The Emperor and the Assassin

The Emperor and the Assassin
The Emperor and the Assassin
	DVD release cover
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	荊軻刺秦王
Simplified Chinese	荆轲刺秦王
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Jīng Kē Cì Qín Wáng
Directed by	Chen Kaige
Written by	Chen Kaige; Wang Peigong;
Produced by	Han Sanping; Chen Kaige; Kadokawa Tsuguhiko; Furukawa Hiromitsu;
Starring	Gong Li; Zhang Fengyi; Zhou Xun; Li Xuejian; Chen Kaige;
Cinematography	Zhao Fei; Zheng Hua; Shang Yong;
Edited by	Zhou Xinxia
Music by	Zhao Jiping
Production; companies	Shin Corporation; Le Studio Canal+; New Wave Co.; Beijing Film Studio;
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Classics; Columbia TriStar Home Video;
Release date	8 October 1998;
Running time	162 minutes
Country	China
Language	Mandarin

The Emperor and the Assassin (Chinese: 荊軻刺秦王; pinyin: Jīngkē cì qínwáng; lit. 'Jing Ke Assassinates the King of Qin'), also known as The First Emperor, is a 1998–1999 Chinese historical romance film based primarily on Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin, as described in Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian. The film was directed by Chen Kaige and stars Gong Li, Zhang Fengyi, Li Xuejian, and Zhou Xun. The film was well received critically and won the Technical Prize at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.^[1] It was the most expensive Chinese film made up to that time, costing US$20 million.^[2]

Plot

The film covers much of Ying Zheng's career, recalling his early experiences as a hostage and foreshadowing his dominance over China. He is essentially depicted as an idealist seeking to impose a peace or unity on the world. However, his experiencing of various betrayals and losses slowly turn him into a mad tyrant. The story consists of three main incidents: the attempt by Jing Ke to assassinate Ying Zheng in 227 BCE; the (fictitious) rumour of a Chief Minister's having sired the latter before transferring his concubine to become the Queen Dowager; and the story of an official having sired children by the Queen Dowager herself. The first incident is the climax of the film, with earlier scenes foreshadowing it; the other two incidents occur between the fictional genesis and historical manifestation of the first.

In the film, Ying Zheng sends his concubine Lady Zhao to the Yan state as a spy to enlist a Yan assassin to attempt to assassinate him, intending to use that as a casus belli to start a war against Yan. Lady Zhao persuades Jing Ke to perform the assassination. After learning of Ying Zheng's massacre of the children in her home state of Zhao, Lady Zhao desires the assassination in earnest. The attempt fails, but Ying Zheng expresses his fury when his associates make no attempt to stop the assassin and he is forced to kill Jing Ke himself. He is further saddened when Lady Zhao returns to Qin only to retrieve Jing Ke for burial.

Cast

Gong Li as Lady Zhao
Zhang Fengyi as Jing Ke
Li Xuejian as Ying Zheng
Gu Yongfei as Queen Dowager
Wang Zhiwen as Lao Ai
Lü Xiaohe as Fan Yuqi
Sun Zhou as Crown Prince Dan of Yan
Chen Kaige as Lü Buwei
Pan Changjiang as prison official
Zhou Xun as blind girl
Cong Zhijun as old official
Li Longyin as shop owner
Li Qiang as Han messenger
Zhao Benshan as Gao Jianli
Ding Haifeng as Qin Wuyang
Hu Yang as young official
Zhang Shen as dwarf
Li Hongtao as Li Si
Wei Chao as Doujiyan
Han Dong as Qin cart driver
Li Zhonglin as Qin prison guard
Liu Tielian as palace ritual eunuch
Kong Qinsan as face tattooist
Xie Zengran as younger Wang brother
Chang Tao as older Wang brother
Zhang Jinzhan as Yan ambassador
Zhao Yanguo as artist
Lin Luyue as warrior
Liu Jiacheng as warrior
Chu Xu as warrior
Liu Bo as warrior
Liu Liang as warrior

Awards

The Emperor and the Assassin won the Technical Grand Prize at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival and was in competition for the Palme d'Or.^[3]^[4] Zhao Fei was awarded the 1999 Golden Rooster Award for Best Cinematography.

Background

Chen Kaige noted upon the film's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival that he hoped The Emperor and the Assassin would hold relevance to the events of the time, notably the Yugoslav Wars.^[4]

References

^ "China's Festival Winners". Variety. 17 May 2005. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
^ Yang, Jeff Once Upon a Time in China (Atria, 2003) p.204
^ "Festival de Cannes: The Emperor and the Assassin". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
^ ^a ^b "The battle for the Palm d'Or". BBC News. 17 May 1999. Retrieved 12 November 2008.

External links

[1] "China's Festival Winners". Variety. 17 May 2005. Retrieved 12 November 2008.

[2] Yang, Jeff Once Upon a Time in China (Atria, 2003) p.204

[festival-cannes.com-3] "Festival de Cannes: The Emperor and the Assassin". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 6 October 2009.

[BBC-4] "The battle for the Palm d'Or". BBC News. 17 May 1999. Retrieved 12 November 2008.

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