The Emperor and the Assassin
Encyclopedia
The Emperor and the Assassin, also known as The First Emperor, is a 1998 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
. It was the most expensive Chinese film made at the time, costing US$20 million.
's life, from his early life as a hostage to his dominance over China, and depicts him essentially as an idealist seeking to impose a peace or unity on the world and defeated by various betrayals and losses. Its story consists in the main of three incidents: the attempt by Jing Ke
to assassinate Ying Zheng; the rumour of a Chief Minister's having sired the latter before transferring his concubine to become Queen Mother; and the (possibly fictitious) story of an official having sired children by the Queen Mother herself. The first incident is shown only at the end of the film, but is foreshadowed in early acts; whereas the other two 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, and use that as an excuse to start a war against Yan. Lady Zhao persuades Jing Ke
to perform the assassination. After witnessing Ying Zheng's massacre of the children in her home state of Zhao
, the lady desires the assassination in earnest. The attempt fails, but Ying Zheng is furious when none of his associates attempt to stop the assassin and he is forced to kill Jing Ke himself, and further saddened when Lady Zhao returns to Qin only to retrieve Jing Ke for burial.
and was in competition for the Palme d'Or
. Zhao Fei
was awarded the 1999 Golden Rooster Award for Best Cinematography.
.
Jing Ke
Jing Ke was a guest residing in the estates of Dan, crown prince of Yan and renowned for his failed assassination attempt of Ying Zheng, King of Qin state, who later became China's first emperor...
's assassination attempt on the King of Qin
Qin Shi Huang
Qin Shi Huang , personal name Ying Zheng , was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 246 BC to 221 BC during the Warring States Period. He became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BC...
, as described in Sima Qian
Sima Qian
Sima Qian was a Prefect of the Grand Scribes of the Han Dynasty. He is regarded as the father of Chinese historiography for his highly praised work, Records of the Grand Historian , a "Jizhuanti"-style general history of China, covering more than two thousand years from the Yellow Emperor to...
's Records of the Grand Historian
Records of the Grand Historian
The Records of the Grand Historian, also known in English by the Chinese name Shiji , written from 109 BC to 91 BC, was the Magnum opus of Sima Qian, in which he recounted Chinese history from the time of the Yellow Emperor until his own time...
. The film was directed by Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema. His films are known for their visual flair and epic storytelling.-Early life:...
and stars Gong Li
Gong Li
Gong Li is a Chinese film actress. Gong first came into international prominence through close collaboration with Chinese director Zhang Yimou and is credited with helping to bring Chinese cinema to Europe and the United States....
, Zhang Fengyi
Zhang Fengyi
Zhang Fengyi is a Chinese actor most famous for his role in Farewell My Concubine, as a Chinese stage actor dealing with China's changing political climate and the affections of his singing partner...
, Li Xuejian
Li Xuejian
Li Xuejian is a Chinese actor. He is best known for his role as Song Jiang in The Water Margin, a 1997 television series adapted from the Chinese classical novel of the same title. Li has also played the roles of military personnel in television dramas set in the Chinese Civil War...
, and Zhou Xun
Zhou Xun
Zhou Xun is a Chinese actress and singer. She is regarded as one of the "Four Young Dan actresses" in China in the early 2000s, along with Zhang Ziyi, Xu Jinglei and Zhao Wei.-Early life:...
. The film was well received critically and won the Technical Prize at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival
1999 Cannes Film Festival
The 52nd Cannes Film Festival was held on May 12-23, 1999. The Palme d'Or went to the French-Belgian film Rosetta by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.-Jury:* David Cronenberg * André Téchiné * Barbara Hendricks...
. It was the most expensive Chinese film made at the time, costing US$20 million.
Plot
The film covers a great deal of Ying ZhengQin Shi Huang
Qin Shi Huang , personal name Ying Zheng , was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 246 BC to 221 BC during the Warring States Period. He became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BC...
's life, from his early life as a hostage to his dominance over China, and depicts him essentially as an idealist seeking to impose a peace or unity on the world and defeated by various betrayals and losses. Its story consists in the main of three incidents: the attempt by Jing Ke
Jing Ke
Jing Ke was a guest residing in the estates of Dan, crown prince of Yan and renowned for his failed assassination attempt of Ying Zheng, King of Qin state, who later became China's first emperor...
to assassinate Ying Zheng; the rumour of a Chief Minister's having sired the latter before transferring his concubine to become Queen Mother; and the (possibly fictitious) story of an official having sired children by the Queen Mother herself. The first incident is shown only at the end of the film, but is foreshadowed in early acts; whereas the other two 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
Yan (state)
Yān was a state during the Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of Chinese history. Its capital was Ji...
as a spy to enlist a Yan assassin to attempt to assassinate him, and use that as an excuse to start a war against Yan. Lady Zhao persuades Jing Ke
Jing Ke
Jing Ke was a guest residing in the estates of Dan, crown prince of Yan and renowned for his failed assassination attempt of Ying Zheng, King of Qin state, who later became China's first emperor...
to perform the assassination. After witnessing Ying Zheng's massacre of the children in her home state of Zhao
Zhao (state)
Zhao was a significant Chinese state during the Warring States Period, along with six others...
, the lady desires the assassination in earnest. The attempt fails, but Ying Zheng is furious when none of his associates attempt to stop the assassin and he is forced to kill Jing Ke himself, and further saddened when Lady Zhao returns to Qin only to retrieve Jing Ke for burial.
Cast
- Gong LiGong LiGong Li is a Chinese film actress. Gong first came into international prominence through close collaboration with Chinese director Zhang Yimou and is credited with helping to bring Chinese cinema to Europe and the United States....
as Lady Zhao - Zhang FengyiZhang FengyiZhang Fengyi is a Chinese actor most famous for his role in Farewell My Concubine, as a Chinese stage actor dealing with China's changing political climate and the affections of his singing partner...
as Jing KeJing KeJing Ke was a guest residing in the estates of Dan, crown prince of Yan and renowned for his failed assassination attempt of Ying Zheng, King of Qin state, who later became China's first emperor... - Li XuejianLi XuejianLi Xuejian is a Chinese actor. He is best known for his role as Song Jiang in The Water Margin, a 1997 television series adapted from the Chinese classical novel of the same title. Li has also played the roles of military personnel in television dramas set in the Chinese Civil War...
as Ying ZhengQin Shi HuangQin Shi Huang , personal name Ying Zheng , was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 246 BC to 221 BC during the Warring States Period. He became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BC... - Gu Yongfei as Queen Mother
- Wang ZhiwenWang ZhiwenWang Zhiwen is a Chinese actor born in Shanghai, China. He was selected by for his acting abilities at an early age and began to pursue a career in acting that has flourished in recent years, culminating in his role in Chen Kaige's Together...
as Marquis Changxin - Lü Xiaohe as Fan Yuqi
- Sun Zhou as Crown Prince Dan of YanCrown Prince Dan of YanCrown Prince Dan of Yan was a crown prince of the state of Yan during the Warring States Period in China. Originally a hostage in the State of Qin, he was sent back to Yan in 232 BC. He sent Jing Ke to assassinate Qin Shi Huang, then Emperor of China, but he failed...
- Chen KaigeChen KaigeChen Kaige is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema. His films are known for their visual flair and epic storytelling.-Early life:...
as Lü BuweiLü BuweiLü Buwei , Lord Wenxin 文信侯 was a Warring States Period merchant who schemed his way into governing the State of Qin. He served as Chancellor of China for King Zhuangxiang of Qin, and as regent and Chancellor for the king's young son Zheng, who became Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China... - Pan Changjiang as prison official
- Zhou XunZhou XunZhou Xun is a Chinese actress and singer. She is regarded as one of the "Four Young Dan actresses" in China in the early 2000s, along with Zhang Ziyi, Xu Jinglei and Zhao Wei.-Early life:...
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 SiLi SiLi Si was the influential Prime Minister of the feudal state and later of the dynasty of Qin, between 246 BC and 208 BC. A famous Legalist, he was also a notable calligrapher. Li Si served under two rulers: Qin Shi Huang, king of Qin and later First Emperor of China—and his son, Qin Er Shi...
- 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 Festival1999 Cannes Film Festival
The 52nd Cannes Film Festival was held on May 12-23, 1999. The Palme d'Or went to the French-Belgian film Rosetta by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.-Jury:* David Cronenberg * André Téchiné * Barbara Hendricks...
and was in competition for the Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
. Zhao Fei
Zhao Fei
Zhao Fei is a Chinese cinematographer and frequent collaborator to many directors of the China's so called "fifth generation" film movement. Zhao also served as Woody Allen's director of photography for three films between 1998 and 2001....
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 WarsYugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
.
See also
- Assassinator Jing KeAssassinator Jing KeAssassinator Jing Ke is a Chinese television series released in 2004. The series is based on a semi-fictional story of the assassin Jing Ke, who attempted to kill Ying Zheng, the king of Qin, in 227 BC. Liu Ye stars as the titular protagonist.-Plot:...
- Rise of the Great WallRise of the Great WallRise of the Great Wall is a 1986 Hong Kong television series based on the biography of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China and founder of the Qin Dynasty...
- Qin Shi Huang (2001 TV series)Qin Shi Huang (2001 TV series)Qin Shi Huang is a Chinese television series based on the life story of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor who unified China under the Qin Dynasty. The series was filmed between 1999 and 2000 and was first released in 2001 in Hong Kong and Thailand, and in 2002 in Singapore...
- The Emperor's ShadowThe Emperor's ShadowThe Emperor's Shadow is a 1996 Chinese historical film directed by Zhou Xiaowen and starring Jiang Wen, Ge You, Xu Qing and Ge Zhijun. It was the most expensive Chinese film produced at the time of its release.-Plot:...
- Hero (2002 film)Hero (2002 film)Hero is a 2002 wuxia film directed by Zhang Yimou. Starring Jet Li as the nameless protagonist, the film is based on the story of Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin in 227 BC....
- List of historical drama films of Asia
External links
- Official site from Sony Pictures ClassicsSony Pictures ClassicsSony Pictures Classics is an art-house film division of Sony Pictures Entertainment founded in December 1991 that distributes, produces and acquires specialty films from the United States and around the world. Its co-presidents are Michael Barker and Tom Bernard...