Check out 3 new posters for THE FLOWERS OF WAR

James Marsh, Editor, Asia; Hong Kong, China (@Marshy00)

Zhang Yimou's wartime epic, depicting the harrowing massacre of Chinese citizens by the Japanese in 1937 is almost upon us, and three new posters have popped up online. The film, which stars Oscar winner Christian Bale, is China's official nomination for this year's Academy Awards, and has just started screening in New York and Los Angeles, in order to make it eligible for consideration in the major categories. The word on Twitter from a few of the American critics I have spoken to in the past few hours is very strong, and there is little doubt that the film will appear as a nominee in at least the Best Foreign Language Film category. 

Chinese filmmakers are trying a number of different tactics to get their films seen by overseas audiences, and taken as entertainment rather than as art house curios. While Bale's inclusion in FLOWERS may smack of stunt casting, we can rest assured that he will put his all into the role and many more Western filmgoers will be checking it out compared with those who would have bothered were Batman not involved. The big question right now is whether or not Bale's performance is good enough to earn him a nomination for either Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor, and whether the film itself, which boasts China's biggest budget of all time, works as a drama, rather than as merely spectacle. And more importantly, if Western audiences enjoy the film, will they keep coming back to cinemas to see more Chinese films, even when they don't feature their favourite Hollywood stars?

THE FLOWERS OF WAR opens in China on 16 December.
Do you feel this content is inappropriate or infringes upon your rights? Click here to report it, or see our DMCA policy.