| Seediq Bale Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale |
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The English theatrical poster of Seediq Bale |
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| Directed by | Wei Te-Sheng |
| Produced by | John Woo Jimmy Huang |
| Written by | Wei Te-Sheng |
| Starring | Umin Boya Masanobu Ando Landy Wen Irene Luo Vivian Hsu |
| Music by | Ricky Ho |
| Cinematography | Chin Ting-Chang |
| Distributed by | The ARS Film Production Fortissimo Films |
| Release date(s) | Part 1:_September 9, 2011 Part 2:_September 30, 2011 (Taiwan) Part 1:_November 17, 2011 Part 2:_December 1, 2011 (Hong Kong) Single version:_February 17, 2012 (United States) |
| Running time | Part 1: 144 minutes Part 2: 132 minutes Both: 276 minutes Single version: 155 minutes |
| Country | Taiwan |
| Language | Seediq, Japanese, Taiwanese, Chinese Mandarin |
| Budget | NT$ 700 - 750 million (US$ 23 - 25 million)[1] |
| Box office | Taiwan: NT$ 900 million (US$ 30 million) Hong Kong: |
Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (Chinese: 賽德克‧巴萊; pinyin: Sàidékè Balái, Seediq: |l=Real Seediq or Real Men}}) is a 2011 Taiwanese historical drama epic film directed by Wei Te-Sheng and produced by John Woo, based on Wushe Incident in central Taiwan in 1930.
The film is divided into two parts - the full versions in Taiwan, the part 1 is called "太陽旗" (The Flag of Sun), and the part 2 is called "彩虹橋" (The Bridge of Rainbow), both running at a total of up to four and half hours.
The film was shown in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival and it was selected as a contender for nomination for the 84th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film in 2011.[2][3][4] But the original two parts are combined into the single cut version; its running time only two and half hours.
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During the Japanese rule of Taiwan since 1895, the Seediq nation of Taiwanese aborigines were forced to lose their own culture and give up their faith. Men were subject to harsh labor and kept from traditional hunting; whereas women had to serve the Japanese policemen and their families by doing the household work and giving up their traditional weaving work. Above all, they were forbidden to tattoo their faces. And these tattoos were seen as the Seediq's traditional belief to transform themselves into Seediq Bale ("real men"). Mona Rudao, the protagonist, witnessed the repression by the Japanese over a period of 30 years.
Sometime between autumn and winter 1930, when the slave labor is at its harshest, a young Seediq couple are married and a joyful party is thrown. At the same time, a newly appointed Japanese policeman goes on his inspection tour to this tribe. Mona Rudao's first son, Tado Mona, offers wine to the policeman with gusto, but is in return beaten up because his hands were considered not clean enough. With anger, Tado Mona and his brother Baso Mona attack the policeman. And from that day onward, their tribe is living in the shadow of being the object of revenge by the Japanese.
In a few days, a group of youth surround Mona Rudao. They strongly request him to lead the retaliation against the Japanese. Mona Rudao struggles for a long time between extending his fellow's lives and fighting back for dignity, until he sees these youngster's faces - clear without Seediq's tattoos - that he made up his mind. He tells the youngsters, "Japanese troops out-number the stones in Dakusui River, more intensive than the leaves in the forest, but my determination fighting them is ever stronger than Mt. Kire."
"Children! On the tip of the Rainbow Bridge led to home of our ancestor's spirits, there is another beautiful hunting range. Our ancestors are all there! Remember, only brave spirits can enter this place, and we can never lose it. My fellows, let us hunt the heads of our enemies, and we wash our spirits with blood so that we walk the Rainbow Bridge to be always with our ancestors."
The film Seediq Bale depicts the Wushe Incident, which occurred in central Taiwan during the Japanese rule. When the Seediq Bale, believing in the Rainbow, and the Japanese, believing in the Sun, met one another, they fought. The leader of Seediq Bale, Mona Rudao, led 300 warriors fighting against 3000 Japanese troopers. The only thing they forgot was whether it was the Rainbow or the Sun they believed in; they actually believed in the same sky.
Seediq Bale seeks to portray the Wushe Incident, a 1930 Seediq uprising led by Mona Rudao against the Japanese when Taiwan was a colony under Japanese rule beginning in 1895.[5] In 2003, Wei raised NT$ 2 million to shoot a 5-minute demonstration film in order to showcase the story and to garner financial support.[6] Despite the short film's positive critical reception, Wei could not secure enough funding to begin filming. However, due to the popularity of Wei's first full-length film Cape No. 7 in 2008, the director decided to revive Seediq Bale. It began production in 2009 with a US$10 million budget.[7][8][9]
In September 2011, Seediq Bale had its world premiere at the 68th Venice International Film Festival, but the original two parts are combined into the one cut version and its running time is only two and half hours.[10] It also was shown at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2011.
Early reaction to the movie has noted both the realism of its violence (which is due to the historical accuracy of its depictions of battle), and its undertone of Taiwanese nationalism. A review in The Economist avers that the film "[q]uite probably... has the highest number of graphic beheadings of any film anywhere. But they are faithful historical depictions."[11] As Walter Russell Mead further commented, "This type of movie, done well, can inspire whole societies with nationalist pride, reinforce the prominence of folk heroes (including, quite often, violent ones), and strengthen a people’s togetherness at the expense of foreigners."[12]