Warriors of Heaven and Earth
Encyclopedia
Warriors of Heaven and Earth is a 2003 Chinese action adventure film directed by He Ping
. The film's notable cinematography captures a wide range of landscapes across China's Xinjiang
province. It was China's official entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
, though it did not get nominated.
, and revolves around two protagonists, the first of which is Lieutenant Li of the Chinese army. Li's refusal to kill Göktürk women and child prisoners causes a mutiny, leading him to be expelled from the army and become a fugitive, traveling through the Gobi Desert
. He eventually comes across a caravan which carries a powerful, mystical relic accompanied by a Buddhist monk. Li protects the caravan from Göktürks as well as the overlord of the region, Master An, who is hired by the Göktürk Khan to seize the relic.
The second protagonist, a Japanese emissary, Lai Xi, is ordered by the emperor of China to kill the fugitive, Li. In a twist of fate, Lai Xi realizes that the caravan is on a mission and helps Li to defend it, and ensures that it arrives at the capital safely. They promise to fight each other only after their duty is done, although that battle never comes to pass.
27th Hundred Flowers Awards
24th Golden Rooster Awards
. It features 16 tracks, including the theme song, "Mirage (Warriors In Peace)", in three languages, Mandarin
, English and Hindi
. The Mandarin version of the theme song is sung by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai
, while the Hindi version is sung by Sadhana Sargam
and English version by Sunitha Sarathy. Following the film's release, the score and soundtrack were released in one album separately, under the title Between Heaven and Earth.
Rahman signed the project after the head of Sony Classical Music suggested him to do a project for them in the Western Classical mode. While signing the project, Rahman was working with violinist Joshua Bell
on compositions based on poems by the Persian poet Rumi. This project was later cancelled. Originally the music was supposed to be recorded in Beijing
. But because of SARS, Rahman moved to Prague
to record the score.
Rahman have mixed Chinese, Turkish and Indian sounds as the film is about the Silk Route. He says that he wanted to give the Chinese something they had not heard before, while retaining that international flavour. The score is completely acoustic with symphonic pieces and relatively little electronic sounds have been used. Performers of the score include The Czech Film Orchestra and Chinese soloists in Hong Kong. Other instruments, including the erhu
, flute
, duduk
, dizi, taiko drums
are featured.
Track listing
He Ping
He Ping is a Chinese film director, whose main filmography consists of a hybrid genre of Western-wuxia movies. He made three movies along this genre - Swordsmen in Double Flag Town , Sun Valley and Warriors of Heaven and Earth .He is an ethnic Manchu whose ancestors were members of the Blue...
. The film's notable cinematography captures a wide range of landscapes across China's Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
province. It was China's official entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, though it did not get nominated.
Plot
The film is set in western China in 700 during the Tang DynastyTang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, and revolves around two protagonists, the first of which is Lieutenant Li of the Chinese army. Li's refusal to kill Göktürk women and child prisoners causes a mutiny, leading him to be expelled from the army and become a fugitive, traveling through the Gobi Desert
Gobi Desert
The Gobi is a large desert region in Asia. It covers parts of northern and northwestern China, and of southern Mongolia. The desert basins of the Gobi are bounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, by the Hexi Corridor and Tibetan Plateau to the...
. He eventually comes across a caravan which carries a powerful, mystical relic accompanied by a Buddhist monk. Li protects the caravan from Göktürks as well as the overlord of the region, Master An, who is hired by the Göktürk Khan to seize the relic.
The second protagonist, a Japanese emissary, Lai Xi, is ordered by the emperor of China to kill the fugitive, Li. In a twist of fate, Lai Xi realizes that the caravan is on a mission and helps Li to defend it, and ensures that it arrives at the capital safely. They promise to fight each other only after their duty is done, although that battle never comes to pass.
Cast
- Jiang WenJiang WenJiang Wen is a Chinese film actor and director. As a director, he is sometimes grouped with the "sixth generation" that emerged in the 1990s. Jiang is also well known internationally as an actor, having starred with Gong Li in Zhang Yimou's debut film Red Sorghum...
as Lieutenant Li - Kiichi Nakai as Emissary Lai Xi
- Wang XueqiWang XueqiWang Xueqi is a Chinese film actor whose career has spanned over 25 years. He was often cast in early Fifth Generation films, such as Chen Kaige's Yellow Earth and The Big Parade , Huang Jianxin's Samsara, and Zhang Yimou's Codename Cougar...
as Master An - Zhao WeiZhao WeiZhao Wei is a mainland Chinese film actress and pop singer. Audiences sometimes refer to her by her English name, Vicki Zhao...
as Wen Zhu - Hasi Bagen as Cao Jian, One Eye Eagle
- He Tao as Ma Gun
- Lau Lei-nin as Wu Lao Er
- Wang Deshun as Old Diehard
- Li Haibin as Zao Zimo
- Yeerjiang Mahepushen as Master An's servant
- Hou Fugao as guard
- Zhou Yun as Monk Jue Hui
- Lee Wai as Di Hu / Salamander
- Do Yuk-ming as rider
- Wang Handong as rider
- Yang Haiquan as Baldy
- Tuerxunjiang Zunong as innkeeper
- Wong Hiu as emperor
- Sang Baozhong as General Wen
- Gao Qiang
- Sun Yingjie
- Liu Mingzhe
- Liu Qingwei
- Hao Youyue
- Guo Zhengjian
- Chen Xiongwei
- Qi Kejian
- Chan Laap-san
- Xie Ze
- Feiluola
- Sailike
- Azili
- Hanati
- Zumureti
- Ayiguli
- Gulizha
- Maierhaba
- Mikereyi
- Qing Gele
- Kunakebayi
- Julaiti
- Li Guohai
- Gao Quanjun
- Sang Zongzhong
Awards and nominations
11th Beijing Student Film Festival- Won: Best Visual Effect
- Won: Favorite Actress(Zhao WeiZhao WeiZhao Wei is a mainland Chinese film actress and pop singer. Audiences sometimes refer to her by her English name, Vicki Zhao...
) - Won: Favorite Actor(Jiang WenJiang WenJiang Wen is a Chinese film actor and director. As a director, he is sometimes grouped with the "sixth generation" that emerged in the 1990s. Jiang is also well known internationally as an actor, having starred with Gong Li in Zhang Yimou's debut film Red Sorghum...
)
27th Hundred Flowers Awards
Hundred Flowers Awards
The People's Hundred Flowers Film Festival or Hundred Flowers Awards, equivalent the China's Golden Globes, are considered, together with the Golden Rooster Awards, the most prestigious film awards in China...
- Nominated: Best Film
- Nominated: Best Actress(Zhao WeiZhao WeiZhao Wei is a mainland Chinese film actress and pop singer. Audiences sometimes refer to her by her English name, Vicki Zhao...
) - Nominated: Best Actor(Jiang WenJiang WenJiang Wen is a Chinese film actor and director. As a director, he is sometimes grouped with the "sixth generation" that emerged in the 1990s. Jiang is also well known internationally as an actor, having starred with Gong Li in Zhang Yimou's debut film Red Sorghum...
) - Nominated: Best Actor(Wang XueqiWang XueqiWang Xueqi is a Chinese film actor whose career has spanned over 25 years. He was often cast in early Fifth Generation films, such as Chen Kaige's Yellow Earth and The Big Parade , Huang Jianxin's Samsara, and Zhang Yimou's Codename Cougar...
)
24th Golden Rooster Awards
Golden Rooster Awards
China Golden Rooster Film Festival also known as Golden Rooster Awards are the most prestigious awards in film given in mainland China, equivalent the China's Academy Awards. The awards are given annually, beginning in 1981. The name of the award came from the year of the Rooster in 1981...
- Nominated: Best Supporting Actor(Wang XueqiWang XueqiWang Xueqi is a Chinese film actor whose career has spanned over 25 years. He was often cast in early Fifth Generation films, such as Chen Kaige's Yellow Earth and The Big Parade , Huang Jianxin's Samsara, and Zhang Yimou's Codename Cougar...
)
Soundtrack
Warriors of Heaven and Earth: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was composed by Indian composer A. R. RahmanA. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
. It features 16 tracks, including the theme song, "Mirage (Warriors In Peace)", in three languages, Mandarin
Standard Chinese
Standard Chinese, or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
, English and Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
. The Mandarin version of the theme song is sung by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai
Jolin Tsai
Jolin Tsai was born on 15 September 1980. She is a Taiwanese Golden Melody Award-winning Mandopop singer, dancer and actor. She is managed by Mars Entertainment Ltd .-Career:...
, while the Hindi version is sung by Sadhana Sargam
Sadhana Sargam
Sadhana Sargam is an acclaimed Indian playback singer. She is a recipient of the prestigious National Film Award and Filmfare Awards.Sargam has sung in many Indian languages for films, television serials and music albums. She is well known for her 90s Hindi songs and recent South Indian songs. She...
and English version by Sunitha Sarathy. Following the film's release, the score and soundtrack were released in one album separately, under the title Between Heaven and Earth.
Rahman signed the project after the head of Sony Classical Music suggested him to do a project for them in the Western Classical mode. While signing the project, Rahman was working with violinist Joshua Bell
Joshua Bell
Joshua David Bell is an American Grammy Award-winning violinist.-Childhood:Bell was born in Bloomington, Indiana, United States, the son of a psychologist and a therapist. Bell's father is the late Alan P...
on compositions based on poems by the Persian poet Rumi. This project was later cancelled. Originally the music was supposed to be recorded in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. But because of SARS, Rahman moved to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
to record the score.
Rahman have mixed Chinese, Turkish and Indian sounds as the film is about the Silk Route. He says that he wanted to give the Chinese something they had not heard before, while retaining that international flavour. The score is completely acoustic with symphonic pieces and relatively little electronic sounds have been used. Performers of the score include The Czech Film Orchestra and Chinese soloists in Hong Kong. Other instruments, including the erhu
Erhu
The erhu is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a "southern fiddle", and sometimes known in the Western world as the "Chinese violin" or a "Chinese two-stringed fiddle". It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles...
, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, duduk
Duduk
The duduk , traditionally known since antiquity as a Ծիրանափող is a traditional woodwind instrument indigenous to Armenia. Variations of it are popular in the Middle East and Central Asia...
, dizi, taiko drums
Taiko
means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...
are featured.
Track listing
- "The Golden Era" (3:56) – Instrumental
- "Warriors in Peace (Chinese Version)" (4:31) – Jolin TsaiJolin TsaiJolin Tsai was born on 15 September 1980. She is a Taiwanese Golden Melody Award-winning Mandopop singer, dancer and actor. She is managed by Mars Entertainment Ltd .-Career:...
- "Lord An’s Empire" (3:31) – Instrumental
- "Water" (3:52) – Instrumental
- "Horses" (2:27) – Instrumental
- "Mountains" (1:49) – Instrumental
- "Dacoit Duel" (3:26) – Instrumental
- "Lai Chi" (1:31) – Instrumental
- "Buddha's Remains" (2:40) – Instrumental
- "Blue Light" (2:23) – Instrumental
- "The Monk and The Miracle" (4:05) – Instrumental
- "Warriors in Peace (English Version)" (4:31) – Sunitha Sarathy
- "Desert Storm" (5:19) – Instrumental
- "Escape" (2:33) – Instrumental
- "Warriors of Heaven and Earth (Instrumental)" (4:27) – Instrumental
- "Warriors in Peace (Hindi Version)" (4:31) – Sadhana SargamSadhana SargamSadhana Sargam is an acclaimed Indian playback singer. She is a recipient of the prestigious National Film Award and Filmfare Awards.Sargam has sung in many Indian languages for films, television serials and music albums. She is well known for her 90s Hindi songs and recent South Indian songs. She...
External links
- Warriors of Heaven and Earth at Vista Records