Confucius 孔子決戰春秋 Blu-ray (2010) (Region Free) (English Subtitled)

$39.99 USD

Region Coding: Region Free

Starring:
Chow Yun Fat 周潤發
Zhou Xun 周迅
Lu Yi 陸毅
Chen Jian Bin 陳建斌
Ren Quan
Yao Lu
Ma Jing Wu
Qiao Zhen Yu
Kai Li
Xu Huan Shan
Wang Ban
Peter Pau

Director:
Hu Mei 胡玫

Audio Tracks:
Dolby TrueHD 7.1, DTS-HD Master Audio, LPCM

Languages:
Mandarin

Subtitles:
English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese

Running Time:
125 minutes

Distributor:
Mei Ah Entertainment (HK)

Release Date:
22 March 2010

Synopsis:

The great sage and philosopher Confucius lived in the 6th century B.C., at a time when China was still a patchwork of feudal states vying with each other for supremacy. The Zhou Dynasty was tottering, incapable of unifying the various kingdoms, and there were incessant local wars over land and power. Confucius was born in the kingdom of Lu and rose to serve in its government. His skillfully engineered a peace with aggressive neighboring states and brought three dominant local clans under control. But his brilliance as a thinker and tactician was not enough to save him from being exiled by his political enemies, and he spent many years wandering and teaching a band of loyal disciples. His followers transcribed his lectures, collected as The Analects of Confucius, a volume which has been in print for well over 200 years.

The man we know as Confucius (a Latinized version of Kong Fuzi – “Venerable Master Kong”) was born Kong Qiu in 551 B.C., the son of a declining aristocrat in the kingdom of Lu. His early life was frugal. The world around him was collapsing, and he had radical, innovative ideas for reforming and stabilizing it. Enjoying the confidence of the ruler of Lu, he is promoted from Mayor of Zhongdu to Minister of Rituals in the court and begins to apply his principle of civility in everything from diplomatic relations with warlike neighboring kingdoms to domestic relations within the family. After a series of diplomatic triumphs he is promoted again to become Interior Minister. His ambitious plan to curb the power of Lu’s three dominant clans succeeds at first, and he is equally triumphant in outwitting the renegade general who leads an army against the Lu court. But the head of Qi clan seduces the ruler of Lu with gold, horses and women and persuades him to send Confucius into exile. Stripped of his official title, the sage sorrowfully leaves his wife and children behind and embarks on a new life as a wanderer. He is surprised and moved when members of his loyal retinue opt to join him in his travels.

Their life as wanderers is not easy. Confucius withstands both temptations and hardships, and is more than once forced to flee when another local war breaks out. Eventually, many years later, he is invited back to Lu, once again threatened by a political coup. But he agrees to return only as a teacher, refusing to involve himself in politics, and spends his declining years studying and collating the classics. History records that he died a disappointed man, but his work outlived the “Spring and Autumn Period” in which he lived and echoed through the dynasties to become the very bedrock of Chinese civilization. This film tells the story of the turbulent life and stirring times of the greatest sage and teacher ever known.