The Courage of The Stars (film)

The Courage of The Stars  (: 星星的勇气) is a 2020 Kodeshi   directed by and co-written by Qiu Guangyao, and starring Teng Jie, Dai Wuying, Wang Yuanjie, Guo Guozhen, Jiang Liang, Su Jin, Wei Zhihao, Zhi Chen, Yuan Tai, Li Xiaolong, and Zheng Pingru. The film revolves around the eponymous Siege of Songhari, during the War of Resistance against Selengerian Aggression. The film follows the Kodeshi armies desperate attempts to defend their capital city Songhari, besieged by Selengerian forces, and the heroic actions taken by its defenders. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, praising its production values, directing, acting, cinematography, musical score and action sequences, but criticized its plot, writing, and its historical accuracy.

Plot
The film is set in 1950 in Kodeshia, in the province of Zhongbin, during the height of the Great Kesh War where the Selengerian forces were is fighting with Kodeshia. The plot shows some of the background of the siege and the story of the siege itself. The siege begins when the Selengerian Army launching a surprise attack on the capital of Kodeshia, Songhari with the intention of capturing it. Tension builds among the citizens when they find out that their country was invaded. The film is narrated by a soldier who served as a part of the defence team against the invasion and tells the story of how he survived the battle and the events that unfolded after his return home. During the early 1950s the Selengerian forces were on the offensive, defeating Kodeshi forces in the Battle of Yushi River and the Battle of Malipo. The Selengerian Army led by Khiyat Suudriin defeated Kodeshi forces led by the General Lao Tang. Forcing them to fall back to the stronghold of the capital Songhari.After receiving the news of the foreign invaders victory the Kodeshi commander, General Lao ordered his troops dig in at the capital and strategic port of Songhari, which would not only give the Kodeshi a supply line to the outside world, but also cut off the Selengeria's advance towards vital port of Chenghai and the entire coastline of Kodeshia.

Meanwhile, the Selengerian Army is preparing for the assault as well as gathering up civilians for safety and supplies. After being shown the enemy's numbers, the Lao decides to send a few of the best soldiers to provide a delaying action and fight against the Selengerian Army, but he knows that there is no guarantee that the soldiers will return safely. To make sure his people know what is happening, a radio station plays music from outside so everyone can hear it. When the soldiers leave, the city starts to panic. Early morning when two Selengerian spies infiltrate into the city. They saw panic and chaos among the Kodeshi forces expect a quick victory. But when they try to sneak out they are seen by someone else. Soon after, both Selengerians are caught, but managed to escape before being found. However, on March 21 1950, the Selengerians having gathered the intelligence surprise Songhari by attacking the city with massive numbers of troops, armour, artillery and airpower. Selengerian forces sieged the city and massacring many of its residents and causing widespread destruction to many historical sites. Soon enough, the city's defences start to fall. One of the defenders, the brave company commander, Captain Xiao Haoming (Wang Yuanjie) takes the lead in defending the city. He makes the decision to destroy the enemy's supply base before it gets too dangerous. With the help of the locals, the Captain manages to blow the bridge to the enemy's camp which effectively weaken the enemy forces. However, the city's morale drops as the casualties continue to rise from daily bombing and artillery barrages. The siege culminates in a bloody battle in which both sides try to gain the upper hand on the other. The persistent and desperate defence by the city's residents eventually leads to victory.

The city's morale rises again as the troops begin to celebrate. They all head off in the direction of the battlefield while the national anthem plays over the radio. The celebration, however, quickly turns into mourning as more details emerge. It seems like the losses have been very heavy and the general is missing. The defence of the city was led by the valiant General Lao Tang. He was later declared as the Hero of Songhari, who was given a state funeral. The brutal and bloody siege would be a failure and mark the end of Selengeria's rapid advance into the country and would be pushed back from the capital and over the next nine years slowly face mounting resistance before the end of the conflict.

Cast

 * Teng Jie as General Lao Tang, commanding the Kodeshi forces.
 * Dai Wuying as Lieutenant Colonel Wu Xiong, battalion commander of the 1st division.
 * Li Xiaolong as Xu Jiang, battalion commander of the 2nd division.
 * Zheng Pingru as Yu Qiyue, battalion commander of the 3rd division.
 * Wei Zhihao as Yang Yixin, assistant commander of the 3rd Division.
 * Wang Yuanjie as Captain Xiao Haoming, tank commander.
 * Guo Guozhen as Lei Weiyu, communications officer.
 * Jiang Liang as Zhang Hulu, intelligence agent.
 * Su Jin as Lao Hulu, tank driver.
 * Zhi Chen as Liang Baiqing, major of artillery.
 * Yuan Tai as Hou Cheng, company leader.
 * Yuen Cheung as Mao Shun, army translator.
 * Xiao Hong as Wang Xuebing, captain of the engineering corps.
 * Liu Xiangyu as Ma Yushui, army doctor.
 * Yu Hao as Huang Ruilin, army captain.
 * Hua Junliang as Shi Zhijun, army lieutenant colonel.
 * Lu Fang as Huo Shouyi, army major general.
 * Yang Yiwei as Cao Guohuo, army major.
 * Nan Fei as Li Jianxian, army sergeant major.
 * Ye Zhengming as Kong Mingzhu, army sergeant.

Production
The screenplay was based on a true story about a young army general of the Kodeshi Army named Deng Feng, who personally led an attack against the Selengerian Army in order to relieve the garrison at the city of Songhari. The general died leading his troops. The production started filming in March 2019. This is the first film in recent history to use special war footage shot during the Siege of Songhari to recreate the siege. The film is set in the 1950s. Qiu Guangyao the director had been preparing for the film for 10 years and was determined to make it. The lead actor Teng Jie said she had never done any action scenes before but after training together, they were able to pull it off. They trained on actual military equipment. The majority was filmed on the outskirts of Tongchuan. Filmed over two months in the city, the cast, crew, and extras, included more than 300 people. The production team had built a real set of the city of Songhari during the war, complete with bombed out houses, streets, and even the old City Hall. A replica of the Old Imperial Palace was also built, with the original palace being used to shoot the interior sequences of the movie. The production team worked closely with the Imperial Armed Forces of Kodeshia in conducting accurate battle shots, using authentic weapons, uniforms, vehicles, and tanks. Further scenes featuring the historically significant landmarks were shot in Songhari. The production was completed in December 2019. The film was released on 5 May 2020. The film was well received at the Songhari International Film Festival on March 21, 2020 on the 70th anniversary of the Siege of Songhari. It was the opening night of the festival which was attended by the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Kodeshia, Zhou Lirong who praised the production.

Theatrical
The film premiered at the Songhari International Film Festival on March 21, 2020 on the 70th anniversary of the Siege of Songhari. The film won the "People's Choice" prize at the festival. The Courage of The Stars has had its overseas premiere at the International Film Festival, on April 17, 2020. It was screened to an audience of over 400,000 attendees from across Kodeshia. On July 9, this was followed by screenings in Alva, Akiteiwa, Beifang, Qingcheng, Hydar State and Poja. The Courage of The Stars is being distributed by Kodeshi Imperial Studio Film and Television Technology Co., Ltd, in partnership with local distributors. The Courage of The Stars has also been released on online streaming services internationally.

Home Media
Courage of The Stars will be available for released on DVD, Blu-ray Disc, 4K Ultra HD & Digital Download starting June 16, 2020. The release includes a behind the scene featurette, a making of documentary, deleted and alternate scenes, documentaries about the actors involved, and more. Reception

Songhari International Film Festival
The film was premiered at the Songhari International Film Festival on March 21, 2020 on the 70th anniversary of the Siege of Songhari. It opened to prestigious slot with much fanfare and government support with the Emperor reportedly watching and personally approving of the film. The film won the "People's Choice" prize at the festival. The Courage Of The Stars received rousing reviews from critics attending the screening, who praised the film for its historical accuracy and realistic portrayal of the Great Kesh War, particularly how it shows the common soldier, who is often neglected in other films set during wartime. Although some foreign reviewers were critical towards the overly nationalistic tone of the film (particularly regarding the depiction of the Tiperyn and Selengerian regimes), the themes explored by the film were considered relatable by many, especially the subject of the poor treatment of women and children by both sides during war time. Some commentators noted that the film was an important step forward for Kesh cinema and artistry and that its success would encourage future Kodeshi directors to take risks by tackling taboo topics such as the Great Kesh War. Many viewers found themselves moved by the story and characters portrayed by the cast and crew, and felt that the film had successfully captured their attention from start to finish.

Box Office
It opened to number one on its first weekend before earning a gross domestic total of Hz4.903 trillion ($343.6 million USD). It is currently the highest-grossing Kodeshi movie of all time as well as the second most watched Great Kesh War-set film of all time. The film was widely viewed as a triumph by those who worked on it and is credited as being one of the biggest box office successes of Kodeshi Cinema history this was helped by a massive advertising campaign including social media influencers campaigning for tickets as well as the film receiving official sanction by the Imperial Government of Kodeshia. The announcement of the film's premier coincided with the 70th year anniversary of the siege of the Imperial City which is celebrated annually as the Day of Remembrance a national holiday and military parade is held every year by the Imperial Armed Forces of Kodeshia as well as a public memorial service held by members of parliament attended by representatives of Kodehia's four major political parties.

Critical Response
The film has received critical acclaim. It received rave reviews internationally with praise coming from various publications including The KTEC Cultural & Arts Review who called it a "beautiful slice of epic filmmaking", Grienstien Herald described it as a "masterpiece" and National Daily News who wrote that the film was "a cinematic masterpiece". Qiu Guangyao was praised for his direction, the story and the costumes of the film. In addition, the costume design by Wu Hao was also highly praised. It received positive reviews on its release. The Reviewer from Film Business Kesh calls it a "breath-taking adventure film" with "solidly constructed stories" and "a stunning visual feast". According to them, while the historical accuracy is "slightly lacking", "the film has an undeniable authenticity and a very appealing sense of patriotism and heroism". The film's cinematography was also highlighted, they said the picture quality and lighting were superb and praised the camera work and editing, saying that both were excellent and worthy to be compared with leading films and international productions alike. The film got a rating of 5 stars from The KTEC Cultural & Arts Review and 91% rating on IMDb, with the general consensus being "The cinematography and battle scenes are excellent. And the atmosphere of the film, the characters are wonderful, with many very moving scenes and events in the film." although some of the more negative reviewers questioned whether the action sequences in the film were realistic, with some reviewer calling the fights in the film unrealistic and stating, "there's nothing wrong about a good fight scene but the way the actors play their parts is quite unbelievable and not even convincing at times, especially in some of the later battles between large armies. Others questioned he historical accuracy saying "If you look at it on screen, it's definitely a lot of action scenes and a lot of the war. If you look closely, though, this is not a historical film. The story of this movie just goes too far, and it's too unrealistic to compare this to history. This is an action movie, and the story is completely different from the true history." The Grienstien Herald's film review stated, "The success of the film rests on two pillars: its production values and performances, which are topnotch. Both the script and directing are solid, while the cast gives amazing performances. The film is visually breathtaking, with some spectacular set pieces. All in all, the story moves swiftly, as it is meant to be told at a gallop". The review also commended the "unsparing portrayal of a young and brave nation coming of age and fighting for its survival". However, the reviewer did not like the ending. He says it ends on a note that is unsatisfying. He compares the film to the other feature length films made in Kodeshia in the same year. He found the last act of the film disappointing. As for the costumes, the critic noted the costumes worn by the soldiers in the film were the best part of the entire film. He said the costumes had been well researched. Along with the realistic portrayal of the regular soldier . The Imperial Kodeshi Armed Forces promoted the film, as the official sponsor of the making of the film. They gave Kodeshi's Army officers free access to the film. While the film takes some artistic license, it does so in order to create excitement and drama. Retired Kodeshi Army General Guo Xiang said: "Despite some of the inaccuracies, the film captures the spirit, history, and courage of the Kodeshi people. It's important to know our history, but there's no point if we don't understand the past. This is still one of the most realistic portrayals of this decisive battle and  turning points in Great Kesh War" Although several seemingly over the top moments such as the depiction of the Battle of Yushi River appear in the final cut of the film, these are actually based on real accounts from actual veterans of the war.

Controversy
The portrayal of Selengerian forces has been called into question by both critics and historians of the Kesh War. Gerit Rayden of the Tiperyn Military History Journal writes that the film is little more than a "critical piece of propaganda for the Kodeshi government that seeks to glorify their reputation for bravery and sacrifice during wartime." Noting that the Selengerian forces depicted in the film are portrayed as "brutal mindless fanatics" who commit atrocities against civilians indiscriminately and who use rape as a weapon of war, Rayden notes that the Selengerian forces in the film are not even mentioned by name until nearly half way through the film. Criticizing the film for its focus on portraying Kodeshi forces as valiant defenders against overwhelming odds, he argues that the film portrays the Selengerian forces as being far superior in terms of equipment, training, and morale compared to Kodeshia forces. While he acknowledges that the Kodeshi army was suffering significant losses it still outnumbered the Selengerian forces, he states that the movie makes the Selengeria out to be much larger conquering armies who engaged in wholesale slaughter and raping of the citizens.

Additionally The Kodeshi Imperial Culture Research Association (KICRA), a non-governmental group, held an academic conference on filmmaking where attendees voiced opinions on the film. Attendees did not agree with the portrayal of the Guoist Army, complaining that the film excessively glorified the Guoist army and did not mention the ways in which the Emperor and Imperial forces sought to aid Guoist forces during the siege. One member of the association claimed that the depiction of the Guoist forces in the film were exaggerated. One day before the film's release, a petition by KICRA containing the same complaints about the film was submitted to asking the National Film Bureau, to cancel its screening at all movie theatres and censor the film, however the request was denied. The attempt was unsuccessful and the film has largely been embraced by Imperial government of Kodeshia. This can be attributed to the fact that the film was made after the fall of Guoist regime saw a period of national reconciliation began by Emperor Xuanyi during the late 1960s. However, despite this reception from the Emperor's government, other scholars who attended the KICRA meeting noted that the film's portrayal of events, was generally accurate.

Awards
The film garnered a total of 7 nominations for the 43rd Golden Dragon Awards, including Best Director (Qiu Guangyao) and Best Picture. However, the film ultimately won none of the awards. At the 7th Imperial Kodeshi Film Media Awards, the film won Best Leading Actor (Dai Wuying), Best Supporting Actor (Zhi Chen) and Best Supporting Actress (Jiang Liang). The film won the following awards: