(left) Tang Guoqiang as Mao Zedong, and (right) Andy Lau with Zhang Guoli as Chaing Kai-Shek.
Although the film premiered on September 17, 2009 in mainland China, it has yet to receive publicity in Taiwan. It has been described as “propaganda” for the Communist Party. While the Taiwan government has asserted that it has no plans to actively censor the film, it will not be released until next year at earliest because Taiwan’s annual quota of 10 mainland films has already been reached.
The film retells the tale of the Communist ascendancy and triumph, and has a star-studded cast including Andy Lau, Ge You, Hu Jun, Leon Lai, Zhang Ziyi, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Zhao Wei, and directors Jiang Wen, Chen Kaige and John Woo, many of whom make cameo appearances so brief they could be easily missed; the leading roles are played by actors equally renowned in China, such as Tang Guoqiangand Zhang Guoli, but they are less well-known internationally. A CFG spokesman said many stars answered Han Sanping’s call to appear in the film, and waived their fee. Thus, the movie kept to its modest budget of 60–70 million yuan (US$8.8–$10 million). According to the executive at one of China’s top multiplex chains, the film unusually marries “the core of an ‘ethically inspiring’ film with commercial packaging.”