The Emperor's Shadow

Last updated
The Emperor's Shadow
Emperor's Shadow.jpg
Traditional Chinese 秦頌
Simplified Chinese 秦颂
Hanyu Pinyin Qín Sòng
Directed by Zhou Xiaowen
Written byLu Wei
Produced byChen Zhitao
Starring Jiang Wen
Ge You
Xu Qing
Ge Zhijun
CinematographyLü Gengxin
Edited byZhong Furong
Music by Zhao Jiping
Production
companies
Xi'an Film Studio
Ocean Film Co., Ltd.
Distributed byFox Lorber (U.S.)
Release date
  • October 31, 1996 (1996-10-31)(Hong Kong)
Running time
116 minutes
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin

The 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. [1]

Contents

Plot

Set in third century BC China, the story of The Emperor's Shadow revolves around the relationship between Ying Zheng, the King of Qin, and later the First Emperor; and the musician Gao Jianli. Gao Jianli's mother was the king's wet nurse when the young king was a hostage in the Zhao state, but they were separated after the former returns to Qin to become king.

After reaching adulthood, Ying Zheng embarks on a series of wars to fulfill his plan of unifying China. He kidnaps Gao Jianli from the Yan state to compose a powerful anthem for his new state. The two conflict over the new composition, the construction of grand public works, Ying Zheng's ruthless mass killing policies, and Ying Zheng's daughter, Princess Yueyang.

Cast

Music and themes

The political use of music and of the arts in general is one of the major themes in the film. In one of the climaxes of the film, the king states his belief that through music he can "control the minds and hearts of the people", echoing Mao Zedong's Yan'an talks of 1942. Music is perceived by the monarch as being as important as military power. Whereas his armies can conquer his rivals, he needs the arts to exert spiritual and ideological control. At the premiere of the film on 7 June 1996 in Beijing, director Zhou Xiaowen noted: "Chinese rulers have always wanted to control our spirit. But they cannot succeed in doing so." [2]

Reception

After The Emperor's Shadow was released in five major Chinese cities, it was banned by state authorities without any clear reason being given. Eight months later permission was given for re-release.

The film has been criticized in China for its many historical inaccuracies. Chief among these is the distortion of the character of Gao Jianli. According to Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian , Gao Jianli was a friend of the assassin Jing Ke, who fails in an attempt upon Ying Zheng's life. Other minor errors, mostly of academic interest, also contribute to the film's lack of historical authenticity. The director Zhou Xiaowen defended his film by saying that it was an exploration of ideas and values for the present day and was not intended as a strictly historical depiction of the First Emperor. In a 1999 interview, he said "I don't like history; I just like the buildings, the palaces, the dress."

The film influenced the creation of Tan Dun's 2006 opera The First Emperor .

In a 1997 review by Joan Lau of the Malaysian newspaper New Straits Times , she wrote that "As for you, never mind if you don't know Seamus Heaney from Enid Blyton, go catch Emperor's Shadow, you won't regret it". [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

Gao Jianli was a musician of the Chinese state of Yan, during the Warring States period, who played a struck zither called zhu or ji zhu.

<i>The Emperor and the Assassin</i> 1998 Chinese film

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. It was the most expensive Chinese film made up to that time, costing US$20 million.

<i>The Emperor in Han Dynasty</i> 2005 Chinese television series

The Emperor in Han Dynasty, also released under the title The Emperor Han Wu in some countries, is a 2005 Chinese historical drama television series based on the life of Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty. It uses the historical texts Records of the Grand Historian and Book of Han as its source material.

<i>Romance of the Three Kingdoms</i> (TV series) Chinese television series

Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a Chinese television series adapted from the classical 14th century novel of the same title by Luo Guanzhong. The series was produced by China Central Television (CCTV) and was first aired on the network in 1994. It spanned a total of 84 episodes, each approximately 45 minutes long. One of the most expensive television series produced at the time, the project was completed over four years and involved over 400,000 cast and crew members, including divisions of the People's Liberation Army from the Beijing, Nanjing and Chengdu military regions. Some of the dialogue spoken by characters was adapted directly from the novel. Extensive battle scenes, such as the battles of Guandu, Red Cliffs and Xiaoting, were also live-acted.

<i>Three Kingdoms</i> (TV series) 2010 Chinese historical series

Three Kingdoms is a 2010 Chinese television series based on the events in the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. The plot is adapted from the 14th century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms and other stories about the Three Kingdoms period. Directed by Gao Xixi, the series had a budget of over 160 million RMB and took five years of pre-production work. Shooting of the series commenced in October 2008, and it was released in China in May 2010.

<i>The Water Margin</i> (1998 TV series) Chinese TV series or program

The Water Margin is a 1998 Chinese television series adapted from Shi Nai'an's classical 14th-century novel of the same title. It was produced by CCTV with Zhang Jizhong as producer. It was first broadcast in China in January 1998. The series also featured action choreography by Yuen Woo-ping.

<i>Assassinator Jing Ke</i> Chinese TV series or program

Assassinator Jing Ke is a 2004 Chinese television series based on a semi-fictional story of the assassin Jing Ke, who, in 227 BC, attempted to kill Ying Zheng, the king of Qin. Directed by Raymond Lee, the series starred Liu Ye as the titular protagonist, with Peter Ho, Zheng Jiayu, Zhang Tielin, Shao Bing and Zhai Ying playing supporting roles.

<i>Qin Shi Huang</i> (2001 TV series) Chinese historical drama television series

Qin Shi Huang is a Chinese historical drama television series based on the life of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor who unified China under the Qin dynasty, in 221 BC. The series was filmed between 1999 and 2000 and first released in 2001 in Hong Kong and Thailand, and in 2002 in Singapore. In China, the series was edited and altered by historians and experts before it was approved for broadcast on CCTV-1, in 2001.

<i>The Myth</i> (TV series) Television series

The Myth is a 2010 Chinese television series based on the 2005 Hong Kong film of the same title. Jackie Chan, who starred in the original film, was credited as the producer for the series, while Stanley Tong, who directed the film, was the creative director for the series. The series was first aired on CCTV-8 in China in January 2010.

<i>All Men Are Brothers</i> (TV series) 2011 Chinese television series

All Men Are Brothers is a 2011 Chinese television series adapted from Shi Nai'an's 14th century novel Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. The series is directed by Kuk Kwok-leung and features cast members from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The series was first broadcast on 8TV in March 2011 in Malaysia.

Chinese Film Performance Art Academy, founded in January 1985, is a professional organization of Chinese actors.

<i>The Rise of the Tang Empire</i> Chinese television series

The Rise of the Tang Empire is a Chinese television series based on the events in the Zhenguan era during the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty. The 50 episodes long series is directed by Zhang Jianya and written by Ah Cheng and Meng Xianshi. It was first broadcast on BTV in China in December 2006.

<i>The Patriot Yue Fei</i> Chinese TV series or program

The Patriot Yue Fei is a 2013 Chinese television series based on the life of Yue Fei, a Song dynasty general widely regarded as a patriot and national hero in Chinese culture for his role in defending the Song empire against the Jurchen campaigns. While the plot is based on historical sources, it also includes elements of fiction and draws ideas from the novel General Yue Fei (說岳全傳) and other folktales on the general's life.

<i>Justice Bao</i> (2010 TV series) Chinese television series

Justice Bao is a Chinese TV series starring producer Jin Chao-chun as the Song dynasty official Bao Zheng. The series ran for 3 seasons from 2010 to 2012. In addition to Jin, Kenny Ho, Fan Hung-hsuan and Lung Lung again reprise their iconic roles from the 1993 Taiwanese hit Justice Pao and the 2008 Chinese series Justice Bao.

<i>The Three Heroes and Five Gallants</i> (2016 TV series) Chinese TV series or program

The Three Heroes and Five Gallants is a 2016 Chinese television series produced by Huayi Brothers with Tianxing Yiyuan Entertainment (天星亿源影视), based on the 19th-century classic novel of the same name. Starring Chen Xiao, Yan Yikuan and Zheng Shuang, the series premiered on February 17, 2016, on Anhui TV.

<i>Su Dongpo</i> (TV series) Chinese TV series or program

Su Dongpo is a 2012 Chinese historical TV series produced by China Central Television. It was first shown in 2012, although it was filmed in 2007.

<i>The Kings Woman</i> Chinese television series

The King's Woman is a 2017 Chinese television series starring Dilraba Dilmurat and Vin Zhang. It is adapted from the novel The Legend of Qin: Li Ji Story (秦时明月之丽姬传). The series aired on Zhejiang TV every Monday to Wednesday, from 14 August to 4 October 2017.

<i>Iron Ladies</i> (TV series) 2018 Taiwanese television series

Iron Ladies is a 2018 Taiwanese television series created and produced by SETTV. It stars Aviis Zhong, Ben Wu, Ada Pan, Zhu Zhi-Ying as the main cast. It was first broadcast on 10 January 2017 on SET Metro and airs every Friday night from 10pm to 11.30pm.

References

  1. "电影: 当年电影《秦颂》被禁的那档事儿 - 由YMCK1025发表 - 文学城". bbs.wenxuecity.com. Retrieved Jun 1, 2021.
  2. Baranovitch, Nimrod (2003). China's New Voices: Popular Music, Ethnicity, Gender, and Politics . University of California Press. p.  194. ISBN   0-520-23450-2.
  3. Lau, Joan (22 March 1997). "Accessible, well crafted tale about friendship". New Straits Times . pp. Arts 4. Retrieved 2024-01-13.