The Flowers of War (2011): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
The Flowers of War is a 2011 historical drama directed by Yimou Zhang, starring Christian Bale, Ni Ni and Xinyi Zhang. It is based on The Flowers of War by Geling Yan and Nicky Harman. It runs 2 hours 26 minutes and earned $2.9 million worldwide. It earned 1 award nomination, including Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes 2012. Critics gave it 41% on Rotten Tomatoes and 46 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.5/10.
- Released
- Runtime
- 2h 26m (146 min)
- Director
- Yimou Zhang
- Original language
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Chinese - Studio
- Row 1 Entertainment
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is The Flowers of War About?
The premise of The Flowers of War without spoilers, adapted from The Flowers of War by Geling Yan and Nicky Harman. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
During the brutal 1937 Nanking Massacre, an American businessman unexpectedly finds himself protecting a group of Chinese women and students. Facing overwhelming odds as Japanese soldiers advance, he demonstrates remarkable bravery and resourcefulness in a desperate attempt to safeguard them from the horrors of war. Their fight for survival becomes a poignant testament to human compassion amidst unimaginable violence.
The Flowers of War Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- food shortage
- starving child
- attempted rape
- abusive stepfather
- sexual abuse
- child rape
- chinese history
- sino japanese war
- japanese occupation
- nanjing china
- dropping a bottle
- crate
+38 more Show fewer
- katana sword
- reference to pubic hair
- male protagonist
- white male lead in a diverse cast
- overhead camera shot
- trapdoor
- interracial sex
- interracial love
- 1930s
- interracial romance
- women
- group
- asia
- classmate classmate relationship
- british actor plays an american character
- church
- priest
- japanese
- china
- student
- brothel
- convent
- mortician
- prostitute
- rape
- sacrifice
- burial
- red cross
- refuge
- major
- cross
- chinese
- dead children
- celebration
- male disguised as a female
- wig making
- 6 year old
- using a broken mirror as a knife
The Flowers of War Cast
Christian Bale leads the cast, with Ni Ni and Xinyi Zhang. Directed by Yimou Zhang.
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Director Yimou Zhang
More from Yimou Zhang
More films directed by Yimou Zhang, best-rated first: Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Shadow and Not One Less.
The Flowers of War Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave The Flowers of War 41% on Rotten Tomatoes and 46 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.5/10.
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IMDb 7.5 /10
See on IMDb -
Rotten Tomatoes 41% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 74%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 46 Metascore
User score 7.2
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 74% User score
See on TMDB -
Letterboxd 3.7 /5
122 ratings
See on Letterboxd -
Movie Insider 4.1 /5
See on Movie Insider
The Flowers of War Plot Summary
What happens in The Flowers of War from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
An American mortician, John Miller, makes his way to Nanjing with the solemn task of burying the foreign head priest of a Catholic girls’ convent, just following the city’s devastating bombing and invasion by Japanese forces. Shortly after his arrival at the convent, a flamboyant group of prostitutes, seeking refuge from the chaos of the war, discover the sanctuary that the convent provides, since foreign entities appear to be spared by the marauding Japanese soldiers.
Full summary
The whole story of The Flowers of War, scene by scene
The Flowers of War Box Office
The Flowers of War grossed $2.9 million worldwide. $311,434 came from the US and Canada and $2.5 million (89%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$2.9M
- US & Canada
- $311.4K
- International
- $2.5M
The Flowers of War Awards & Nominations
The Flowers of War earned 1 award nomination, including Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes 2012.
1 nomination1 ceremony
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Golden Globes 2012 1 nomination- Nominated Best Foreign Language Film
The Flowers of War Trailers & Videos
The trailer of The Flowers of War.
How Well Do You Know The Flowers of War?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What is John Miller's profession?
Cars in The Flowers of War
5 cars on screen, including the 1960 Jiefang CA 10 B and the Mitsubishi Type 94 TK Replica.
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1960 Jiefang CA 10 B Main role -
Mitsubishi Type 94 TK Replica Important role -
Rikuo Type 97 Replica Minor role -
Toyota KB Replica Minor role
The Flowers of War Also Known As
31 alternative titles, including “Jīnlíng shísān chāi” and “Thirteen Girls in Jinling”.
- Also known as
-
- Jīnlíng shísān chāi
- Thirteen Girls in Jinling
- 13 Flowers of Nanjing
- Nanjing Heroes
- I fiori della guerra
- Τα λουλούδια του πολέμου
- Sacrifices of War
- The Flowers of War: Taistelu vapaudesta
- Sõja õied
- Las flores de la guerra
- Цветы войны
- Savasin Çiçekleri
+19 more Show fewer
- Cveće rata
- Kwiaty wojny
- Flores do Oriente
- Цветя на войната
- As Flores da Guerra
- Kim Lang Thap Tam Thoa
- 진링의 13소녀
- きんりょうじゅうさんさ
- 金陵十三钗
- Savaşın Çiçekleri
- Květy války
- פרחי מלחמה
- A háború virágai
- Karo gėlės
- Kim Lăng Thập Tam Thoa
- Florile războiului
- Квіти війни, ომის ყვავილები
- Kvety vojny
- สงครามนานกิง สิ้นแผ่นดินไม่สิ้นเธอ
Seen The Flowers of War?
Movies Like The Flowers of War
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Nanking, Don’t Cry, Nanking and The Flower Girl.
The Flowers of War FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, the book behind it and awards of The Flowers of War, each answered in a sentence.
How long is The Flowers of War?
The Flowers of War runs 2 hours 26 minutes (146 minutes).
When was The Flowers of War released?
The Flowers of War was released on December 21, 2011.
Who directed The Flowers of War?
The Flowers of War was directed by Yimou Zhang.
More films by Yimou Zhang Who is in the cast of The Flowers of War?
The Flowers of War stars Christian Bale, Ni Ni and Xinyi Zhang.
How much did The Flowers of War make at the box office?
The Flowers of War grossed $2.9 million worldwide ($311,434 domestic, $2.5 million international).
How is The Flowers of War rated?
The Flowers of War has 7.5/10 on IMDb, 41% on Rotten Tomatoes, 46 on Metacritic and 74% on TMDB.
Is The Flowers of War based on a book?
Yes. The Flowers of War is adapted from The Flowers of War by Geling Yan and Nicky Harman.
Was The Flowers of War nominated for any awards?
The Flowers of War received 1 nomination across 1 ceremony.
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