Mural (film)

Mural
Mural
	Promotional poster
Directed by	Gordon Chan
Screenplay by	Gordon Chan; Frankie Tam; Maria Wong; Lau Ho Leung
Based on	Strange Tales of a Lonely Studio; by Pu Songling
Produced by	Abe Kwong; Gordon Chan
Starring	Deng Chao; Sun Li; Yan Ni; Collin Chou; Zheng Shuang; Eric Tsang
Cinematography	Mark Lee
Edited by	Chan Kei Hop
Music by	Ikurō Fujiwara
Production; companies	Beijing Enlight Pictures; Top Gun Productions; Anhui Television
Distributed by	Beijing Enlight Pictures (China); Intercontinental Film Distributors (HK) (Hong Kong)
Release dates	29 September 2011 (China); 13 October 2011 (Hong Kong);
Running time	123 minutes
Countries	China; Hong Kong
Language	Mandarin
Box office	185 million RMB

Mural (simplified Chinese: 画壁; traditional Chinese: 畫壁; pinyin: Huà Bì; Jyutping: Waa6 Bik1) is a 2011 Chinese film co-written, co-produced and directed by Gordon Chan, which stars Deng Chao, Sun Li, Yan Ni, Collin Chou, Zheng Shuang and Eric Tsang.^[1] It is directed by the same director who directed Painted Skin (2008). Both stories are drawn from Pu Songling's (1640–1715) collection of supernatural tales Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio.^[2]

Plot[edit]

The scholar Zhu Xiaolian and his page Hou Xia, on their way to the capital to take the imperial examination, encounter a bandit named Meng Longtan and engage in a fierce fight. Eventually, they arrive at an ancient temple where they are persuaded to reconcile by the Monk BuDong. In the temple, Zhu Xiaolian discovers a mural depicting lifelike figures. While gazing at the mural, Zhu is taken into a fairyland called the "WanHuaLin(Forest of Ten Thousand Flowers)" by a fairy named Peony who emerges from the painting.

In the WanHuaLin, there are no men, only a group of beautiful fairies living under the strict rule of a leader known as "Auntie." Despite their unique skills, the fairies are oppressed by Auntie's authoritarian rule. Auntie forbids them from having feelings for men and is ruthless towards any man who dares to enter the fairyland without permission. In this peculiar paradise, Zhu Xiaolian meets the successor fairy Shaoyao, who helps him avoid being discovered by Auntie and safely return to the human world. However, Peony is caught by Auntie for bringing a man into the fairyland.

Upon returning to his world, Zhu Xiaolian finds that Peony on the mural is suffering as a punishment, and his page informs him that the mural is a depiction of hell. Out of a sense of righteousness, Zhu Xiaolian decides to return to the "Painting Wall" world. With the help of the Monk BuDong, Zhu Xiaolian, along with Hou Xia and Meng Longtan, enters the fairyland. To their surprise, Auntie welcomes the three guests and invites them to choose wives from among the fairies to continue the lineage of the Forest of Ten Thousand Flowers. To avoid suspicion, Zhu Xiaolian pretends to choose Peony's friend Cui Zhu as his wife, while Hou Xia and Meng Longtan also select their wives, unaware that Auntie plans to kill them after using them. Learning that Peony has been detained by Auntie, Zhu Xiaolian seeks Shaoyao's help to rescue her, embarking on a series of magical adventures.

Cast[edit]

Deng Chao as Zhu Xiaolian
Sun Li as Shaoyao
Yan Ni as The Aunt
Collin Chou as Meng Longtan
Zheng Shuang as Mudan
Eric Tsang as Monk Budong (guest star)
Andy On as Golden Warrior
Monica Mok as Ding Xiang
Ada Liu as fairy Yunmei
Bao Wenjing as Baihe
Xia Yiyao as Xuelian
Bao Beier as Hou Xia, Zhu's servant
Du Shiwu as housekeeper
Xie Nan as Fairy Cuizhu

Theme music[edit]

The title song for the movie is also named "Mural". The singers are Deng Chao and Betty Sun.^{[citation needed]}

Accolades[edit]

Zheng Shuang won the Best New Actress award at the Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild Award for her performance.^[3]

Trivia[edit]

Deng Chao and Betty Sun who played the roles of hero and heroine in the movie was in fact married in 2010, shortly before the movie was filmed. The couple's first child was born in 2011, shortly after the movie was released.

All of the fairies are named after flowers. Shaoyao is Chinese peony. Mudan is rock peony. Ding Xiang is cloves.

References[edit]

^ Smith, Ian Hayden (2012). International Film Guide 2012. p. 89. ISBN 978-1908215017.
^ Q&A: Gordon Chan Talks About 'The Mural', The Hollywood Reporter, 26 June 2011 (retrieved on October 17, 2011).
^ "郑爽喜获新演员金奖受香港电影导演协会肯定". Sina. Retrieved 25 February 2017.

External links[edit]

Mural at IMDb

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[1] Smith, Ian Hayden (2012). International Film Guide 2012. p. 89. ISBN 978-1908215017.

[2] Q&A: Gordon Chan Talks About 'The Mural', The Hollywood Reporter, 26 June 2011 (retrieved on October 17, 2011).

[hong-3] "郑爽喜获新演员金奖受香港电影导演协会肯定". Sina. Retrieved 25 February 2017.

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v t e Works by Gordon Chan
Films directed	18 Golden Destroyers (1985) The Yuppie Fantasia (1989) Brief Encounter in Shinjuku (1990, also writer) Fight Back to School (1991, also writer) Inspector Pink Dragon (1991) Fight Back to School II (1992, also writer) Gameboy Kids (1992, also writer) King of Beggars (1992, also writer) The Long and Winding Road (1994, also writer) The Final Option (1994, also writer) Fist of Legend (1994, also writer) Thunderbolt (1995, also writer) First Option (1996, also writer) Armageddon (1997, also writer and producer) Beast Cops (1998, also writer and producer) 2000 AD (2000, also writer) Okinawa Rendez-vous (2000, also writer and producer) Cat and Mouse (2003, also writer) The Medallion (2003, also writer) A-1 Headline (2004, also writer and producer) Kung Fu Master (2005) Mr. 3 Minutes (2006, also producer) Painted Skin (2008, also writer and producer) The King of Fighters (2010) Mural (2011, also writer and producer) The Four (2012, also writer and producer) The Four II (2013) The Four III (2014) The Treasure (2017) God of War (2017)
Films produced	The Vineyard (1989) Neverending Summer (1992) 1001 Nights (1995) Cause We Are So Young (1997) Option Zero (1997) Hitman (1998) When I Look Upon the Stars (1999) Heroes in Love (2001) Funeral March (2001) Every Dog Has His Date (2001) Time 4 Hope (2002) Curse of Lola (2005) Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (2010, also writer) Coming Back (2011, also writer)
Films written only	Behind the Yellow Line (1984) Dragons Forever (1988) Double Fattiness (1988) Heart to Hearts (1988) The Big Heat (1988) Diary of a Small Man (1989) The Cat (1991) Hard Boiled (1992) She Starts the Fire (1992) The Bodyguard from Beijing (1994) Daisy (2006) Undercover Hidden Dragon (2006)