Watched 赤壁 Red Cliff Part 1 late last night with sis and the BIL. I had read 三国演议 Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and even watched some Japanese animation on it many years ago but I do not remember much of the history of the battles. So tactics like “草船借箭” or “火攻水军” and the saying “万事具备只欠东风” are the only things I remember from reading the novel and watching the animation but I do not know it’s related to the battle of the red cliff until I watched the movie and did some reading on the internet.
We went to the movie with high anticipation and it did not disappoint. It refreshed sis and me how the Three Kingdoms were borned and the famous characters that shaped the history. I must admit I am still no history buff after watching the movie and the reason that made this movie a must-watch was not just the hype and positive reviews it had received but because of……
Takeshi Kaneshiro as 诸葛亮!
Perhaps I am biased but I personnally thought he did a good job potraying a young, witty and at times humorous 诸葛亮. He is alway saying “略懂” when people questioned his knowledge but 周瑜 sums it up well by describing him as 深藏不漏. I think the two of them really admires each other but the fact that they are serving different masters meant that they are destined to become enemies as history develops.
Another charater that I like a lot is 赵云 who is the epitome of loyalty. However, the real battle of the red cliff took place when 赵云 was fifty plus years old so the reel 赵云 is not consistent with the history.
Despite the inconsistencies with history, the epic movie was one of the best Chinese movies that I have watched in recent years. I just watched the trailers and I can’t wait for 赤壁 Part 2 to be screened.
