The Flowers of War Trailer with Christian Bale: The Dark Knight Races to China

Now, the Second Sino-Japanese War may not seem like the perfect backdrop for Christian Bale to showcase his heartthrob chops, but it appears there's a romance nestled in this very expensive, ornate chronicle of the Japanese invasion of China. The Flowers of War is China's official submission to the Oscars, and it won't take long to see why: This thing is too gigantic and textbook-serious to be ignored.

Let's forgive a few things in this trailer: 1) Christian Bale; 2) Christian Bale's - and forgive me if I'm misdiagnosing this -- Blue Collar Comedy Tour accent; 3) The following exchange: "Are you going to fall in love with me?" "...ALREADY HAVE." Forgiveness, forgiveness, forgiveness. I have a surplus of it today.

Because otherwise, this looks breathtaking. I also thought this year's Fox Searchlight release Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, a "historical drama set in 19th century China": http://www.movieline.com/2011/07/review-snow-flower-and-the-secret-fan.php, looked incredible, and that disappeared from the public consciousness faster than it entered (if it even entered). While I'm sure Flowers of War is more entertaining than didactic, there is a serious lack of knowledge in America about Asian history, so I hope this finds a way to catch hold in the states. Let's face it, the last movie about 1930s China that moved me to tears was Shanghai Surprise, and I don't believe that was intentional.

Verdict: A bouquet of gorgeous cinematography and harsh history

The Flowers of War opens in limited release this month.