''The Flowers of War'' () is a 2011 Chinese-Hong Kong
historical drama
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...
war film
War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war fi ...
directed by
Zhang Yimou
Zhang Yimou (; born 2 April 1950) is a Chinese film director, producer, writer, actor and former cinematographer.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retriev ...
, starring
Christian Bale
Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. He has received various accolades, including ...
,
Ni Ni
Ni Ni (, born 8 August 1988) is a Chinese actress best known for portraying Yu Mo in the 2011 film ''The Flowers of War'', directed by Zhang Yimou; and Ling Xi in the 2019 television series ''Love and Destiny''. She is considered to be one of t ...
, Zhang Xinyi,
Tong Dawei
Tong Dawei (, born 3 February 1979) is a Chinese actor and singer. Tong is best known for starring in the television series ''Jade Goddess of Mercy'' (2003), ''Struggle'' (2007), and ''Tiger Mom'' (2015); as well as the films ''Lost in Beijing'' ...
,
Atsuro Watabe
is a Japanese actor.
Career
Born in Tokyo, Watabe debuted as an actor on television in 1991 with the drama ''Seishun no mon''. He won awards of excellence in the best actor and new face categories at the 19th Japan Academy Prize (film), Japan A ...
,
Shigeo Kobayashi
is a Japanese actor. Born and raised in Tokyo, Kobayashi worked on over 80 films, theatrical productions and TV drama series. In 2008, he played the leading role in a short film "Todai (the Light House)" a part of ''Otokotachi no Uta''. His mo ...
and Cao Kefan.
The film is based on a novella by
Geling Yan
Geling Yan (; born 16 November 1958) is a Chinese-American author and screenwriter.
Early life
Yan was born in Shanghai, China in 1958. She is the second child of Yan Dunxun and Jia Lin. She has an elder brother Yan Geping (严歌平). Her fath ...
, ''13 Flowers of Nanjing'', inspired by the diary of
Minnie Vautrin
Wilhelmina "Minnie" Vautrin (September 27, 1886 – May 14, 1941) was an Americans, American missionary, diarist, educator and president of Ginling College. She was a Christian missionary in China for 28 years. She is known for the care and prote ...
. The story is set in
Nanking
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
, China, during the 1937
Nanking Massacre
The Nanjing Massacre (, ja, 南京大虐殺, Nankin Daigyakusatsu) or the Rape of Nanjing (formerly romanized as ''Nanking'') was the mass murder of Chinese civilians in Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China, immediately after the Ba ...
in 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 ...
. A group of escapees, finding sanctuary in a church compound, try to survive the Japanese atrocities.
It was selected as the Chinese entry for
Best Foreign Language Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the
84th Academy Awards
The 84th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2011 in the United States and took place on February 26, 2012, at the Hollywood and Highland Center Theatre in ...
,
but did not make the final shortlist.
It also received a nomination for the
69th Golden Globe Awards
The 69th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television of 2011, were broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 15, 2012, by NBC. The host was Ricky Gervais, for the third consecutive year ...
.
The
6th Asian Film Awards
The 6th Asian Film Awards is an intra-continental annually-presented award ceremony hosted during the Hong Kong International Film Festival to honour the best Asian films of 2011.
Awards were presented in 14 general categories. People's Choice A ...
presented ''The Flowers of War'' with several individual nominations, including Best Film.
The film's North American
distribution rights
Film distribution (also known as Film exhibition or Film distribution and exhibition) is the process of making a movie available for viewing by an audience. This is normally the task of a professional film distributor, who would determine the mark ...
were acquired by Wrekin Hill Entertainment, in association with Row 1 Productions, leading to an Oscar-qualifying limited release in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco in late December 2011, with general release in January 2012.
''The Flowers of War'' received mixed reviews from critics and was a
box office bomb
A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...
, grossing only $98 million against a $94 million budget.
Plot
In 1937, Japan invades China, beginning 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 ...
. The Imperial Japanese Army overruns China's capital city, Nanking, in December and carries out the
Nanking massacre
The Nanjing Massacre (, ja, 南京大虐殺, Nankin Daigyakusatsu) or the Rape of Nanjing (formerly romanized as ''Nanking'') was the mass murder of Chinese civilians in Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China, immediately after the Ba ...
. As the Japanese overrun the
Chinese army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...
, desperate schoolgirls flee to the sanctuary of their
convent
A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
at a Western-run
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
cathedral. John Miller, an American
mortician on a job to bury the head priest, joins the group of innocent schoolgirls. He finds George, an orphan boy who was raised by the dead priest and taught English. Soon a group of flamboyant prostitutes arrive at the cathedral, seeking refuge by hiding in the cellar. Pretending to be a priest, Miller tries to keep everyone safe while repairing the convent's truck to escape.
After an incident when rogue Japanese forces assault the cathedral (who are then killed by the dying effort of a lone Chinese Major), Japanese Colonel Hasegawa promises to protect the convent by placing guards outside the gate and requests that the schoolgirls sing a
chorale
Chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale:
* Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one of the t ...
for him. Several days later, he hands Miller an official invitation for the schoolgirls to sing at the Japanese Army's victory celebration. Fearing for the safety of the
virgin
Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
al schoolgirls, Miller declines. Hasegawa informs him that it is an order and that the girls are going to be picked up the next day. Before they leave, the Japanese soldiers count the schoolgirls and erroneously include one of the prostitutes (who has strayed from the cellar), totalling 13.
When the
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
leader of the schoolgirls, Shu Juan, convinces them that they are better off committing suicide by jumping off the cathedral tower, they are saved at the last moment when the de facto leader of the prostitutes, Yu Mo, convinces her group to protect the schoolgirls by taking their place at the Japanese party. As there are only 12 prostitutes, George, the dead priest's adoptive son, volunteers as well. Miller initially opposes their self-sacrificial decision but relents and assists in disguising them, using his skills as a mortician to adjust their makeup and cut their hair to appear like schoolgirls. The prostitutes also create knives out of broken windows and hide them in their cloaks.
The next day, the "13 Flowers of Nanking" are led away by the unsuspecting Japanese soldiers. After they depart, Miller hides the schoolgirls on the truck he repaired and using a single-person permit provided by the father of a schoolgirl, drives out of Nanking. In the last scene, the truck is seen driving on a deserted highway heading west, away from the Japanese army. The fate of the 13 Flowers remains unknown, apparently martyring themselves for the schoolgirls' freedom.
Cast
*
Christian Bale
Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. He has received various accolades, including ...
as John Miller
*
Ni Ni
Ni Ni (, born 8 August 1988) is a Chinese actress best known for portraying Yu Mo in the 2011 film ''The Flowers of War'', directed by Zhang Yimou; and Ling Xi in the 2019 television series ''Love and Destiny''. She is considered to be one of t ...
as Yu Mo
* Zhang Xinyi as Shu
*
Tong Dawei
Tong Dawei (, born 3 February 1979) is a Chinese actor and singer. Tong is best known for starring in the television series ''Jade Goddess of Mercy'' (2003), ''Struggle'' (2007), and ''Tiger Mom'' (2015); as well as the films ''Lost in Beijing'' ...
as Major Li
*
Atsuro Watabe
is a Japanese actor.
Career
Born in Tokyo, Watabe debuted as an actor on television in 1991 with the drama ''Seishun no mon''. He won awards of excellence in the best actor and new face categories at the 19th Japan Academy Prize (film), Japan A ...
as Colonel Hasegawa
*
Shigeo Kobayashi
is a Japanese actor. Born and raised in Tokyo, Kobayashi worked on over 80 films, theatrical productions and TV drama series. In 2008, he played the leading role in a short film "Todai (the Light House)" a part of ''Otokotachi no Uta''. His mo ...
as Lieutenant Kato
* Cao Kefan as Mr. Meng
* Huang Tianyuan as George Chen
* Han Xiting as Yi
* Zhang Doudou as Ling
* Yuan Yangchunzi as Mosquito
* Sun Jia as Hua
* Li Yuemin as Dou
* Bai Xue as Lan
* Takashi Yamanaka as Lieutenant Asakura
* Hirofumi Yasunaga as Japanese Soldier
*
Paul Schneider as Terry
Production
In December 2010, it was announced that the film would be made, and
pre-production
Pre-production is the process of planning some of the elements involved in a film, television show, play, or other performance, as distinct from production and post-production. Pre-production ends when the planning ends and the content starts ...
started the same month. They began shooting on location in
Nanjing
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
, China, on January 10, 2011.
The dialogue of the film was shot about 40% in English and the rest in
Mandarin Chinese
Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of ...
(particularly in the
Nanjing dialect
The Nanjing dialect, also known as Nankinese, or Nanjing Mandarin, is a dialect of Mandarin Chinese spoken in Nanjing, China. It is part of the Jianghuai group of Chinese varieties.
Phonology
A number of features distinguish the Nanjing dialec ...
, distinct from
Standard Chinese
Standard Chinese ()—in linguistics Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin, in common speech simply Mandarin, better qualified as Standard Mandarin, Modern Standard Mandarin or Standard Mandarin Chinese—is a modern Standar ...
) and Japanese,
with an estimated production budget of $94 million,
which makes it the most expensive film in Chinese history.
To distinguish the film from previous depictions of the same subject,
Zhang Zhang may refer to:
Chinese culture, etc.
* Zhang (surname) (張/张), common Chinese surname
** Zhang (surname 章), a rarer Chinese surname
* Zhang County (漳县), of Dingxi, Gansu
* Zhang River (漳河), a river flowing mainly in Henan
* ''Zha ...
said that he tried to portray the Japanese invaders with multiple layers. Regarding Colonel Hasegawa's sympathetic features, he explained that "in 1937, the militaristic notion among Japanese armies was very prevalent, and officers were not allowed to sing a homesick folk song, but we still wanted to endow this character with something special."
The director articulated that his biggest, though challenging, accomplishment in the film was the creation of John Miller, saying that "this kind of character, a foreigner, a drifter, a thug almost, becomes a hero and saves the lives of Chinese people. That has never ever happened in Chinese filmmaking, and I think it will never happen again in the future." Filming completed within 6 months.
One challenging aspect was what Zhang called the "very slow pace" of negotiation with the Chinese
censorship
Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...
authorities during the editing process.
Marketing
On September 9, 2011, the film was retitled ''The Flowers of War'', after a 20-minute screening for prominent
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
film distributors and the media at the
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...
.
Zhang stated that the story in ''The Flowers of War'' differs from many other Chinese films on this subject as it is told from the perspectives of women.
In October 2011, the first trailer was released, making way for an American trailer to be revealed.
Release
On November 22, 2011, New Pictures Film requested an inflation in the minimum ticket price within China. When in negotiations with the eight cinema circuits in question, it resulted in a threat to boycott the movie over the distributors' share. Wu Hehu, the general manager of Shanghai United Cinema Circuit, made a statement, saying “this is a simple business situation. Without the agreement, we cannot screen the film." Zhang Weiping,
producer
Producer or producers may refer to:
Occupations
*Producer (agriculture), a farm operator
*A stakeholder of economic production
*Film producer, supervises the making of films
**Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
of ''The Flowers of War'' and
head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...
of New Pictures Film, also refused to make any concessions. A letter was sent to the
Film Bureau of SARFT, hoping it would mediate the dispute.
At the order of SARFT, both sides were to reach a compromise, which was achieved after four hours of negotiation.
Box office
The film grossed US$98,227,017 worldwide,
including in China,
US$1,331,369 in Hong Kong, and $311,434 in the United States and Canada.
China
''The Flowers of War'' was released in China just days after the 74th anniversary of the
Nanking Massacre
The Nanjing Massacre (, ja, 南京大虐殺, Nankin Daigyakusatsu) or the Rape of Nanjing (formerly romanized as ''Nanking'') was the mass murder of Chinese civilians in Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China, immediately after the Ba ...
.
In its first four days of release, it took in $24 million at the
box office
A box office or ticket office is a place where ticket (admission), tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a Wicket gate, wicke ...
.
It was the top-grossing
Chinese film of 2011, having earned $70 million after two weeks.
After 17 days, the movie had grossed nearly $83 million, making it the sixth-highest-grossing film in China, following American exports such as ''
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' ($145.5 million) and ''
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 ...
'' ($204 million).
After five weeks of release the movie earned $93 million.
The film reportedly earned $95 million in China.
Critical reaction
The movie received mixed reviews.
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reported a 41% critical approval rating based on 58 reviews, with an average of 5.53/10. The site's consensus reads, "Zhang Yimou's stylistic flair is in full bloom during ''The Flowers of War'', but his colorful treatment of a historical genocide ultimately does a disservice to the horrifying events' inherent drama."
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, another review aggregator, assigned the film an average score of 46 (out of 100) based on 22 reviews from mainstream critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews.
Twitch Film
Screen Anarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...
called it "arguably the most eagerly-anticipated Chinese movie of the year", saying that "''The Flowers of War'' is a big movie in every sense of the word, from its kinetic battle scenes to the beautiful photography and impressive performances from a mostly young and inexperienced cast."
Pete Hammond from ''
Boxoffice Magazine
''Boxoffice Pro'' is a film industry magazine dedicated to the movie theatre business published by BoxOffice Media LP.
History
It started in 1920 as ''The Reel Journal'', taking the name ''Boxoffice'' in 1931 and still publishes today, with ...
'' gave it 4 stars of 5, and said "''The Flowers of War'' is ultimately an inspiring, stirring and unforgettable human drama in the face of a horrifying war. It is highly recommended."
''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' gave a generally positive review, describing the film as "a uniquely harrowing account of the rape of Nanjing," and defined it as "a work of often garish dramatic flourishes yet undeniable emotional power, finding humor and heartbreak in a tale of unlikely heroism in close quarters."
Andrew Pulver describes it as "a new dawn in China-Hollywood co-operation", arguing that "this ambitious war film from Zhang Yimou is an attempt to turn the revolting aftermath of the 1937 Japanese assault on Nanjing into a globally friendly, putatively inspiring epic that also aims to underscore the US and China's geopolitical mutual respect."
Most negative feedback from critics were similar to that from ''
Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...
'', which gave the film 2.5/4, and said that "the drama is often weakened by the penchant for creating spectacles."
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
, who gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, took issue with making the story about a white American, "Can you think of any reason the character John Miller is needed to tell his story? Was any consideration given to the possibility of a Chinese priest? Would that be asking for too much?"
Accolades
Home media
''The Flowers of War'' was released on
Blu-ray Disc
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and c ...
and
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
on June 10, 2012.
In the United States, the DVD and Blu-ray releases grossed $2,418,217 in physical sales.
In the United Kingdom, it was 2012's seventh 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 year's second best-selling
Asian-language film (below
''The Raid'').
See also
*
*
*
Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Until 1986, it was known as the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, meaning that any non-American film coul ...
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flowers of War, The
2011 romantic drama films
2011 films
Chinese war drama films
Chinese romantic drama films
Nanjing Massacre films
Films directed by Zhang Yimou
2010s Japanese-language films
2010s Mandarin-language films
English-language Chinese films
English-language Hong Kong films
Films about interracial romance
War romance films
Films based on Chinese novels
Films with screenplays by Liu Heng
Second Sino-Japanese War films
2011 war drama films
Hong Kong war drama films
Hong Kong romantic drama films
2010s English-language films
2011 multilingual films
Chinese multilingual films
Hong Kong multilingual films
2010s Hong Kong films