Tai-Pan (film)
Tai-Pan | |
---|---|
Directed by | Daryl Duke |
Written by | John Briley Stanley Mann |
Based on | Tai-Pan by James Clavell |
Produced by | Raffaella De Laurentiis |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Jack Cardiff |
Edited by | Antony Gibbs |
Music by | Maurice Jarre |
Distributed by | De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 127 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | US$25 million[1][2][3] |
Box office | $2 million[4][3] |
Tai-Pan is a 1986
The De Laurentiis Entertainment Group handled the production and were actively seen battling the Chinese Government and Labor boards over the film during shooting. The film was a critical and box office bomb. Duke believed that a mini-series à la Shōgun or Noble House would have been a far superior means of covering the complexity of Clavell's novel.
Plot
In 1842, the British have achieved victory of the First Opium War and seized Hong Kong. Although the island is largely uninhabited and the terrain unfriendly, it has a large port that both the British government and various trading companies believe will be useful for the import of merchandise to be traded on mainland China, a highly lucrative market.
Although the film features many characters, it is arguably Dirk Struan and Tyler Brock, former shipmates and the owners of two massive (fictional) trading companies who are the main focal points of the story. Their rocky and often abusive relationship as seamen initiated an intense amount of competitive tension.
Throughout, both men seek to destroy each other in matters of business and personal affairs. Struan is referred to as
While the film follows a similar structure as the novel, one major and notable event is left out. Struan's meeting with Jin Qua early in the film to obtain the forty lac dollars of silver to pay Brock omits Jin Qua's stipulation that four special coins be broken in half, with Struan keeping four halves and the other four being distributed by Jin Qua. When a half coin is presented to Struan that matches his own half, he is obligated to do a favor to the bearer. The first favor is called in later in the novel, by the pirate Wu Kwok. The film does not convey this.
Cast
- Bryan Brown as Dirk Struan
- Joan Chen as May–May
- John Stanton as Tyler Brock
- Tim Guinee as Culum Struan
- Bill Leadbitter as Gorth Brock
- Russell Wong as Gordon Chen
- Katy Behean as Mary Sinclair
- Kyra Sedgwick as Tess Brock
- Janine Turner as Shevaun Tillman
- Norman Rodway as Aristotle Quance
- John Bennett as Captain Orlov
- Derrick Branche as Vargas
- Vic Armstrong as Drunken sailor
- Dickey Beer as Brock's crew
- Cheng Chuang as Jin Qua
- Chen Shu as Chen Sheng
- Rosemarie Dunham as Mrs. Fothergill
- Robert Easton as Count Zergeyev
- Richard Foo as Lin Din
- Nicholas Gecks as Horatio Sinclair
- Carol Gillies as Liza Brock
- Pat Gorman as British merchant 2
- Michael C. Gwynne as Jeff Cooper
- Billy Horrigan as Brock's crew
- Patrick Ryecart as Captain Glessing
- Bert Remsen as Wilf Tillman
- Rob Spendlove as Nagrek
- Lisa Lu as Ah-Gip
- Barbara Keogh as Mrs. Quance
- Denise Kellogg as a nude model
- Joycelene Lu as the beaten whore
- Phil Chatterton (tongplaw) as a boatswain
- Frans Dames as a British officer and merchant
- Chen Kuan-tai as Wung
Production
There had been numerous attempts to film Tai Pan over the years.
1968 MGM proposed version
Martin Ransohoff of Filmways bought the rights in 1966 in conjunction with MGM for $500,000 plus a percentage of the profits. Clavell would write the script and co-produce.[5][6] At the time Clavell was also working as a filmmaker, directing Sidney Poitier in To Sir, with Love.
Patrick McGoohan was announced to play Dirk Struan (the first of a two-picture deal he had with MGM) with Michael Anderson attached to direct. Carlo Ponti came in as co-producer. However the movie would have cost an estimated $26 million (later reduced to $20 million[7]) and was postponed.[8][9] It lingered on for a number of years before being finally cancelled when James T. Aubrey took over as president and cancelled the project.[10]
Late 1970s proposed version
In 1975 Run Run Shaw had bought the rights from MGM and wanted to collaborate with Universal Studios to make a $12 million film. Carl Foreman wrote a screenplay,[11][12] but the film was not made.
In the late 1970s Georges-Alain Vuille obtained the rights and George MacDonald Fraser was hired to adapt the novel.[13] Fraser's script met with approval – Vuille hired him to write a sequel – Richard Fleischer was attached to direct, and Steve McQueen agreed to star for a reported fee of $3 million.[14] McQueen dropped out of the project[15] but was still paid $1 million.[14]
Roger Moore became briefly attached, with John Guillermin mentioned as director of a possible mini-series. However finance could not be arranged. Moore said: "If it's offered to me again I'll do it". Quite frankly, it's one of the best scripts I've ever read".[16] For a time Sean Connery was mooted as star for director Martin Ritt. "I've always wanted Sean to do it", said Clavell.[17]
Vuille eventually lost the rights and Fraser's script was not used in the final film.[15][18]
Eventual production
The popularity of the novel and TV series of Shogun made Tai Pan continually attractive to filmmakers. In late 1983 Dino De Laurentiis bought the rights.[19] He set up the film with Orion.[20] Sean Connery turned down the lead role.
The film was directed by Daryl Duke and starred Bryan Brown, who had worked together on The Thorn Birds.
It was the first English-language film shot in China. Shooting was extremely difficult, due in part to abundant red tape.[2] De Laurentiis later claimed filming in China was a big mistake.[21]
Reception
The film gained poor reviews. Walter Goodman of
Tai-Pan holds a 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on seven reviews.[25]
Box office
The film was not a box office success.[26]
Clavell expressed disappointment with the film adaptation: "I haven't seen the film. It just hasn't been convenient for me to see it... I would like to get the rights to my book back and turn it into a mini-series".[27]
References
- Daily News of Los Angeles. 1986-01-17. Retrieved 2010-06-13.
- ^ a b "Keel news". Chicago Tribune. Jan 9, 1986. p. 24 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b KNOEDELSEDER, WILLIAM K Jr. (Aug 30, 1987). "De Laurentiis PRODUCER'S PICTURE DARKENS". Los Angeles Times. p. 1.
- ^ ALJEAN HARMETZ (Jan 17, 1987). "'86 a Strong Year for Film Industry". New York Times. p. 11 – via ProQuest.
- ^ A.H. WEILER (July 3, 1966). "'Tai-Pan' Means Big Novel, Big Money, Big Movie: More on Movies". New York Times. p. 45.
- ^ "Kate DuPont Set for 'Debut'". Los Angeles Times. July 6, 1966. p. c11.
- ^ "MGM Won't Drop Plans for 'Tai-Pan'". Los Angeles Times. July 29, 1968. p. g15.
- ^ "'Tai-Pan' Filming Postponed Over Costs". The Washington Post and Times-Herald. July 23, 1968. p. B6.
- ^ "MGM Seeking Oriental for Lead in 'Tai Pan'". Los Angeles Times. Aug 15, 1969. p. d16.
- ^ Warga, Wayne (February 15, 1970). "New King of MGM's Jungle Cracking Whip: New King of the MGM Jungle New King of the MGM Jungle". Los Angeles Times. p. q1.
- ^ Lochte, Dick (Oct 10, 1976). "Clavell rides 'Shogun' to film". Los Angeles Times. p. t2.
- ^ Birns, Jack (8 Jan 1978). "The Golden Claw of Run Run Shaw". Los Angeles Times. p. j1.
- ^ Buckley, Tom (26 May 1978). "At the Movies: Costs of making 'Superman' go up, up and away". New York Times. p. C6.
- ^ Daily Variety. p. 3.
- ^ a b George MacDonald Fraser, The Light's On at Signpost, HarperCollins 2002 p198-212
- ^ Mann, Roderick. (Apr 14, 1981). "BACK-TO-BACK SPYING IN ROGER MOORE FILMS". Los Angeles Times. p. g1.
- ^ "CLAVELL: CHEERS FOR CHAMBERLAIN'S CRAFT: CHAMBERLAIN". Los Angeles Times. Feb 12, 1980. p. G1.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (September 19, 2022). "Great Unfilmed Screenplays: George MacDonald Fraser's Tai-Pan". Filmink.
- ^ Ryan, Desmond (Dec 8, 1983). "'Shogun' author strikes again, with help from De Laurentiis". Chicago Tribune. p. E15 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Mathews, Jack (Oct 9, 1985). "DE LAURENTIIS' EPIC PLAN FOR EMBASSY: FILM CLIPS FILM CLIPS". Los Angeles Times. p. H1 – via ProQuest.
- New York Times. p. H17.
- New York Times. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
- ^ Roger Ebert (1986-11-07). "Tai-Pan". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
- ^ Thomas, Kevin (1992-07-12). "Movie Reviews : Ah! Love Affairs With Foreign-Flavored Accents: 'Tai-Pan'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2015-09-17. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
- ^ "Tai-Pan". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ DAVID T. FRIENDLY (1986-11-13). "Reagans on 'Soul Man': Thumbs Up". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
- ^ Davis, Ivor (20 Feb 1988). "Clavell is a big winner on the small screen". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. 8.
External links
- Tai-Pan at IMDb
- Tai-Pan at Box Office Mojo