Based on a best-selling novel, “Monk Comes Down the Mountain” tells the story of a Taoist priest and his attempts to discover his purpose in the world. (Photo : Wikipedia)
Director Chen Kaige recently said at a media conference in Shanghai that the Chinese movie "Monk Comes Down the Mountain" will be released in 3D format for IMAX screens soon.
On June 18, the director of the1993 movie "Farewell My Concubine" released an English-dubbed trailer to draw international attention to his most recent movie.
"Monk Comes Down the Mountain" is set to hit the big screens on July 3. The movie is the first Chinese film to have a countdown prologue made by Canadian company IMAX Corp.
There has only been two Hollywood successes to have had such prologues--"Godzilla" and "Fast and the Furious 7"--said the movie's producers.
The story, inspired by the best-selling novel with the same title, is filled with amazing kung-fu stunts. It features a young Taoist monk, whose journey started from his isolated temple life to a life in world filled with despair.
"Taoism originated from China and has shaped Chinese culture," said Chen, who says that this is his first time directing a kung-fu movie in three decades. He also added that it was the novel's unique approach to ancient religion that led him to find an adaptation fit for the big screen.
The movie stars Aaron Kwok from Hong Kong, Chang Chen and Lin-Chi-ling from Taiwan, and Wang Baoqiang and Fan Wei from China.
The main casts had to undergo tough martial arts lessons to fit their roles in the movie. Chang spent more than two months training with steel wires, while Kwok trained under a tai chi practitioner.
"Monk Comes Down the Mountain" is a big-budget film that took approximately 213 days to shoot, and had a crew of 200 people who were responsible for creating sets that resembled Chinese buildings in the Hebei Province in the 1930s.
