Epic films have large scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle. The term is slightly ambiguous, sometimes designating a film genre and at other times simply big-budget films. Like epics in the classical literary sense, it is often focused on a heroic character. An epic's ambitious nature helps to set it apart from other genres such as the period piece or adventure film .
30-574: The Warlords ( 投名狀 ), previously known as The Blood Brothers , is a 2007 Chinese–Hong Kong epic historical action film directed and co-produced by Peter Chan , starring Jet Li , Andy Lau , Takeshi Kaneshiro and Xu Jinglei . The film, set in China in the 1860s during the Taiping Rebellion , revolves around the sworn brotherhood of three men. The film was released on 13 December 2007 simultaneously in most of Asia, except Japan. It won
60-462: A Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film and a Golden Horse Award for Best Feature Film. For the film, Li became the highest paid actor in a Chinese-language movie, previously holding the record for his part in Hero (2002). The film is set in China in the 1860s during the Taiping Rebellion against the ruling Qing Empire . Pang Qingyun, the commander of an imperial battalion, is the sole survivor after
90-548: A militia and join imperial forces to suppress the rebellion. With Pang as their leader, the three men swear a blood oath and pledge loyalty to each other as brothers on the pain of death. Later, with minimal support from regular imperial forces, the militia scores a series of victories against the rebels. Over time, Pang becomes increasingly ambitious and prepares to attack the rebel-controlled city of Suzhou . However, Pang's imperial superiors have grown jealous of his success, so they start denying him reinforcements and supplies. As
120-438: A battle between imperial and rebel forces. He meets and befriends Zhao Erhu and Jiang Wuyang, the leaders of a bandit gang based in a nearby village, and joins them in raiding a rebel convoy for food supplies. That night, some imperial troops show up in the village and seize the supplies. Around this time, Pang starts a secret affair with Liansheng, Zhao's wife. Since the villagers are poor and starving, Pang convinces them to form
150-572: A massive scale. Biographical films may be less lavish versions of this genre. They often have a Roadshow theatrical release and are often shot on 70 mm film . Many writers may refer to any film that is "long" (over two hours) as an epic, making the definition epic a matter of dispute, and raise questions as to whether it is a "genre" at all. As Roger Ebert put it, in his "Great Movies" article on Lawrence of Arabia : The word epic in recent years has become synonymous with big-budget B picture . What you realize watching Lawrence of Arabia
180-472: A result, the battle of Suzhou turns into a year-long siege in which the militia gradually runs out of food and supplies. Zhao disguises himself and infiltrates Suzhou to assassinate the rebel commander, but learns that the commander is already planning to surrender. The commander allows Zhao to kill him on the condition that the imperials spare the lives of the rebels and civilians in the city. Meanwhile, Pang has managed to procure ten days' worth of supplies from
210-493: A rival imperial commander. When he learns of the deal Zhao has made with the rebels, he refuses to honour it because the supplies are insufficient to support both the militia and the surrendered rebels. A dispute between Pang and Zhao ensues, after which Pang temporarily puts Zhao in chains to prevent him from interfering. Pang then orders Jiang to oversee the massacre of the surrendered rebels, and Jiang regretfully carries it out. Embittered by Pang's decision, Zhao intends to desert
240-419: A trap and end up being killed without realising that it was Pang who wanted him dead. After Jiang learns that Pang is responsible for Zhao's death, he attempts to kill Pang. Although Pang manages to fend off and defeat Jiang, he is fatally wounded by a sniper sent by his political rivals. As he collapses, he allows Jiang to deliver the coup de grâce and fulfil their oath. Offscreen, it is mentioned that Jiang
270-529: Is another Chinese film with the English title Blood Brothers released in mid-2007.) When asked why he chose to move away from his familiar turf of romance films, Chan said that The Warlords is actually not a martial arts film at its heart, though it contains elements of martial arts. He added that he had made a wish to make a film depicting men's affections after watching John Woo 's 1986 film A Better Tomorrow over 20 years ago, and has now finally gotten
300-465: Is eventually arrested, made the scapegoat for Pang's assassination, and executed by lingchi . The film was originally titled The Blood Brothers ( 刺馬 ). Director Peter Chan said it was influenced by Chang Cheh 's 1973 film The Blood Brothers , which was based on a high-profile assassination of a local governor in 1870, but denied that it is a remake. He also decided to change the title to The Warlords in order to avoid confusion. (Note that there
330-421: Is rewarded with the position of a viceroy by the imperial government. During this time, Pang and Zhao have grown apart due to mistrust, especially after Zhao oversteps his authority by distributing funds to their men without Pang's approval. Yet, Zhao refuses to turn against Pang when Pang's political rivals hint that he should. Realising that he was losing control over Zhao and his men, Pang considers disbanding
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#1732787267329360-485: Is that the word epic refers not to the cost or the elaborate production, but to the size of the ideas and vision. Werner Herzog's Aguirre: The Wrath of God didn't cost as much as the catering in Pearl Harbor , but it is an epic, and Pearl Harbor is not. The epic is among the oldest of film genres, with one early notable example being Giovanni Pastrone 's Cabiria , a two-and-a-half hour silent film about
390-564: The Punic Wars , which laid the groundwork for the subsequent silent epics of D. W. Griffith . The genre reached a peak of popularity in the early 1960s, when Hollywood frequently collaborated with foreign film studios (such as Rome's Cinecittà ) to use relatively exotic locations in Spain, Morocco and elsewhere for the production of epic films such as El Cid (1961) or Lawrence of Arabia (1962). The genre soon spread to other regions of
420-643: The "epic" film, encompassing such examples as Ben-Hur , Gone with the Wind and more recently, 300 and the Star Wars films [...] none of these comes from literary epics per se , and there is little that links them with one another. Among those who espouse film genre studies, epic is one of the most despised and ignored genres". Finally, although the American Movie Channel formally defines epic films as historical films, they nonetheless state
450-592: The Wind is the highest-grossing film ever, with two other romantic epics ( Titanic and Doctor Zhivago ) also featuring among the global top ten. So far the most Academy Awards ever won by a single film stands at eleven. This feat has only been achieved by three films: Ben-Hur (1959), Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), all of which are above three hours long and considered epic films. The previous record holder
480-532: The basis of their enormous scope and the sweeping panorama of their settings such as How the West Was Won or East of Eden that do not have the typical substance of classical epics but are directed in an epic style. When described as "epic" because of content, an epic movie is often set during a time of war or other societal crisis, while usually covering a longer span of time sometimes throughout entire generations coming and passing away, in terms of both
510-518: The chance. His goal is thus to "lead [his] audience to reclaim [the same kind of passion]" as in A Better Tomorrow , which he said was lacking in recent films. Shooting began in early December 2006 in Beijing . Many outdoor scenes were shot in Beijing, Shanghai and Hengdian World Studios . The film ran into copyright troubles on 19 March 2007 when Chinese artist Wang Kewei filed a lawsuit against
540-449: The epic film may be combined with the genre of science-fiction and cite Star Wars as an example. Stylistically, films classed as epic usually employ spectacular settings and specially designed costumes, often accompanied by a sweeping musical score, and an ensemble cast of bankable stars . Epics are usually among the most expensive of films to produce. They often use on-location filming, authentic period costumes , and action scenes on
570-426: The epic is often credited to their ability to appeal to a wide audience. Several of the highest-grossing films of all-time have been epics. James Cameron 's 1997 film Titanic , which is cited as helping to revive the genre, grossed $ 1.8 billion at cinemas worldwide to become the highest-grossing film—a record it held for twelve years. If inflation is taken into account, then the historical romantic epic Gone with
600-402: The events depicted and the running time of the film. Such films usually have a historical setting, although speculative fiction (i.e. fantasy or science fiction ) settings have become common in recent decades. The central conflict of the film is usually seen as having far-reaching effects, often changing the course of history. The main characters' actions are often central to the resolution of
630-416: The film company for using his work in the promotional artworks without his consent. Wang claimed that in a short promotional video shown during a press conference held on 11 December 2006 in Beijing, the film company used ten pieces of his work with minor alterations. The film company has not given an official response. Production of The Warlords officially wrapped up on 28 March 2007. Post-production work
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#1732787267329660-623: The film has an aggregated score of 65% based on 51 reviews. Perry Lam of Muse has also given the film a generally positive review, praising it for taking "a clear-eyed but sympathetic look at its flawed heroes". Epic film Epic historical films would usually take a historical or a mythical event and add an extravagant setting, lavish costumes, an expansive musical score , and an ensemble cast , which would make them extremely expensive to produce. The most common subjects of epic films are royalty and important figures from various periods in world history. The term "epic" originally came from
690-403: The militia and reluctantly plots Zhao's assassination as he fears that Zhao might cause trouble. When Jiang learns of Pang's plan, he tries to dissuade Pang and inadvertently discovers Pang's ongoing secret affair with Liansheng. Jiang blames Liansheng for breaking their brotherhood and kills her. Meanwhile, Zhao is tricked into thinking that Pang is in danger and goes to save him, only to fall into
720-511: The militia but Pang begs him to stay and points out that the massacre was necessary and they have to conserve their supplies for their next battle in Nanjing , the rebel capital city. If they win, they can stop the rebellion and prevent further bloodshed. Convinced that Pang's choices are for the greater good, Zhao reluctantly agrees. After the Battle of Nanjing which marks the end of the war, Pang
750-676: The poetic genre exemplified by such works as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the works of the Trojan War Cycle . In classical literature, epics are considered works focused on deeds or journeys of heroes upon which the fate of many people depends. Similarly, films described as "epic" typically take a historical character, or a mythic heroic figure. Common subjects of epics are royalty , gladiators , great military leaders, or leading personalities from various periods in world history. However, there are some films described as "epic" almost solely on
780-474: The societal conflict. In its classification of films by genre, the American Film Institute limits the genre to historical films such as Ben-Hur . However, film scholars such as Constantine Santas are willing to extend the label to science-fiction films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars . Lynn Ramey suggests that "Surely one of the hardest film genres to define is that of
810-627: The world, such as India where it's flourishing Bollywood industry produced the landmark Mughal-E Azam (1960), which is widely considered as one of the greatest films of all time and a milestone in Asian epics. This boom period of international co-productions is generally considered to have ended with Cleopatra (1963), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) and Doctor Zhivago (1965). Nevertheless, films in this genre continued to appear, with one notable example being War and Peace , which
840-412: Was Gone with the Wind (1939), also an epic, with ten awards. Coup de gr%C3%A2ce A coup de grâce ( / ˌ k uː d ə ˈ ɡ r ɑː s / ; French: [ku də ɡʁɑs] 'blow of mercy') is a death blow to end the suffering of a severely wounded person or animal. It may be a mercy killing of mortally wounded civilians or soldiers, friends or enemies, with or without
870-577: Was done in Hong Kong , Los Angeles and Bangkok . Jet Li received US$ 15 million, while Andy Lau received US$ 6 million and Takeshi Kaneshiro received US$ 2 million for the film. The film had a budget of US$ 40 million. The producers explained the huge salary for Li (over a third of the film's budget) by saying Li's participation ensured an international distribution for the film. The film won many prizes in many Hong Kong, Chinese, Asian and international film festivals in 2008 and 2009. On Rotten Tomatoes ,
900-448: Was released in the former Soviet Union during 1967–1968. Epic films continue to be produced, although since the development of CGI they typically use computer effects instead of an actual cast of thousands. Since the 1950s, such films have regularly been shot with a wide aspect ratio for a more immersive and panoramic theatrical experience. Epic films were recognized in a montage at the 2006 Academy Awards . The enduring popularity of
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