| The Emperor and the Assassin |
|
|
|
| Culture | |
|
20 July 2001
The Emperor and the Assassin, to be released on 19 July 2000 is a film following similar lines. It is set in China at around 240 BC. It is the story of a King who is bound to fulfil his ancestral commission to unify all the seven kingdoms into one China. To this end he kills anyone who stands in his way. It has all the regular characters and all the right ingredients. But does it add anything much to this genre of film? In my opinion, not very much. Director Chen Kaige took a "Shakespearean approach" in making the film which seems to be a wise course of action considering how the film's commitment to historical accuracy constrains its plot. However, a "Shakespearean approach" to me implies complex and rich characters that are a crafted fusion of real ordinary people and powerful archetypes. Unfortunately, for the most part, Chen Kaige only manages to convey his characters as stark symbolic figures in a kind of morality play reiterating the same lessons: Power corrupts, Revenge does not pay, Love heals.
Cinematography-wise, The Emperor and the Assassin leaves you feeling bathed in beauty. Each scene is composed with perspectives and poise in mind. Balance, lines and symmetry came through as being important contrasts to the political confusion and growing imbalance of the King. Great attention was paid to the detailed recreation of ancient China, and, with the exception of thousands of obviously fake wigs hastily stuck on of heads of extras, sets and costumes bore a weighty authenticity about them. However the combat scenes were disappointingly ungraceful and unexciting compared to the battle choreography in films like Gladiator and the Matrix. But all in all, this was a meaty two and a half hour film that kept my attention and convincingly transported me to ancient China. Links http://www.sonyclassics.com/emperorandassassin/synopsis.html |
|
When
I was growing up, while others watched Coronation Street and EastEnders,
my family watched soaps about political intrigue set in Chinese imperial
palaces. Emperor - Empress - Concubine - Queen Mother - Crown Prince -
Prime Minister - Chief Eunuch. This was the dramatis personae contained
in the piles of Cantonese videos my parents rented every other weekend.
What was to be expected were plots for power, wars, assassinations, true
love, long goodbyes, sacrifice, revenge and a fair amount of crying. 
But
it is through the King that the director brings depth into the film and
explores the tensions in Chinese values. The King is caught in a battle
of emotions, torn between Tradition, Love, Ambition and Innocence. The
wars he wages are a metaphor of this internal battle, between Tradition
and all else he holds dear. As his armies destroy kingdom after kingdom,
Tradition destroys his childhood innocence, his oaths to friendship, his
filial piety, his conscience and eventually his true love. He becomes
a Macbeth-like character driven by ambition and the cry of Tradition into
madness and destruction. 
