Starring: Huang Xuan, Ni Ni, Wang Renjun, Liu Haoran, Yuan Wenkang, Zu Feng, Shawn Dou, Zhang Songwen Director: Huang Jianxin

PRODUCED by Tencent Pictures in association with Shanghai Film Group, Dimension Films and China Literature, “1921” casts A-list stars Huang Xuan, Ni Ni, Liu Haoran and rising actor Wang Renjun as well as more than 50 young actors.

Veteran filmmaker Huang Jianxin, known for directing “Beginning of the Great Revival” — a movie to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) — returns to his familiar zone to serve as the new epic’s executive producer and director. Multi-award-winning director Zheng Dasheng has also joined the film as Huang’s co-director.

Set in 1921, the film looks back on the early history of the CPC in the turbulent era, retelling the revolutionary leaders’ devotion and sacrifice for the rise of Chinese people.

The crew even built a real-life replica of the historical relic where the first National Congress of the CPC was held in July 1921 in the Shanghai Film Shooting Base.

The film begins with a helpful history montage. Beginning in the 1840s, China’s century of humiliation at the hands of the British, French, Germans and Japanese is shown. National anger reaches a peak when, at the end of WWI, the Shandong Peninsula, previously German territory, is given to the Empire of Japan instead of being returned to China.

The stage is set for the arrival of the young heroes, ranging from the instantly recognizable (future leaders Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Zhou Enlai) to the more obscure (Marxist intellectual and organizer Li Da).

Made to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC, the film’s convoluted structure can be blamed on the convoluted period of history it covers. China at the dawn of the 20th century was roiling with nationalists of every political stripe as well as armies, both domestic and foreign.

Co-directors Huang and Zheng and their screenwriters could have found a cleaner, more focused narrative path, but this option was likely not open. This is a film with political goals, in addition to its educational and entertainment targets.

The film is structured like a spy thriller. This is a natural fit, as most of its protagonists were then viewed as dangerous extremists stoking labor unrest and student demonstrations.

A chunk of time is spent on action sequences showing young organizers fleeing police raids, running from strike-breakers, smuggling documents and holding clandestine meetings. There is a car chase, featuring stately 1920s vehicles drifting around Shanghai’s neon-lit streets.

Viewers need to note that this is a celebratory piece of art, not a historical document. The film, for example, paints a picture of pure-hearted patriots battling colonialism and capitalism, but ignores the internal power struggles.

The movie is now being screened in Shenzhen. (SD-Agencies)