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The Banquet (2006) - A Feng Xiaogang
Film
aka Ye Yan
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Director
Feng Xiaogang
the director |
Born in 1958, Feng Xiaogang is a native of
Beijing and the son of a Communist Party college professor
and a factory nurse. Feng learned his craft not through film
school (like many of the Chinese filmmakers). He worked his
way up from the production side of television, then started
writing scripts. After eight years as a scene painter with
an army theatrical troupe, he found a job in the art
department of a TV station.
In 1991 he adapted a novel about contemporary Chinese
immigrants' lives in the United States, then went to New
York to direct it, resulting in the highly popular
television series "Beijingers in New York" aired in China in
1992. The TV series gave Feng Xiaogang what he had long
wanted - it established him as a director.
As the hottest commercial film director in China, Feng
started to make a series of "New Year Celebration Movies" in
1996, with Dream Factory (Jiafang yifang, 1997) as the
first, Be There or Be Square (Bujian busan, 1998) as the
second, Sorry, Baby (Meiwan meiliao, 1999) as the third, and
A Sigh (Yisheng tanxi, 2000) as the fourth.
Feng first gained international recognition with films such
Big Shot's Funeral and A Sigh. However, it was last year's
blockbuster Cell Phone which properly promoted him into the
world league of filmmakers.
Unlike arthouse darlings Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou, Feng is
a new species in China: an out-and-out commercial filmmaker
whose goal is only to entertain the biggest audience he can
reach. (source)
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Cast
Zhang Ziyi
as The Empress |
Zhou Xun
as the Prince's lover |
Ma Jingwu
as The Chief Minister |
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Daniel Wu
as The Prince |
Huang Xiaoming
as the Minister's Son |
Ge You
as The Emperor |
Page
3 : Production Stills, Concept Sketches
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