Empire of Silver (2009) (original) (raw)
Original title
Baiyin diguo (Empire Of Silver)
Year
2009
Running time
113 min.
Country
Taiwan
Director
Screenwriter
Cast
Music
Cinematography
Producer
Co-production Taiwan-China-Hong Kong;
Genre
Drama. Romance | Historical. Biography. 1900s
Synopsis
Taiwan's top tycoon and richest person Gou Tai Ming invested over US$10 million to make a film version of the historical novel "The Silver Valley" written by Cheng Yi. The novel is about the merchants of the Shanxi province - where Gou's ancestors hailed from - at the end of the Qing Dynasty of China. Monopolizing the country's financial sector, Shanxi merchants amassed an enormous amount of wealth, while their influence extended to most of Asia and even Europe, earning them the analogy of "the Wall Street of China".
Premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival 2009, the film adaptation titled Empire of Silver is produced by renowned film critic Peggy Chiao and directed by theater director Christina Yao. Obviously, to most audiences, the main draw of the film lies in its brilliant cast. Taking top billing is Hong Kong superstar Aaron Kwok, who was twice crowned Best Actor at the Golden Horse Awards for Divergence and After This Our Exile. Here, he is given strong support by Mainland veteran actor Zhang Tielin (the highly popular TV series Princess Returning Pearl), starlet Hao Lei (Summer Palace), and American actress Jennifer Tilly (Bullets over Broadway).
At the end of the 19th century, Lord Kang (Zhang Tielin) is the rich and powerful head of the Shanxi banking empire. He intends to make his son "Third Master" (Aaron Kwok) his heir, but the young man cares more about liquor and women than his family business, and not until his family is hit by a tragic incident does he reluctantly step up into the leader role. However, the idealistic Third Master often clashes with his father, for he does not agree with Lord Kang's ruthless ways and questionable business ethics. What's making their relationship worse is that Third Master still has feelings for the girl (Hao Lei) who has now become his stepmother after unwillingly married Lord Kang. Amidst greed, deceit, and jealousy, he must decide whether to follow through on his father's path when the country is at a turbulent time with threats of foreign invasion and impending revolutions...
Awards
2009: Shanghai Film Festival: Jury Prize
Critics' reviews
- "Epic in sweep and scale and packs in enough incident to cover two "Godfather" movies."
- "The movie is occasionally muddled and always melodramatic, yet it's pictorially compelling, thanks to dramatic locations and exacting art direction."
- "It's decent, exoticized pulp with a porcelain veneer, and should be consumed idly."
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