Red Cliff directed by John Woo, the Chinese Iliad
By Catherine Li
Throughout the centuries, every Chinese schoolboy is familiar with the stories from Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of The Three kingdoms. And those who cannot read listen intently to the tales of battles and wily stratagems recounted by storytellers in the market place or on stage performed by traveling troops of regional operas. The moment, Cao Cao, the villain, with a white painted face steps on stage, he is booed. However, when Liu Bei of Shu, the hero, and his sworn brothers, Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu appear, cheers are heard. Often, after a particular favorite incident is recited, the storyteller says, “that’s enough now; come back tomorrow.” And then, the young and the old linger a little longer in case the storyteller has changed his mind.
In his Asian blockbuster movie that is presently in the theaters of southern California, Red Cliff, the modern storyteller, John Woo, recounts the same historical tale, the battle of the Red Cliff in 208 CE, taken place toward the end of a long and illustrious dynasty, the Han Dynasty, but with a new twist and perspective from that of the traditional ones. He is the grand master of storytellers with the help of cinematography, great actors, and visceral depiction of action that has dance- like qualities.
