The Opium War (1997)

Original title

鸦片战争

Directed by

Xie Jin

Genre

epic film, historical film, war drama

Country

People's Republic of China

Runtime

2h 33m

Rating

6.3 of 10 from 13 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

The Opium War is about the First Opium War between China and Britain in the mid 1800s. It follows Chinese official Lin Zexu and British diplomat Charles Elliot as their nations clash over trade and opium.

epicsolemnhistoricalgravegrand-scalepatrioticfact-based

What happens

The Opium War (鸦片战争) 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 First Opium War of 1839–1842, which was fought between the Qing Empire of China and the British Empire, from the perspectives of key figures such as the Chinese viceroy Lin Zexu and the British naval diplomat Charles Elliot. Unlike other films of the same era, The Opium War was endorsed by the government as culturally and historically significant. According to most critics, the film is factually correct in its essentials. With a budget of $15 million (USD), The Opium War, was the most expensive film produced in China at the time of its release. Conceived to celebrate the handover of Hong Kong to China, it premiered in July 1997. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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