The Volunteers: To the War

The Volunteers: To the War
Theatrical release poster
Traditional Chinese志願軍：雄兵出擊
Simplified Chinese志愿军：雄兵出击
Hanyu PinyinZhìyuànjūn: Xióngbīng Chūjī
Directed byChen Kaige
Written byZhang Ke
Produced by
  • Fu Ruoqing
  • Zhang Dayong
Starring
Cinematography
  • Zhao Fei
  • Li Qiang
  • Hu Tao
Edited byLi Dianshi
Music by
  • Zhiyi Wang
  • Yu Xiaomu
Production
companies
Release date
  • 28 September 2023 (2023-09-28)[1]
Running time
140 minutes[2]
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin
Box office$121.4 million[3][4]

The Volunteers: To the War (Chinese: 志愿军：雄兵出击) is a 2023 Chinese war film directed by Chen Kaige. Set during the Korean War, the film is intended to be the first installment of a planned trilogy from Chen depicting China's involvement in the war.[1]

The film was released on 28 September 2023.

Plot

In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the new China faced a situation of "internal and external troubles". Since the outbreak of the Korean War, the US military has repeatedly provoked on the Sino-North Korean border, and civilians have been bombed. In order to safeguard the hard-won peace and long-term stability for generations, in October 1950, Chairman Mao decided to send the People's Volunteer Army led by Comrade Peng Dehuai to fight in Korea, and the "War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea" kicked off. Our senior leaders conducted a series of careful discussions and deductions, and sent Premier Zhou to Moscow to request support. This is a "national war". On the Korean battlefield, even though there was a huge gap in armament strength, our army exchanged heroic sacrifices for successive victories; on the diplomatic stage, the delegation of the People's Republic of China appeared at the United Nations for the first time, and China's new voice won international respect. New China, not giving up an inch of land to promote national prestige; new youth, high-spirited to protect their country

Cast

Production

Production on the film began in July 2022,[5] and finished thirteen months later in August 2023.[2]

Marketing

A trailer for the film was released on April 21, 2023.

Music

Release

The Volunteers was released in China on September 28, 2023, timed to coincide with the country's National Day on October 1.[1]

Box office

The film earned $34.7 million in its first four days of release, behind Under the Light and The Ex-Files 4: Marriage Plan.[6] The film fell below expectations at the box office.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Rosser, Michael (September 25, 2023). "Fortissimo boards Chen Kaige's 'The Volunteers: To The War'". Screen Daily. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Xu Fan (3 October 2023). "War blockbuster earns highest acclaim among holiday films". Chinadaily.com.cn. China Daily Information Co. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  3. ^ "China Box-office". China Movie Database. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  4. ^ "Volunteer Soldiers Attack (志愿军：雄兵出击)". The Numbers. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  5. ^ Liu Wen (12 April 2023). "陈凯歌携《志愿军》亮相北影节红毯，影片将分多集上映". news.sina.com (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  6. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (1 October 2023). "China Box Office: Zhang Yimou's 'Under the Light' Wins Mid-Autumn Holiday Race With $63M Opening". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  7. ^ Liang, Rachel (22 October 2023). "In China, Chest-Thumping Nationalistic Films Lose Momentum". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
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