The Eight Hundred, the first Mandrian war blockbuster of 2020, was released on August 21 in nationwide theaters. The opening of the film was also coupled with the release of its Soundtrack musicsoundtrack, which took a year to develop.
The ultimate level of Chinese film music created through the collaboration of top-notch music practitioners
The soundtrack of The Eight Hundred consists of a total of 20 original music pieces, which are outcomes of the collaboration of more than 200 top-notch music practitioners, including the acclaimed film music composers Rupert Gregson-Williams ('Hacksaw Ridge') and Andrew Kawczynski (“Dunkirk”), as well as renowned music producer Yu Fei and Czech National Symphony Orchestra. It took a year to complete the recording, mixing and master tape processing for the music of the film, and music practitioners from Los Angeles, Sofia, London and Beijing have participated in the creation, production and performance of the music, making the project the “first in the history of Chinese film music” in many regards.
What’s more, the world-renowned tenor singer Andrea Bocelli and the pop queen of the Chinese mainland Na Ying were invited to sing the ending theme song Remembering. The production of this solo was implemented by Bob Erzin, who has exclusively cooperated with Andrea Bocelli for many times, in collaboration with prominent TV and film music producer Yu Fei, golden lyricist Yin Yue and Zhang Cheng, as well as a world-renowned orchestra, making the song a musical dialogue that advocated peace and humanistic care across space and time.
Conveying greatness with music in a concerted call for peace
In terms of the significance of The Eight Hundred, the director Guan Hu said that “[the film is aimed to] allow people, especially those from the international arena, to see what China has gone through; and we have never forgotten this period of history”. Apart from conveying to the audience the moving and rousing national spirit, the film carries with it a more important mission – to pass on the spirit to the younger generation in China and to call for peace throughout the world. In an era where individual interests are more valued, the spirit of solidarity during times of war is still inspirational to all of us, which reminds us that solidarity is a great source of strength. By conveying such a spirit and the cruel yet moving historic event through the performance of symphonic instruments, the music serves as not only a milestone but also a sign warning us that history should not be forgotten.
A terrific duet of Andrea Bocelli and Na Ying that adds life to the film
The ending theme Remembering successfully expresses the spirit of the film through music. The melody is adapted from the broadly popular Irish folk tune Londonderry Air, which is also presented in the film by a soldier through harmonica performance. Yu Fei, the music supervisor, said that while the epic war film was thought-provoking, the touching melody serves as a complementary finishing touch that echoes to the beginning, and hopefully, it will prompt every viewer to directly reflect upon their inner selves, their commitment and life. The cross-border cooperation between Andrea Bocelli and Na Ying has added a pleasant touch of life to the film and its soundtrack – the pure, clear voice of Andrea Bocelli perfectly echoes to the profound, strengthful voice of Na Ying in the duet, concluding the epic film with profound musical expressions that prompting the audience to immerse themselves in the thought of the spectacular narratives. The heaven-sent duo has also successfully conveyed the message of love and peace to the world with their superb singing skills.
Soundtrack album released on the same day as film opening, with vinyl records available for pre-sale on August 20
The creation, production and distribution of The Eight Hundred soundtrack took several years before it was presented to the audience. In addition to the launch of the soundtrack on major digital platforms, Universal Music plans to offer a special offer of vinyl records, with 800 collection-version copies imprinted with limited edition numbers being rolled out in the first batch – a homage to the film title with a view of honoring history with music.
The Eight Hundred portrays a touching story of soldiers stationed at Shanghai Sihang Warehouse who fought against waves of Japanese forces for 4 days and 4 nights. They were warriors, men of iron and guardians of a single warehouse by the bank of the Suzhou River. They had shown cowardice, they had been observed by onlookers with indifference but they didn’t give up because they were “The Eight Hundred”.
