Jason KingChildren of the Silk Road ($9-)
June 28th 2008 02:03
Category: No Category
Children of the Silk Road ($9-)
Children of the Silk Road, the first Australia-China co-production, is based on real events, it's a sweeping but intimate story set against war-torn China in the 1930’s. The film centers on a young English journalist (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), an American nurse (Radha Mitchell) and the leader of a Chinese partisan group (Chow Yun Fat) who meet in desperate and unexpected circumstances. Together they rescue 60 orphaned children, leading them on an extraordinary journey across hundreds of miles of treacherous terrain, through snow-covered mountains and an unforgiving desert. Along the way they discover the true meaning of love, responsibility and courage.
This film could have been a masterpiece. The story of heroism and courage of the real life Hogg is astounding and the plight of these children in such horrible times is heartbreaking and the scenery and chances for outstanding cinematography are infinite but this film fails miserably on many levels. If you can't get your lead characters correct things will fail.
This was one of the must see films I circled for the Sydney Film Festival however due to being too busy I missed out but as luck had it it got a cinematic release. I am a fan of Jonathan Rhys Meyers after seeing him perform in things like Titus, Elvis, Bend it Like Beckham, Match Point and Velvet Goldmine but he is horribly miscast in this film. A few of my friends that I invited to this film actually declined because they just do not like him. Maybe I am hypnotised by those incredible green eyes or the imperfect lips that give him amazing character but in this film there is NO passion at all. I just didn't buy it and found him more reading for an audition than actually acting the part. When researching I found one of his quotes that disheartened me and I think he stuck to these words more in this role than in others. "Being an actor is the easiest job. Just say the lines.". NO NO NO - you actually have to become the character and slip in to the skin. This film rings true of this quote with astounding accuracy. There is a small part played by David Wenham at the start, he would have been a much better choice and would have had no difficulty with the English accent. I also found Radha Mitchell out of place and ill suited however I did find some chemistry between the two but maybe it was the eyes again.
Chow Yun Fat was ok in the role but I got the feeling he would have preferred to be somewhere else however Michelle Yeoh is brilliant and elegant as always. I loved the time with Hogg and the children and think the film lacked by not using this to it's full advantage. The film is meant to be about the struggle for Hogg and the children but it spent too much time on the love between him and the nurse. I felt for the children because they were children and not because I got to know them and take their plight personal. If the film had centred itself more on this relationship it could have done so much better. During the end credits the real children, now quite old, sing their praise for Hogg. I wish I felt this more in the film. Also, the film spent so much time setting up the back story and then the establishment with the children at the orphanage that by the time the children got on the road the film is already winding down. This could have been a strong survival film showing more of the harrowing journey.
The film does have a great story and the cinematography is amazing. I didn't notice the 10000 extras hired for this film, and some of the war scenes are gruesome. I feel that director Roger Spottiswoode was probably the incorrect choice to helm this film and if a director with an amazing belief and pure vision in this film had gotten their hands on the script things could have been Academy Award shattering.
One thing I did find amazing about the film is the life of British journalist, George Hogg and it has inspired me to try and find a biography. Watch this for the story and cinematography and not the actors. Worth $9-
Children of the Silk Road, the first Australia-China co-production, is based on real events, it's a sweeping but intimate story set against war-torn China in the 1930’s. The film centers on a young English journalist (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), an American nurse (Radha Mitchell) and the leader of a Chinese partisan group (Chow Yun Fat) who meet in desperate and unexpected circumstances. Together they rescue 60 orphaned children, leading them on an extraordinary journey across hundreds of miles of treacherous terrain, through snow-covered mountains and an unforgiving desert. Along the way they discover the true meaning of love, responsibility and courage.
This film could have been a masterpiece. The story of heroism and courage of the real life Hogg is astounding and the plight of these children in such horrible times is heartbreaking and the scenery and chances for outstanding cinematography are infinite but this film fails miserably on many levels. If you can't get your lead characters correct things will fail.
This was one of the must see films I circled for the Sydney Film Festival however due to being too busy I missed out but as luck had it it got a cinematic release. I am a fan of Jonathan Rhys Meyers after seeing him perform in things like Titus, Elvis, Bend it Like Beckham, Match Point and Velvet Goldmine but he is horribly miscast in this film. A few of my friends that I invited to this film actually declined because they just do not like him. Maybe I am hypnotised by those incredible green eyes or the imperfect lips that give him amazing character but in this film there is NO passion at all. I just didn't buy it and found him more reading for an audition than actually acting the part. When researching I found one of his quotes that disheartened me and I think he stuck to these words more in this role than in others. "Being an actor is the easiest job. Just say the lines.". NO NO NO - you actually have to become the character and slip in to the skin. This film rings true of this quote with astounding accuracy. There is a small part played by David Wenham at the start, he would have been a much better choice and would have had no difficulty with the English accent. I also found Radha Mitchell out of place and ill suited however I did find some chemistry between the two but maybe it was the eyes again.
Chow Yun Fat was ok in the role but I got the feeling he would have preferred to be somewhere else however Michelle Yeoh is brilliant and elegant as always. I loved the time with Hogg and the children and think the film lacked by not using this to it's full advantage. The film is meant to be about the struggle for Hogg and the children but it spent too much time on the love between him and the nurse. I felt for the children because they were children and not because I got to know them and take their plight personal. If the film had centred itself more on this relationship it could have done so much better. During the end credits the real children, now quite old, sing their praise for Hogg. I wish I felt this more in the film. Also, the film spent so much time setting up the back story and then the establishment with the children at the orphanage that by the time the children got on the road the film is already winding down. This could have been a strong survival film showing more of the harrowing journey.
The film does have a great story and the cinematography is amazing. I didn't notice the 10000 extras hired for this film, and some of the war scenes are gruesome. I feel that director Roger Spottiswoode was probably the incorrect choice to helm this film and if a director with an amazing belief and pure vision in this film had gotten their hands on the script things could have been Academy Award shattering.
One thing I did find amazing about the film is the life of British journalist, George Hogg and it has inspired me to try and find a biography. Watch this for the story and cinematography and not the actors. Worth $9-
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Comment by Morgan Bell
Science News
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Artist Quirk
no doubt i will end up watching this so i will get back to you when i do!
Comment by Jason King
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Have you watched Tropa yet??