The Real Lost World by Kristian Lin
"The Opium War" is a historical film set in the 1830s. When the Chinese government tried to ban opium, British opium dealers, who had grown wealthy from their trade, persuaded Queen Victoria to go to war for their business. The result was a humiliating defeat for the Chinese, who were forced to surrender Hong Kong to British control as part of the peace settlement.
The movie follows two main characters. Lin Zexu is the minister designated by the emperor to wipe out the opium trade. He's the only one with the situation sized up, as his government ignores his advice and vacillates in the face of the British threat. On the other hand, He Shinzhi, the son of a Chinese opium seller, survives the anti-drug campaign through his knowledge of English, which allows him to work as an interpreter in Chinese diplomatic business with England.
Writer/director Xie Jin is known in some circles as "the Chinese Spielberg," and it's easy to see why. "The Opium War" is an epic with solid plotting, judicious pacing, grand visuals, good acting, sentimental melodrama, and nothing terribly complex. The English are all villains in various shades, and the heroes must fight the stupidity and corruption of their colleagues and superiors as well as the enemy. The film's release in China was timed to coincide with the recent return of Hong Kong to Chinese rule. Ironically, "the Chinese Spielberg" has been trumped by the American one, as Chinese moviegoers have largely neglected "The Opium War" and flocked to see "The Lost World" instead.
The movie consistently holds your interest over its 2 1/2-hour length, but there's only a couple of truly memorable scenes. One is when Lin hears rumors that his own deputies are using opium and abetting the sellers. He calls them to a meeting and asks if this is true, which they all deny. Lin then announces that everyone is going to stay in the room and meditate for six hours. The director Xie manages a tensely funny slow burn as the deputies' withdrawal symptoms gradually grow worse and worse.
The other compelling bit comes at the end of the movie. On his way to exile, Lin meets Qishan, a minister who previously deposed him and is now sentenced to death. Lin gives Qishan a globe and asks him to present it to the emperor before his execution. "Tell him there are many powerful countries in the world besides China," says Lin, looking much sadder and wiser. His homeland's complacency has been shattered, but he still feels loss because China's illusion of cultural superiority was so glorious (aided as it was by a righteous cause). The emperor weeps in front of portraits of his great predecessors, but only Lin comprehends the inevitability of China's downfall as well as its scope. For all the movie's theatrics and cheap emotionalism, this is its one real moment of resonance. What has come before is a thoroughly conventional melodrama, but this concluding glint of perspective gives it a few transcendent minutes, which is more than many movies have.
Note: The opening and closing credits of the print I saw were in Chinese, so I was unable to obtain the names of the principal actors involved with the production. My apologies.
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