I mean I know that this one holds a lot of significance and everthing since its a 100 years later and its his 100th movie as well, but can Jackie start working on movies in modern time? New police story and Robin b hood were the last ones in current time and that was more than half a decade ago. So anyone know if he'll do anything next in the present?
In the head and not the chest. Headshots are the very best
If you understand the Chinese culture, we are most proud of our past, not the present. The "present" meaning anything after the Nanjing Massacre during December 1937. China hasn't been the same since that massacre and the subsequent WWII. Before Nanjing, we were very strong and proud as a culture (not necessarily as a nation), even though we had lots of corruption. So don't be surprise that Chinese cinema is dominated by period pieces.
shareThe past was riddled with evil and corruption too. It's just easier to cover that up with dramas and comic books and then blame outsiders (Japanese) for starting something bad. WAKE UP!
shareUh... the Japanese military occupied China during WWII and committed countless horrible atrocities against the Chinese people, a historical fact which is extremely well-documented. Are you trying to suggest that the Chinese are blaming them for something they DIDN'T do?
You'd like us to wake up to WHAT, here, exactly? The fact that evil and corruption are human elements that continue to exist even in peacetime? Well, no *beep*, Sherlock. TheEnoculator acknowledged that before you ignored what he had to say. Read his post again. But regardless, evil and corruption are universal constants across all of humanity. That's hardly any reason to suggest that the Chinese shouldn't be proud of their great history, culture and heritage. Most nations are still in their infancy compared to China, whose history is staggering and indeed something that fills its people with tremendous pride... as it should.
Well said, corruption has been around since there was something to corrupt. It's human nature and has never gone away. We'd like to think we live in a pure, clean world but that is mere fantasy. Corruption will always exist.
So reziztor comments are offensive to say the least. He should apologise, if he's man enough.
To the original poster, why doesn't Jackie do contemporary work? Probably because he's not the same man who did Police Story or Rush Hour. Perhaps he's interested in exploring other roles. Remember he's 57 years old. If he was in the police force he's be looking forward to retirement, not running around Hong Kong, jumping over tables chasing bad guys.
The 1911 revolution was one of the most pivotal moments in recent Chinese history, and General Hiang was one of the three men who made it happen. I imagine any Chinese actor would give his eye-teeth to play him.
shareLet's hope this doesn't turn out to be some propaganda piece about how China is great to it's people and they should be thankful to have an oppressive government trying to control every aspect of their lives and minds.
shareFor people who doesn't know, they party that fought the 1911 revolutions has now become the government party of Taiwan. So when saying celebrating the 100th anniversary, it's talking about the "Republic of China" = Taiwan. Honestly, I'm shocked that China would film such a movie, since it was the Communist that stabbed the Republic in their backs after they been through hell defending against Japan's invasion. And they deny the existence of the "Republic of China".
ps. the China, occupying the mainlands now are called the "People's Republic of China" PRC, the Communist!
Thank you for clearing that up Gothichand, a lot of people are a little confuse
shareWell, see, the Communists hadn't been 'invented' yet (in 1911). It was a post WWII struggle for supremacy that Mao won and Chiang lost.
They are making a movie that was about events that happened 30-40 years beforehand.
China has made plenty of movies about the Dynasties, which are more 'foreign' to Communism than the Republic of China was.
SpiltPersonality
Mainlanders don't deny the existence of "Republic of China",they think it is a historical concept=China from 1911 to 1949.
Funny enough, if Taiwan is so proud of being Republic of China, why is that the government of Taiwan tries so hard to replace the name "ROC" with "Taiwan"?
Have you ever spent any time in China, smoss? I have, and quite a bit. The first and easiest expectation for a foreigner to have there is that every kid is brainwashed from day one with Mao's little red book and so forth, but it doesn't take a lot of time in China to recognize that most people there are actually very deeply resentful of Mao and the Communists for what they did to China and its people. Even my wife's 11-year-old cousin, when I stopped to take pictures of an enormous statue of Mao in downtown Chengdu, checked to make sure the coast was clear before leaning in close and whispering incredulously into my ear, "You like Mao??" When I explained to him that no, of course I didn't, but statues like this are not things you come across every day in America, he seemed relieved and replied (again, VERY quietly), "Good! Mao was a very bad man!" And again... this was coming from an 11-year-old.
Even despite their government's propaganda, the people of China are VERY aware of the effects of Communism on their country, and in this increasingly globally-minded age, they are very much aware of the freer nature of most western nations when compared to their own. In my personal encounters throughout China, I experienced nothing but disdain for the Communist Party with everyone I spoke to. My wife's grandfather had suffered terribly at their hands during the Cultural Revolution, as a matter of fact, and he hated Mao with a deep, burning passion right to his dying day. Regardless of what the government tries to tell its people, there are still people who lived through the horrors of Mao's rise to power who have passed those stories down through the generations of their own families, so lots of people in China are a lot keener on the truth than we may tend to give them credit for being. (They're just shy about expressing it openly because they never know when a neighbor will rat them out for saying it, and there are still consequences in China when the government learns you've not been speaking well of it... and that's the most irritating part of being in China for a freedom-loving foreigner; being told to KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN!!! whenever you say something critical about the Commies.)
This has not, however, done a lot to alter the nationalistic mentality that we tend to see expressed through Chinese TV and films because, after all, the Chinese media IS still state-owned. Anything put to film that casts the regime in even a remotely negative light results not only in censorship, but frequently even punishment for the filmmaker(s) in question. Zhang Yimou and Gong Li were banned from working together for YEARS after they made "To Live," a movie which was actually BANNED in China for its very frank depiction of the incredible cruelties and hardships endured by the Chinese people during the Cultural Revolution. So, if you're upset about not seeing more criticism of that in more Chinese films... you must consider first the government that vets them before they ever get out the door to an actual audience.
However, as several posts before mine have thankfully pointed out, "1911" is not a film about the rise of the Communist Party at all! So this should be a very interesting thing to see, considering the current government's aversity to any film that paints any regime other than their own in any kind of positive light. As with many things Chinese, there is often more beneath the surface than meets the eye, so we shall simply have to wait and see! Personally, I'm eager to check this movie out.
Well I suppose that since you lived in China, you probably knew that our Chinese nationalism has nothing to do with any true political agenda other than self-determination and redemption from the historical humiliations.
And I suppose you also that know that to Chinese people, referring themselves as Chinese is more to do identifying self with the Chinese nation, heritage, and civilization, and never considering it as "people of the CCP". CCP is considered by Chinese as the platform that's leading China out of the dark ages and into modernization and brighter future, but not what Chinese people wants to identify ourselves with.
I'm not disagreeing to your words above, but just adding to what you're saying.
Oh yes, that's actually a pretty spot-on summation of exactly what I was trying to express. Very well said, my friend.
My wife is from China, so I have a pretty strong sense of all this. A lot of Americans like to assume, I think, that Chinese nationalism has everything to do with being proud of the Communists and their policies, but that could not have been less true of any single person I met while in China, myself. There was actually a lot of resentment toward the Communists for holding the Chinese people back for so long (it's curious that they've adopted such a free market-based economy; it's single-handedly made them the only successful Communist country in the history of the world). But in the same breath, there was nothing but love for their great country, heritage and history.
All told, I expect this is a fairly common phenomenon, in a global sense. I think most people are very proud of their countries, even when they're disgusted with their governments. I think a lot of us experience that particular disconnect. But it runs very, very deep with the Chinese, and why should it not? How many countries have a recorded history dating back over 5,000 years? China is a truly incredible place, and its people are right to love it. I fell in love with China too, in the time I spent there. I haven't been able to go back in about 5 years, and I miss it a lot. I hope to be able to return before too much more time elapses. My experiences there have always been fantastic.
I also agree with you too, and I really like what you've said as well. I'm also very happy to hear you like China a lot, despite the areas it can improve on. I think the world needs more people like you because the West is very seriously misled about China.
You nailed it spot on, especially with the remark about the 5,000 year heritage. It's true, and it is one of the things we are really proud about.
I hope the best goes for you and that you have a chance to go back to China again in the future. It's changed a lot, and very rapidly too, so it's worth the return. You're the type of people that we really welcome.
It always annoys me when I hear/see people saying things like "Don't support China" when buying products, or other things. It annoys me that the country as a whole is blamed for any negative aspect, and people don't think about individuals as human beings in general. Working on computers, I once saw somebody's desktop wallpaper protesting the Olympics being held there. Ridiculous.
I had a Chinese friend quite some time ago, and we would chat through the internet. Being young, and ignorant, it showed me that the Chinese people are not the same at all as how the negative governmental aspects are believed to be. One thing I recall that really drove this point was when a government official came to inspect her apartment, and she was really annoyed about it. People don't get to choose where they are born or come from, and I wish people could recognize that.
Here is the same. We are judged by most of the world for things our country does (like the Iraq war), and if we are vocal about our disagreement, we are deemed "Un-American"
Remember what Marge Simpson said? If it's American to be bigot and hating, then I'd think it's better you not be American. Those people are *beep* up the entire world, stirring hate, and they're disguising behind the name of your country. This is why your country has a bad name. I'm just glad there are still a few like you who are still informed
shareHaving just watched this film today, I was blown away and had to watch it again. I am submitting my review and believe this deserves all the attention of the academy to nod towards Best Director, Best Actor, Best Film, Best Cinematographhy, and Best Action / Stunt Coregrapghy (excuse the spelling, in a hurry).
Just so you know, he is currently filming Armour of God 3: Zodiac right now, it's nearly half completed shooting (It even features KENNY G! haha and apparently he will be making a track or? working with the production crew to add music to the film) so his modern day reprisal of Asian Hawk (or in the US they call him Condor.. or jackie due to the release of Armour of God 2 as Operation Condor, and Armor of god 1 after as Operation Condor 2.)
Trust, this movie is quite brilliant. Everyone take a train if the movie is playing a state away from you etc, we need this to sell huge as I know the critics will be A+ing this film, and get it the wide release it deserves.
If its not Jackie Chan; Its most likely not interesting.
Having just watched this film today, I was blown away and had to watch it again. I am submitting my review and believe this deserves all the attention of the academy to nod towards Best Director, Best Actor, Best Film, Best Cinematographhy, and Best Action / Stunt Coregrapghy (excuse the spelling, in a hurry).
Yeah man, Dr Sun can be considered as the TOP modern Chinese figure to be adored by the people righteously, undisputed, AND without controversy. He would rank next to Confucius and Yue Fei as national heroes to be looked up to.
Anyone can dispute Mao and them all, but no Chinese will stand anyone criticizing Dr. Sun.
Are you sure USA is ready for a movie about unscrupulous bankers bankrolling a corrupt government who would mortgage national assets for money to suppress their own people?
"we need this to sell huge as I know the critics will be A+ing this film, and get it the wide release it deserves. "
Critics are F-'ing this actually (not that I agree with them)
Critics are F-'ing this actually (not that I agree with them)
You got it backwards. They need to make more films on this era.
The crazy *beep* that happened in China between 1900 and 1949 are of biblical proportions and happen at breakneck pace.
It's like WWII level *beep* except over the span of fifty years instead of around eight.
You got the Boxer Rebellion, the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the rise of the warlords, the rise of the KMT, the Long March, the second Sino-Japanese War, THEN WWII proper, then the Chinese Civil War and the final establishment of the PRC in '49. Millions upon millions upon millions dead and dying, an era marked by blood and tears.
Crazy *beep* in this period of Chinese history. We need MOAR films on it!