The Volunteers: To the War

2023 2h 21m ZH

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 23

DramaWarHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, New China was faced with "internal and external troubles". Since the outbreak of the Korean Civil War, the U.S. military has repeatedly provoked the border between China and North Korea, and civilians have been brutally bombed. In order to maintain the hard-won peace and long-term stability for generations, in October 1950, the Chinese People's Volunteers entered North Korea, and the "Resist US Aid Korea" war kicked off.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Tang Guoqiang
Mao Zedong
Wang Yanhui
Peng Dehuai
Liu Jin
Zhou En'lai
Xin Baiqing
Li Moyin
Zhang Songwen
Wu Xiuquan
Huang Xiaoming
Jiang Chao
Zhang Ziyi
Tang Sheng
Zhu Yawen
Wu Benzheng

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Chen Kaige
Writers: Huang Jianxin, Liu Jianwei, Lan Xiaolong
Languages: Mandarin
Countries: China

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $70M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Volunteers Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Chen Kaige, shot by Zhao Fei. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Wang Zhiyi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Li Dianshi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tang Guoqiang and Wang Yanhui and Liu Jin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt22185176 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Chen Kaige directs. Zhao Fei behind the camera. Wang Zhiyi scores. Li Dianshi cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in China. Dialogue in Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $70M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Released 3 years ago.
3Part of the "The Volunteers Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Chen Kaige, shot by Zhao Fei. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Wang Zhiyi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Li Dianshi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Tang Guoqiang and Wang Yanhui and Liu Jin carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt22185176 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 23 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Released under 10 different titles around the world.