| The Opium War | |
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| Traditional | 鴉片戰爭 |
| Simplified | 鸦片战争 |
| Mandarin | Yāpiàn Zhànzhēng |
| Directed by | Xie Jin |
| Produced by | Chen Zhigu |
| Screenplay by | Zhu Sujin Ni Zhen Zong Fuxian Mai Tianshu |
| Starring | Bao Guo'an Bob Peck |
| Music by | Jin Fuzai Huang Hanqi |
| Cinematography | Hou Yong Shang Yong |
| Editing by | David Wu Qian Lili Zhang Longgen |
| Studio | Emei Film Studio Xie Jin / Heng Tong Film & TV Co. |
| Distributed by | Theatrical: Golden Harvest International sales: "The Opium War" Film & Television Company |
| Running time | 150 minutes |
| Country | China |
| Language | Mandarin |
The Opium War is a 1997 Chinese historical epic film directed by Xie Jin. The winner of the 1997 Golden Rooster and 1998 Hundred Flowers Awards for Best Picture, the film was screened in several international film festivals, notably Cannes and Montreal. The film tells the story of the Opium War between China in the waning days of the Qing Dynasty and the British Empire, through the eyes of key figures like the fiercely nationalistic Lin Zexu, and the British naval diplomat Charles Elliot.
Unlike many of its contemporaries, The Opium War was strongly supported by the state apparatus.[1] Despite its clear political message, many Western commentators found the treatment of the historical events to be generally even-handed.[2]
At the time of its release, The Opium War, with a budget of US$15 million dollars, was the most expensive film produced in China.[3] It was released to coincide with the Hong Kong handover ceremony in July 1997.
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Despite its clear political background (and its release on the eve of the return of Hong Kong to China), the film was generally well received by Western critics as workable example of the big-budget historical film. Variety, in one review, begins with the fact that despite the film's "unashamedly political message," The Opium War was nevertheless "comparatively even-handed," while the film itself had excellent production values.[4] The Guardian recognized that the film, despite its official backing, "was relatively nuanced," and praised the performance of Bob Peck as the venal opium trader Denton.[5]
The film's domestic release was also positive, with The Opium War eventually winning the Golden Rooster for Best Film.
The film was shot in Hengdian World Studios, Zhejiang, a common filming site for historical films dubbed "Chinawood." In order to recreate the streets of 19th century Guangzhou, nearly 120 construction teams from surrounding villages were assembled.[6] In contrast, nearly all post-production took place in Japan.[4]
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