Tai-Pan (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tai-Pan |
|
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Daryl Duke |
| Produced by | Raffaella De Laurentiis |
| Written by | John Briley Stanley Mann |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Maurice Jarre |
| Cinematography | Jack Cardiff |
| Editing by | Antony Gibbs |
| Distributed by | De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) |
| Release date(s) | November 7, 1986 |
| Running time | 127 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US million |
| Money made | million |
Tai-Pan is an exciting adventure drama film from 1986. It was directed by Daryl Duke. The movie is based on a famous book called Tai-Pan by James Clavell. The word "Tai-Pan" means "Supreme Leader" in Chinese. While the film keeps many parts of the book, some changes were made. This was partly because it was filmed in China, and some parts of the story were changed to fit their rules.
The company that made the film, De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, faced many challenges. They had disagreements with the Chinese government and labor groups while filming. When the movie came out, it didn't do very well in theaters. Many critics also didn't like it. The director, Daryl Duke, thought the story would have been better as a TV mini-series. This is like other big stories by James Clavell, such as Shōgun.
What the Movie is About
The story of Tai-Pan takes place in 1842. At this time, the British had won the First Opium War. They took control of a place called Hong Kong. Hong Kong was mostly empty and had rough land. But it had a very big port. Both the British government and many trading companies thought this port would be great. They wanted to use it to bring goods to trade in mainland China. This was a very profitable market.
The film has many characters. But the main focus is on two men: Dirk Struan and Tyler Brock. They used to be shipmates. Now, they own two very large trading companies. Their past as sailors was difficult. This created a strong rivalry between them.
Throughout the movie, both men try to ruin each other. They compete in business and in their personal lives. Struan is called the tai-pan. This means he is the head of the biggest and most successful trading company in Asia. Brock owns the second largest company. He constantly tries to destroy Struan's company and good name. He wants to get revenge on Struan. He also wants to become the new "Tai-Pan" of Chinese trade.
The movie follows the book's story quite closely. However, one big event from the book is left out. In the book, Struan meets a man named Jin Qua. He gets a lot of silver from Jin Qua. This is to pay Brock. But in the book, Jin Qua makes a special rule. He breaks four special coins in half. Struan keeps four halves, and Jin Qua gives the other four halves to different people. If someone shows Struan a half coin that matches his, he must do them a favor. This part of the story is not in the movie.
Meet the 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
- Phil Chatterton (tongplaw) as Boatswain
- Frans Dames as a British officer and merchant
How the Movie Was Made
People had tried to make a movie of Tai-Pan many times over the years. The book was very popular. Also, the TV series Shogun, another book by James Clavell, was a big hit. This made filmmakers keep wanting to turn Tai-Pan into a movie.
In late 1983, a producer named Dino De Laurentiis bought the rights to make the film. He worked with a company called Orion. The famous actor Sean Connery was offered the main role but turned it down.
The film was directed by Daryl Duke. It starred Bryan Brown. These two had worked together before on a TV mini-series called The Thorn Birds.
Tai-Pan was the first English-language movie ever filmed in China. Filming was very difficult. There was a lot of paperwork and rules to follow. Dino De Laurentiis later said that filming in China was a big mistake.
