Not worse than Hollywood. Why Watch Eight Hundred - the Highest Grossing Film of 2020
Miscellaneous / / May 06, 2021
The Chinese painting combines stunning visuals and a very harsh emotional presentation.
On May 6, the historic blockbuster "Eight Hundred" is released in Russia. Its plot is based on a real event that took place during the Second Sino-Japan War: one battalion in Shanghai, having barricaded himself in a warehouse, for several days opposed many times superior forces enemy.
In China, the film made a splash even before its release. The picture was developed and filmed for a very long time, and it managed to become one of the most anticipated events of 2019. But at the last moment, the authorities removed it from the rental. It's all about the inner politics countries: the film was released on the anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China, and the main characters of the picture were the followers of the nationalist Chiang Kai-shek, and not the communist Mao Zedong.
Surprisingly, "Eight Hundred" was saved by the pandemic that hit the car rental all over the world. To bring people back to the newly opened cinemas, the Chinese government allowed the anticipated film to be shown in August 2020. True, its timing was slightly reduced, apparently, removing the moments that did not correspond to the party's policy.
"Eight Hundred" really shot at the box office. While much of the world's cinemas were still out of business, the film grossed over $ 440 million, surpassing even a third.Bad guys». But they came out even before the coronavirus restrictions.
The picture reached Russia with a great delay. But it is still worth watching, and it is on the big screen.
A blockbuster based on a true story
In the fall of 1937, the Chinese troops, which had been holding back the Japanese onslaught on Shanghai for several months, decided to retreat. Only one battalion remained to cover them, which at the same time had to prove to international observers that the army was ready to fight for every piece of native land.
These people went down in history as "Eight Hundred", although in reality there were even fewer of them - about 450 people. For four days, they defended the six-story Syhan warehouse, which was attacked by tens of thousands of Japanese.
And at this time, very close, on the other side of the river, where the international settlement was located (territory under the control of several states), a peaceful life was going on. People from the embankment watched the battle, more and more imbued with the courage of the Chinese military.
Already in 1938, the film Eight Hundred Brave Men was filmed in China about this event, and in 1976 a Taiwanese remake of the film was released. However, the new version is impressive first of all for its scale.
Although the action for the most part takes place in and around one building, the authors tried to show what is happening as believable as possible. During the making of the film, over 60 buildings were erected on a huge area historical period.
But it's not just the scenery that amazes. In terms of picture quality, Eight Hundreds are not inferior to Hollywood blockbusters. Filmed entirely on IMAX cameras, the visuals are great. From the outset, the war-torn area is shown in a gray-green color scheme, aerial footage showing destroyed houses and empty streets. In this area, the main events will develop.
But when the action moves into the territory of the settlement, everything blooms in almost carnival colors. People in expensive costumes walk the streets, artists stage performances. The townspeople perceive the war, which is taking place very close, as another show, and even place bets.
Both components were shot in a big way. Countless extras create a sense of the scale of what is happening. Hundreds of Chinese and thousands of Japanese soldiers on one side, crowds of onlookers on the other. And from a certain moment, cool visual effects will also come into play.
The Japanese could not use heavy equipment due to the danger of an explosion, but even without this, the filmmakers had enough material for exciting battles. Every single part of this long confrontation is filmed in its own way. Raid fighter are shown directly from the pilot's face, and the moments where the enemies converge almost point-blank are shown with a static camera, creating the feeling of an outside observer.
A combination of slowness and action
The film "Eight Hundred" lasts a considerable two and a half hours, which is comparable to "Blade Runner - 2049"And"Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood». But the picture simply cannot be called protracted. Such timing is needed to completely immerse the viewer in the atmosphere of what is happening.
The long introduction shows how the military is settling in a warehouse, from which many of them are not destined to leave. Long shots and the slowness of the storytelling create a sense of anxiety: For those who are locked in an atmosphere of constant fear and danger, every minute seems unbearably long.
And this viscous state will remain throughout the entire plot. But don't think that the film will seem slow. As soon as the next Japanese offensive begins, events unfold at a dizzying speed. Moreover, in "Eight Hundreds" the action and battles are shown with an unprecedented variety. Each enemy attack differs from the previous one: from attempts to send a secret group through a tunnel to a fighter attack and an attack under the guise of construction equipment.
Like the characters, the viewer has no idea what will happen the next moment and how the characters will have to respond to this. The heat reaches its apotheosis when the Chinese plant a flag on the roof of a building and keep it at the cost of considerable sacrifices.
Perhaps this is the only moment in which the presentation may seem too pretentious and propagandistic. But the sense of presence will not allow you to think about it for a long time. In some battle scenes, a live hand-held camera turns the viewer into a participant in the events: from the next explosion, you literally want to cover your head.
After each battle, there is a pause, during which the frames again become longer, and the camera shows the faces of the soldiers for a long time. But this only intensifies the feeling of anxiety.
Of course, Eight Hundred is not the first military blockbuster to have a similar mood. In part it can be compared to Dunkirk Christopher Nolan, which also shows the burdensomeness of time and the confusion of the soldiers. Partly - with the Russian-Belarusian "Brest Fortress", which told about a similar feat.
But still, the Chinese picture differs from all the examples listed. This film manages to be scary, aesthetic, large-scale and touching at the same time.
Heroism and lively emotions
Oddly enough, with a very emotional presentation and a story about human heroism, the authors of the film sometimes want to be accused of being too cold to the characters. Many of them are literally hard to remember. And the point is not only in the actors unusual for the Russian audience and their manner of acting.
It's just that they show too many characters in the picture and devote little time to each. It's not bad, just not too familiar in a world filled with Hollywood militants, where one or two main characters are traditionally surrounded by extras.
The creators of "Eight Hundred" clearly wanted to show not specific people, but all the variety of types. And for this story, this approach is the only correct one. They clearly demonstrate how such historical battles are built. To outsiders watching from the other side of the river, all soldiers are heroes. There is even a phrase: "If all the Chinese were so brave, the Japanese would not have poked their way towards us."
In fact, many of those who ended up in the warehouse got there against their will. The deserters are trying to escape, someone on their knees begs the soldiers to let him go, others are hiding behind the backs of their comrades. And they show it without judgment. If a person has worked as an accountant all his life or was a simple peasant, it is difficult to expect heroism from him in war. He can hardly hold the rifle.
And those who commit heroic deeds do so almost unconsciously. There is no time to think during an attack. At the same time, the enemies in the "Eight Hundreds" are almost completely impersonal: the Japanese are often shown from the back or their faces are covered with masks. It is immediately clear: this story is not about them.
However, the picture did without almost manipulativeness. Yes, loud pretentious phrases about the need to give your life for the country are often heard here. But still, they remain the background on which people behave as realistically as possible - not at all in the way that propaganda requires.
From the many actions of different characters located on both sides of the river, an event is formed that will go down in history. One can only complain that even in the finale the fate of many heroes will not be told. But, probably, it was more important for the authors to show them in the form of separate details of the picture, without focusing on one or the other.
"Eight Hundred" is a great option for getting acquainted with Chinese cinema those who previously watched only Hollywood and Russian films. This film surprises with the scope of filming and the quality of production. At the same time, the picture tells about a real historical event through the prism of perception of ordinary people, and not on-screen superheroes.
Read also🎥🎬💥
- 16 films about the revolution, from which it is difficult to break away
- 30 best TV series and films about the Great Patriotic War
- "Mauritanian": a film about a strong man, which is worth watching for everyone
- 10 Russian militants worthy of attention
- 10 best TV series about the war
"Hard and painful": what the first viewers of the fourth season of "The Handmaid's Tale" write
May 17 Major TV Shows: New Star Wars, Love, Death, and Robots and The Food Block
A photo of New York with a resolution of 120,000 megapixels has been published. Can you find a naked person on it?
Citylink sells Leatherman and Victorinox multitools. Selected 10 lucrative offers