New Int'l. Release

The Founding of a Republic

Jian guo da ye (China)

By DEREK ELLEY

'The Founding of a Republic'

A China Film Group release, presented in association with China Movie Channel, Shanghai Film Studio, Beijing Radio, Film & TV Group, Media Asia Films, Emperor Film Group, Beijing Guoli Changsheng Movies & TV Prods. Co., Beijing Hualu Baina Film & TV, Jiangsu Broadcasting, Beijing Polybona, DMG Entertainment, Beijing Xin Bao Yuan Film & TV Co. (International sales: China Film Group, Beijing.) Produced by Han Sanping, Huang Jianxin. Executive producers, Han, Yan Xiaoming, Ren Zhonglun, Albert Yeung, Peter Lam, Zhang Guoli, Liu Dehong, Zhou Li, Yu Dong, Xiao Wenge, Ding Xin. Directed by Han Sanping, Huang Jianxin. Guest directors, Chen Kaige, Peter Chan, Feng Xiaogang. Executive director, Du Jun. Screenplay, Wang Xingdong, Chen Baoguang.
 
With: Tang Guoqiang, Zhang Guoli, Xu Qing, Vivian Wu, Wang Wufu, Shi Xin, Wang Xueqi, Liu Jin, Hu Jun, You Yong, Zong Liqun, Wang Jian, Jin Xin, Xiu Zongdi, Liu Sha, Jiang Shan, Lu Liping, Wang Bing, Chen Kun, Feng Xiaogang, Chen Hao, Leon Lai, Huang Shengyi, Andy Lau, Sun Honglei, Tong Dawei, Wu Gang, Jet Li, Liu Hua, Chen Daoming, Jiang Wen, Ge You, Chen Kaige, Vicki Zhao, Donnie Yen, Yang Ruoxi, Che Yongli, Gong Beibi, He Lin, Chen Hong, Tao Zeru, Liu Yiwei, Lian Jin, Huang Xiaoming, Shen Aojun, Deng Chao, Zhang Ziyi, Wang Yajie, Ning Jing, Xu Fan, Fan Wei, Feng Fan, Tony Leung Kar-fai, Dong Xuan, Miao Pu, Guo Degang, Chen Shu, Zhang Hanyu, Wang Baoqiang, Chen Baoguo, Jackie Chan, John Leighton Stuart, Donald Freeman, Alexander Pavlov, Donald Eugene McCoy, Leslie H. Collings.
(Mandarin, English dialogue)
 

By far the biggest of a slew of pics celebrating New China's 60th anni, "The Founding of a Republic" is a cannily assembled, smoothly made chunk of political filmmaking. Perhaps realizing that few Chinese would line up nowadays for a regular "official" production, China Film Group topper Han Sanping (who shares the main helming credit with Huang Jianxin) has turned "Founding" into the most lavish star-spotting game in mainland cinema history, marbled with a few Hong Kong cameos for good measure. Pic isn't likely to get Western distribution anytime soon, but on several levels is worthy of attention.

"Founding," which swamped local screens Sept. 17, has officially passed Feng Xiaogang's 2008 romantic comedy "If You Are the One" as the biggest grossing Chinese film ever, with a whopping 334 million yuan ($49 million) in its first 20 days. The film could surpass "Titanic" as China's all-time B.O. champ by the end of its run, though local spy whodunit "The Message" started taking over screens in late September. In Hong Kong, "Founding" took a surprising $700,000 in its first five days.

Traversing most major (and a few minor) events in the gradual victory of the communists over the nationalists from August 1945 to October 1949, the pic adopts the usual format of datelined scenes, with characters introduced via captions. However, this time the fast-forward format -- largely consisting of men meeting in rooms -- is leavened by a fair amount of light comedy and actors who go beyond merely spouting historical background and political standpoints.

Most notably, a genuine dynamic emerges between communist leader Mao Zedong (Tang Guoqiang) and KMT head Chiang Kai-shek (Zhang Guoli). Seemingly reflecting the contempo detente between China and Taiwan, Chiang is treated as more than a simple villain. An early scene of the two meeting in Chongqing to talk terms after the end of the Sino-Japanese War in 1945 stresses that both were disciples of Sun Yat-sen, who set up the country's first republic in 1911.

The film could be the first of its kind to get a release in Taiwan -- early next year -- if statements by the Taiwan government are to be believed. However, some scenes -- especially a late one in which Chiang confesses to an officer (Andy Lau) that "the KMT has been ruined by our own hands" -- may prove too bitter a pill for even the island's current KMT administration to swallow.

Tang, the latest in a huge number of lookalikes to Mao, has a twinkly-eyed slyness that chimes well with Zhang's excellent perf as the unbending Generalissimo Chiang, who slowly realizes he's losing the game to a player who's even smarter than he is. On a secondary level, Xu Qing, as Sun's widow Soong Ching-ling, and Vivian Wu, as Chiang's wife Soong May-ling, powerfully portray the ice-cold ruthlessness of two sisters who deem power a right rather than a privilege.

Performances like these, and those of others such as Liu Jin as Mao's admired deputy, Zhou Enlai, create character arcs that help to bind the succession of small scenes into a greater whole. Though considerable material disappeared during the final edit (as well as other cameos, like John Woo's), the pic manages to take some time out with more extended sequences -- notably the nationalists' bombing of Mao's hideout in Yan'an -- that humanize the players.

For movie geeks bored with the politics, the pic is a cameo-spotter's paradise: There's Jet Li as a naval officer, Jackie Chan as a Hong Kong journalist, and Zhang Ziyi as a young communist in a women's group photo, to name just a few.

Going beyond mere walk-on, Chen Kun brings a frighteningly cool focus to Chiang's son, Chiang Ching-kuo. Equally effective are actor-helmer Jiang Wen as a quietly ruthless KMT officer, and, most entertainingly, helmer Feng as Shanghai's most famous gangster, Du Yuesheng.

The bulk of the pic was directed by Huang, whose fine list of credits portraying contempo China with an ironic eye stretches back to "The Black Cannon Incident" (1986). Both Feng and Chen Kaige (who also has an extended cameo as a nationalist officer) are among those who helped with helming chores.

Docu footage is sparingly used, except in the final rally in Tiananmen Square on Oct. 1, 1949, when Mao declared the PRC's founding. Use of large-scale military scenes from earlier pics -- here printed in black-and-white -- helped keep the pic's tab down to a relatively modest 30 million yuan ($4.4 million). Throughout, Zhao Xiaoshi's widescreen lensing is topnotch.

Han recently announced he's planning a similar extravaganza, "The Founding of a Party," set during 1917-21, for the 90th anni of the Communist Party in 2011.

Camera (color, widescreen), Zhao Xiaoshi; editor, Xu Hongyu; music/songs, Shu Nan; production designer, Zhao Jing; sound (Dolby Digital), Wang Danrong; visual effects supervisor, Fang Rongguo. Reviewed at Broadway Cinemas Star City 2, Beijing, Sept. 23, 2009. Running time: 138 MIN.