The Children of Huang Shi (2008)

Director:

Roger Spottiswoode

Writers:

Jane Hawksley (writer)
James MacManus (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

3 April 2008 (China)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

War made them orphans, one man made them legends

Plot:

About young British journalist, George Hogg, who with the assistance of a courageous Australian nurse, saves a group of orphaned children during the Japanese occupation of China in 1937.

Plot Keywords:

China | Nurse | Journalist | British | Orphan

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	George Hogg
Radha Mitchell	...	Lee Pearson
Yun-Fat Chow	...	Chen Hansheng
Michelle Yeoh	...	Mrs. Wang
Guang Li	...	Shi-Kai
Lin Ji	...	Horse Rider
Matt Walker	...	Andy Fisher
Anastasia Kolpakova	...	Duschka
Ping Su	...	Eddie Wei
Imai Hideaki	...	Japanese Officer
Sciichiro Hashimoto	...	Urbane Japanese Officer
Shinichi Takashima	...	Hostile Kempetai Officer
Xing Mang	...	Young Communist
Ruixiang Zhu	...	Japanese Officer II
Yuelong Fang	...	Rou Ding
Shimin Sun	...	Yu Lin
Xucheng Shi	...	Kao Tung
Naihan Yang	...	Ching
Weijuan Wu	...	Young Mother
Zhi Zang	...	Lao Si
Liu Hui	...	Fallen Soldier
Shunzen Zhao	...	Colonel Ma
Qing Xuan Alan Li	...	Wei Ping
Shu Li	...	Magistrate
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Shane Briant	...	Roger Appsley
Shuyuan Jin	...	Lo San
David Wenham	...	Barnes
Hong Bin Zhang	...	SSS Officer

Directed by
Roger Spottiswoode

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jane Hawksley		writer
James MacManus		writer
Simon van der Borgh		uncredited

Produced by
Lillian Birnbaum	....	executive producer
Arthur Cohn	....	producer
Yong Er	....	line producer
Martin Hagemann	....	producer
Alan D. Lee	....	produced in collaboration with
Peter Loehr	....	producer
James MacManus	....	associate producer
Yuan Mei	....	co-producer
Wieland Schulz-Keil	....	producer
Jonathan Shteinman	....	producer
Taylor Thomson	....	executive producer
Nina Yang	....	produced in collaboration with
Steve D. Yang	....	produced in collaboration with

Original Music by
David Hirschfelder

Cinematography by
Xiaoding Zhao

Film Editing by
Geoffrey Lamb

Production Design by
Steven Jones-Evans

Art Direction by
Xin Ming Huang
Peta Lawson

Set Decoration by
Dapeng Li
Sara Mathers
Daryl Porter
Duo Xu

Costume Design by
Kym Barrett
Wenyan Gao

Makeup Department
Cui Yu Bao	....	key makeup artist
Jian-Ping Liu	....	hair stylist
Limin Tan	....	key hair stylist
Xiaohai Yang	....	makeup artist
Diu Zhijuan	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Colleen Clarke	....	post-production supervisor
Xinran Cindy Li	....	production supervisor
Hong Wang	....	assistant production manager
Maren Wölk	....	assistant production manager
Jiakun Zhang	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Montague Fendt	....	first assistant director: second unit
Gerry Gavigan	....	first assistant director
Luc Gavigan	....	third assistant director
Crystal Gong Chun	....	second assistant director
Lemon Liu	....	first assistant director: second unit
Sylvia Liu	....	first assistant director
Simone Stock	....	second unit director

Sound Department
Duncan Campbell	....	assistant foley artist
Michael Carden	....	sound effects editor
Frank Casaretto	....	dubbing supervisor
Zhiwei Chen	....	boom operator
Brendan Geaney	....	adr recordist
Chris Goodes	....	adr recordist
Jason Hancock	....	foley recordist
Xun Huang	....	boom operator
Stefan Korte	....	sound re-recording mixer
Qizhen Lai	....	sound recordist
Steve Lambeth	....	dialogue editor
Frank Lipson	....	sound designer
Frank Lipson	....	supervising sound editor
Jean McGrath	....	adr
Glenn Newnham	....	supervising dialogue editor
John Simpson	....	foley artist
Xueyi Wang	....	sound mixer
Li XueLei	....	sound mixer
Malte Zurbonsen	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Guangxu Chen	....	pyrotechnician
Jiandong Wang	....	special effects coordinator
Yuqi Zhang	....	pyrotechnician
Bozhong Zhao	....	special effects technician
Guisheng Zhao	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Stefan Albertz	....	3D artist
Tanja Bonensteffen	....	roto/prep
Wolf Bosse	....	digital grading coordinator
Helmut Breuer	....	associate producer
Michael Brink	....	visual effects producer: PICTORION das werk
Joerg Bruemmer	....	digital intermediate supervisor
Joerg Bruemmer	....	lead digital compositor
Nicolas Bueren	....	roto/prep: PICTORION das werk GmbH
Cania	....	matte painting
Thomas Deckers	....	roto/prep
Doerthe Domann	....	roto/prep
Philipp Eckel	....	recording
Christian Esquerre	....	visual effects editor
Lukas Gehner	....	roto/prep
Sven Heim	....	roto/prep: PICTORION das werk GmbH
Kalle Max Hofmann	....	digital compositor
Jan Hübel	....	visual effects supervisor
Tom Kaufhold	....	roto/prep
Arne Kiefer	....	roto/prep
Saskia Klein	....	roto/prep
Lola Knoblach	....	assistant digital colorist: PICTORION das werk
Birthe Kohmanns	....	roto/prep
Ju-Hyun Koo	....	roto/prep
Ekaterina 'Kuki' Korabelnikova	....	digital compositor
Michael Krämer	....	head of roto & prep
Michael Krämer	....	junior digital compositor
Andreas Krieg	....	3D artist
Christian Laskawi	....	3D artist
Christian Meckel	....	system administrator
Sebastian Mietzner	....	roto/prep
Frank Mirwald	....	scanning
Nikolay Mishonov	....	3D artist
Philipp Mueller	....	roto/prep: PICTORION das werk
Rolf Muetze	....	visual effects supervisor
Benjamin Nagel	....	HD mastering
Frieda Oberlin	....	digital intermediate coordinator
Moritz Peters	....	colorist: PICTORION das werk
Linda Pleschka	....	roto/prep
Paul Poetsch	....	digital compositing supervisor
Stefan Rachev	....	digital effects artist
Frank Richter	....	scanning
Lisa Riemer	....	visual effects producer
Philipp Schneider	....	visual effects editor
Bastian Schreitling	....	titles
Noah Semere	....	roto/prep
Gerhard Spring	....	recording
Tim Stern	....	digital compositor
Julia Strack	....	roto/prep
Jonas Thorbrügge	....	conforming
Jonas Thorbrügge	....	scanning
Robert Tucker	....	digital compositor
Ralf Wacker	....	digital intermediate coordinator
Christian Wallmeier	....	3D artist
Aline Windolph	....	roto/prep
Kai Woytke	....	digital compositor
Jeff Yaworski	....	roto/prep

Stunts
Limin Chen	....	stunt driver
Feilong	....	stunt performer
Jingqi Kang	....	stunt coordinator
Guohai Li	....	stunt performer
Tengfei Tang	....	stunt double

Camera and Electrical Department
Andrew Jerram	....	first assistant camera: Australia
Jianmin Ji	....	gaffer
Raymond Lam	....	Steadicam operator
Raymond Lam	....	camera operator
Ellery Ryan	....	unit cinematographer: Australia

Casting Department
Shuai Ruby Hou	....	casting: China
Nikki Valko	....	casting: USA and UK
Xiaomeng Nora Wang	....	additional casting: China
Anousha Zarkesh	....	casting: Australia

Editorial Department
Haley Gillies	....	post-production coordinator
Pamela Hammond	....	head of post-production
Cleo Myles	....	assistant editor
Amanda Short	....	rushes colorist

Music Department
Ricky Edwards	....	orchestrator
Arne Eickenberg	....	composer: source music
Norman Parkhill	....	music licensing

Other crew
Davina Belling	....	co-developed by
Bayan Buni	....	production secretary
Guy Campbell	....	second assistant
Jiao Chen	....	assistant production coordinator
Emma Cooper	....	unit publicist
John Fairhead	....	safety supervisor
Diana Jackson	....	assitant: Jonathan Rhys Meyers
He-Yong Kang	....	location manager
Zheng Min	....	unit publicist
Tatjana Najdanovic	....	assistant: Miss Radha Mitchell
Clive Parsons	....	co-developed by
Judith Rascoe	....	consultant: history
Christine Robson	....	production accountant
Robbie Simons	....	production assistant
Misha Skoric	....	assistant: Show Yun Fat
Oksana Sokol	....	script supervisor
Mark Taylor	....	stand-in
Kityi Wong	....	assistant: Michelle Yeoh
Shenshen Xiao	....	assistant to producer

Thanks
Sarah Radclyffe	....	special thanks
Chloe Traicos	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC) (as Film Finance Corporation Australia) (presents)
• Ming Productions (producer)
• Bluewater Pictures (producer)
• Zero Fiction Film (as Zero Fiction) (producer)
• Cheerland Entertainment Organization (as Cheerland) (producer)
• Australian Film Commission, The
• Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen
• Rouge Entertainment Group
• Zero West Filmproduktion

Distributors

• 3Rosen (2009) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Dendy Films (2008) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (2008) (France) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Rouge Entertainment Group (2008) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• Shaw Organisation (2008) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Village Roadshow Greece S.A. (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Blue Sky Media (2008) (Czech Republic) (all media)
• Cheerland Entertainment Organization (2008) (China) (all media)
• G2 Pictures (2009) (UK) (DVD)
• Hyde Park International (2008) (worldwide) (all media)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Bank of Ireland  production financing provided by
• SGO / Mistika  digital equipment

Also Known As:

Children of the Silk Road (Australia)
Die Kinder der Seidenstrasse (Germany)
Escape from Huang Shi (Singapore: English title)
Huang Shi de hai zi (China: Mandarin title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some disturbing and violent content.

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

Australia | China | Germany

Language:

English | Japanese | Mandarin

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | USA:R | Singapore:PG | Hong Kong:IIA | Australia:M | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:M | Mexico:B15 | UK:15 | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Chedun Studios, Shanghai, China

Company:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC)

Trivia:

About 10,000 extras were hired.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: There's several scenes of Japanese Mitsubishi A6M2 'Zero' fighter planes strafing Chinese civilians and Nationalist soldiers in 1937-38. The Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero fighter plane would make its combat debut over Chungking, China in August 1940. Prior to that time, the Japanese were employing imperial Army Nakajima Ki-27 fighter planes with the fixed landing gear and the imperial Navy Mitsubishi A5M, also with fixed landing gear, later codenamed, "Claude", by the Allies. The Allies later codenamed the Ki-27, "Nate".

Quotes:

[first lines]
George Hogg: Shoot some hoops?
Andy Fisher: No thanks. I have to save my strength, I'm getting married on Tuesday.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2008-05-24)" (2008)

Where do the children play?

Greetings again from the darkness. It is difficult to imagine a more powerful, emotional story than the real life heroism of George Hogg. He was a British journalist who truly saved the life and dreams of 60 war Chinese war orphans during the 1937 invasion by Japan.

The good news is that the story is remarkable, but the downside is how director Roger Spottiswoode ("Tomorrow Never Dies", "Turner and Hooch") is stuck with two miscast leads. Jonathan Rhys Meyers doesn't have the chops to pull off strength of Hogg and much worse is the downright horrible performance of Radha Mitchell as Lee, the war hardened do-gooder. The combination of these two severely weaken the film, but luckily not the story.

Chow Yun-Fat and the great Michelle Yeoh play important supporting roles and both are excellent in their English speaking parts. Both are masters at letting simple facial gestures express the bulk of their thoughts. The children in the film are a pleasure to watch, though, we really don't connect with any of them.

Some of the landscape is beautifully film and Spottiswoode does a good job of portraying the hardships of the 700 mile Silk Road journey, without it dragging the pace down. Again, the power of this story is unmistakable, but it is certainly not given its due by this rendition. Make sure to stay for the credits as we are treated to first hand memories of some of the surviving children (now very adavanced in age, but extremely lucid).