2010 film by Chen Kaige
Sacrifice is a 2010 Chinese historical drama film directed by Chen Kaige, starring Ge You, Wang Xueqi, Huang Xiaoming, Fan Bingbing and Vincent Zhao. It is based on the Yuan dynasty play The Orphan of Zhao by Ji Junxiang.[3] It was distributed in the United States by Samuel Goldwyn Films.[4]
Plot
The story is set in Jin, a duchy under the Zhou dynasty, during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. The Zhao clan, led by Chancellor Zhao Dun and his son General Zhao Shuo, are in a power struggle against General Tu'an Gu.
Tu'an Gu secretly murders the Duke of Jin, frames the Zhao clan for the murder, and then uses that as an excuse to execute the entire Zhao clan. The sole survivor of the Zhao clan is Zhao Shuo's infant son, Zhao Wu, whose mother is the Duke's elder sister, Lady Zhuang. Lady Zhuang pleads with Tu'an Gu's subordinate, Han Jue, to spare her child. She then instructs Cheng Ying, a physician, to bring the child to Gongsun Chujiu, a friend of the Zhao clan, before committing suicide.
When Tu'an Gu learns that Zhao Wu has evaded him, he slashes his sword at Han Jue's face in anger and disfigures him. Then, he orders his men to seal the gates and gather all the newborn babies in the city, believing that whoever is hiding Zhao Wu will not hand him over and hence making it easier to identify Zhao Wu.
After Cheng Ying brings Zhao Wu home, his wife hands over the baby to Tu'an Gu. Cheng Ying then asks Gongsun Chujiu to bring his wife and his son (disguised as Zhao Wu) out of the city, while he stays behind to try to save the real Zhao Wu from Tu'an Gu. When Tu'an Gu finds Cheng Ying suspicious, Cheng Ying lies that Zhao Wu has been taken out of the city by Gongsun Chujiu. Tu'an Gu then leads his men to Gongsun Chujiu's house and finds Cheng Ying's wife and son there. Mistaking Cheng Ying's son for Zhao Wu, Tu'an Gu kills the infant along with Gongsun Chujiu and Cheng Ying's wife.
Devastated by the loss of his family, Cheng Ying swears vengeance on Tu'an Gu. He pretends to pledge allegiance to Tu'an Gu and brings Zhao Wu along with him and raises the child in Tu'an Gu's house. Tu'an Gu mistakenly believes that Zhao Wu is Cheng Ying's son and adopts Zhao Wu as his godson. Zhao Wu grows up under Tu'an Gu's care and develops a close bond with his godfather. Meanwhile, Cheng Ying becomes close friends with the disfigured Han Jue and they secretly plot to help Zhao Wu avenge the Zhao clan.
One day, Cheng Ying breaks the truth to Zhao Wu, telling him that Tu'an Gu, who has been a fatherly figure to him for the past 15 years, is responsible for murdering the Zhao clan. Initially unable to believe what he has heard, Zhao Wu ultimately accepts the truth after hearing from Han Jue about how Cheng Ying sacrificed his own son to save him. When Zhao Wu and Cheng Ying finally confront Tu'an Gu, Tu'an Gu reveals that he has known all along who Zhao Wu is because he notices a resemblance between Zhao Wu and Zhao Shuo. Zhao Wu duels with Tu'an Gu but is no match for the latter. At a critical moment, Cheng Ying sacrifices himself to give Zhao Wu an opportunity to stab and kill Tu'an Gu. As Cheng Ying succumbs to his wounds, he has a vision of himself reuniting with his family.
Cast
See also
References
External links
