Building bridge
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E-mail China Daily, November 3, 2020
Sha Dan, a researcher at the China Film Archive, says the commercial success of The Sacrifice shows that such films－a traditional genre retelling of New China's revolutionary past-"have notched up a breakthrough".
"The film adopts a modern cinema narrative technique, assembling some of the country's best filmmakers within a short time. With the production procedure (repairing the prop bridge several times during the typhoon) reminiscent of the real war story, it strikes a chord with audiences, especially the youngsters," Sha explains.
Based on the film's popularity, Sha predicts that such "national-level movies"－referring to its scale and the support from China's movie authorities－might rise as a pivotal genre of Chinese cinema in the next few years, following previous hits such as the My People franchise and the Founding trilogy to consecutively ride the momentum.
Further similar projects are underway. Bona Film Group, one of the country's largest privately owned studios excelling in producing revolutionary films, recently announced that it would relaunch shooting for Changjin Hu (Chosin Reservoir), which was scheduled to begin filming in early February in Dandong but had to be postponed due to the pandemic.
As a cinematic rendering of one of the most brutal periods of the 1950-53 war, the film recounts the story of a squadron of the Chinese People's Volunteers fearlessly facing foreign soldiers in cold winter during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
Lasting between Nov 27 and Dec 24, 1950, the Chinese army successfully split elite US troops under siege, annihilating around 13,000 enemy soldiers, making the battle a turning point to lay the foundation for the armistice negotiations.
Affected by the pandemic, the film's directorial chair has been handed from Hong Kong filmmaker Andrew Lau to three prestigious directors－Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark and Dante Lam－as Lau is directing another big film for Bona, one reflecting Chinese doctors' dedication to fighting the pandemic.
Besides, scriptwriter Chen Yu's film Zuileng de Qiang (The Chilliest Shot), based on the true story of a legendary sniper during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, is reportedly being directed by Zhang Yimou, the first Chinese auteur to win a Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, according to the newspaper Xi'an Daily.
Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, says these films symbolize the Chinese spirit to safeguard the nation and will evoke widespread thought about the relationship between war and peace.
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