Great substitution

VI century BC e. Ancient China in the era of the formal rule of the Zhou Dynasty , during the period of " Springs and Autumn ", is divided into several specific kingdoms. The action takes place in the specific kingdom of Jin in 597-583 BC. e.

The ruler of the specific kingdom, Jin , with a penchant for entertainment only, really gave all the reins of power to the lying and cruel adviser Tu Angu. This state of affairs provokes anger among many, but only the senior adviser Zhao Dun, faithful to the kingdom, who served three more generations of Ling-gong's ancestors, dares to contradict him in the face of the emperor. In particular, it was only at the insistence of Zhao Dong that General Wei Jiang was sent to the border to repel an attack of enemies. However, everyone has his own limit, and once Zhao Dongyu has no choice but to express in the face of the ruler his opinion about his "rule" and relieve himself of state powers. Long waiting for an opportunity, Tu Angu is not slow to promote the decree on the complete extermination of the former rival, his family and household members - a total of about 300 people.

Death (but not torture) is avoided only by his daughter-in-law, Princess Zhuangji, the daughter of the ruler himself, but when it becomes known that she is expecting a child, the evil Tu Angu makes the unborn heir Zhao the same sentence.

Doctor Chen Ying, faithful to the Zhao family, trying to help, steals the baby from the palace immediately after birth, but Tu, not finding the child, announces that if he is not returned, all children in the district of this age will be killed. A selfless doctor painfully takes a desperate act - he sacrifices his own child ... At the same time as his son, he loses his oldest friend and sister Kun Sun, who voluntarily sacrifices himself, posing as a “concealer” to make the substitution more reliable. Satisfied Angu, taking into account Cheng In's “loyalty to save his blood”, takes the doctor and “his son” under his protection and guardianship.

15 years pass. Having grown into a brisk young man, Zhao Wu, hunting alone, knocks a bird over the fence of someone's rich house. Having penetrated there, he meets the mistress of the house (his own mother), who at first receives him warmly enough, but when he finds out who his father and guardian is, he orders him to be kicked out of the gate. Struck to tears, the boy tells his father about the case at home - and finally finds out about his real origin. Having taken General Wei Jiang who returned from the border as allies, they lure Tu Angu into a trap where a failed victim personally commits a great revenge. Having learned the truth, Zhuangji, finally regaining her son, offers the benefactor all kinds of protection, but he only wants to end his days in seclusion - however, his memory will remain for centuries ... ^[2]

• Company: Shaw Brothers
• Producer: Shao Renlen
• Director: Yan Jun
• Director group: Chan Yausan, Chan Kinsam, Chen Qijui
• Scenario, lyrics of vocal parts (including voice-over): Chan Yausan based on the original drama Ji Junxiang (XIII century)
• Composers: Eddie H. Wang Juzen, Xian Hua
• Grim: Fang Yuen
• Operator: Yun Changsam
• Movie Editor: Jiang Xinglong

• The language of dialogue and vocals: Chinese putonghua ("Mandarin") ^[3] , presumably - the Anqing dialect, traditional for the opera huanmei .
• Film and film format: Eastmancolour 35 mm, shot in Shawscope format (proprietary version of CinemaScope ) 2.35: 1. The sound is mono.
• Premiere date: April 15, 1965 (Hong Kong), there is also information about an earlier premiere in Taiwan on December 24, 1964. ^[3]

12th Asia Pacific Film Festival (1964)

• Best movie ^[3]
• Best Actress - Li Lihua
• Special prize “For the most universal talent” - Ivy Lin Poe ^[4]

Other

• Kyoto Bear Award ( Japanese 京都 之 熊 , Kyōto no guma ) from the Ministry of Education of Japan ^[3] .

It should be borne in mind that the film distorts events in comparison with the annals:

• Historically, in pre-imperial Ancient China, the rulers of and Chen-gun were called princes ( guns ), and not "emperors";
• The action is anachronistic compared to their real reigning dates, not to mention other misunderstandings.

• The play is the first Chinese dramatic work translated into European languages ​​(starting with the translation in 1731 of the Jesuit missionary Joseph Henri Marie de Premar into French). The translation was adapted by a number of playwrights, and in 1755 it was staged on the European stage in the adaptation of Voltaire under the title "Chinese Orphan" ( fr. L'Orphelin de la Chine ) ^[5] .
• Senior Minister Zhao Dun has been repeatedly mentioned by Confucius as a positive example of a government official. ^[6] .

• “ An Orphan from the Zhao Family ” is a 2010 film directed by Chen Kaige on the same plot.
• “An Orphan from the Zhao Family” ( 趙氏孤兒 ) is the Juan drama of Ji Junxiang (XIII century), which underlies both screen versions .

• The Grand Substitution on the Internet Movie Database  
• Howard Thompson, The Grand Substitution (1965) - Review of the film for the premiere of the United States at The New York Times on November 25, 1965.
• Marshall Crist. The Grand Subsitution . - Review of the Hong Kong Cinema: A view from Brooklin Bridge movie review site (May 31, 2009). Date of treatment July 1, 2012. Archived on September 26, 2012.