kong by Mei Ah, in collaboration with Edko Films.

GeneChing
01-06-2009, 10:25 AM
January is here... I gotta watch part 1 again soon...

'Red Cliff' Sequel Premieres (http://english.cri.cn/6666/2009/01/05/1261s439463.htm)
2009-01-05 11:31:09 CRIENGLISH.com

The fervor over the war epic "Red Cliff" is building to a crescendo with director John Woo set to present a sequel to the most bankable Chinese film in history.

Woo on Sunday led cast members of "Red Cliff II" at its premiere in Beijing.

The sequel will open in theaters on Wednesday, roughly five months after the previous film bagged over 300 million yuan (US$43.97 million) to set a new record for Chinese-language films.

A survey conducted earlier by Sina.com.cn shows that 93 percent of the respondents expected the sequel.

John Woo shot the two films as a whole with a hefty investment of US$80 million. However, he decided to release the production in two segments, saying that by doing so it allows enough space for character development.

The "Red Cliff" series revolves around a well-known water battle in 208 A.D., and the biggest scenes involve at least 2,000 actors and crew members.

The first segment focuses on the eve of the battle and the sequel reprises the actual battle in which thousands of ships are burnt. Movie-goers can expect to see magnificent battle scenes in the upcoming film.

SimonM
01-06-2009, 12:04 PM
W00t!!!1!

So hyped for this to come out.

GeneChing
01-13-2009, 10:30 AM
another race for the first review?

Red Cliff 2 A Smash Hit (http://english.cri.cn/6666/2009/01/13/1221s443085.htm)
2009-01-13 09:25:40 Shanghai Daily Web Editor: Liu Wei
By Xu Wei

The second part of John Woo's epic "Red Cliff" proved to a big hit in Shanghai on its opening weekend.

Shanghai United Cinema Lines said the movie had taken more than 8.4 million yuan (US$1.2 million) at the box office since its release last Wednesday.

"We took more than 32.6 million yuan from the first part of 'Red Cliff' last year," said Wu Hehu, deputy director of the cinema chain.

"We are confident to get more revenue from the second part. It will attract bigger crowds during Chinese Lunar New Year holiday." The week-long holiday starts on January 25 this year.

The first part was the highest-grossing film shown in China last year, taking more than 300 million yuan across the country and 700 million yuan around the world.

The Yonghua Cinema at Xujiahui, the city's top grossing theater last year, has so far taken in more than 670,000 yuan at the box office from film fans keen to see the second installment.

The cinema said the film might face some competition from Friday's debut of domestic cartoon film "Pleasant Boat and Big Big Wolf" and Ning Hao's new comedy "Silver Medalist" which is to be released next Tuesday.

Starring Hong Kong actor Tony Leung, Taiwan's Takeshi Kaneshiro and Chinese mainland actor Zhang Fengyi, "Red Cliff" centers on the epic Battle of Red Cliff during China's Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD).

Part two of the film features impressive battle scenes, including one in which 2,000 ships are burned.

GeneChing
01-15-2009, 06:22 PM
halving the total five-hour running time of the two-part series — for markets outside of Asia


Woo shows mastery of epic genre in 'Red Cliff II' (http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/01/15/arts/AS-MOV-Film-Review-Red-Cliff-II.php)
The Associated Press
Published: January 15, 2009

HONG KONG: John Woo's ambitions were clear when he announced the $80 million two-part Chinese historical epic "Red Cliff."

The "Mission: Impossible II" director wanted to make a Chinese-language blockbuster that rivaled the Hollywood productions he worked on.

In "Red Cliff II," it's clear that the Hong Kong native succeeded, putting the "epic" in "historical epic" in the second installment of his two-part series based on the famous ancient Chinese battle of the same name.

The film is about a fight between the imperial army and two allied warring states, which won because of their superior military strategy despite being outnumbered.

While "Red Cliff" thrived in storytelling, introducing and weaving together a colorful cast of characters, its sequel, which focused on the final showdown, showed off Woo's mastery of some of the largest and most complex scenes in modern Chinese cinema.

The Chinese market has been rife with historical epics in recent years, wowing audiences with sheer scale and the manpower involved in their fighting scenes. But Woo one-ups his rivals with a gigantic battle fought on several fronts — both land and sea — and keen attention to detail.

With help from California-based special effects company, The Orphanage, Woo captures the grandeur of the battle scenes best known to Chinese audiences — like the rebels burning the imperial army's fleet and sending in boats staffed with straw dummies to attract a sea of arrows.

The war scenes are as impressive in scale as in detail.

Woo shows the rebel soldiers making bombs by packing explosives into clay urns, and extracting the oil from fish to use as an accelerant.

The only pitfall is that the battle's magnificence overshadows Woo's characters, anchored by strong performances by Cannes-winning Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai as the rebel leader Zhou Yu; China's Zhang Fengyi as the imperial prime minister Cao Cao; and Japanese-Taiwanese heartthrob Takeshi Kaneshiro as the rebel military strategist Zhuge Liang.

The director also shows a penchant for melodrama when he sends Zhou's wife, played by Taiwanese model Lin Chi-ling, to seduce Cao. But the side plot only serves to bog down the narrative and delay the spectacular climax.

Woo is only releasing a single, condensed version of the movie — halving the total five-hour running time of the two-part series — for markets outside of Asia. It's a welcome opportunity to cut out the fat and focus on the main characters and technical sophistication of his battle scenes.

The film is currently playing in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, and is due out in South Korea on Jan. 22.

TaichiMantis
01-16-2009, 06:57 AM
That's what I was asking about in my previous post, but didn't seem to get a straight answer...;)

I couldn't understand what you guys were watching when I thought the movie hadn't even had a release in the US yet, and had read that the US release was going to be all-in-one.

So, to clarify, can you buy foreign dvds of both parts? Are they only in chinese? Will it be released here as a dvd only or will it be on the big screen?

:confused:

GeneChing
01-16-2009, 10:17 AM
Part two just premiered so it's not available quite yet, although the screen-2-DVD/VCD time for Asian films is much shorter than with Hollywood releases. But you can find anything in Chinatown. Anything. You just got to know where to look. ;)

As for a U.S. theatrical release, that's still up in the air. I'm guessing there will be a limited one. That's what's implied by some of the news stories above. We'll see.

SimonM
01-16-2009, 02:00 PM
halving the total five-hour running time of the two-part series — for markets outside of Asia

I don't think I'd like that. The first part of of Red Cliff didn't feel rushed but...

Well...

It felt like it was paced right. Cutting half of it's length would be bad.

doug maverick
01-17-2009, 10:21 AM
yeah the first part moved along at perfect pacing. i would have to watch the second part to see how it would all look condensed. i mean i see littl snippets where you can cut, here and therebut nothing significant. its gonna be a hard edit

Zenshiite
01-17-2009, 01:13 PM
You can also find anything online, you just have know what to type in a search engine... ;)

I won't be watching an American release unless I can be fully convinced it'll work as a single part. I'll probably wait for someone on here to give an opinion. I don't wanna spend 10 bucks on a single release with half the content of the whole thing.

Especially after I've watched the whole thing already...

GeneChing
01-21-2009, 04:33 PM
I've just got a solid recommendation for Good, Bad & Weird, from a longstanding fan of Good, Bad & Ugly.

John Woo's 'Red Cliff' heads nominations for Asian Film Awards (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jMeYHDx2hdGCpli4SkBoYmBeSq1w)

HONG KONG (AFP) — Hong Kong action supremo John Woo's historical epic "Red Cliff" on Wednesday scooped nominations for both best film and best director at the Asian Film Awards.

But the two stars of Woo's movie, Hong Kong heart throb Tony Leung and Japanese/Taiwanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro, were overlooked by judges for the third annual Hong Kong-based prize, organisers told reporters.

Woo, who is best known for directing Hollywood blockbuster "Mission: Impossible II", is hoping to break the hold South Korean filmmakers have on the annual awards.

Last year, "Secret Sunshine", a tragic movie about death and faith, took home three top prizes including best picture.

With a total of three nominations, Woo faces stiff competition this year from another Korean film "The Good, the Bad and the Weird" which was nominated in eight categories, the most for any film.

Set in the lawless Manchurian desert during the tumultuous 1930s, the South Korean film received eight nominations including best film, best director, and best actor.

"Forever Enthralled", which stars China's Zhang Ziyi, received three nominations, although the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" actress missed out on a nomination.

A total of 36 Asian films were selected from hundreds of entries for 13 categories. The awards are organised by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society.

Entries from the Philippines, Taiwan, India, Thailand and Indonesia have also been selected for the awards, organisers said.

The nominations will be judged by a 13-member jury headed by Michelle Yeoh, the Chinese actress who starred in the James Bond movie "Tomorrow Never Dies".

The awards will be announced at a ceremony held on March 23.

GeneChing
01-28-2009, 10:13 AM
This could also go on the CC2C thread. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52608)

Local films reign at Asian box office (http://varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/7894/)
Written by Patrick Frater
Wednesday, 21 January 2009

HONG KONG – Local-films pummeled Hollywood fare throughout Asia over the past box office weekend.

In 'Greater China' the roll out of "Red Cliff II" took the historical epic to the top of the charts in four territories. In Japan disaster epic "Pandemic Archipelago" (Kansen Retto) finally deposed "Wall-E," while in India, Bollywood comedy "Chandni Chowk to China" opened with good business. And in Korea, two local champions kept their lock on the top slots.

The second installment of John Woo's "Red Cliff" clocked an approximate $11.6 million in its second frame, having clocked up some $14.8 million in its opening week. Local sources put the 11 day total at RMB181 million ($26.4 million) and distributor China Film Group has now forecast that final total will exceed RMB400 million ($58.4 million).

Chinese chart also contained surprise hit in "Pleasant Goat and Big, Big Wolf," a local animation which official news agency Xinhua reports as having enjoyed a $1.17 million opening day and a $4.38 million first week. That carries it significantly ahead of previous record holder "Storm Rider - Clash of Evils", an animated adaptation of the Storm Riders comic, which grossed in $3.65 million in two weeks in mid 2008.

"Red Cliff II" bowed in two Rentrak-tracked territories, Hong Kong and Taiwan and held top spot in Singapore in its second frame. The three territories added a further $2.06 million to the Mainland China total.

In Hong Kong, pic was released on an exceptionally wide 73 screens handled by Edko Films on behalf of Mei Ah Entertainment and captured HK$9.1 million ($1.17 million). But total failed to match the boffo start of the first installment, which preemed in July 2008 to a $1.36 million four day weekend take on 60 screens.

Rentrak's Taipei figure (through Fox Int'l) for "Cliff" was $413,000 from 16 locations. Handled in Singapore by Golden Village, pic scored $474,000 from 47 sites for a cume of $1.60 million.

In a smart piece of counter programming against "Red Cliff," Hong Kong distributor Intercontinental gave Hayao Miyazaki animation "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea" a Saturday release and earned a solid $673,000 two day gross from a 58 screen release.

Warner Bros.'s biggest Bollywood movie to date "Chandni Chowk to China" was given an ultra-wide release in India and further outings in some 30 territories worldwide.

In India it scored a strong but not exceptional $6.8 million from an enormous 1,319 playdates, but local trade analysts point to poor critical reception, low occupancy and weak legs. Warner said the launch in India was "excellent" with 4.9 million admissions including previews. (The Akshay Kumar-starrer, "Chandni" grossed $625,000 at 130 sites in North America and $407,000 at 61. in the U.K.)

Japanese B.O. was infested with "Pandemic Archipelago" (Kansen Retto), a disaster epic about a mysterious disease that kills millions.

Opening on the weekend of Jan. 17-18, and handled by Toho, the film, which stars Satoshi Tsumabuki and Rei Dan as doctors battling the pandemic, earned $3.35 million from 225,000 admissions at 324 sites in its first two days.

Producer TBS released another medical drama "The Glorious Team Batista," in almost the same slot last year (Jan 9, 2008.) Pic was the only opener to make the top ten, though in sneak previews over the same weekend the James Bond pic "Quantum of Solace" earned $3 million, ahead of its Jan. 24 bow.

Steven Soderberg's "Che" fell one notch to number three with $958,000 in its second frame for a cume of $4.14 million. The local superhero thriller "K-20," took fourth place with $803,000 in its fifth week delivering a cume of $18.2 million.

With a hair's breadth between them local titles "A Frozen Flower" and "Scandal Makers" held the top two places – again—in Korea. KOBIS data from the Korean film Council placed Lotte Entertainment's "Scandal" back on top, having sold over 6.3 million tickets (Rentrak puts its cumulative gross at $31.0 million,) while Rentrak figures kept sexy drama "Flower" on top with $1.88 million for the weekend and a cume of $15.5 million after three weeks. (KOBIS shows admissions exceeding three million.)

Only new entrant into the Korean top ten was Japanese anime "Beyblade the Movie: Gekitou!! Takao vs Daichi," in tenth place with $87,000 on 135 screens for Lotte.

GeneChing
02-12-2009, 12:00 PM
It's a little dated now...:o

'Red Cliff' Sequel Premieres (http://english.cri.cn/6666/2009/01/05/1261s439463.htm)
2009-01-05 11:31:09 CRIENGLISH.com Editor: Xie Tingting

The fervor over the war epic "Red Cliff" is building to a crescendo with director John Woo set to present a sequel to the most bankable Chinese film in history.

Woo on Sunday led cast members of "Red Cliff II" at its premiere in Beijing.

The sequel will open in theaters on Wednesday, roughly five months after the previous film bagged over 300 million yuan (US$43.97 million) to set a new record for Chinese-language films.

A survey conducted earlier by Sina.com.cn shows that 93 percent of the respondents expected the sequel.

John Woo shot the two films as a whole with a hefty investment of US$80 million. However, he decided to release the production in two segments, saying that by doing so it allows enough space for character development.

The "Red Cliff" series revolves around a well-known water battle in 208 A.D., and the biggest scenes involve at least 2,000 actors and crew members.

The first segment focuses on the eve of the battle and the sequel reprises the actual battle in which thousands of ships are burnt. Movie-goers can expect to see magnificent battle scenes in the upcoming film.

GeneChing
02-24-2009, 10:51 AM
This might be the greatest medieval battle ever staged for film. I need to see this on the big screen to be sure - it's harder to tease out the CGI from the thousands of extras on the small screen.

I really hope to get the chance to see this entire work on the big screen. It's awesome.

After seeing it, the buzz on Zhao Wei as Mulan (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53202) makes perfect sense. She cross-dresses in Red Cliff II. Zhao Wei is the new Brigette Lin.

doug maverick
02-24-2009, 12:21 PM
just got red cliff 2. gonna watch part one and two back to back on the weekend.so i get the full effect.

GeneChing
02-24-2009, 02:52 PM
I should watch RC1 again, but I'll wait until I get a better version. FWIW, I felt RC2 almost stands on its own.

doug maverick
02-24-2009, 03:05 PM
ill get you next time gene.........

Shaolinlueb
02-28-2009, 10:02 PM
just got done watching both parts tonight.

tell you the truth, the first part was kinda hard to watch. all the virtuessness (is that a word?) and honor and confusionism got to me a bit. its like please forgive me, no you forgive me, no i must not. no no i must not. one part i was like just pull out your tampons and get on with it.

i mean i read the three kingdoms novel, all 2000 pages or so. so i understand the period.

doug maverick
03-01-2009, 01:11 PM
one part i was like just pull out your tampons and get on with it.

best review ever.lol, although you gotta remember brotherhood is always a running theme in john woo movies. but still that was funny as hell.

Zenshiite
03-01-2009, 08:23 PM
Also, Woo's subject matter here. Especially with regards to Liu Bin, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu is the prototype for brotherhood in China.

doug maverick
03-02-2009, 09:51 AM
slight correction: liu bei not liu ben.

Shaolinlueb
03-02-2009, 10:00 AM
like i siad, i knwo the whole brotherhood theme, and I have seen plenty of john woo movies. it was just a bit much at times. but the movie was good.

Zenshiite
03-03-2009, 12:04 AM
slight correction: liu bei not liu ben.

Yeah, **** it. I knew that, and yet misspelled. Guess my ba gua family's been on my mind...

SPJ
03-15-2009, 04:02 PM
so I bought the dvd of the second part of red cliff.

my brothers and I all enjoyed the movie.

John Woo did a good job.

1. Kong Ming borrowed the arrows.

2. Kong ming predicted the change of the wind.

3. Sun Shang Xiang drew the military positioning map on a cloth and wrapped it around like a underwear--

4. Xiao Qiao hoped for a peace.

5. Zhou Yu using shield formation and took the front.

6. Fish oil made firebombs.

7. Liu Bei took the rear, the west and east flanks.

---

a very good film.

highly recommended.

:)

bawang
03-15-2009, 04:28 PM
i thought it was so so
i prefer original tv seres

SPJ
03-17-2009, 08:15 PM
Yes it costed a lot of money to make this film of epic proportion.

for people that dose not have time to read the novel or watch longer tv series.

this is a good summary of some group actions.

of course, there is not enough time allotted for more development of individual characters.

--

overall, I like the group dynamic.

:)

GeneChing
04-15-2009, 11:15 AM
Anyone hear anything firm about a U.S. release yet?

'Cliff Part 2' tops Japan box office (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118002409.html?categoryid=13&cs=1)
Second part of epic wins weekend
By MARK SCHILLING

TOKYO -- "Red Cliff Part 2," the second part of the John Woo period epic, topped the Japanese B.O. for the weekend of April 11-12. According to distrib Avex Entertainment, the pic earned $6.7 million from 524,000 admissions on these two days. Counting its first day take, the pic raked in $8.7 million in its first three days.

This was about the same start as "Red Cliff Part 1," which went on to finish with $50.5 million following its release in November. Broadcast on the TV Asahi network on April 12, the first part scored a high 19.9 rating, and sold 200,000 units on DVD and Blu-ray since it March 11 release.

Meanwhile, the Takashi Miike high school gang pic "Crows Zero II" recorded a two-day opening total of $5.7 million from 421,000 admissions, good enough for the No. 2 slot. This was a 143% increase from the opening of "Crows Zero," which finished with $25 million in 2007. Miike helmed both outings.

Holding onto its No. 3 rank was the school gang dramedy "Drop," while the Takashi Miike action fantasy "Yatterman" fell to No. 4, just short of the $30 million mark. Meanwhile the Oscar-winning drama "Departures" passed the $60 million milestone.

GeneChing
09-16-2009, 09:14 AM
I hear now that Red Cliff will be released on VOD, Xbox Live and Amazon on October 22, and in select theaters on November 20. It will also be showcased at SDAFF (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=731) next month.

The U.S. Promotional poster. (http://www.angryasianman.com/images/angry/redcliff_poster.jpg)

doug maverick
09-16-2009, 10:44 AM
yeah there was a three page review in the new york times, last week.

GeneChing
09-16-2009, 12:50 PM
If not, this is a nice one...;)

Beyond the Blood, It’s All About the Bonding (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/movies/13raff.html?scp=1&sq=red+cliff&st=nyt)
By TERRENCE RAFFERTY
Published: September 10, 2009

UNTHINKABLY, no bullets fly in John Woo’s “Red Cliff,” this Hong Kong action master’s first new movie in six years. It’s as hard to imagine a Woo film without firearms as it is to contemplate a Fellini movie without fat people. But “Red Cliff” is set at the beginning of the third century, in the contentious waning days of China’s Han Dynasty, so Mr. Woo, though not by nature a stickler for realism, has to forego the solace of his customary ordnance — automatic, semiautomatic, even the quaint revolver — in favor of quieter instruments of death, like bows and arrows and long, sharp spears.

He’s not entirely outside his comfort zone: things did, fortunately, catch fire every now and then in the third century, and sometimes exploded (though not, perhaps, quite as often or as spectacularly as they do in “Red Cliff”). There were doves. And in the heat of battle men bonded, which is all John Woo needs to make even this ancient, gun-free tale his own.

When the smoke clears (which tends to take a while), Mr. Woo’s movies almost invariably turn out to be about the mysteries and the sorrows of male camaraderie, as revealed, then heightened, by the threat of violent, untimely demise. “Red Cliff” (Nov. 20) is a grand-scale war movie — it tells the story of a famous battle in the year 208, in which the forces of two of China’s kingdoms combined to defeat the army and navy of a far more powerful third — but practically all Mr. Woo’s films are war movies at heart.

The Hong Kong gangster pictures that made his reputation, “A Better Tomorrow” (1986), “The Killer” (1989) and “Hard-Boiled” (1992), are notable for the sheer numbers of lethal gunmen they deploy on screen. In the big action scenes sharkskin-suited triad killers surge toward the camera in wave upon wave upon wave like an angry sea. Mid mayhem, the action often stops to allow the bloodied, valiant heroes to exchange a soulful look — a moment Mr. Woo sometimes even freeze-frames for maximum virile significance.

Constrained a little by history, Mr. Woo indulges his taste for macho lyricism in “Red Cliff” somewhat less flamboyantly than he has in the past, but it’s still present in measurable quantities, notably in the relationship between the Viceroy of the Kingdom of East Wu, named Zhou Yu (Tony Leung), and the cunning, quasi-mystical military strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro). Both are legendary figures in Chinese history, celebrated in fiction and poetry, and Mr. Woo, as is his custom, imagines them as larger-than-life brothers in arms, united in their deep understanding of the arts and rigors of war. They even play a duet on the Chinese zither called the guqin, harmonizing perfectly. (Zhuge Liang was well known for his proficiency on the instrument.) In Mr. Woo’s films the heroes, one way or another, always make beautiful music together.

It’s easy to ridicule these male-bonding fantasies, and the impossible forms they take in Mr. Woo’s elaborately choreographed gunfights and battle sequences: the beleaguered protagonists, always heavily outnumbered, will often stand back to back, firing with both hands to repel the hordes of bad guys descending upon them; they’ll toss guns to one another, with unerring accuracy, at critical moments; they’ll dive and roll and leap in the air to save their buddies’ skins; they’ll trade quick glances to tip off a particularly daring move, and these looks, however apparently imperceptible, are always instantly understood.

Mr. Woo is so profoundly immersed in his heroic visions that he seems, winningly, kind of oblivious to the possibility of derision: the brazen nuttiness of scenes like the climactic hospital shootout in “Hard-Boiled” — which goes on forever, piling improbabilities as high as corpses — is evidence of something more than the desire to show off cinematic technique. (Though there’s plenty of that on display.) It speaks of pure obsession.

Without that slightly demented singleness of purpose Mr. Woo would be just another action-movie virtuoso, blowing the audience through the back wall of the theater simply to prove that he can. (He would be, that is, Michael Bay.) And in the six Hollywood movies he directed between 1993 and 2003 — “Hard Target” (1993), “Broken Arrow” (1996), “Face/Off” (1997), “Mission: Impossible 2” (2000), “Windtalkers” (2002) and “Paycheck” (2005) — he never seemed fully himself, enjoyable though those pictures frequently were.

With the exception of the World War II combat extravaganza “Windtalkers,” Mr. Woo was compelled to jettison the romanticized male-friendship motifs that energized his Hong Kong films and to supply his action-figure heroes with female sidekicks in the effort, no doubt, to mute the ****erotic implications of his usual narrative style. The interactions of men and women in Mr. Woo’s American movies are stubbornly perfunctory, and in the absence of close compadres the true heat in these pictures is generated by the symbiotic relationship between the (male) hero and the (male) villain: a twisted bond, but something, at least, for him to hold on to.

It’s not about sex, really — though when Chow-Yun Fat and Leslie Cheung gaze into each other’s eyes in “A Better Tomorrow,” or when Tony Leung and Jacky Cheung act out a tearful death scene in “Bullet in the Head” (1990), you might be tempted to think so. The key to Mr. Woo’s work, in a way, is in the opening scenes of “Bullet in the Head,” in which three Hong Kong teenagers race their bikes, fight boys from other gangs, play practical jokes on one another and dream of a more prosperous future. (It’s 1967, and all Southeast Asia, not just Vietnam, feels like a combat zone.)

In the course of this melodramatic, passionate, insanely eventful movie, the childhood pals drift, together, into some pretty harrowing situations: fleeing murder charges in Hong Kong, they land in the nasty underworld of wartime Saigon then light out for the even more perilous countryside and wind up, in the film’s most disturbing scenes, in a Vietcong prisoner-of-war camp.

And as they endure these serial ordeals, Mr. Woo periodically flashes back to images of their boyhood on the Hong Kong streets, as if those were the events that had most decisively affected their lives, the scenes they’ve been playing out over and over again as grownups, with increasingly tragic results.

Mr. Woo’s sense of tragedy may be cartoonish at times, but its intensity and its sincerity are unmistakable, whether in goofy, borderline self-parodic films like “Hard-Boiled,” in florid action operas like “Bullet in the Head” and its American cousin “Windtalkers,” or in the somewhat more dignified costume-epic setting of “Red Cliff.” It’s the vision of life of an imaginative, movie-mad boy, dreaming of John Wayne while he plays soldiers or cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians in the streets, shouting, “Bang! Bang!” as he rolls on the ground and comes up firing.

This is the secret, I think, of the strange sweetness that pervades his movies, even when the blood is spurting, the body count is mounting, and the bullets (or arrows) are pelting down like typhoon rain. Maybe you have to have been a boy yourself to appreciate fully the weird thrill of imagining yourself a legendary hero, ridding the world of evil in the simplest, most direct way possible: shooting it to ribbons.

And it’s that visionary boyishness — sustained, improbably, over the 62 years of Mr. Woo’s life — that makes his action-movie style so distinctive. There’s no sadism in his cinematic bloodbaths and, often, not a great deal of clarity either: the violence comes at the viewer in a sensuous blur, headlong and immersive, exciting in some bizarrely pre-sexual way.

In “Red Cliff,” which was released in Asia as two movies, each two and a half hours long, Mr. Woo is back on home ground; it’s his first Cantonese-language film in 17 years, and despite the unaccustomed historical setting and the whisper-silent weaponry, his work here seems surer, happier than it did during his Hollywood sojourn, as if he were remembering something lost. (In the United States “Red Cliff” is being shown as a single, speedy two-and-a-half-hour film, cut by Mr. Woo himself.) He gives in to his most poetic side, listening to the wind, as Zhuge Liang does, and letting it take him where it will.

The beauty of John Woo’s best filmmaking is not in its sense of tragedy but in its sense of play, which is startlingly, and sometimes comically, unadulterated by the demands of physical reality. Bullets, arrows, spears and people all seem to fly, without obvious encumbrance, across the screen, as if in a boy’s dream. Your comrades in arms are your friends forever; and your enemies, as a Song Dynasty poet wrote in a meditation on Zhou Yu, turn to ashes — “gone like smoke.”

It’s mostly fake smoke in Mr. Woo’s movies, but it’s always in plentiful supply, and if you see it, as he does, with a child’s eye, it looks better than the real thing. Mr. Woo, at one time the coolest director in the world, has usually been thought of as a guilty pleasure, but that now seems wrong. If you put a gun to my head, I’d say that he’s a very, very innocent one.

doug maverick
09-16-2009, 11:00 PM
yes that is the one. honestly if i was a distributor, i would have played up the dynasty warriors angle considering thats a high selling video game, maybe not a wide release but certainly not the limited one they are planning. just maybe release in new york, la and a couple of other major city's. even thou dynasty warriors is not exactly the same its an angle, bring koei in and maybe release a special red cliff addition dynasty warriors, but thats just me. alot of the marketing at these distributors are handled by dinosaurs who really dont know how to handle films that dont star major hollywood celebs.

Zenshiite
09-19-2009, 07:21 PM
Yep, the distributor could've made a pretty penny if they'd hit up the Dynasty Warriors angle.

GeneChing
10-12-2009, 09:31 AM
Of course, as we've discussed, this is a major big screen film.

Here's the new trailer. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd0bqLQrtdE)


play dates (http://www.magpictures.com/dates.aspx?id=f3c712e1-fffb-438b-9c8c-c60b687a59a9)

Opening

11/13/2009
Encino, CA: Town Center 5
Pasadena, CA: Playhouse 7 Cinemas
West Hollywood, CA: Sunset 5

11/18/2009
New York, NY: Sunshine Cinema

11/20/2009
Honolulu, HI: Kahala Theatres 8

11/25/2009
Berkeley, CA: Shattuck Cinemas 10
Palo Alto, CA: Aquarius 2
San Diego, CA: Hillcrest Cinemas
San Francisco, CA: Embarcadero Center Cinema 5
San Rafael, CA: Smith Rafael Film Center
Santa Cruz, CA: Nickelodeon Theatres
Denver, CO: Mayan Theatre
Washington, DC: E Street Cinema
Atlanta, GA: Midtown Art Cinemas 8
Chicago, IL: Landmark's Century Centre Cinema
Cambridge, MA: Kendall Square Cinema
Minneapolis, MN: Lagoon Cinema
Philadelphia, PA: Ritz 5 Movies
Seattle, WA: Harvard Exit Theatre

11/27/2009
Santa Fe, NM: The Screen

12/4/2009
Sacramento, CA: Crest Theatre
Sacramento, CA: Tower Theatre
Santa Rosa, CA: Rialto Cinemas Lakeside 5

12/11/2009
Hartford, CT: Real Art Ways Cinema
Kansas City, MO: Tivoli @ Manor Square
Cleveland Heights, OH: Cedar Lee Theatres

12/17/2009
Albuquerque, NM: Guild

Judge Pen
10-12-2009, 09:56 AM
No chance of this playing in Knoxville Tennessee.

Zenshiite
10-15-2009, 12:16 AM
I wish I still lived in Philly...

GeneChing
10-19-2009, 09:41 AM
Red Cliff is part of Magnet's Six Shooter series (http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/09/24/magnet-announces-six-shooter-film-series-20-bronson-ong-bak-2-and-more/) - foreign action films in limited release such as Ong Bak 2 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51259), Warlords (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46453) and District 13 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41717): Ultimatum

Wednesday, October 14, 2009
John Woo comes to O.C. with a Chinese action epic (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/movie-make-american-2606837-ocr-chinese)
'Red Cliff' will make its West Coast premiere Thursday in Santa Ana.
By RICHARD CHANG
The Orange County Register

John Woo is already a legend in filmmaking circles.

In the 1970s and '80s, he directed a string of highly stylized Hong Kong action flicks, such as "Hard Boiled" and "The Killer," which have become cult classics today.

In the 1990s, he crossed over to the American and English-language markets, directing "Hard Target" in 1993, "Broken Arrow" in 1996 and "Face/Off" in 1997. His turn at "Mission Impossible II" in 2000 grossed a whopping $215.4 million domestically and $330.9 million abroad, according to boxofficemojo.com.

Woo is known for his intense, operatic, yet often violent action scenes, combining elaborate sequences and choreography with strong character development.

Now Woo, 63, is turning his camera to ancient Chinese history with "Red Cliff," an epic tale that recreates one of China's most famous conflicts, the Battle of Red Cliff in 208 A.D. The story has been immortalized in the classic Chinese novel, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

Woo's film – already a hit in Asia and the most expensive Chinese movie ever made – will make its West Coast premiere at 8 p.m. Thursday at Regency South Coast Village in Santa Ana. (He'll attend and stay for a Q&A session afterward.) The screening is part of the "Ancient Paths, Modern Voices" festival celebrating Chinese culture. The movie will receive a national release on Nov. 20.

We caught up with Woo, who now resides in Santa Monica, and asked about his career and latest project.

Orange County Register: Why were you interested in the story of Red Cliff?

John Woo: I grew up with the story. It had so many heroes I admire, Zhuge Liang, Zhou Yu, since the time when I was a kid. It has the famous scene with the warrior saving the baby in the middle of a fight.

I used his character in "The Killer" with Chow Yun Fat. He was saving the little baby in the hospital. That was where the idea came from. I've been studying this part of history for a long time. The Battle of Red Cliff is the most famous, most popular war in ancient China. I've been thinking of making this film for over 20 years.

OCR: So why did you wait so long to make this movie?

JW: Back then, we didn't have the money or the technology. Now that we have the finances and good technology, I have fulfilled my dream to make it. I always try to make something different. I wanted to show another part of our culture.

Most of the audience, especially the Western audience, they're only familiar with the kung fu films. But we also have something else that's really, really great. The Battle of Red Cliff has brilliant war tactics, strategy and wisdom. It also has a great theme – how a smaller army can defeat a larger, more powerful enemy.

OCR: This is the most expensive Chinese film ever made. How did you come up with the money?

JW: We didn't have much of a problem to finance it. We got huge finances from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong. It's a very popular story in the whole of Asia. So we were confident in the project. There's a lot of trust in me. It has done very well in China.

OCR: You had to cut the movie down from almost 5 hours in Asia to 2 ½ hours in America.

JW: For the Asian audience, they are so familiar with this part of history and all the characters. We could take longer to develop all the characters and the relationships in between them. Asian audiences – they prefer longer. They like to see more.

However, the American audience – they are not as familiar with this part of history or the characters. So we have to focus on the main story line and key characters, and cut down some of the side characters' roles. It actually didn't hurt the movie. It still feels like the same movie.

OCR: This movie takes place in 208 A.D. in feudal China. Do you think American audiences will be interested in the subject matter?

JW: I think the American audiences have no problem with historical facts. They get the story from the very beginning. You have to simplify some of the historical elements. The American audience will watch it as a movie, not a history lesson. I made quite a few changes to quite a few scenes from the book, from history. I did intend to make this movie more international. The look is more modern.

OCR: This is the first time you're working with Tony Leung since "Hard Boiled." What was it like to work with him again?

JW: I think he got more mature. He's even more charming. He's very stable and calm, and a very heartfelt man. I greatly admire him.

He also did 95 percent of the stunts by himself. He's very dedicated. He's a lovely man. What he played is my ideal leader. He's so upright, so intelligent, and he also really cares about others.

OCR: You've directed "Paycheck," "Hostage," "Windtalkers," "Mission Impossible II," "Face/Off" and "Broken Arrow." Is it more difficult to direct in English with American actors?

JW: Every film I've made, they're all challenges. But I try to make the thing work in its own way. While making an American film, it didn't make any difference to me. I'm working with the American crew, actors. It's like I was working in Hong Kong. All I'm concerned with is how to make a good movie.

There's so much great support from the people here. There's great trust from the studios. But it's a little more complicated to make a movie in Hollywood. It takes a long time to set up. There's too much time for meetings.

Working in China is just like coming home. Everything was so simple. We don't need to take any meetings. Just walk into a studio and say, "Let's do 'Red Cliff.'" We got huge support from the government, from everyone.

OCR: What's your next project?

JW: I'm working on "Flying Tiger Heroes." They were an American volunteer group (during World War II). They were helping the Chinese government, fighting the Japanese. They made a lot of great contributions. The Chinese and Americans, they worked together to win the war. It's a great story.

Hebrew Hammer
10-20-2009, 12:39 AM
Well I just saw it at the San Diego Asian Film Festival and I must admit I was a bit disappointed...expected better action sequences from John Woo and a more interesting tale. Quite a bit of CG effects but the film did have its moments..a couple of unique battle scenes and some humor, I think the IP Man film is probably a better flick based on some of the clips I've seen.

Looking forward to catching Ong Bak 2 or Ninja Assassin.

GeneChing
10-20-2009, 09:24 AM
How long was it? I heard John Woo didn't make it to SDAFF (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=848).

Hebrew Hammer
10-20-2009, 06:54 PM
It started late but I think it was 2hrs and about 15 min.

GeneChing
11-19-2009, 10:57 AM
Here's a few.

I'd love a John Woo musical...

John Woo (http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/film/80776/take-five-john-woo)

Ever since morally conflicted assassin Chow Yun-Fat double-gunned his foes in 1989’s The Killer, and nerve-racked cop John Travolta tangoed with psychotic maniac Nicolas Cage in 1997’s Face/Off, John Woo has represented world-weary ultraviolence with thrilling aplomb. TONY met the 63-year-old director at the Soho Grand Hotel to discuss his latest opus: Red Cliff, an action-packed drama about the most famous battle of Han Dynasty.

Filmmakers like Chen Kaige (The Promise) and Zhang Yimou (Hero) have mastered the ancient Chinese epic. Why bother?

I wanted to make this movie for more than 20 years. I grew up with the story. Zhang and Chen are great directors and have made beautiful historical films, but some people feel they are too serious. I tried to avoid that, and to make my historical epic feel modern. I was more inspired by Lawrence of Arabia and The Longest Day.

Your movies are renowned for operatic, impossibly baroque action. Red Cliff has stunning set pieces, but the violence feels less cartoonish than usual.

The battle scenes are much more realistic. I’ve never used kung fu fighting before—just people using guns and flipping in the air—and I wanted to concentrate on the strategies, how people outfight and outthink their enemies. This whole movie is about courage, with an antiwar message: There are no winners. Plus, I wanted the audience to feel involved; if it’s too over-the-top, it’s no good.

It’s nice to see your signature bird flourishes and Mexican standoffs—albeit with swords instead of guns.

At the beginning, I didn’t want to use them again. But I use those elements here in a different way. I have the camera follow a carrier pigeon to review the enemies’ side and the battleships. It’s a wonderful introduction shot: the bird, the river, the mountains, the ships, all in about two minutes. Everybody loved it, and it’s one of the most expensive CGI shots in film history. As for the sword fight, I wanted it to be realistic. But my stunt coordinator loved The Killer so much that he said, “Oh, you have to do it: swords instead of guns. It’ll make your fans happy.” So I said all right.

You’ve returned to shooting in Asia. Was it good to be away from Hollywood?

I learned so much from Hollywood. I just wanted to do this one in China. Everything was so professional in Hollywood; China had a lot to learn. But they wanted to learn! They wanted to do a big-budget Hollywood movie, and they did it. The audience there is so eager to see movies, and the government is more open. I’ve got a few projects set up there now.

Is it true you want to direct a musical?

I’ve always wanted to do a musical, but my producers have to find a studio. I’ve even had a fantastic script for more than 12 years.

What’s the movie about?

It’s an action musical. [Laughs] I never want to give it up.—Stephen Garrett

Red Cliff opens Fri 20.


Forget 'Twilight: New Moon,' John Woo's Chinese epic 'Red Cliff' is the biggest film on the planet (http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2009/11/17/2009-11-17_forget_twilight_john_woos_chinese_epic_red_clif f_is_the_biggest_film_on_the_plan.html)
By Ethan Sacks
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Originally Published:Tuesday, November 17th 2009, 7:00 AM
Updated: Tuesday, November 17th 2009, 10:01 AM

For director John Woo, the movie "Red Cliff" was a lifetime in the making.

The most expensive Chinese movie ever made -- funded by a legion of investors across Asia that could be mobilized only under Woo's banner -- the war epic took four and a half years to film. Woo's vision of bringing the 13th century Chinese novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" to the big screen, however, had been in the director's head even before he left to strike it big in Hollywood 16 years ago.

During a recent interview with the Daily News in the bar of a trendy SoHo hotel, Woo, 63, traced his dream to his childhood growing up dirt poor in a violent Hong Kong slum. Back in those days, he used to sneak into the local movie theater as an escape.

"When I was little, I would draw some image on a piece of broken glass," said Woo. "I would draw some cartoon character and then some hero figure from 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'... and then I would use a [flashlight] shining the glass, projecting the image on the wall. I would move the [light] up and down so the image would be moving."

Five and a half decades and an $80 million budget later, Woo has upgraded significantly.

"Red Cliff," opening Friday in New York, is a film of grandeur and ambition, but one he could never have made on this side of the Pacific.

"His work as a filmmaker in the United States frankly never lived up to the dream he created with his Hong Kong work," said Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News. "Chow Yun-Fat simply looked much cooler than Nicolas Cage.

"Nobody has seemed to have found the right story, and he hasn't found the right personality to star in his films."

Knowles lamented that Woo's classic Hong Kong movies -- 1986's "A Better Tomorrow," 1989's "The Killer" and 1992's "Hard Boiled," all starring Chow Yun-Fat -- came out before the spread of the Internet. So a generation of fans grew up without knowing that all the current action-movie clichés, like slow motion shootouts and heroes leaping in the air while firing two guns, were once highly original staples of Woo's films.

"Many John Woo fans continue to look to his action films from the 80s and 90s as the benchmark, as his Hollywood films are more commercially driven and not his personal vision," Arash Norouzi, founder of the Web site Hong Kong Movie World, said by e-mail. " ‘Red Cliff,’ on the other hand, is Woo's dream project and closer to his heart as a filmmaker."

Woo insists his career will still have a Hollywood ending -- 2000's "Mission: Impossible II" grossed more than $200 million at the box office, and he's working on an English remake of "The Killer."
"I'm an American, I still love working in Hollywood," said Woo, sharply dressed in a crisp black suit and matching tie. "But in China, the director is everything, I just walk into an office and say I want to make a movie called 'Red Cliff,' and they just say, 'That's great, let's do it.'

"But in Hollywood, you have to care about [pleasing] so many people."

To please American audiences, Woo agreed to make some cuts -- about two and a half hours worth. "Red Cliff" was released as two movies in Asia, each two and a half hours long.

In China, where Woo is still considered a conquering hero, the first installment earned a record $124 million, overtaking "Titanic" as mainland Asia's biggest box office hit. The movie, however, was chock-full of characters familiar to Chinese audiences who had grown up with the novel and too confusing for Westerners who hadn't.

"It was painful to cut," said Woo. "Every inch of film was just like my child. It was just like cutting flesh. But we had to shorten the movie, and we had to give up something."

Both versions of "Red Cliff" are based on the real-life battle of the same name in 208 A.D. that helped lead to a unified southern China. As almost every schoolchild in China knows, the battle was between the massive army led by the war-mongering Prime Minister Cao Cao (played by Zhang Fengyi in the movie) against two warlords who stand in his way. Only through the guile of the warlords' strategists, Kong Ming (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Zhou Yu (Tony Leung, reunited with his "Hard Boiled" director), do the severely undermanned good guys have any chance at all.

It all leads to an unprecedented climactic battle that in Woo's movie is fought by thousands of extras clad in 20 pounds of painstakingly recreated armor. His production team built a working flotilla of 25 warships, with the rest of the armada of hundreds of boats added later through CGI.

"I spent more time, more money and more vision on this project," said Woo. "It's unlike Hollywood [where] everything is so professional -- that even the animals are trained for the movies. But in China, we had to spend several months just training the horse how to do the falls. Then we had to train the soldiers how to do the formations.

"It's all worth it," he said. "I've been dreaming of making this movie for over 20 years."

Wildwoo
11-20-2009, 06:37 PM
I just saw it and it was amazing.

GeneChing
11-25-2009, 10:42 AM
In honor of the premiere of Red Cliff, we have a very special online sweepstakes for you all. Enter to win a RED CLIFF POSTER AUTOGRAPHED BY JOHN WOO. (http://www.kungfumagazine.net/index.html) Contest ends 6:00 p.m. PST on 12/02/09. Good luck everyone!!

GeneChing
11-30-2009, 10:25 AM
The edited version is just about right for American audiences. It focused on the battle spectacle and deleted a lot of story, but that's ok. For the big screen, it's the battle spectacle we all want to see anyway. It leaves some dangling ends, like Zhao Wei mourning a character that she had a very complex relationship with at the end (that character is completely omitted from this version). But overall, it hangs together well enough cut in half. It's definitely worth seeing on the big screen. John Woo's work is just amazing in scope. If you have a good enough eye to be able to tell the difference between CGI armies and real filmed armies, this film will blow you away.

Boxofficemojo.com seems to be only tracking the Magnolia released version.

TOTAL LIFETIME GROSSES
Domestic: $14,873 24.3%
+ Foreign: $46,352 75.7%
= Worldwide: $61,225

DOMESTIC SUMMARY
Opening Weekend: $13,104
(#64 rank, 2 theaters, $6,552 average)
% of Total Gross: 88.1%
> View All Weekends
Widest Release: 2 theaters
In Release: 5 days / 0.7 weeks

GeneChing
04-01-2010, 09:37 AM
KungFuMagazine.com/RED CLIFF Sweepstakes (http://www.kungfumagazine.net/index.html)

Contest ends 6:00 p.m. PST on 04/14/2010. Good luck!

Lucas
04-01-2010, 09:46 AM
good luck lucas

Zenshiite
04-01-2010, 10:13 AM
Good luck me!

I watched part II yesterday, amazing. Though it's interesting that Zhuge Liang is not treated as much like a Taoist sorceror in the movie as he seems to be in the book.

TaichiMantis
04-01-2010, 10:49 AM
Good luck me!

I watched part II yesterday, amazing. Though it's interesting that Zhuge Liang is not treated as much like a Taoist sorceror in the movie as he seems to be in the book.

found this on wikipedia...


Director John Woo said in an interview with CCTV-6 that the film primarily uses the historical record Records of Three Kingdoms as a blueprint for the Battle of Red Cliffs, rather than the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. As such, traditionally vilified characters such as Cao Cao and Zhou Yu are given a more historically accurate treatment in the film

Zenshiite
04-02-2010, 09:15 PM
Cao Cao is pretty clearly the villian though, I don't think he comes off good at all.

GeneChing
04-19-2010, 05:40 PM
See the announcement thread (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1006811).