Blu-ray, DVD Release: The Flowers of War

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: July 10, 2012
Price: DVD $27.98, Blu-ray $29.99
Studio: Lionsgate


The Flowers of War movie scene

Christian Bale stars in Zhang Yimou's The Flowers of War.

The veteran Chinese director Zhang Yimou (A Woman, A Gun and A Noodle Shop) revisits the Nanjing massacre of 1937 in the 2011 historical war drama film The Flowers of War, starring Christian Bale (Velvet Goldmine).

In 1937, Nanjing, the capital of the Jiangsu province in China stands at the forefront of a war between China and Japan. As the invading Japanese Imperial Army overruns China’s capital city, desperate civilians seek refuge behind the nominally protective walls of a western cathedral. Here, John Miller (Bale), an American trapped amidst the chaos of battle and the ensuing occupation, takes shelter along with a group of innocent schoolgirls and thirteen courtesans. Finding himself in the unwanted position of protector of both groups from the horrors of the invading Japanese army, Miller discovers the meaning of sacrifice and honor by leading the seemingly disparate collection of innocents in a fight against the invaders.

Based on the novel by Japanese author Geling Yan, The Flowers of War was nominated for a 2012 Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film.

Budgeted at a reported $90 million, the R-rated movie received a limited rollout to U.S. theaters in January, 2012. Though it received less-than-sterling reviews from the critics, audiences seemed to respond positively according to Rotten Tomatoes, who report that 80% of its audience gave it a “Thumbs Up.”

Presented in Chinese, Japanese and English with English subtitles, the Blu-ray and DVD include a five-part feature-length making-of documentary as a bonus feature.

Check out the trailer:

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About Laurence

Founder and editor Laurence Lerman saw Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest when he was 13 years old and that’s all it took. He has been writing about film and video for more than a quarter of a century for magazines, anthologies, websites and most recently, Video Business magazine, where he served as the Reviews Editor for 15 years.