Decisive Engagement: The Liaoxi-Shenyang Campaign (Chinese: 大决战之辽沈战役) is a 1991 Chinese epic war film directed by Li Jun, Yang Guangyuan, Wei Lian, Cai Jiwei, Zhao Jilie, Zhai Junjie and Jing Mukui, written by Li Pingfen, Shi Chao and Wang Jun, and starring Gu Yue, Su Lin, Ma Shaoxin, Lu Jixian, Zhao Hengduo, and Wu Zhiyuan. The film premiered in China on January 1, 1992. The film is about the Liaoshen Campaign of the Chinese Civil War.
Contents
Plot
In the spring of 1948, during the Chinese Civil War, the Central Military Commission commands the Fourth Field Army control Jinzhou, a communication hub in northeast China and a city of vital importance to military strategists. The Liaoshen campaign broke out, the People's Liberation Army fight the Nationalist forces in northeastern China, then the land is occupied by the Chinese Communist Party.
Cast
Main
Gu Yue as Mao Zedong
Su Lin as Zhou Enlai
Ma Shaoxin as Lin Biao
Lu Jixian as Luo Ronghuan
Zhao Hengduo as Chiang Kai-shek
Wu Zhiyuan as Soong May-ling
Supporting
Guo Fazeng as Liu Shaoqi
Liu Huaizheng as Zhu De
Zong Liqun as Peng Dehuai
Lu Qi as Deng Xiaoping
Zhang Weiguo as Liu Yalou
Gao Huibin as Tan Zheng
Yao Jude as Su Jing
Lu Xi as Ren Bishi
Zhang Yonghan as He Long
Zhao Xiaoming as Xu Xiangqian
Qiao Hong as Ye Jianying
Feng Enhe as Duan Suquan
Wu Honghou as Han Xianchu
Chen Gang as Li Xiannian
Gao Qiang as Battalion commander Gao
Zhang Yongxiang as Company commander Zhang
Chen Xiaolei as a soldier.
Yang Ciyu as Li Zongren
Lu Xuegong as Wei Lihuang
Xu Zhengyun as Du Yuming
Yan Yusheng as Fan Hanjie
Shi Jing as Zheng Dongguo
Zhou Zhiyu as Liao Yaoxiang
Chen Xuegang as He Yingqin
Qin Zhao as Chiang Ching-kuo
Production
Development
In 1950s, the August First Film Studio was planning films about the three major campaigns: Liaoshen campaign, Huaihai campaign and Pingjin campaign. But because of the limits of conditions, the project had been put on hold. In January 1986, the then General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Hu Yaobang ordered the relevant organizations to turn the three major campaigns into a feature. The Central Military Commission began to negotiate with the August First Film Studio to produce a film. In February 1986, Li Pingfen (李平分), Shi Chao (史超) and Wang Jun (王军) signed on to write the script for the film. They consulted a lot of data, including the memoirs of veterans, interviewed more than 300 campaign participants, and also surveyed the old battlefields. The then vice-chairman of Central Military Commission Yang Shangkun and the then director of the General Political Department Yang Baibing had repeatedly summoned the producers to discuss the film. At the end of 1987, the film finally finished writing. Li Jun (李俊) was signed to direct the film and Yang Qingwei (杨庆卫) served as general producer. At the end of 1989, the directors visited Nie Rongzhen, a commander in the Pingjin Campaign. The title of the film was written by Jiang Zemin, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. After seeing the film, Deng Xiaoping said, "The film is very good. I watch it every year."
Casting
Gu Yue, Lu Qi and Ma Shaoxin (马绍信) were cast in respective lead roles of Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Lin Biao for the film. Zhao Hengduo (赵恒多) was selected to cast as Chiang Kai-shek and Su Lin (苏林) was selected to cast as Zhou Enlai.
Filming
Filming took place in Heilongjiang, Zhejiang, Ningxia, and Shandong. Nearly 800 of the 1000 workers in the August First Film Studio participated in the shooting. PLA soldiers from Shenyang Military Region, Beijing Military Region, Jinan Military Region, Nanjing Military Region and Lanzhou Military Region participated in the film. The scenes of Mao Zedong labours up the hillside and the ice thawing on the Yellow River were filmed in northern Shaanxi. It took the camera crew two years to film all the Yellow River scenes.
Release
Decisive Engagement: The Liaoxi-Shenyang Campaign premiered in the Great Hall of the People on August 1, 1991, with wide-release in China on January 1, 1992.