IMDb >
Tai-Pan (1986)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsTai-Pan (1986) More at IMDbPro »
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
7 November 1986 (USA)
more
Tagline:
There can only be one. more
Plot:
Tai-Pan is Chinese for "supreme leader". This is the man with real power to his hands. And such a Tai-Pan...
more
| add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
2 nominations
more
User Comments:
If you love exotic melodramas, this one's for you!
more (16 total)
Cast
(Credited cast)| Bryan Brown | ... | Dirk Struan | |
| Joan Chen | ... | May-May | |
| John Stanton | ... | Tyler Brock | |
| Tim Guinee | ... | Culum Struan | |
| Bill Leadbitter | ... | Gorth Brock | |
| Russell Wong | ... | Gordon Chen | |
| Katy Behean | ... | Mary Sinclair | |
| Kyra Sedgwick | ... | Tess Brock | |
| Janine Turner | ... | Shevaun Tillman | |
| Norman Rodway | ... | Aristotle Quance | |
| John Bennett | ... | Orlov | |
| Derrick Branche | ... | Vargas | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Vic Armstrong | ... | Drunken Sailor | |
| Dickey Beer | ... | Brecks´s Crew | |
| Chuang Cheng | |||
| Kuan Tai Chen | ... | Pirate | |
| Shu Chen | |||
| Rosemarie Dunham | |||
| Robert Easton | |||
| Richard Foo | |||
| Nicholas Gecks | |||
| Carol Gillies | |||
| Pat Gorman | ... | British Merchant 2 | |
| Michael C. Gwynne | |||
| Billy Horrigan | ... | Brecks´s Crew | |
| Denise Kellogg | ... | Nude Model | |
| Barbara Keogh | |||
| Lisa Lu | |||
| Bronco McLoughlin | ... | Brecks´s Crew | |
| Bert Remsen | |||
| Patrick Ryecart | |||
| Rob Spendlove | |||
| Patty Toy | |||
| Jie Zhang | |||
Additional Details
Also Known As:
James Clavell's Tai-Pan (USA) (complete title)
more
more
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
127 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The film was originally announced by MGM in 1967-8 and was to be directed by Michael Anderson, but after severe operating losses the film was one of a number of expensive projects the new management at the studio dropped as too costly. In the 70s Steve McQueen agreed to play the lead for a then-record $10m and was paid an advance of $1m. When the producers were unable to pay the second installment on time, he dropped out, keeping the $1m he had already been paid. In 1980 Roger Moore agreed to play the lead, even going as far as to start to grow a beard for the part before that version fell through as well.
more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: In a scene, set in 1841, several of the ladies were wearing bright mauve outfits. That would have been most unlikely for the wives of middle class traders at that time as the color purple was prohibitively expensive before the invention of analine dyes in London - in 1856. By 1870 these gaudy colors had become so cheap and commonplace that it became a status symbol to mimic the subtler, paler colors of the pre analine dye days.
more
Movie Connections:
Followed by "Noble House" (1988)
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (16 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Tai-Pan (1986)Recommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Carrie | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | Unconquered | Valmont | Chinese Box |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Adventure section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |

TAI-PAN
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (J-D-C Scope)
Sound format: Dolby Stereo
1840's China: Thrown off the mainland because of his opium dealings, a western merchant (Bryan Brown) sets up home on the island of Hong Kong where he faces conflict from friend and foe alike in the lead-up to colonization.
Hugely derided at the time of its release, this handsome production - based on the novel by James Clavell, and directed by TV specialist Daryl Duke (THE THORN BIRDS) - plays to the gallery at every turn, embracing the book's labyrinthine plot and outrageous melodrama with unashamed fervour, an approach which appears to have sealed its fate at the box-office. The movie opens a little too abruptly, indicating a troubled post-production, but John Briley's busy screenplay (co-written with Stanley Mann) unfolds against a colorful historical backdrop and includes just enough nudity and violence to keep boredom at bay. Brown's performance is compromised by an unconvincing Scottish accent, and he's upstaged by Joan Chen (THE LAST EMPEROR) as the Chinese girl who loves him regardless of his failings, while handsome Tim Guinee (HOW TO MAKE AN American QUILT) is achingly sincere as Brown's naive young son, led astray by villainous merchants plotting his family's downfall. Also starring John Stanton, Russell Wong, Norman Rodway, Kyra Sedgwick and Bert Remsen in supporting roles. Production values strive to capture an epic feel and are largely successful, though no one's ever going to mistake this for "Lawrence of Hong Kong"! Italian makeup maestro Giannetto de Rossi (a regular contributor to the films of Lucio Fulci) provides some occasional flashes of gore, including a brief - but realistic - decapitation near the beginning of the picture.