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Tai Pan
 
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Tai Pan (1986)

Starring: Bryan Brown, Joan Chen Director: Daryl Duke Rating: R (Restricted) Format: DVD
2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)


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Tai Pan
47% buy the item featured on this page:
Tai Pan 2.3 out of 5 stars (20)
Tai Pan
28% buy
Tai Pan 3.6 out of 5 stars (20)
$13.49
James Clavell's Noble House
18% buy
James Clavell's Noble House 4.4 out of 5 stars (108)
$11.49
James Clavell's Shogun
3% buy
James Clavell's Shogun 4.5 out of 5 stars (194)
$56.99

Product Details

  • Actors: Bryan Brown, Joan Chen, John Stanton, Tim Guinee, Bill Leadbitter
  • Directors: Daryl Duke
  • Writers: James Clavell, John Briley, Stanley Mann
  • Producers: Dino De Laurentiis, José López Rodero, Lucio Trentini, Raffaella De Laurentiis
  • Format: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Language: English
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rating: R (Restricted)
  • Studio: 20th Century Fox
  • DVD Release Date: June 1, 2004
  • Run Time: 127 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00020HAYW
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #79,137 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
  • For more information about "Tai Pan" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (9)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
2.3 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad at all despite compressed plot, May 8, 2004
By Joanna (Singapore) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tai-Pan [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Admittedly, this is much less of a movie than Tai-Pan is of a book. But the book is a giant among books, and the show is still a good show. Those who have read the book, rather than savaging it for its divergence from the book (which, in any case, would require a mini-series to do its layering and complexity justice, not a 2-hour show) should treat it as a kind of visual accompaniment to the story - good casting, good handling of some powerful scenes. Alright, they were much more powerful in the book, but it's not all the time that readers of a splendid book get the opportunity to see a capable visual incarnation that does justice to the characters, at least, if not to the plot. Maybe if the show had been titled "Selected Scenes from Tai-Pan" rather than "Tai-Pan" it would have been better received by purists.

What I'm trying to say is it did treat the subject material well, although obviously it couldn't pack everything which makes us love the book into just two hours. In an adaptation of a book, when you can recognise each character instantly before the character's name is mentioned it's always a good sign - where there's good casting, it's a sign that it's a sensitive adaptation, and this was the case with Tai-Pan. I thought Bryan Brown was very good as Dirk Struan; I'm not Scottish, so I couldn't tell that his accent was as fake as many others seem to think it.

I can see how those who haven't read the book would find it laughable, though, because due to the compression of the plot you don't really get to know the characters and understand their motivations from scratch. Some of Clavell's magnificent dialogue from the book might sound weird in the show, or lacking in punch, for those without a prior acquaintance of the book, because of this lack of emotional set-up. That's why I think it's best for those who have read the book, who already know the characters and can watch them fully-fledged, so to speak, as the show doesn't spend time introducing the audience to the characters.

Perhaps the reason that fans of James Clavell's books are so vociferous in their criticism of this show, sometimes, is because they are acclimatised to splendid, detailed and heartfelt adaptations of so many of his other books - the Shogun mini-series, the Noble House mini-series and the King Rat film. Why, Clavell fans are really so fortunate already when it comes to screen adaptations! :) If we lowered our expectations a little, we'd see that Tai-Pan, too, is not that bad a treatment of the book at all!

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent condensed version of Clavell's masterpiece, April 14, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Tai-Pan [VHS] (VHS Tape)
For the small price, I wasn't expecting much. I was happily surprised with a wonderful cast of characters and a beautifully created screenplay which nicely captures the essence of the novel Tai-Pan. If you enjoyed the book, I recommend picking up the video. It's definitely worth watching. The acting may not be the best, but it really does do justice to the story.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Lost without having read the book, August 24, 2002
By Michael Mathis (Yokohama, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Tai-Pan [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I am a big Clavell fan who never got to see the Tai-Pan movie, so I ordered the tape.

To appreciate this movie at all you must have read the book because too much has been left out to preserve the 2-hour time limit for major theatrical releases.

The acting is good. The casting is OK. (May-May is a babe.) However, it is just too scattered to be a coherent piece of work.

Those of you who have read Shogun and then seen the full version of the mini-series and later the 2-hour version can get an idea of what Tai-Pan is like.

The full version of Shogun wasn't perfect (especially because it had to be censored for TV) but was basically good.

The 2-hour version of Shogun was almost impossible to follow, even after having read the book and having seen the full version of the mini-series.

I do have to admit that Clavell fans will be disappointed, but I still recommend that you watch it. For those of you who haven't read the book, I think you should pass.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars A decent film featuring good casting
"Tai-Pan" probably should have been a miniseries, given the complex, multifaceted nature of the James Clavell novel from which it derives. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Roger J. Buffington

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing...
After reading the book I was extremely disappointed by this poor attempt. I had the 'bad joss' of actually buying the dvd after reading the book. Read more
Published on September 9, 2005 by M. Mhlanga

3.0 out of 5 stars Tai Pan/Noble House
Tai Pan is more than a chick flick or criticzing of Bryan Brown. It is a prelude to a very good mini series: Noble house! Read more
Published on September 5, 2005 by wolfden00

1.0 out of 5 stars DANGER......DANGER Tai Pan fans
If you haven't read the book don't even think about watching this movie. If you have read the book be prepared to be disappointed. Read more
Published on August 25, 2005 by F. Rozar

5.0 out of 5 stars many great moments
I agree with most reviewers that too much was cut out of the story. I would love to see a much longer miniseries treatment, too. Read more
Published on September 22, 2003

2.0 out of 5 stars Worth the [$$$] I paid for it
Having read the book, I wanted to see the movie no matter how bad it was. It was interesting to watch, but not because the story was captivating... Read more
Published on June 13, 2003 by J. McCombs

1.0 out of 5 stars Lousy adaptation
As a collector of Clavell novels, and an owner of King Rat and Shogun, I looked forward to having Tai-Pan in my collection. Then, I got the video. Oh, brother. Read more
Published on September 14, 2002 by Edward G Conry

1.0 out of 5 stars Lousy film adaptation
I love Clavell, the books are great! I've liked some of the on screen adaptations of his novels. King Rat was ok. Read more
Published on September 14, 2002 by Edward G Conry

1.0 out of 5 stars More like no stars
I have seen all of James Clavell's literary works that have been turned into movies, "Shogun," "Tai-Pan," "King Rat," and "Noble House. Read more
Published on April 25, 2002 by Michael Sullivan

1.0 out of 5 stars Probably the worst movie I've ever seen...
I remember seeing the 12 or so hour miniseries of "Shogun" many years ago. I loved it, read the book and loved it, so when I saw "Tai Pan", I figured it'd... Read more
Published on April 14, 2002 by ZenPenguin

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