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A poster for the Chinese movie 'Red Cliff.'
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The movie "Red Cliff" by director John Woo, who is known for his hit Hollywood movies like "Mission Impossible 2" and "Face Off", took 18 years in the making. This time it's a historic battle that's being put on the silver screen.
"Red Cliff" is based on the Battle of Red Cliffs, which took place just prior to the rise of the Three Kingdoms in China. The Three Kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu were created between 220 and 280 A.D. The Battle of Red Cliffs is said to be the decisive war which led to the formation of these kingdoms.
In the battle two southern warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan join hands to fight against the numerically superior northern warlord Cao Cao and his forces. The victory gives them control over the Yangtze River, and they form a line of defense paving the way for the rise of the two southern kingdoms Shu and Wu.
The movie began shooting in April 2007 with a team made up of people from China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. It cost a total of US$70 million, over 10 percent of which has been funded by a Korean entertainment group. The cast includes Tony Leung as Zhou Yu, Takeshi Kaneshiro as Zhuge Liang, and Fengyi Zhang as Cao Cao.
Movie experts say the collaborated project will go up against blockbuster Hollywood movies following its release on July 10. But this is only part one of the epic story; part two will be released in the winter.
Arirang News
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