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The Emperor and The Assassin
Directed by Chen Kaige
Produced by Han Sanping, Shirley Kao and Satoru Iseki
Written by Wang Peigong and Chen Kaige
Cinematography: Zhao Fei
Original Music by Zhao Jiping
Cast: Gong Li, Zhang Fengyi, Li Xuejian, Sun Zhou, Lu Xiaohe, Wang
Zhiwen
and Chen Kaige
U.S. Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Running time: 160 minutes.
Opens December 17 New York and Los Angeles.
The story of an ambitious tyrant who unified
seven feudal provinces into the first kingdom of China in the third
century B.C., Chen Kaige's The Emperor and The Assassin is an
epic tale with rich period costumes, sultry cinematography and grand
architectural and natural settings.
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Li
Xuejian
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The
valiant warrior king of Qin (Li Xuejian) believes it is his fate
to unite the disparate kingdoms of China "under all of heaven."
His lifelong lover (Gong Li) decides to aid his mission, believing
that he will be a just ruler and create a kingdom of peace for China,
after five centuries of strife. She concocts a scheme that will
result in the shameful surrender of one of the rival kingdoms, but
in the process, falls in love with another man while learning the
king committed atrocities against his own people.
While the story line is rife with twisted secrets and intrigue,
the juicy setup stays dry throughout. Despite sheets of tears from
almost every character the film is strangely cold. This is due mostly
to a pronounced and formal Chinese acting style which may leave
some feeling as though they have endured a long history lesson rather
than a diverting drama.
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