The Battle at Lake Changjin

This article is about the 2021 Chinese film. For the battle of the Korean War which this film depicts, see Battle of Chosin Reservoir. For the 2022 film, see The Battle at Lake Changjin II.

The Battle at Lake Changjin
Theatrical release poster
Traditional Chinese長津湖
Simplified Chinese长津湖
Literal meaningChangjin Lake
Hanyu PinyinChángjīn hú
Directed byChen Kaige
Tsui Hark
Dante Lam
Written byLan Xiaolong
Huang Jianxin
Produced byChen Kaige
Tsui Hark
Dante Lam
Starring
CinematographyPan Luo
Peter Pau
Edited byTsui Hark
Li Dianshi
He Yongyi
Music byElliot Leung
Zhiyi Wang
Production
companies
Distributed byDistribution Workshop
CMC Pictures
Release dates
  • 21 September 2021 (2021-09-21) (BIFF)
  • 30 September 2021 (2021-09-30) (China)
  • 11 November 2021 (2021-11-11) (Singapore)[1]
Running time
178 minutes
CountryChina
LanguagesMandarin
English
BudgetUS$200 million
Box officeCN¥5.77 billion (US$913 million)[2]

The Battle at Lake Changjin (Chinese: 长津湖) is a 2021 Chinese war drama film co-produced and co-directed by Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark and Dante Lam, written by Lan Xiaolong and Huang Jianxin, and starring Wu Jing and Jackson Yee.[3][4][5][6] It was commissioned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party as part of the Party's 100th anniversary celebrations.[7][8][9][10] The film depicts the story of the North Korea-allied Chinese People's Volunteer Army, forcing U.S. forces to withdraw in a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War.[11]

The Battle at Lake Changjin is the most expensive film ever produced in China, with a budget of $200 million.[12] The film grossed $913 million at the worldwide box office, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2021,[2] the highest-grossing Chinese film of all time,[13] the highest-grossing non-English film, and the second highest-grossing film in a single market. A sequel to the film, The Battle at Lake Changjin II, was released on 1 February 2022.

The film's depiction of the battle has been described as containing historical inaccuracies and has garnered controversy in some countries, including South Korea.[14][15][16] The film has also been described as propaganda.[17][18][19][14]

  1. ^ "Chinese blockbuster The Battle At Lake Changjin is now top earner of 2021 globally". The Straits Times. November 2021. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b Wong, Silvia (31 January 2022). "Chinese New Year set for record box office led by 'The Battle At Lake Changjin II'". Screen International. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference view was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Patrick, Brzeski (23 June 2021). "Cannes: Tsui Hark, Chen Kaige and Dante Lam Co-Direct China's Most Expensive Film Ever". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  5. ^ Christian, Shepherd (14 October 2021). "Americans vanquished, China triumphant: 2021's hit war epic doesn't fit Hollywood script". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 14 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  6. ^ Hoad, Phil (19 November 2021). "The Battle at Lake Changjin review – China's rabble-rousing propaganda war epic". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  7. ^ Carice, Witte (14 October 2021). ""The Battle at Lake Changjin" and China's New View of War". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  8. ^ 博纳“中国胜利三部曲”《中国医生》《长津湖》《无名》隆重献礼 [Bona Film Group's "trilogy of China's victory", "Chinese Doctor", "The Battle at Lake Changjin" and "Nameless" are grandly presented]. 163.com (in Chinese). 13 June 2021. Archived from the original on 15 October 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  9. ^ 《长津湖》电影热映 中美对朝鲜战争的不同叙事 ["Changjin Lake" becomes a box office hit, and China and the United States have different narratives about the Korean War]. BBC News (in Chinese). 6 October 2021. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  10. ^ 中国《长津湖》票房破15亿 高调鼓动抗美援朝爱国主义 [China's "The Battle at Lake Changjin" grosses more than 1.5 billion yuan at the box office, encouraging patriotism to resist US aggression and aid Korea]. Radio Free Asia (in Chinese). 4 October 2021. Archived from the original on 14 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  11. ^ "The Chinese film beating Bond and Marvel at the box office". BBC News. 16 October 2021. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  12. ^ Myers, Steven Lee; Chien, Amy Chang (5 October 2021). "For China's Holidays, a Big-Budget Blockbuster Relives an American Defeat". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  13. ^ Shirley Zhao; Alex Millson (24 November 2021). "China's Top Movie Ever is War Epic About U.S. Defeat". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  14. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Hemenway, Megan (3 September 2023). "Why The Highest-Grossing Non-English Movie Ever Is So Controversial". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2024. The film's historical inaccuracies and biased perspective towards the Chinese forces stirred controversy and accusations of propaganda.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).