Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:DLB) and Huayi Brothers Media Co., Ltd today announced that 1942 (China release: November 29, 2012) will be the first Chinese film mixed and released in Dolby® Atmos™, the new audio format that has revolutionized the experience of sound in entertainment. The film will be mixed at China Film Studio, one of the world’s first studios with Dolby Atmos capability.
“We are very excited that Huayi Brothers and director Feng Xiaogang have selected Dolby Atmos for the Chinese blockbuster 1942. Dolby Atmos is one of our most significant innovations in recent years and represents the future of entertainment,” said Mike Chao, Managing Director, Greater China, Dolby Laboratories. “Dolby is both thrilled and honored to bring the full range of our technology and innovation to support the development of China’s motion picture industry.”
Dolby Atmos brings audiences an extremely lifelike and immersive cinema experience.
“We are so proud that
1942 is the first Chinese film in Dolby Atmos,” said Feng Xiaogang, the widely acclaimed film director at the helm of
1942. “
I’ve always been striving to make breakthroughs in my new film, from storytelling to production. Dolby Atmos is a wonderful tool that enables us to do just that.”
“In this film, which addresses both the Chinese people’s past and future, Dolby Atmos will transport moviegoers right into the year 1942,” said Wang Zhonglei, President, Huayi Brothers Media Co., Ltd. “Dolby Atmos allows us to present an even more realistic story with an amazing audio experience that not only excites the ears but also touches the heart.”
Chen Fei, CTO, China Film Co., Ltd., commented: “We see strong potential for such a breakthrough audio platform, which is why we selected Dolby Atmos for our China Film Giant Screen theatres. The Dolby Atmos mixing of
1942 is exceptionally exciting and fulfilling, and we are proud to have the first postproduction facility in China. We can now draw people right into the scene with the sounds of planes flying overhead, wind whispering from all directions, and much more.”
The list of theatres selected to show
1942 in Dolby Atmos will be made available closer to the release date on
dolby.com.cn and Dolby’s Sina weibo page
@Dolby.
About Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos brings a powerful new listening experience to the cinema with more natural, realistic sound that truly envelops the audience. It is an end-to-end solution that helps mixers, studios, and distributors dramatically improve the audio experience. The Dolby Atmos platform makes it easy for content creators to create immersive soundscapes, and it ensures the best possible audience experience, regardless of theatre configuration or the number of speakers.
Hollywood studios including Disney/Pixar (Brave), Paramount Pictures/DreamWorks Animation (Rise of the Guardians), Twentieth Century Fox (Taken 2, Chasing Mavericks, Life of Pi), and Warner Bros. (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) have adopted the Dolby Atmos format, increasing the count of 2012 Dolby Atmos titles to six.
In 2013, three titles, including Gravity and Pacific Rim from Warner Bros. and Star Trek into Darkness from Paramount Pictures, are already scheduled to receive the Dolby Atmos treatment, with additional studio titles to follow.
International movie productions are currently in the works or will be started in 2013 by movie studios in China, France, Germany, India, Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Acclaimed Singapore director Jack Neo’s movie Ah Boys to Men was recently released in Dolby Atmos. 1942 joins the growing list of international titles soon to be announced.
About 1942
In 1942, Henan province was devastated by the most tragic famine in modern Chinese history, resulting in the deaths of at least three million men, women, and children. Although the primary cause of the famine was a severe drought, it was exacerbated by locusts, windstorms, earthquakes, epidemic disease, and the corruption of the ruling Kuomintang government.
At night, hundreds of famished farmers descend with sickles and torches on the household of landlord Fan (Zhang Guoli) in North Henan province. He holds the final stocks of grain in Laozhuang village. Afraid of the angry mob, Fan prepares a banquet for them in his own home. But old feuds break out, and his property is burned to the ground in an accidental fire.
Meanwhile, war is about to break out between Japanese troops and Nationalist forces in North Henan. The province’s full supply of grain is to be diverted to the Chinese troops. Realizing the danger, provincial chairman Li Peiji (Li Xuejian) pays a visit to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek (Chen Daoming) in Chongqing, but he lacks the courage to speak up.
Homeless and hungry, landlord Fan is forced to join the millions of refugees who are walking to Shaanxi province, where they have traditionally sought refuge in times of crisis. He is among the most fortunate, with his own donkey and cart to carry his 16-year-old daughter, Xing Xing (Fiona Wang); his loyal servant, Shuang Zhu (Zhang Mo); and his tenant Hua Zhi (Xu Fan).
On the perilous journey south, marching in the opposite direction from the Chinese army, Fan encounters three men facing a crisis: impassioned American journalist Theodore White (Adrien Brody), chef-turned-judge Old Ma (Fan Wei), and Father Simeone (Zhang Hanyu), who is losing his faith in God and turns to the pragmatic Italian priest, Thomas Megan (Tim Robbins), for advice.
As the weeks pass, the social differences between Fan and his servant Shuang Zhu steadily evaporate. They dream of a future after the war when they can rule as landlords together. Fan does the unimaginable and sells his own daughter—who begs for the opportunity to eat—to a brothel for a few quarts of millet. Shuang Zhu, who has long cherished Xing Xing, is brokenhearted.
Shuang Zhu finds consolation when the older Hua Zhi offers to marry him. After one night with her new husband, once she has secured a new father for her starving children, she sells herself to slave traders. The family now has enough food to survive the perilous crossing into Shaanxi. With nobody left to live for, Fan returns north to die in his hometown.
Theodore White publishes his scathing report on the extent of the famine in Time magazine, embarrassing Chiang Kai-shek. The Generalissimo orders the Chinese troops to retreat, leaving the amassed Japanese army in complete confusion. Then the Japanese make a completely unexpected move: they begin to feed the famished population.
About Huayi Brothers Media Co., LtdEstablished in 1994,
Huayi Brothers Media Co., Ltd is the leading integrated entertainment conglomerate in China. It has produced more than 50 films since 1998 and successfully went public in the Chinese A-share market in 2009, becoming the first Chinese entertainment company to be listed on the Chinese stock exchange. With far-seeing thinking, powerful strength, and a unique business mode, Huayi became the market leader and the most dynamic creative engine in the Chinese entertainment industry. Films such as
Cell Phone,
A World Without Thieves,
The Forbidden Kingdom,
The Banquet,
Assembly,
The Message,
If You Are the One, If You Are the One 2,
Aftershock,
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, and
Painted Skin II have won both public praise and excellent box-office incomes, setting box-office records time and again among domestic Chinese films. Today, Huayi Brothers has integrated its nine business branches including film, teleplay, artist agency, music, cinema, video game, entertainment marketing, cultural tourism, and new media. With film remaining its core, Huayi Brothers is now creating higher business value with partners around the world.
