The Promise sees Jang Dong-Gun's slave rise above his lowly station

Director Chen Kaige's movie, which cost a reported $42m (�23.6m), is China's submission for best foreign film Oscar and is up for a Golden Globe.

Chen's Farewell My Concubine was nominated for two Academy Awards in 1993, including best foreign film.

In The Promise, a slave falls for a princess and stars Korean actor Jang Dung-Kun and Japan's Hiroyuki Sanada.

The film's budget is reported to be the highest in Chinese history, overtaking the $30m (�17m) spent on 2002's Hero, directed by Chen's former cinematographer Zhang Yimou.

Shot on location throughout China, it has received favourable reviews from the mainland press for its imagery and special effects.

Early acclaim

The cast also includes Hong Kong stars Cecilia Cheung and Nicholas Tse.

Chen Kaige's films include Killing Me Softly and Temptress Moon

Chen said he dropped the philosophical content of his recent films, including 1999's The Emperor and the Assassin, to try to attract a larger audience.

In the US, the film is renamed Master of the Crimson Armor.

"I want to be a friend of the audience and sincerely bring to them a film like The Promise in the hopes that it will bring a lot of happiness to the public," he said in a webchat with Chinese website Sina.com.