Tai-Pan is a 1986adventure drama film directed byDaryl Duke, loosely based onJames Clavell's 1966novel of the same name. While many of the same characters and plot twists are maintained, a few smaller occurrences are left out. Filmed undercommunist Chinese censorship, some portions of Clavell's story were considered too offensive to be filmed as written and considerable changes were made.

Tai-Pan
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Daryl Duke
Written by	John Briley Stanley Mann
Based on	Tai-Pan byJames Clavell
Produced by	Raffaella De Laurentiis
Starring	Bryan Brown John Stanton Joan Chen
Cinematography	Jack Cardiff
Edited by	Antony Gibbs
Music by	Maurice Jarre
Distributed by	De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG)
Release date	November 7, 1986 (1986-11-07)
Running time	127 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	US$25 million[1][2][3]
Box office	$2 million[4][3]

TheDe Laurentiis Entertainment Group handled theproduction and were actively seen battling the Chinese Government and Labor boards over the film during shooting. The film was a critical and box office bomb. Duke believed that a mini-series à la 1980'sShōgun or 1988'sNoble House would have been a far superior means of covering the complexity of Clavell's novel.

In 1842, the British have won theFirst Opium War and seized Hong Kong. Although the island is largely uninhabited and the terrain unfriendly, it has a large port that both the British government and various trading companies believe will be useful for the import of merchandise to be traded on mainland China, a highly lucrative market.

Although the film features many characters, it is arguablyDirk Struan andTyler Brock, former shipmates and the owners of two massive (fictional) trading companies who are the main focal points of the story. Their rocky and often abusive relationship as seamen initiated an intense amount of competitive tension.

Throughout, both men seek to destroy each other in matters of business and personal affairs. Struan is referred to astai-pan (which author Clavell translates as "Supreme Leader", although this is not the accepted translation of the term) indicating his position as head of the largest and most profitable of all the trading companies operating in Asia. Brock, owner of the second largest of the trading companies, constantly vies to destroy Struan's company and reputation in an attempt to both exact revenge on Struan and become the new "Tai-Pan" of Chinese trade.

While the film follows a similar structure as the novel, one major and notable event is left out. Struan's meeting with Jin Qua early in the film to obtain the forty lac dollars of silver to pay Brock omits Jin Qua's stipulation that four special coins be broken in half, with Struan keeping four halves and the other four being distributed by Jin Qua. When a half coin is presented to Struan that matches his own half, he is obligated to do a favor to the bearer. The first favor is called in later in the novel, by the pirate Wu Kwok. The film does not convey this.

There had been numerous attempts to filmTai Pan over the years.

Martin Ransohoff of Filmways bought the rights in 1966 in conjunction with MGM for $500,000 plus a percentage of the profits. Clavell would write the script and co-produce.^[5][6] At the time Clavell was also working as a filmmaker, directingSidney Poitier inTo Sir, with Love.

Patrick McGoohan was announced to play Dirk Struan (the first of a two-picture deal he had with MGM) withMichael Anderson attached to direct.Carlo Ponti came in as co-producer. However the movie would have cost an estimated $26 million (later reduced to $20 million^[7]) and was postponed.^[8][9] It lingered on for a number of years before being finally cancelled whenJames T. Aubrey took over as president and cancelled the project.^[10]

In 1975Run Run Shaw had bought the rights from MGM and wanted to collaborate with Universal Studios to make a $12 million film.Carl Foreman wrote a screenplay,^[11][12] but the film was not made.

In the late 1970sGeorges-Alain Vuille obtained the rights andGeorge MacDonald Fraser was hired to adapt the novel.^[13] Fraser's script met with approval – Vuille hired him to write a sequel –Richard Fleischer was attached to direct, andSteve McQueen agreed to star for a reported fee of $3 million.^[14] McQueen dropped out of the project^[15] but was still paid $1 million.^[14]

Roger Moore became briefly attached, withJohn Guillermin mentioned as director of a possible mini-series. However finance could not be arranged. Moore said: "If it's offered to me again I'll do it". Quite frankly, it's one of the best scripts I've ever read".^[16] For a timeSean Connery was mooted as star for directorMartin Ritt. "I've always wanted Sean to do it", said Clavell.^[17]

Vuille eventually lost the rights and Fraser's script was not used in the final film.^[15][18]

The popularity of the novel and TV series ofShōgun madeTai Pan continually attractive to filmmakers. In late 1983Dino De Laurentiis bought the rights.^[19] He set up the film with Orion.^[20]Sean Connery turned down the lead role.

The film was directed by Daryl Duke and starredBryan Brown, who had worked together onThe Thorn Birds.

It was the first English-language film shot in China. Shooting was extremely difficult, due in part to abundant red tape.^[2] De Laurentiis later claimed filming in China was a big mistake.^[21]

The film gained poor reviews. Walter Goodman ofThe New York Times said of it: "You have to say this forTai-Pan: it's ridiculous – but in a big way. It's two hours of Super Comics: Bearded Brutes! Busty Belles! Bloody Blades! Exotic Settings! Colorful Costumes! A Beheading! A Castration! A Typhoon!"^[22]Roger Ebert called it "the embodiment of those old movie posters where the title is hewn from solid rock and tiny figures scale it with cannons strapped to their backs, while the bosoms of their women heave in the foreground. [...] Of the women of 'Tai-Pan,' it can be said thatJoan Collins could have played each and every one of them at some point in her career".^[23] TheLos Angeles Times'Kevin Thomas said, "anyone who enjoyed James Clavell's epic novel of the early China traders can only wish that it had never arrived. So truly and consistently terrible is 'Tai-Pan' that it could stand as a textbook example of how not to adapt a historical adventure-romance into a movie".^[24] Chen was nominated for twoGolden Raspberry Award asWorst Actress andWorst New Star.

Tai-Pan holds a 13% rating onRotten Tomatoes based on seven reviews.^[25]

The film was not a box office success.^[26]

Clavell expressed disappointment with the film adaptation: "I haven't seen the film. It just hasn't been convenient for me to see it... I would like to get the rights to my book back and turn it into a mini-series".^[27]

• Tai-Pan atIMDb
• Tai-Pan atBox Office Mojo