The slow Oscar build for Zhang Yimou's "The Flowers Of War" continues. The film was picked up this week by Wrekin Hill who plan to give it an Oscar qualifying run before a wider release next year, but as always, as it has yet to play for the all important critics and Academy folk, it remains to seen if it has the juice to be a Best Foreign Film nominee and/or possibly nab some other nominatoins as well.
The blockbuster sized, $90 million "The Flowers Of War" focuses on the Nanjing Massacre in 1937, when thousands of inhabitants of the then-capital Nanjing were murdered by invading Japanese troops. Christian Bale plays an American who disguises himself as a priest named John, and shelters prostitutes and students at an all girls school during the attack. This latest poster certainly points to a film positioning itself as one with some dramatic pull, and with two nominations under his belt already, Yimou has delivered to strong acclaim in the past.
No release date has been set for the film just yet for either the qualifying run or regular theatrical bow, but that will hopefully be revealed soon. The film opens in China on December 16th. Poster in full below. [RecentMoviePosters]