Ye yan (2006)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Xiaogang Feng

Writers:

Gangjian Qiu (writer)
William Shakespeare (play)

Release Date:

14 September 2006 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Fantasy | History | War

Plot:

A loose adaptation of Hamlet, "The Night Banquet" is set in an empire in chaos. The Emperor, the Empress, the Crown Prince, the Minister and the General all have their own enemies they would like to finish off at a night banquet.

Plot Keywords:

Prince | Empress | Banquet | Emperor | Court

Awards:

7 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Ziyi Zhang	...	Empress Wan
You Ge	...	Emperor Li
Daniel Wu	...	Prince Wu Luan
Xun Zhou	...	Qing Nu
Jingwu Ma	...	Minister Yin Taichang
Xiaoming Huang	...	General Yin Sun
Zhonghe Zhou	...	Chamberlain
Zeng Qiusheng	...	Governor Pei Hong
Xu Xiyan	...	Ling
Liu Yanbin	...	Messenger
Ma Lun	...	Pharmacist
Xiang Bin	...	Imperial Guard
Chunyu Zheng	...	Imperial Guard

Also Known As:

Legend of the Black Scorpion (USA) (DVD title)
The Banquet (International: English title)

Runtime:

131 min

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Australia:MA | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Brazil:14 | South Korea:15 | Japan:PG-12 | Finland:K-15 | UK:15 | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Anji bamboo forest, Jiangsu, China

Company:

Huayi Brothers

Trivia:

Both 'Li Gong (I)' and Maggie Cheung were originally considered playing the queen's role. When Ziyi Zhang took over the part, the script was rewritten to make the character younger.

Movie Connections:

Version of Hamlet (1970) (TV)

Some good reasons to watch this

This is a very well made production of an epic story placed in 10th century China. Magnificent scenes of ritual, majestic scenery, beautiful landscapes, great stage design, artful choreography and above all a very good sense of the theatrical that echos ancient Greek Tragedy. One thing that seems to be wearing out in Chinese movies of this kind are the long violently cruel scenes that are attempted to be beautified and the ongoing fighters who fly allover. In a choreographic sense they are of great merit but a lot is unnecessary. Zhang Ziyi is one more good reason to see this movie. I found her convincing in her role although somewhat stiff. I would like to see more of her in the future, more such great productions with even less fighting and more content that Chinese culture can easily provide.