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The Emperor and the Assassin
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Synopsis
A lavishly produced historical drama from China, Jing Ke Ci Qin Wang/The Emperor and the Assassin tells the complex, multi-facetted story of the man who became the first Emperor of a unified China, another man who has sworn to kill him, and a woman who is loved by both men. Late in the Third Century B.C., when China was comprised of seven rival kingdoms, Ying Zheng (Li Xuejian) was the leader of Qin. Ying Zheng had a dream in which he joined together the seven kingdoms into a single utopian state, and taking this as a mandate from God, he invaded the nearby state of Han as the first step toward this goal. However, not everyone in the neighboring states was happy with Ying Zheng's crusade, which seemed to indicate a lengthy war with many casualties. Lady Zhao (Gong Li), Ying's lover, devised a scheme to help Ying Zheng take over the nearby and uncooperative state of Yan; she fabricated a fake assassination plot against him, and framed the leader of Yan, once Ying Zheng's childhood friend, as the man behind the murderous plot. However, Lady Zhao did not choose the would-be assassin wisely; while Jing Ke (Zhang Fengyi) loved her and was willing to do her bidding, Jing Ke's previous assassination assignment caused the unintended death of an innocent blind girl, which left him full of regret and a bit unstable. When Jing Ke learned a closely guarded secret about Ying Zheng's past, he became blindly determined to kill the would-be emperor, whatever the cost. Produced on a lavish budget by Chinese standards ($15 million), Jing Ke Ci Qin Wang/The Emperor and the Assassin was directed by Chen Kaige, best known to Western audiences for the international success Farewell My Concubine. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Cast

Gong Li Lady Zhao
Chen Kaige Lu Buwei
Zhang Fengyi Jing Ke
Wang Zhiwen Marquis Changxin
Li Xuejian Ying Zheng, King Of Qin
Ding Haifeng Qin Wuyang
Gu Yongfei Queen Mother
Lu Xiaohe Gen. Fan Yuqi
Pan Changjiang Prison Official
Sun Zhou Dan, Prince Of Yan
Zhao Benshan Gao Jianli
Zhou Xun Blind Girl

Production Crew

Zhao Fei Cinematographer
Zhao Jiping Composer (Music Score)
Chen Kaige Director
Zhou Xinxia Editor
Han Sanping Executive Producer
Tsuguhiko Kadokawa Executive Producer
Wang Chao First Assistant Director
Chen Kaige Producer
Satoru Iseki Producer
Shirley Kao Producer
Tu Juhua Production Designer
Chen Kaige Screenwriter
Wang Peigong Screenwriter
Tao Jing Sound/Sound Designer
Year: 2000
Runtime: 160
Country: China
MPAA Rating: R
for violence
Category: Feature


Sound
DTS Stereo

Produced by
Beijing Film Studio
Canal Plus
China Film Co-Production Corporation
NDF International
New Wave Company
Pricel
ShinCine

Release
December 17, 1999 (USA)
by Pathe Dist.
Sony Pictures Classics

Awards
1999 - Best Foreign Film - National Board of Review
1999 - Best Foreign Film - National Board of Review