Historical epic film eyes box-office record

     BEIJING, June 15 (Xinhua) -- "The Founding of a Party," an epic¹ film to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), is expected to set a new box-office record.

    The 140-minute film features an all-star cast and follows the market-oriented model set by its sister edition, "The Founding of a Republic," released in 2009 to commemorate² the 60th anniversary（周年纪念日） of the founding of People's Republic of China.

    Jiang Defu, marketing³ manager of China Film Group Corporation, producer of the two films, says as the "Republic" attracted an audience of 13 million and box-office sales of 420 million yuan (about 64.8 million U.S. dollars), he expects the "Party" to double that box-office receipts and reach an audience of 30 million.

    That would be a new record, as the current record is held by "Aftershock," released in 2010 with box-office sales of 660 million yuan.

    Jiang's confidence seems warranted. Box-office numbers aside, these two films appear to have created a successful model for revolution-themed films or "red-themed" movies, which merge⁴ political doctrine⁵ and commercial success.

    Film director Li Yang says "The Founding of a Republic" started the commercial model of red-themed films, which depict⁶ historical narratives⁸ starring famous actors. "Even if audience members know well the film's plot, they're still willing to pay to see a big-name cast."And producers say they find themselves in the unique position where it's not them wooing the stars but rather, the other way around. Actors and actresses from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan scramble⁹ for parts because appearing in epic red-theme film shows they are well-connected and popular.

    "The Founding of a Party" has a cast of 178 actors and actresses, such as mainland star Liu Ye, Hong Kong's Chow Yun-fat and Andy Lau, and Taiwan-American singer Leehom Wang.

    Jiang says most stars in the "Republic" performed for free, but the "Party" would be more market-oriented, paying each actor a small, symbolic¹⁰ amount.

    Even with relatively¹¹ paltry¹² payments for actors, the film still managed to entice¹³ a mega star such as Chow Yun-fat. "He values the enormous mainland market that director Han Sanping can reach," said a film director who asked to be anonymous¹⁴.

    For Han, who also directed the "Republic," it's a common practice to boost box-office sales with stars. "I've studied foreign movies and political movies, such as "The Birth of a Nation" and "Round the World in Eighty Days," are the forefathers¹⁵ of political movies -- all joined by a large number of stars," Han said.

    Sources report that over 400 people sought roles in "The Founding of a Party."Those who got smaller roles worried that their scenes could end up being cut, according to the film's co-director, Huang Jianxin, who didn't respond to any inquiries¹⁶ actors made about cut scenes.

    Han believes impersonating historical figures itself makes the roles more attractive.

    Lead actor, Liu Ye, portraying¹⁷ Mao Zedong in his 30s, wore wigs¹⁸, applied¹⁹ double-eyelid tape, and gained 10 kilograms by swallowing 20 eggs a day.

    Liu struggled with the Hunan dialect, but had to master it in order to "become" Mao. "For the first two days of shooting, I was really nervous," Liu said. "Mao had a broad vision and mind, and I was not sure if I could bring that out."Liu's hard work is expected to pay dividends²⁰, as Jiang expects the film to be commercially successful whether it sets a new sales record or not.

    Jiang has designed a "major-client plan" where companies can buy into the studio's year-long advertising²¹ campaign with a 20-million-yuan investment. The studio has already signed six major clients under the plan, according to Jiang, who expects the film could provide an opportunity for the state-run studio to embark²² on a new profit model.

    Lu Chuan, director of the World War II film "Nanking, Nanking," believes such a market-oriented approach is crucial for red-themed films. "Previously²³, such films were often sponsored by the government, with no regard to the audience at all, which led to substandard output and propaganda."Although Lu thinks the all-star model can be effective, especially for an iconic director such as Han, in the long run he believes red-themed films will have to perfect their narrative⁷ skills and shooting techniques.

    "The Founding of a Party" tells the story of the founding of the CPC during the early half of the 20th century when China was marked by political disunity. In 1921, thirteen representatives from throughout China met in Shanghai -- marking the beginning of the Party.

    Huang says the movie is dedicated²⁴ to the martyrs²⁵ who died for China's revolution, and he hopes the film will remind younger generations of their sacrifices.

    The film will be officially released nationwide Wednesday. Later, it will make its way into theaters in over 10 countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, South Korea, and Singapore.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

2 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

3 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

4 merge   

v.(使)结合，(使)合并，(使)合为一体

参考例句：

• I can merge my two small businesses into a large one.我可以将我的两家小商店合并为一家大商行。
• The directors have decided to merge the two small firms together.董事们已决定把这两家小商号归并起来。

5 doctrine   

n.教义；主义；学说

参考例句：

• He was impelled to proclaim his doctrine.他不得不宣扬他的教义。
• The council met to consider changes to doctrine.宗教议会开会考虑更改教义。

6 depict   

vt.描画，描绘；描写，描述

参考例句：

• I don't care to see plays or films that depict murders or violence.我不喜欢看描写谋杀或暴力的戏剧或电影。
• Children's books often depict farmyard animals as gentle,lovable creatures.儿童图书常常把农场的动物描写得温和而可爱。

7 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

8 narratives   

记叙文( narrative的名词复数 )； 故事； 叙述； 叙述部分

参考例句：

• Marriage, which has been the bourne of so many narratives, is still a great beginning. 结婚一向是许多小说的终点，然而也是一个伟大的开始。
• This is one of the narratives that children are fond of. 这是孩子们喜欢的故事之一。

9 scramble   

v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料

参考例句：

• He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
• It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。

10 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

11 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

12 paltry   

adj.无价值的，微不足道的

参考例句：

• The parents had little interest in paltry domestic concerns.那些家长对家里鸡毛蒜皮的小事没什么兴趣。
• I'm getting angry;and if you don't command that paltry spirit of yours.我要生气了，如果你不能振作你那点元气。

13 entice   

v.诱骗，引诱，怂恿

参考例句：

• Nothing will entice the children from television.没有任何东西能把孩子们从电视机前诱开。
• I don't see why the English should want to entice us away from our native land.我不明白，为什英国人要引诱我们离开自己的国土。

14 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

15 forefathers   

n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left. 它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All of us bristled at the lawyer's speech insulting our forefathers. 听到那个律师在讲演中污蔑我们的祖先，大家都气得怒发冲冠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 portraying   

v.画像( portray的现在分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The artist has succeeded in portraying my father to the life. 那位画家把我的父亲画得惟妙惟肖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ding Ling was good at portraying figures through careful and refined description of human psychology. 《莎菲女士的日记》是丁玲的成名作，曾引起强烈的社会反响。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

18 wigs   

n.假发，法官帽( wig的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They say that wigs will be coming in again this year. 据说今年又要流行戴假发了。 来自辞典例句
• Frank, we needed more wigs than we thought, and we have to do some advertising. 弗兰克，因为我们需要更多的假发，而且我们还要做点广告。 来自电影对白

19 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

20 dividends   

红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金

参考例句：

• Nothing pays richer dividends than magnanimity. 没有什么比宽宏大量更能得到厚报。
• Their decision five years ago to computerise the company is now paying dividends. 五年前他们作出的使公司电脑化的决定现在正产生出效益。

21 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

22 embark   

vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机

参考例句：

• He is about to embark on a new business venture.他就要开始新的商业冒险活动。
• Many people embark for Europe at New York harbor.许多人在纽约港乘船去欧洲。

23 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

24 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

25 martyrs   

n.martyr的复数形式；烈士( martyr的名词复数 )；殉道者；殉教者；乞怜者（向人诉苦以博取同情）

参考例句：

• the early Christian martyrs 早期基督教殉道者
• They paid their respects to the revolutionary martyrs. 他们向革命烈士致哀。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》