After a bit of a down period, Chen Kaige – the director of Farewell My Concubine and Yellow Earth – has been re-establishing himself as one of China's very best, recently.
His latest film, Sacrifice, begins its US theatrical projections while also arriving on VOD today – DVD will follow on September 4th – with a new US trailer to present its arrival. Take a look at this action-packed trailer:
Written and directed by Kaige and set during the affluent Yuan Dynasty in the 5th century B.C., this is the story of a newborn prince whose entire family – the Zhao clan – is wiped out by a rival general who ruthlessly seizes the throne. The doctor who delivers the baby gives up everything dearest to him to save the last young survivor in the bloodline of the noble Zhao, and secretly raises the child as his own. But the doctor, played by Ge You, has devised his own plot for revenge and makes the cold-blooded General, Tu Angu, the boy's godfather, allowing the would-be-King to infiltrate the royal palace as a guest. When the boy becomes a man, he must choose between two fathers, while the destiny of a nation rests with his decision.
Rich with suspense and emotion, this sweeping story is featuring outstanding performances by some of China's great actors including Ge You (Farewell My Concubine), Wang Xue-Qi (Forever Enthralled), Fan Bing-Bing, Zhang Feng-Yi and Huang Xiaoming. Sacrifice was the number one film in the China for two weeks and is based on the classic play Orphan of Zhao, written by Ji Jun-Xiang, which was the first Chinese play known to Europe.
Sacrifice will premiere in theatres nationwide and on-demand on July 27th, 2012.