Empire of Silver
Director: Christina Yao
Genre: History, Biography, Family Film, Romance Film, World cinema, Drama, Chinese Movies
Year: 2009
Country: China, Hong Kong, Republic of China (Taiwan)
Language: Standard Mandarin, English Language, Chinese language
Starring: Zhang Tielin, Aaron Kwok, Jennifer Tilly, Lei Hao, Zhicheng Ding, Shih Chieh King, Lantian Chang, John Paisley, Zhen Yu Lei, Jonathan Kos-Read, Zhong Lü, Niu Tien
Empire of Silver (simplified Chinese: 白银帝国; traditional Chinese: 白銀帝國; Mandarin Pinyin: Báiyín Dìguó; Jyutping: Baak6 Ngan4 Dai3 Gwok3) is a 2009 film written and directed by Christina Yao. The historical epic concerns the turn-of-the-century Chinese economy and its relation to the Boxer Rebellion and stars Aaron Kwok and Jennifer Tilly.
As of October 2011, Empire of Silver has received mixed reviews and has a 50% rating at RottenTomatoes.com.
(This is information generated from a Wikipedia article, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.)
"Director Christina Yao’s opulent feature film is a dynastic saga; it is also a passionate love story and a moral tale, based on historical events. The story of the Kangs, a family of bankers, and their banking empire on China’s ‘Wall Street’ spans a period from the Boxer Uprising to the Chinese Revolution and the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949.
The film begins in 1899. A carefree, hedonistic young man is next in line to inherit a banking empire which has hitherto meant very little to him. However, following a tragic abduction, of which his sister-in-law was the victim, this ‘third man’ reluctantly bows to his authoritative father’s iron will. Keen to prepare his offspring for the time when he will take over his financial conglomerate, this powerful banker, Kang, is determined to turn his son into as ruthless a businessman as himself. However, his idealistic son has always called into question his father’s high-handed style of leadership and hard-nosed business principles. The tense relationship between the two men is put under additional strain on account of Kang junior’s undying love for his beautiful young step-mother. She was the first and only love of his life – before his father stole her from him. It is time for him to decide whether he will take the path his father trod before him or whether he will make his own way in life … "
Quoting the program notes from the 2009 Berlin Film Festival site.
Internet Movie Database