Taiwan Cinemas Box Office - Cape No. 7 is No. 1
Taiwan's struggling movie industry has produced a rare hit that's matching Hollywood and mainland Chinese blockbusters at the box office.
Some observers say the love story "Cape No. 7" with a budget of only US$1.6 million may be a turning point for an industry that's won acclaim for its art-house directors but boasts few commercial success stories.
"Cape No. 7" made more than 84 million New Taiwan dollars (US$2.6 million) in the Taiwanese capital Taipei since debuting a month ago a result unheard of for a Taiwanese film in recent years.
That's on par with "Iron Man" (US$2.6 million) and more than John Woo's Chinese historical epic "Red Cliff" (US$2.5 million).
Made by unheralded director Wei Te-sheng without any major stars, the modestly budgeted production is about the romance between a Japanese teacher and a Taiwanese woman when the island was a Japanese colony in the 1940s and a parallel modern-day love story.
Lee Kang, the younger brother of Oscar-winning director Ang Lee and a filmmaker himself, said it has been rare for a Taiwanese film to make more than 10 million New Taiwan dollars (US$313,000) after 1990.
Observers say the success of "Cape No. 7" is important because it marks the rise of a new generation of Taiwanese directors who have carved a path distinct from the island's rich history in art-house cinema.
Earlier Taiwanese directors like Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang have wowed European film festivals with their often slow, contemplative work but their films didn't necessarily resonate with the Taiwanese public, Taiwanese movie critic Wen Tien-hsiang said.
But Wei's "Cape No. 7" breaks from that tradition.
"Everyone has been waiting for a movie that was made for the audience a straightforward, accessible commercial movie," Lee Kang said.
Some observers say the love story "Cape No. 7" with a budget of only US$1.6 million may be a turning point for an industry that's won acclaim for its art-house directors but boasts few commercial success stories.
"Cape No. 7" made more than 84 million New Taiwan dollars (US$2.6 million) in the Taiwanese capital Taipei since debuting a month ago a result unheard of for a Taiwanese film in recent years.
That's on par with "Iron Man" (US$2.6 million) and more than John Woo's Chinese historical epic "Red Cliff" (US$2.5 million).
Made by unheralded director Wei Te-sheng without any major stars, the modestly budgeted production is about the romance between a Japanese teacher and a Taiwanese woman when the island was a Japanese colony in the 1940s and a parallel modern-day love story.
Lee Kang, the younger brother of Oscar-winning director Ang Lee and a filmmaker himself, said it has been rare for a Taiwanese film to make more than 10 million New Taiwan dollars (US$313,000) after 1990.
Observers say the success of "Cape No. 7" is important because it marks the rise of a new generation of Taiwanese directors who have carved a path distinct from the island's rich history in art-house cinema.
Earlier Taiwanese directors like Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang have wowed European film festivals with their often slow, contemplative work but their films didn't necessarily resonate with the Taiwanese public, Taiwanese movie critic Wen Tien-hsiang said.
But Wei's "Cape No. 7" breaks from that tradition.
"Everyone has been waiting for a movie that was made for the audience a straightforward, accessible commercial movie," Lee Kang said.
apparently this is guy named marcus teo Xian jun who claims that he is the lyricist for the Cape no. 7 movie. He is filthy rich thus I am curious as to whether he is the lyricist of all the songs in the movie. So as to advise others not to fall for his lies. can you please throw some light on this matter?
ReplyDeleteSomeone who was searching for the lyrics and came upon this guy declaring to his friends that he is the proud award winner.
Yup..
ReplyDeleteThat's right...