Beginning of the Great Revival (2011) on Netflix
China is divided in the years after the 1911 Xinhai Revolution. Mao Zedong, Li Dazhao and Zhou Enlai envision a unified China while the Treaty of Versailles hands Qingdao to Japan.
- Netflix1.4/5
- IMDb3.1/106,513 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes25%
Trailer
Plot summary
The story spans a decade of Chinese history, from the collapse of the Qing dynasty in 1911 to the emergence of a communist movement in the country. The Xinhai Revolution brings centuries of dynastic rule to a close, and the political crises that follow leave China split. Mao Zedong, Li Dazhao and Zhou Enlai are among the figures who envision a unified country. After World War I, the Western Allies hand Qingdao, along with Jiaozhou Bay, to Japan at the Treaty of Versailles, and the decision angers many young Chinese, who take part in the May Fourth Movement of 1919. In March 1920, Grigori Voitinsky travels to China to promote communism across the Far East.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Beginning of the Great Revival (2011)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- At a news conference on 8 June 2011, director Huang Jianxin said scenes were cut because the film ran too long for cinemas, among them Tang Wei's performance as Tao Yi, an early partner of Mao Zedong. Media reports claimed Mao Zedong's grandson, People's Liberation Army major-general Mao Xinyu, objected to her as unsuitable, citing her role in Lust, Caution.
- The Christian Science Monitor reported that ticket sales were inflated by mass distribution of free tickets, with staff given time off work to attend and schools and government offices made to buy large numbers of tickets. Complicit cinemas altered ticket stubs so viewers could see other films, and the Chinese media was not allowed to criticise the film.
- Liu Ye, who played a young Mao Zedong, gained 10 kg for the part, a feat achieved by eating 20 eggs a day.
- General Motors' Chinese joint venture Shanghai GM announced in September 2010 that its subsidiary Cadillac had become 'chief business partner' to the film, and General Motors was criticised once it emerged that the company had sponsored the Chinese communist propaganda film.
- The Chinese theatrical releases of Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 were delayed until late July, possibly to ensure The Founding of a Party received the maximum possible attention.
