''Portrait of a Fanatic'' is a 1982 Taiwanese period film directed by Wang Toon, adapted by

Wu Nien-jen Wu Nien-jen (; born ; 5 August 1952) is a Taiwanese screenwriter, Film director, director, and writer. He is one of the most prolific and highly regarded scriptwriters in Taiwan and a leading member of the New Taiwanese Cinema, although he has als ...

from Bai Hua's 1980 screenplay, which was first made into a film in mainland China that quickly received a ban there on orders of

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary leader, military commander and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. After CC ...

himself. Part of China's

scar literature Scar literature or literature of the wounded () is a genre of Chinese literature which emerged in the late 1970s during the "Boluan Fanzheng" period, soon after the death of Mao Zedong, portraying the sufferings of cadres and intellectuals du ...

, Bai Hua's story is set in mainland China and the United States. It follows the turbulent life of a patriotic Chinese painter from the 1930s to the 1970s, as he escapes Japan's bombings during the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

, assassinations by the repressive Nationalist government during the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...

, and after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the horrors of the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

when millions of intellectuals and artists were cruelly persecuted on trumped-up charges.

Awards and nominations

*1982

Golden Horse Awards The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...

**Won—Best Cinematography (Lin Hung-chung) **Nominated—

Best Feature Film Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

External links

* * Films with screenplays by Wu Nien-jen Films directed by Wang Toon Taiwanese war drama films Films set in China Films set in the United States 1980s Mandarin-language films Films set in the 1930s Films set in the 1940s Films set in the 1960s Films set in the 1970s Central Motion Picture Corporation films {{Taiwan-film-stub