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MONEY
Did you know
Earned back only 19% of its budget on initial theatrical β a commercial disappointment on release.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#01
The Children of Huang Shi
"War made them orphans, one man made them legends"
2008 2h 5m ZH
π
6.7
SOLID
β
6.7TMDB Β· 176
DramaWar
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
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.
βWar made them orphans, one man made them legendsβ
Cast
Jonathan Rhys Meyers
George Hogg
Radha Mitchell
Lee Pearson
Chow Yun-Fat
Chen Hansheng
Anastasia Kolpakova
Duschka
Michelle Yeoh
Mrs. Wang
Zhou Bo
Second Brother
Guang Li
Shi-Kai
Ji Lin
Horse Rider
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Roger Spottiswoode
- Writers
- Simon van der Borgh, Jane Hawksley, James MacManus
- Languages
- Japanese, Mandarin, English
- Countries
- Australia, Belgium, China, Germany, United States of America
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 πΏ
2 / 8
ERA
Did you know
Released 18 years ago.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#02
3 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Japanese, Mandarin, English.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#03
4 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
International production across 5 countries: Australia, Belgium, China, Germany, United States of America.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode, shot by Zhao Xiaoding. Note their partnership β DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#05
6 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by David Hirschfelder. Worth a dedicated listen after β most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#06
7 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Geoff Lamb shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#07
8 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Radha Mitchell and Chow Yun-Fat carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Roger Spottiswoode directs. Zhao Xiaoding behind the camera. David Hirschfelder scores. Geoff Lamb cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Australia, Belgium, China, Germany, United States of America. Dialogue in Japanese, Mandarin, English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 1Earned back only 19% of its budget on initial theatrical β a commercial disappointment on release.
- 2Released 18 years ago.
- 3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Japanese, Mandarin, English.
- 4International production across 5 countries: Australia, Belgium, China, Germany, United States of America.
- 5Directed by Roger Spottiswoode, shot by Zhao Xiaoding. Note their partnership β DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 6Original score by David Hirschfelder. Worth a dedicated listen after β most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 7Editor Geoff Lamb shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 8Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Radha Mitchell and Chow Yun-Fat carry the top of the cast.
- 9Marketing tagline: "War made them orphans, one man made them legends".
- 10IMDB entry: tt0889588 β still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 11Released under 11 different titles around the world.
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Zhao Xiaoding
- Original score
- David Hirschfelder
- Editing
- Geoff Lamb
- Costume design
- Kym Barrett
- Runtime
- 125 min Β· 2h 5m
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $40,000,000
- Box office
- $7,785,317
- Return
- 19% of budget
- Original language
- ZH
- Certification (US)
- R
Also by
Roger Spottiswoode
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Production companies
Who made it
Australian Film Finance Corporation
AU
- ZE
Zero Fiction Film
DE
- MI
Ming Productions
CN
- BL
Bluewater Pictures
AU
- CH
Cheerland Entertainment Organization
CN
Hyde Park Entertainment
US
- RO
Rouge Entertainment Group
US
MEDIA Programme of the European Union
BE
- FI
Filmstiftung NRW
DE
Australian Film Commission
AU
- ZE
Zero West Filmproduktion
DE
- PI
Pictorion Pictures
DE
Key crew
- ProducerPeter Loehr
- ProducerJonathan Shteinman
- ProducerWieland Schulz-Keil
- EditorGeoff Lamb
- ProducerMartin Hagemann
- EditorDominique Fortin
- ProducerArthur Cohn
- Costume SupervisorLisa Lovaas
- Costume DesignKym Barrett
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- based on true story
- duringcreditsstinger
- 1930s
- children in wartime
- japanese occupation of china
Release history Β· US
When it landed
- Theatrical2008-07-03R
Also known as
International titles
- Children of the Silk RoadAU
- Los niΓ±os de ChinaAR
- Escape from Huang ShiDK
- Die Kinder der SeidenstrasseDE
- ΓrfΓ£os da GuerraBR
- ν©μKR
- Escape from Huang ShiNL
- ΓtΔk z Huang ShiCZ
- The Children of Huang ShiUS
- HuangΕ‘i vaikaiLT
- Die Kinder der SeidenstrasseCH
