YE YAN (THE BANQUET)

China & Hong Kong/2006/Mandarin dialogue with English subtitles/Colour/35mm/129 mins

This epic, free reworking of Shakespeare’s Hamlet is set in a nameless Chinese kingdom in 904AD. Crown Prince Wu Luan (Daniel Wu, the story’s Hamlet counterpart) loves Wan (Zhang Ziyi), but leaves home when his father the Emperor claims her as Empress. Three years later, Wu Luan’s uncle, Li, murders the Emperor, usurps the throne and marries Wan. The Prince returns to the palace, but his quest for revenge is complicated by Wan’s double-dealing ambitions and his love for Qing, a demure royal attendant. When the prince offends Emperor Li, he is sent on a suspicious “diplomatic mission”, returning just in time for the climactic banquet that will claim several lives.

“The Banquet blends Hamlet with the intrigues, doomed romance and gravity-defying wuxia martial-arts action of Zhang Yimou’s Hero and House of Flying Daggers. Anyone who enjoyed those films will find rich rewards here, not least a sumptuous production design, a grand orchestral score by Tan Dun and scenes of intense chamber drama, with Zhang Ziyi outstanding as the pitiless Empress.” – Daniel Rosenthal

Director(s) :

Feng Xiaogang

FENG XIAOGANG was born in Beijing in 1958. His feature films as writer and director include Gone Forever with My Love (1994), The Dream Factory (1997), A Sigh (2000; winner of the Best Screenplay and Golden Pyramid awards at the Cairo International Film Festival), Big Shot’s Funeral (2001), and A World without Thieves (2005; winner of the Taiwan Golden Horse award for Best Adapted Screenplay). His next film will be The Nobles.
Crew : Wang Zhongjun(Producer), Zhang Li(Cinematographer), Liu Miaomiao(Editor), Tan Dun(Music), Daniel Wu(Main Cast), Zhang Ziyi(Main Cast), Zhou Xun(Main Cast), Huang Xiaoming (Main Cast), Shen Heyu(Scriptwriter), Qiu Gangjian(Scriptwriter)
MPAA Rating : Contains frequent, very bloody violence.
Format : Colour/35mm
Running Time : 129 mins
Country : China,Hong Kong
Programme : Cinema of Asia
Venue : Dubai Media City Amphitheatre, Dubai Media City Amphitheatre
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