The Emperor and the Assassin

The Emperor and the Assassin

DVD release cover
Traditional 荊軻刺秦王
Simplified 荆轲刺秦王
Mandarin Jīng Kē Cì Qín Wáng
Directed by Chen Kaige
Produced by Han Sanping
Chen Kaige
Kadokawa Tsuguhiko
Furukawa Hiromitsu
Written by Chen Kaige
Wang Peigong
Starring Gong Li
Zhang Fengyi
Zhou Xun
Li Xuejian
Chen Kaige
Music by Zhao Jiping
Cinematography Zhao Fei
Zheng Hua
Shang Yong
Edited by Zhou Xinxia
Production
company
Beijing Film Studio
Distributed by China Star Entertainment Group (H.K.)
Sony Pictures Classics (U.S.)
Columbia Pictures (U.K.)
Release dates
  • October 8, 1998 (1998-10-08)
Running time
 162 minutes
Country China
Language Mandarin

The Emperor and the Assassin, 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 at the 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. It depicts him essentially as an idealist seeking to impose a peace or unity on the world despite various betrayals and losses. Its story consists of three main incidents: the attempt by Jing Ke to assassinate Ying Zheng in 227 BCE; the rumour of a Chief Minister's having sired the latter before transferring his concubine to become the Queen Dowager; and the (possibly fictitious) story of an official having sired children by the Queen Dowager herself. The first incident plays out only at the end of the film, but earlier scenes foreshadow 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

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]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "China's Festival Winners". Variety. 2005-05-17. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  2. ↑ Yang, Jeff Once Upon a Time in China (Atria, 2003) p.204
  3. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: The Emperor and the Assassin". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  4. 1 2 "The battle for the Palm d'Or". BBC News. 1999-05-17. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
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