Sacrifice (2010 film)
Encyclopedia
Sacrifice is a 2010 Chinese historical drama film directed by Chen Kaige
. The film is based on the Yuan Dynasty
play Orphan of Zhao
.
Cheng Ying brings the baby Zhao Wu home, but alas, his wife gives up the child to the searching soldiers, claiming Zhao Wu as her own son. Cheng then asks Gongsun Chujiu to bring his wife and son (disguised as Zhao Wu) out of the city, while he stays behind to try and retrieve his real son from Tu Angu. Tu finds Cheng suspicious and Cheng lies that the Zhao orphan has been taken out of the city by Gongsun. Tu then leads his soldiers to Gongsun's house and finds Cheng's wife and son. Mistaking Cheng's son as the Zhao orphan, Tu kills the infant, Gongsun and Cheng's wife.
Cheng is devastated by the loss of his family and he swears vengeance on Tu Angu. He brings Zhao Wu to Tu's house and raises the boy there. Tu misbelieves that Zhao Wu is Cheng's child and treats him like a son. Zhao Wu gradually grows up under Tu's tutelage and develops a father-son bond with Tu. Cheng Ying also forges a close friendship with the disfigured Han Jue and they secretly plot to help Zhao Wu avenge his family.
One day, Cheng Ying breaks the truth to Zhao Wu, telling him that Tu Angu, who has been a fatherly figure to him for the past 15 years, is actually the murderer of his family. Zhao is unable to accept the truth initially but his attitude changes as he hears from Han Jue about how Cheng Ying sacrificed his own son to save him. Zhao and Cheng finally confront Tu Angu, but Tu is aware of Zhao's true identity, as over the years, he has noticed that the boy resembles Zhao Shuo. Zhao Wu engages Tu Angu in a sword fight but is no match for Tu. At the critical moment, Cheng sacrifices himself to give Zhao an opportunity to stab and kill Tu. The film ends with the dying Cheng having a vision of his reunion with his family.
sought actors he has worked with before, such as Sun Honglei
, Hiroyuki Sanada
and Jang Dong-gun
. He also sought Song Hye-kyo for the role of Princess Zhuang, but Song dropped out due to unknown reasons before filming began and the role eventually went to Fan Bingbing. Honey Lee attended a press conference together with Song Hye-kyo, causing confusion that she was also part of the cast, but Lee later clarified that she was there to mentally support Song.
Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema. His films are known for their visual flair and epic storytelling.-Early life:...
. The film is based on the Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
play Orphan of Zhao
Orphan of Zhao
The Orphan of Zhao, or Orphan of the House Tcho is a Chinese play of the Yuan Dynasty, attributed to someone named Ji Junxiang , about whom almost nothing is known. Based on an episode in Shiji, the play has its full name The Great Revenge of the Orphan of Zhao Family .It is the first Chinese play...
.
Plot
The story is set in the Jin state during the Spring and Autumn Period of ancient China. The chancellor Zhao Dun and his son, General Zhao Shuo, have a rift with General Tu Angu. Tu secretly murders the duke with poison and pushes the blame to the Zhao family, using that as an excuse to massacre the entire Zhao clan of about 300 people. The only survivor is Zhao Shuo's baby son Zhao Wu, born to the duke's older sister Princess Zhuang. Zhuang pleads with Tu Angu's subordinate Han Jue to spare her child and commits suicide after entrusting Zhao Wu to the physician Cheng Ying, telling Cheng to bring the child to Gongsun Chujiu, a friend of the Zhao family. When Tu Angu learns that the orphan had escaped, he slashes his sword at Han Jue's face in anger, disfiguring him. Subsequently, Tu issues orders to seal the gates and to gather all newborn babies in the city. The ploy was to identify the Zhao orphan since Tu was counting on those hiding the baby(Cheng) to not hand him over; hence singling out the one baby left in the city to be the Zhao infant.Cheng Ying brings the baby Zhao Wu home, but alas, his wife gives up the child to the searching soldiers, claiming Zhao Wu as her own son. Cheng then asks Gongsun Chujiu to bring his wife and son (disguised as Zhao Wu) out of the city, while he stays behind to try and retrieve his real son from Tu Angu. Tu finds Cheng suspicious and Cheng lies that the Zhao orphan has been taken out of the city by Gongsun. Tu then leads his soldiers to Gongsun's house and finds Cheng's wife and son. Mistaking Cheng's son as the Zhao orphan, Tu kills the infant, Gongsun and Cheng's wife.
Cheng is devastated by the loss of his family and he swears vengeance on Tu Angu. He brings Zhao Wu to Tu's house and raises the boy there. Tu misbelieves that Zhao Wu is Cheng's child and treats him like a son. Zhao Wu gradually grows up under Tu's tutelage and develops a father-son bond with Tu. Cheng Ying also forges a close friendship with the disfigured Han Jue and they secretly plot to help Zhao Wu avenge his family.
One day, Cheng Ying breaks the truth to Zhao Wu, telling him that Tu Angu, who has been a fatherly figure to him for the past 15 years, is actually the murderer of his family. Zhao is unable to accept the truth initially but his attitude changes as he hears from Han Jue about how Cheng Ying sacrificed his own son to save him. Zhao and Cheng finally confront Tu Angu, but Tu is aware of Zhao's true identity, as over the years, he has noticed that the boy resembles Zhao Shuo. Zhao Wu engages Tu Angu in a sword fight but is no match for Tu. At the critical moment, Cheng sacrifices himself to give Zhao an opportunity to stab and kill Tu. The film ends with the dying Cheng having a vision of his reunion with his family.
Cast
- Ge YouGe YouGe You is an acclaimed Mainland Chinese actor. A native of Beijing, he is considered by many to be one of the most recognizable acting personalities in the Mainland...
as Cheng Ying (程婴), a physician - Wang XueqiWang XueqiWang Xueqi is a Chinese film actor whose career has spanned over 25 years. He was often cast in early Fifth Generation films, such as Chen Kaige's Yellow Earth and The Big Parade , Huang Jianxin's Samsara, and Zhang Yimou's Codename Cougar...
as Tu Angu (屠岸贾), a Jin general - Zhang FengyiZhang FengyiZhang Fengyi is a Chinese actor most famous for his role in Farewell My Concubine, as a Chinese stage actor dealing with China's changing political climate and the affections of his singing partner...
as Gongsun Chujiu (公孙杵臼), a Jin official and Zhao family friend - Huang XiaomingHuang XiaomingHuang Xiaoming is a mainland Chinese actor, singer, and model. He is often referred to as China's "number one heartthrob" or "number one young male"...
as Han Jue / Han Xianzi (韩厥 / 韩献子), Tu Angu's subordinate - Fan Bingbing as Princess Zhuang (庄姬公主), Zhao Shuo's wife and Duke Ling's older sister
- Hai Qing as Cheng Ying's wife
- Vincent ZhaoVincent ZhaoVincent Zhao Wenzhuo , sometimes credited as Chiu Man-cheuk, is a Chinese actor and martial artist. Zhao is best known playing the role of Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung in the Once Upon a Time in China film and television series.-Early life:Zhao was born in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China, as the...
as Zhao Shuo / Zhao Zhuangzi (赵朔 / 赵莊子), a Jin general - Bao Guo'an as Zhao Dun / Zhao Xuanzi (赵盾 / 赵宣子), the Jin chancellor
- Li Dongxue as Ti Miming (提弥明), Zhao Dun's bodyguard
- Zhao Wenhao as Zhao Wu / Zhao Wenzi (赵武 / 赵文子), the Zhao family orphan. Wang Han played a younger Zhao Wu.
- Peng Bo as Duke Ling of Jin (晋灵公), ruler of Jin
Casting
In selecting cast members, director Chen KaigeChen Kaige
Chen Kaige is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema. His films are known for their visual flair and epic storytelling.-Early life:...
sought actors he has worked with before, such as Sun Honglei
Sun Honglei
Sun Honglei, born 16 August 1970 in Harbin, China is a Chinese actor.-Background:Sun developed an interest in acting and performances at a young age. He often skipped school to learn breakdancing on the streets and eventually gave up his studies entirely to pursue dancing as a career, eventually...
, Hiroyuki Sanada
Hiroyuki Sanada
is a Japanese actor.-Life and career:Sanada was born in Tokyo. Originally aiming to be an action star, starting with shorinji kempo, he eventually took up Kyokushin kaikan Sanada began training at age 11 with actor and martial arts star Sonny Chiba's Japan Action Club where he developed good...
and Jang Dong-gun
Jang Dong-gun
-Early life:Spending his childhood in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, he later went on to the Korea National University of Arts, dropping out before obtaining a degree.-Career:Jang Dong-gun first entered the entertainment world in a talent contest in 1992...
. He also sought Song Hye-kyo for the role of Princess Zhuang, but Song dropped out due to unknown reasons before filming began and the role eventually went to Fan Bingbing. Honey Lee attended a press conference together with Song Hye-kyo, causing confusion that she was also part of the cast, but Lee later clarified that she was there to mentally support Song.