History Background
Before I can talk about the movie, I must give a little history info. ChiBi is arguably the most famous and most dramatic battle in Chinese history. ChiBi was the stage-setting battle of the Three Kingdoms period.
You know, 2008 was a bad year for all of us, right? Well it was much worse in the year 208 (and the two decades preceding it). By 208, the long-reigning Han Dynasty had collapsed into the Hell of corruption, rebellion, puppet-leadership, famine, disease, and constant warfare. Instead of uniting, all the brightest minds of China had divided against and fought with each other to restore order and prosperity under their own leadership. Rebels, bandits, generals, and warlords had carved the vast empire into numerous tiny kingdoms.
An empire divided is an elimination game. Some leaders are better than others; the strong rise at the expense of the weak. In this game, one leader was particular competent. His name was Cao Cao. Cao Cao was intelligent in all things, including politics and warfare. And he was ruthless. By 208, he had eliminated most of the warlords and united northern China under his often tyranical control. By title, he had become the Prime Minister of the Han Emperor. In reality, he himself was the playmaking emperor of an incipient dynasty. With his political power and overwhelming military strength, in the year 208 Cao Cao began his campaign to wipe out the remaining warlords of the South.
In the autumn of 208, Cao Cao's campaign found successes that not only expanded his territory to the Yangzi River but also gifted him a sizeable navy. By the winter of 208, he stared down at ChiBi--the Red Cliff at the opposite side of the river. Cao Cao with his army of (supposedly) 800,000 was prepared to annihilate the two local warlords who between both of their kingdoms had 50,000. 800,000 versus 50,000! The evil Goliath versus two righteous but puny Davids! How could they possible withstand Cao Cao's onslaught? Well that is the story of ChiBi!
Movie Review
ChiBi is a war movie. So it has action. It has blood. It has death. Indeed it has all of these things on an epic scale. The cinematography here is incredible! And a brilliant soundtrack to peddle with your emotions. No wonder this is the most expensive movie ever produced in China. This is the kind of movie you must watch in the theatre before you buy the DVD.
But if ChiBi was only a war movie, there's no way I would unseat the sacred Jurassic Park to promote ChiBi as my favorite movie. ChiBi is so much more than a war movie. It is the art of war. This is about how to win a war with your mind. This is a movie about how to problem solve. And oh my are these people smart! Imagine, for example, that your army is desperately short on arrows. How would YOU solve the problem? Watch the movie to see how Zhuge Liang solves the problem, and you may revere him as much as I do!
Guess how long this movie is? Five hours. Five hours! (split into two parts; currently part 2 is playing in the theatre). In total, five hours! Not long enough!!!!!! Seriously, it's not long enough... they left some things out of the book! The history of the Battle of Red Cliffs (ChiBi) is recorded in the historical account of the Three Kingdoms. But it is also recorded in a Ming Dynasty epic novel called Romance of the Three Kingdoms. This novel is the source of all my knowledge and curiosity about the Three Kingdoms period. This novel and its stories are well known by nearly all Chinese people and in addition many people in the Koreas, Japan, Vietnam, and other parts of Southeast Asia. These stories of heroes from the Three Kingdoms period as recorded in this novel are famous in East Asian culture. Indeed I have heard that Romance of the Three Kingdoms is the second most widely read book in world history after the Bible. And the popularity of this novel are even spreading to the West as video games series based on the Three Kingdoms like Dynasty Warriors and Romance of the Three Kingdoms (a strategy game) have become popular.
What does the above tangent have to do with my review of the movie? Well, it leads to an appreciation. The movie could have dropped major subplots on account of the fact that the Chinese audience already understands the progression of events. Yet the movie doesn't drop any major subplots! All are illustrated. The story is as I remember it from the novel. And that's definitely a good thing! THANK YOU!
The movie does, however, change and add to some of the subplots. I'm okay with this. Certainly we all know that the author of Romance of the Three Kingdoms changed the history when he wrote his novel, and yet we adore his novel. ChiBi also changed some of the history and some of the events from the novel. I still adore the movie. In fact, I think in some ways the movie improves on the novel in the department of character development. In fact, character development is where the movie really shine
ZHUGE LIANG
Zhuge Liang is my hero. Zhuge Liang is my favorite character in the novel and my favorite character in this movie. And let me repeat, Zhuge Liang is my own personal hero. In the movie, he is well acted. He is brilliant. He is humble. And he is humorous. Zhuge Liang makes the movie.
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ZHOU YU
Some argue that Zhou Yu is the main character of the movie. I can see their point. He is a central person in the movie. And his place in Three Kingdom culture has shifted after this movie for this movie attempts to revolutionize the character of Zhou Yu. In the novel he is intelligent; but in the movie he is as brilliant as Zhuge Liang. In the novel, he is a petty, jealous 'friend' of Zhuge Liang; but in the movie, their friendship is genuine and deep. In the movie, he sets the standard for moral warfare. In short, Zhou Yu is a different person than the man you know from the novel. Where I despised the Zhou Yu in the novel, I respect and admire the Zhou Yu in this movie.
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CHANGBAN ZHAO ZILONG!!!!
Zilong is another one of my heroes. My Chinese name is Zilong in fact! In the novel, he is a well-rounded hero with numerous virtues. In the video game Dynasty Warriors, he is the central hero. In 2008, there was another movie produced just focusing on the story of Zilong. So Zilong is very important. But in this movie he gets very little airtime. But he still gets his famous scene of rescuing Lord Liu Bei's son and fending off Cao Cao 800,000 strong army! He also plays again in the final battle scene.
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CAO CAO
There is one word for Cao Cao in this movie. INTENSE! The actor portrays Cao Cao's brilliance, ambition, ruthlessness, and charisma as though he himself were Cao Cao. Bravo!
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SUN SHANG XIANG
This is the tomboy princess Sun Shang Xiang. In the novel, she is a rather flat character. In this movie she is very dynamic. Sun Shang Xiang is another front on which the movie has revolutionized the impression of a historical figure. In ChiBi, Sun Shang Xiang is noble, brave, clever, fiesty, and funny. You will like Sun Shang Xiang. Well-acted and an important part of the emotion of the film, she is one of my favorite characters in the movie.
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XIAO QIAO
"The most beautiful woman in all of China." Many men lust for her. Zhou Yu has won her heart, but Cao Cao plans to conquer it with his 800,000 strong army. In fact, some say she is the reason that Cao Cao launched his war. For most of the movie, her character plays the role of the stereotyped Asian beauty. But then--out of nowhere (this subplot is not even in the novel)--she has her moment of brilliance... brilliance! You will worship the tea poet Xiao Qiao too!
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SUN QUAN
He is the 'boy' ruler of the Wu Kingdom. Significant character development time is allotted to Sun Quan's maturing into a leader.
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GAN NING
Of the hundreds of heroic generals present at the battle of ChiBi, this movie focuses on General Gan Ning. His intensity and selflessness are admirable. He also has a classic funny scene. You'll know it when you see it.
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What about the other heroes, you ask?
Liu Bei: minimal airtime but a few remarks of wisdom
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Zhang Fei: featured in the beginning and end but mostly ignored except when used for comic relief
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Guan Yu: same use as Zhang Fei
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Huang Gai: his subplot is changed rather significantly in the movie
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Let me return to where I began. I think ChiBi is a proud accomplishment woth even more than the Olympics and the Great Wall. Exactly 1,800 yeas ago this winter, two kingdoms allied against a powerful foe and used their wits to accomplish something incredible in a dramatic battle of great historical significance. Within a few centuries, subsequent generations of intelligent people transformed the battle and its consequences into a myriad of exciting tales ripe for poetry, plays, and literature. In the Ming Dynasty, the particular talent of one Luo Guanzhong wrote an epic novel of highest quality; his literature still marches on its campaign to win the hearts of the known world: Chinese, other Asians, and ultimately even Westerners (I am not the only Three Kingdom fanboy... we are an army like the Star Trek nerds). Then in 2008 Chinese artists used the history and culture to make a film that displays the very best of Chinese acting, directing, script writing, choreography, cinematography, and musical score. ChiBi is the culmination of nearly 2,000 years of rich human capital.
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Okay, I have pictures of the Great Wall. I have memories of the Olympics. They're a little stale to be honest. But as I watched this movie, the excitement was so strong that I was shaking and almost going to cry! And I have been whistling the theme song of ChiBi for three days straight. I took over 100 pictures of me waving Zhuge Liang's goose-feather fan trying to capture an image of his brilliance. My mind plays with the stories of Romance of the Three Kingdoms as though they are dear friends. This is culture that captivates!
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So, when can you be captivated? This movie will come to North American theatres, I'm quite sure. I just don't know when. It will be called by it's English translation--Red Cliff (not ChiBi). It will not be 5 hours long either. It will be 2 hours or 2 and a half hours. It will have English subtitles. I don't anticipate that it will have quite the same impact on you as it did me. Afterall, my heart has been steeped in Three Kingdoms culture for four or five years. But you will enjoy the action. You will appreciate the story. You will marvel at the wisdom. You will see a very good film. That's a promise.
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Here is an unsubtitled Chinese preview to appetize your interest:
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[note: if you are in China as of this date 2/6/2009, go see ChiBi NOW in the theatre. This movie was the most anticipated movie of 2008 and 2009 and a major event in the history of Chinese cinema. Watching it in the theatre is every bit as 'significant' as watching the Olympics or taking your mug shot in front of the Great Wall. Plus, it's a damn good movie! And it will have English subtitles no matter where you see it. Choose to watch the previously released and by comparison more boring ChiBi part 1 first on DVD or not, but you must see ChiBi part 2. So go see it now in the theatre... and then tell me what you think!]
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