John Woo's Three Kingdoms
June 05, 2009
I just discovered to my infinite delight that in two weeks (next week in the US) a film is being released based on the epic battle of Chi Bi ("Red Cliffs"), directed by Hong Kong action guru John Woo. The original battle took place in 208 AD, and without wanting to spoil the ending of Red Cliff for those who don't know, was one of the greatest battles in history and possesses a truly legendary status in China and many nearby nations. Regulars of Only a Game should be aware by now how much I adore the Three Kingdoms era (and the ridiculous amount of time I spend playing Dynasty Warriors!) and I used to be a big Woo fan before Hollywood swallowed him up. I also love the recent Zhang Yimou Chinese epics such as Hero and House of Flying Daggers and have long wanted a Three Kingdoms story to make it to the big screen. This is the most excited I've been about an upcoming film in years, as indicated by the fact that I actually posted about a movie on my blog for the first time ever! I wish they were releasing the full two-part, four hour version in the West, but I suppose I can make do with the abridgement.
I'd actually not noticed, though i suppose I've not been around that long... heh.
wonder if it'll end up showing here? I'll have to see it if it does. [i really don't go to the theater much, but this may just entice me. hehe]
i tried reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms... but kinda stalled on it not long after the end of Lu Bu's bit. of course, i greatly enjoyed it up until then :D
i play a fair bit of DW/SW myself, actually. mostly prefer Empires though. [DW6 empires comes out... this month? next? I've forgotten again! *shocked*]
ever play Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII? it's Really good. [XI is Technically better in a lot of ways, but... just not quite so interesting to me, i guess *shrugs*]
to avoid wandering even MORE off topic [this train of thought leads to reinterpretations of Shakespeare set in japan :S] I'll just leave that there :D
Posted by: Chargone | June 05, 2009 at 12:20 PM
Chargone: I haven't got on with Empires as well as the main games, and I *nearly* tried the Romance of the Three Kingdoms game on the Saturn but it never happened in the end, and these days finding time for strategy games is all but impossible.
My wife and I read the whole of Romance of the Three Kingdoms a few years ago - it's one of those massively long tales that is still very rewarding to finish. Can't believe you gave up after the execution of Lu Bu - it just starts to get interesting then! :)
As for reinterpretations of Shakespeare set in Japan, Ran (i.e. King Lear) is one of my favourite films (some days I like it even more than Seven Samurai, which is my usual favourite). Kurasawa is easily my favourite director. I haven't seen Throne of Blood (i.e. Macbeth) yet, but I'm looking forward to it.
Best wishes!
Posted by: Chris | June 10, 2009 at 08:50 AM
... actually, Ran was exactly the movie i was thinking of. hehe. surprisingly good. it seems kinda wrong, but i burst out laughing at the end of that...
I'm not sure i really gave up on the book. it's sorta on that pile of 'things that were really awesome and I've just somehow never got back to'. the fact that it was an e-book didn't really help in that regard [though the amusing/informative comments in the 'margins' were kinda cool. including occasional DW references]. i need to remember that i want to get the 'dead tree' version next time i order books. and have space that's not taken up by ongoing series. and am not halfway broke... heh.
i think the empires games have been improving Faster than the basic games, actually...
oh, and apparently each iteration of the RotTK game is ... very different. still menu based and stat heavy, mind you. VIII is, in many ways, more RP than strategy. [though, of course, sometimes it has you roleplaying as a strategist. or ruler. the strategy comes back then :D].
fair enough on the time thing. not all of us are lucky enough as to not have a life that needs worrying about :D
Posted by: Chargone | June 10, 2009 at 11:50 AM
I can't imagine attempting Romance of the Three Kingdoms as an ebook - I have a four volume set of "dead trees". Much more manageable. ;)
Best wishes!
Posted by: Chris | June 12, 2009 at 08:38 AM