Confucius (2010 film)
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''Confucius'' ( Kǒng Zǐ) is a 2010 Chinese
biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
written and directed by
Hu Mei Hu Mei (born 2 September 1958) is a Chinese film director, television director and Film producer, producer. Usually classed as a Fifth Generation director, since she graduated from the Directors' class of the 1982 Beijing Film Academy cohort, she ...
, starring
Chow Yun-fat Chow Yun-fat (born 18 May 1955), previously known as Donald Chow, is a Hong Kong actor. He is perhaps best known for his collaborations with filmmaker John Woo in the five Hong Kong action heroic bloodshed films: ''A Better Tomorrow'', ''A Be ...
as the titular Chinese philosopher. The film was produced by
P.H. Yu Yu Pun-hoi (; born 1958), commonly known as P H Yu, is a Hong Kong entrepreneur in the information technology, cinema, culture and media industries. He is the Chairman of the Board and largest shareholder of Hong Kong-listed Nan Hai Corporation ...
,
Han Sanping Han Sanping (born 1 October 1953) is a Chinese film producer and distributor. Until 2014, he served as the chairman of the State-owned enterprise, state-owned China Film Group Corporation, which is one of the largest distributors and exporters of ...
, Rachel Liu and
John Shum John Sham Kin-Fun (born 1952) is a Hong Kong actor and film producer. His English name is sometimes written as John Shum. Whilst known primarily for his comedic acting roles in Hong Kong cinema, he also spent time as a political activist. Biogra ...
. Production on the film began in March 2009 with shooting on location in China's
Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
province and in
Hengdian World Studios Hengdian World Studios () is a film studio located in Hengdian, a Chinese town in the city of Dongyang, Zhejiang Province. It is one of the largest film studios in the world. The movie studio is operated by the privately owned Hengdian Group fo ...
in
Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...
. The film was scheduled to screen later in 2009 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, as well as the 2,560th birthday of Confucius himself. However, the release date was later moved to January 2010.
Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
released an English dub version on
home video Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming me ...
in 2012.


Plot

The film begins with Confucius as an old man, thinking back. Then we see him in his early 50s, being promoted from Mayor to Minister for Law in his home state of Lu. He is confronted with ethical issues after saving a slave-boy who was due to be buried alive with his former master who has just died. There are a lot of complex politics and war, ending with Confucius being rejected and becoming a wandering scholar. After many hardships and losses, he is invited back as an old man. We see him finally preparing the
Spring and Autumn Annals The ''Spring and Autumn Annals'' () is an ancient Chinese chronicle that has been one of the core Chinese classics since ancient times. The ''Annals'' is the official chronicle of the State of Lu, and covers a 241-year period from 722 to 481 ...
, expecting that this book will determine his future influence.


Cast

*
Chow Yun-fat Chow Yun-fat (born 18 May 1955), previously known as Donald Chow, is a Hong Kong actor. He is perhaps best known for his collaborations with filmmaker John Woo in the five Hong Kong action heroic bloodshed films: ''A Better Tomorrow'', ''A Be ...
as
Confucius Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...
or
Kong Qiu Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...
, also known by the honorary title Zhong Ni. *
Zhou Xun Zhou Xun (, born 18 October 1974) is a Chinese actress and singer. She is regarded as one of the Four Dan Actresses of China. She gained international fame for her roles in '' Suzhou River'' (2000) and ''Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress'' ...
as Nanzi, the royal consort of Wei. *
Xu Huanshan Xu Huanshan (born 13 July 1937) is a Chinese actor and occasional film director. Xu was enrolled in the Beijing Film Academy in 1956. A year later, he was labelled as a "rightist" and was sent for "re-education through labour" under the Communist ...
as
Laozi Laozi (), also known by numerous other names, was a semilegendary ancient Chinese Taoist philosopher. Laozi ( zh, ) is a Chinese honorific, generally translated as "the Old Master". Traditional accounts say he was born as in the state ...
, the sage of
Daoism Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...
. * Yao Lu as
Duke Lu Dinggong Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...
, ruler of Lu. * Ma Jingwu as
Duke Jing of Qi Duke Jing of Qi (; died 490 BC) was ruler of the State of Qi from 547 to 490 BC. Qi was a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His personal name was Lü Chujiu (呂杵臼), ancestral name Jiang ( 姜), and Duke Jing ...
. * Bi Yanjun as
Duke Ling of Wei Duke Ling of Wey () (ruled 534 — 492 BC) was the 28th ruler of the ancient Chinese state of Wey, the son of Duke Xiang of Wey. He was the subject of Chapter 15 of the '' Analects'' of Confucius. His given name was Yuan (). Family Duke Ling w ...
*
Wang Huichun Wang may refer to: Names * Wang (surname) (王), a common Chinese surname * Wāng (汪), a less common Chinese surname * Titles in Chinese nobility * A title in Korean nobility * A title in Mongolian nobility Places * Wang River in Thailand ...
as
Li Chu Emperor Daizong of Tang (9 January 727 According to Daizong's biography in the ''Old Book of Tang'', he was born on the 13th day in the 12th month of the 14th year of the Kaiyuan era of Tang Xuanzong's reign. This date corresponds to 9 Jan 727 i ...
, a minister in the Qi Court. * Li Huan as Kuai Kui, crown prince of Wei. *
Chen Jianbin Chen Jianbin (born June 27, 1970) is a Chinese actor active in television and film. He is most notable for the portrayal of Cao Cao in the 2010 television series '' Three Kingdoms''; as well as his performance in ''Decade of Marriage'', '' Qiao ...
as Jisun Si, head of the Jishi Clan and minister in the Court of Lu. * Lu Yi as
Jisun Fei The Three Huan ({{zh, c=三桓, p=Sān Huán) refers to three aristocratic clans, all descendants of Duke Huan of Lu, in the State of Lu, which dominated the government affairs, displacing the power of the dukes, for nearly three centuries during ...
, the son of Jisun Si. * Wang Ban as Shusun Wu, head of the
Shushi Clan Shusha ( az, Şuşa, ) or Shushi ( hy, Շուշի) is a city in Azerbaijan, in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Situated at an altitude of 1,400–1,800 metres (4,600–5,900 ft) in the Karabakh mountains, the city was a mountain reso ...
and minister of the Court of Lu. * Wu Liansheng as Mengsun He, head of the Mengshi Clan and minister in the Court of Lu. * Kai Li as
Lady Qiguan The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inform ...
, the wife of Confucius. *
Qiao Zhenyu Qiao Zhenyu (, born 1 November 1978) is a Chinese actor who is a graduate of the Beijing Dance Academy. Career In 2000, Qiao made his debut in the film ''Soaring Dragon Leaping Tiger''. The same year, he filmed his first television drama ''Xin ...
as Kong Li, son of Confucius. *
Chen Rui Bilibili (stylized bilibili), nicknamed B Site, is a video sharing website based in Shanghai where users can submit, view and add overlaid commentary on videos. Since the mid-2010s, Bilibili began to expand to a broader audience from its origi ...
as Kong Jiao, the daughter of Confucius. *
Ren Quan Ren Quan (; born 4 March 1975) is a Chinese actor, investor and businessman. One of his most prominent roles was as Gongsun Ce in ''Young Justice Bao'' and its sequel ''Young Justice Bao II'', alongside Zhou Jie, Li Bingbing and Lu Yi. Other nota ...
as
Yan Hui Yan Hui (–481 BC) was a Chinese philosopher. He was the favorite disciple of Confucius and one of the most revered figures of Confucianism. He is venerated in Confucian temples as one of the Four Sages. Names Yan Hui is also known by his cou ...
, disciple of Confucius. *
Li Wenbo Li Wenbo (; born 9 December 1983 in Shenyang) is a former Chinese footballer who played as a defender. Club career Li Wenbo began his professional football career with Shenyang Ginde and made his league debut on 13 July 2003, in a 1–0 home ...
as
Zilu Zhong You (542–480BC), commonly known by his courtesy names Zilu and Jilu, was one of the best known and most faithful disciples of Confucius. Among Confucius's disciples, he was the second in terms of ability and accomplishment in statesmans ...
, disciple of Confucius. * Ma Qiang as
Ran Qiu Ran Qiu (born 522BC), also known by his courtesy name Ziyou and as Ran You, was a leading disciple of Confucius. Among Confucius's disciples, he was the foremost in terms of ability and accomplishment in statesmanship. As a military commander of ...
, disciple of Confucius. * Kan Jinming as
Zigong Zigong (, ), formed by the merger of the two former towns of Ziliujing (Tzuliuching, literally "self-flow well") and Gongjing (Kungching, literally "offering well"), is a prefecture-level city in Sichuan, southwestern China. Demographics Accord ...
, disciple of Confucius. * Liu Fengchao as Qi Sigong, a slave in the house of the Jishi Clan. *
Gao Tian Gao , or Gawgaw/Kawkaw, is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley. For much of its history Gao was an impor ...
as young Qi Sigong * Liu Yongchen as Gongxi Chi * Chen Weidong as
Zeng Shen Zeng Shen (505–435 BC), better known as Zengzi (Master Zeng), courtesy name Ziyu (), was a Chinese philosopher and disciple of Confucius. He later taught Zisi (Kong Ji), the grandson of Confucius, who was in turn the teacher of Mencius, thus be ...
* Wang Qingyuan as Zeng Dian, disciple of Confucius. *
Ma Yong Ma Yong (; born January 1957) is a former Chinese politician who spent most of his career in central China's Hunan province. He was investigated by the Chinese Communist Party's anti-graft agency in May 2015 and was taken away by Hunan Provincia ...
as Gongbo Liao * Li Chunpeng as Ziyou * Chen Liejun as Zigao * Tang Muchun as
Zixia Bu Shang (507 BC – 400 BC), commonly known by his courtesy name Zixia or as Buzi (Master Bu), was an ancient Chinese philosopher and a prominent disciple of Confucius who was considered one of the most accomplished in cultural learning. He was ...
* Luo Minghan as
Ran Yong Ran Yong (; born 522 BC), also known by his courtesy name Zhonggong (), was one of the prominent disciples of Confucius. Confucius thought highly of his excellent moral conduct, and considered him fit to be the ruler of a state. After completin ...
* Li Xinru as Nichang *
Gong Jie A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...
as
Gong Ye A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...
* Zhang Xingzhe as Gongshan Niu, a retainer of the Ji Clan and mayor of Biyi City. *
Dong Ziwu Dong or DONG may refer to: Places * Dong Lake, or East Lake, a lake in China * Dong, Arunachal Pradesh, a village in India * Dong (administrative division) (동 or 洞), a neighborhood division in Korea Persons *Queen Dong (1623–1681), prince ...
as Yan Zhuoju, Zilu's brother in law. * Gu Yang as Hou Fan * Huang Wenguang as Ji family servant * Ji Yongqing as Shen Juxu * Zhou Jiantao as Yue Shuo


Awards and nominations

30th Hong Kong Film Awards *Nominated – Best Actor (Chow Yun-fat) *Nominated – Best Cinematography (Peter Pow) *Nominated – Best Art Direction *Nominated – Best Costume Design *Nominated – Best Original Song (
Faye Wong Faye Wong ( zh, 王菲; born Xia Lin on 8 August 1969) is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter. Early in her career she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong. Born in Beijing, she moved to Hong Kong in 1987 and her debut album '' Shirley Wong'' ( ...
)


Music

Faye Wong Faye Wong ( zh, 王菲; born Xia Lin on 8 August 1969) is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter. Early in her career she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong. Born in Beijing, she moved to Hong Kong in 1987 and her debut album '' Shirley Wong'' ( ...
sang the theme song for the film. Her "soothing and ethereal voice" was considered appropriate for the lofty spirit of the song, "Solitary Orchid" (), which is based on an ancient work by
Han Yu Han Yu (; 76825 December 824), courtesy name Tuizhi (), and commonly known by his posthumous name Han Wengong (韓文公), was a Chinese essayist, poet, philosopher, and politician during the Tang dynasty who significantly influenced the devel ...
. Wong, a Buddhist, stated that she recorded the song "for
Confucius Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...
" as his writings still provide the answers to modern questions.


Home media

On 4 October 2010, DVD was released in Cine Asia at the UK in Region 2. In the United Kingdom, ''Confucius'' was 2011's ninth best-selling foreign-language film on physical
home video Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming me ...
formats, and the third best-selling Chinese film (below ''
Ip Man 2 ''Ip Man 2'' (Chinese: 葉問2:宗師傳奇, also known as ''Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster'') is a 2010 Hong Kong biographical martial arts film loosely based on the life of Ip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun. A sequel to ...
'' and ''
Ip Man Ip Man, also known as Yip Man, ( / 叶问; 1 October 1893 – 2 December 1972) was a Hong Kong-based Cantonese martial artist and a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun when he was 20. He had several students who later became martial art ...
'').
Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
released it on 27 March 2012 in English dub on DVD and Blu-ray.


Controversies


Choice of actors

After the project was announced, the reaction in China was decidedly mixed. As the film is made in
Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
, many expressed concern that Chow, a native of Cantonese-speaking
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
, would lack the requisite Mandarin-speaking skills to portray the revered philosopher. Others were concerned that Chow, a veteran of action and
Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...
-cinema, would turn
Confucius Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...
into a "kung-fu hero." Such concerns were only exacerbated after mainland star
Pu Cunxin Pu Cunxin (; born 31 July 1953), also known as Pu Quanxin, is a Chinese actor who has served as Chairman of China Theatre Association since July 2015. He is or was a member of the Beijing Experimental Theater Troupe. Biography Pu had a rough ch ...
criticized Hu Mei's script as containing inappropriate levels of action and romance for a film based on Confucius' life. In his review of the movie, Perry Lam of ''
Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
'' has criticized Chow for being 'the least likely actor to play the title role.'


Kong Jian lawsuit

In December 2009, more controversy arose when a claimed-direct descendant of Confucius brought suit against the film-makers. After seeing the film's trailer, the descendant, Kong Jian, sought to have several scenes deleted from the release of the film and objecting to the intimations that Confucius was romantically attracted to the concubine, Nanzi.


Screening

During the film's launch in China, the Hollywood blockbuster ''
Avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...
'' was reportedly going to be pulled from nearly 1,600 2-D screens across China, to benefit the wide release of this film. Instead, ''Avatar'' showings continued in the fewer, but more popular 900 3-D screens throughout China, which generated over 64% of the film's total ticket sales in China. The
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
newspaper ''
Apple Daily ''Apple Daily'' ( zh, link=no, 蘋果日報) was a popular tabloid published in Hong Kong from 1995 to 2021. Founded by Jimmy Lai, it was one of the best-selling Chinese language newspapers in Hong Kong.
'' speculated that the Chinese authorities were worried ''Avatar'' had seized the market share from domestic films and noted that many of the vacant cinema slots would be replaced by ''Confucius'', and the film would be "drawing unwanted attention to the sensitive issue" concerning forced evictions of Chinese homes. However, China's
State Administration of Radio, Film and Television The National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) is a ministry-level executive agency controlled by the Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its main task is the administration and supervision of state-owned enterpr ...
responded by stating it was a "commercial decision", and because the "box office performance of the 2D version has not been great." However, due to low attendance for ''Confucius'', and high demand for ''Avatar'', the Chinese government reversed their decision, and allowed ''Avatar'' to remain on some 2-D screens in China. This choice appeared to be at least partly based on the financial performance of the two films, with ''Avatar'' grossing nearly 2.5 times more money per day.


See also

*
Chow Yun-fat filmography This article contains the filmography of Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat Chow Yun-fat (born 18 May 1955), previously known as Donald Chow, is a Hong Kong actor. He is perhaps best known for his collaborations with filmmaker John Woo in the five ...
*
List of historical drama films of Asia Historical or period drama is a film genre in which stories are based on historical events and famous persons. Some historical dramas attempt to accurately portray a historical event or biography, to the degree that the available historical researc ...


References


External links

* * *
''Confucius''
at the Chinese Movie Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Confucius 2010 films 2010 biographical drama films Chinese biographical drama films 2010s Mandarin-language films Cultural depictions of Confucius Films set in the 5th century BC Films set in the 6th century BC Films set in the Spring and Autumn period Funimation 2010 drama films