The Founding of a Republic (2009) on Netflix
In August 1945 Japan surrenders, but China is not yet unified. Mao Zedong and other Communist leaders travel to Chongqing to meet Chiang Kai-shek for a peace negotiation.
- Netflix2.5/5
- IMDb4.9/104,079 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
The Nationalist government claims authority over a country it does not fully control, while the Communist Party has built a strong base behind enemy lines. Japan's surrender in August 1945 ends eight years of resistance warfare, yet unification remains out of reach. Mao Zedong and other Communist leaders travel to Chongqing to meet Chiang Kai-shek and discuss peace and the start of a democratic nation, with help from Zhang Lan and the China Democratic League. The two sides sign the Double Tenth Agreement on October 10, 1945, pledging to end the fighting and form a government of several parties.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Founding of a Republic (2009)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Ge You and Jackie Chan wanted to play one of the great historical leaders when they joined The Founding of a Republic, but the director turned them down because their looks were too unlike the real figures: he already had Tang Guoqiang, famous for such roles, in mind.
- A spokesman said many of the stars who appear in the film waived their fee, which kept its budget modest; the budget began at 30 million yuan (US$4.7 million) but the final cost was 60-70 million yuan (US$8.8-10 million).
- The Chinese film rating site Douban had to disable the rating feature for The Founding of a Republic, and for the other films in the trilogy, because of their negative impact.
- Before the film's release, news circulated that 21 actors in it, including Chen Kaige and Chen Hong, were foreign nationals, and the row drew wide attention because of the film's popularity and its link to the Republic's 60th anniversary.
- The Founding of a Republic was the first zhuxuanlu, or propaganda, film to pursue its political and ideological goals purely through cinematic audio-visual methods; since its 2009 production the line between propaganda and commercial film has blurred.
- Wu Junmei had sworn never to play Soong Mei-ling again after The Soong Sisters, unhappy that scenes were cut and finding the character so difficult that she grew less confident as filming went on, yet after 12 years she took the part again in The Founding of a Republic.
- "Zhui Xun" was written for the film by Zhang Heping and Shu Nan, and during production many prominent artists, among them Jackie Chan and Andy Lau, volunteered to sing it, but after the demo the team chose Sun Nan as the vocalist.
- The film's theme song went through seven revisions, wove the melody of "The Internationale" into its chorus, and was recorded with a 60-member choir and a fully arranged symphony orchestra.
