Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige | |
---|---|
Trần khải ca | |
Born | Chen Aige ( trần ngai cáp ) 12 August 1952 Beijing, China |
Alma mater | Beijing Film Academy |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1984–present |
Movement | Fifth Generation |
Spouses | |
Children | 2, includingArthur Chen |
Parent(s) | Chen Huai'ai (father) Liu Yanchi (mother) |
Relatives | Chen He(nephew) |
Awards | Full list |
Chen Kaige(Chinese:Trần khải ca;born 12 August 1952) is a Chinese filmmaker. A leading figure ofthe fifth generation of Chinese directors,Chen is known for his visual flair and epic storytelling.[1][2]Chen won thePalme d'Orat1993 Cannes Film Festivaland theInternational Federation of Film Critics(FIPRESCI) Award in 1993 for directingFarewell My Concubine.[3]
Early life
[edit]Chen Kaige was born in Beijing, China into a family ofChangle,Fuzhouorigin, and grew up with fellow Fifth Generation alumnusTian Zhuangzhuangas a childhood friend. His fatherChen Huai'ai was a well-known director in his own right.[1]His mother Liu Yanchi (Lưu yến trì) was a senior screenwriter. During theCultural Revolution,Chen joined theRed Guards.As a teenage member of the Red Guards, Chen, like many other youths, denounced his own father, a fateful decision he eventually learned to regret. Indeed, this period of his life continues to influence much of his work today, notably in the unblinking depictions of the Cultural Revolution inFarewell My Concubine,and in the father-son relationship inTogether.[4]In 1969, Chen became asent-down youthin Xishuangbanna Agricultural Reclamation Bureau for a short while before enlisting in thePeople's Liberation Army(PLA) next year.[5]In 1975, Chen was discharged from the army and returned to Beijing, where he worked as a worker in Beijing Film Printing Factory. In 1978 Chen joined theBeijing Film Academy,where he graduated in 1982 as part of the so-called Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers.[1]
Career
[edit]Upon graduating, Chen was assigned to the Guangxi Film Studio, along with a fellow graduate,Zhang Yimou.[1]His first movie,Yellow Earth(1984), established itself as one of the most important works of Fifth Generation filmmaking; though simple, its powerful visual imagery (courtesy of cinematography by Zhang) and revolutionary storytelling style marked a sea change in how films were seen and perceived in the People's Republic of China.[1]The film is unique in terms of concept, structure, and style, in line with the "cultural roots seeking" trend that emerged in China in the 1980s. The purpose of filming this film is to attempt to explore the deep cultural heritage of national history and spirit from a cultural perspective.[6]The Big Parade(1986) andKing of the Children(1987) expanded on his filmic repertoire. In 1987, he was awarded a fellowship by theAsian Cultural Counciland served as a visiting scholar at theNew York University Film School.[7]Early in 1989, he did further experimenting in a music video for the song "Do You Believe in Shame?"byDuran Duran.[8]Later that year, he madeLife on a String,a highly esoteric movie which usesmythicalallegoryand lush scenery to tell the story of a blindsanxianmusician and his student. In the same year, he was a member of the jury at the39th Berlin International Film Festival.[9]
His most famous film in the West,Farewell My Concubine(1993), nominated for twoAcademy Awardsand winner of thePalme d'Orat1993 Cannes Film Festival,[3]follows twoBeijing operastars through decades of change in China during the twentieth century. This made him the first Chinese director to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.[10]Chen followed up the unprecedented success ofFarewell My ConcubinewithTemptress Moon(1996), another period drama starringLeslie CheungandGong Li.Though it was well received by most critics, it did not achieve the accolades thatConcubinedid, and many were put off by the film's convoluted plot line. Almost as famous is hisThe Emperor and the Assassin(1999), an epic involving the legendaryKing of Qinand the reluctant assassin who aims to kill him.
In 2002, Chen made his first, and to-date only, English-language film,Killing Me Softly,a thriller starringHeather GrahamandJoseph Fiennes,though it proved to be both a critical and popular disappointment. This is also Chen Kaige's first work to enter Hollywood, which he referred to as a "secular, life" film.[11]His more recentTogether(2002) is an intimate film about a young violinist and his father.It showcases the true desire of young people to grow according to their spiritual guidance, full of sensibility and warmth.[12]"Deep in Flowers" is a collection of short films that opened the Cannes Film Festival in France in 2002. Chen Kaige was responsible for filming "Ten Minutes, Aging", which is the finale of the series. The film selects a theme with strong Chinese and Beijing characteristics - demolition, and tells the story of the mentally ill "Mr. Feng" moving in a seemingly humorous tone.[13]In 2005, he directedThe Promise,a fantasywuxiapicture.The Promisesaw Chen shifting to a more commercial mindset, a shift regarded by some as a "radical stylistic turn" from his previous works.[8]
In 2006, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the28th Moscow International Film Festival.[14]In 2008, Chen directed the semi-biographicalForever Enthralled,which is a return for him in the sense of directing a film based on Chinese opera. He later went on to directSacrifice(2010), which is a re-imagining of the famous playThe Orphan of Zhao.[15]His 2012 filmCaught in the Webwas selected as the Chinese entry for theBest Foreign Language Oscarat the85th Academy Awards,but it did not make the final shortlist.[16]HisMonk Comes Down the Mountain(2015) is a critical bomb but a box office success. He then directedLegend of the Demon Cat(2017), a big-budget Chinese-Japanese co-production. The movie is adapted from the novel of the same name by Japanese fantasy novelist Mombasaur.[17]
Since 2019, Chen directed or produced a series of propaganda films that are sometimes commissioned by the Chinese government, including co-directingThe Battle at Lake Changjin(2021),China's highest-grossing film of all time.[18]
Chen has also acted in several films, includingBernardo Bertolucci'sThe Last Emperor(1987) and his ownThe Emperor and the AssassinandTogether.
Personal life
[edit]Chen's first wife was Sun Jialin (Tôn gia lâm), whom he knew while working at the Beijing Film Factory from 1975 to 1978; they married in 1983 and divorced three years later. His second wife wasHong Huang,daughter ofZhang Hanzhi,a diplomat and English teacher ofMao Zedong.They separated in 1991 and divorced in 1993. From 1991, Chen lived withNi Ping,a television personality, in a six-year relationship.[19][20]In 1996, Chen married actressChen Hong.They have two sons, Chen Yu'ang and"Arthur" Chen Feiyu.[21]
Chen Kaige is the holder of agreen cardto the United States.[22]
Filmography
[edit]Year | Title | Chinese Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1984 | Yellow Earth | Hoàng thổ địa | ||||
1986 | The Big Parade | Đại duyệt binh | ||||
1987 | King of the Children | Hài tử vương | [23] | |||
1991 | Life on a String | Biên tẩu biên xướng | ||||
1993 | Farewell My Concubine | Bá vương biệt cơ | Palme d'Orwinner at the1993 Cannes Film Festival | |||
1996 | Temptress Moon | Phong nguyệt | ||||
1998 | The Emperor and the Assassin | Kinh kha thứ tần vương | ||||
2002 | Killing Me Softly | Ôn nhu địa sát ngã | ||||
2002 | 100 Flowers Hidden Deep | Segment in the anthology filmTen Minutes Older: The Trumpet | ||||
2002 | Together | Hòa nhĩ tại nhất khởi | 2002 Silver Seashell for Best Director at theSan Sebastián International Film Festival | |||
2005 | The Promise | Vô cực | ||||
2007 | Zhanxiou Village | Vignette in the anthology filmTo Each His Cinema | ||||
2008 | Forever Enthralled | Mai lan phương | ||||
2010 | Sacrifice | Triệu thị cô nhi | [24] | |||
2012 | Caught in the Web | Sưu tác | Fictional treatment of thehuman flesh search engine.[25] | |||
2015 | Monk Comes Down the Mountain | Đạo sĩ hạ sơn | [26] | |||
2017 | Legend of the Demon Cat | Yêu miêu truyện | [27] | |||
2019 | My People, My Country | Ngã hòa ngã đích tổ quốc | [28] | |||
2021 | The Battle at Lake Changjin | Trường tân hồ | [29][30] | |||
2022 | The Battle at Lake Changjin II | Trường tân hồ chi thủy môn kiều | ||||
2023 | Flowers Bloom in the Ashes | Trần ai lí khai hoa | [31] | |||
The Volunteers: To the War | Chí nguyện quân: Hùng binh xuất kích | [32][33] | ||||
TBA | Swan Song | [34] |
Television (as director)
[edit]Year | English Tltle | Chinese Title | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1984 | Emergency Take-off | Cường hành khởi phi | [35] |
2002 | Lubu and Diaochan | Lữ bố dữ điêu thiền | [36] |
Executive producer
[edit]Year | English Tltle | Chinese Title | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Something Just Like This | Thanh xuân sang thế kỷ | iQiyiweb series | [37] |
The Eight | Dân sơ kỳ nhân truyện | [38] |
Actor
[edit]Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | The Last Emperor | Mạt đại hoàng đế | Captain of Imperial Guard | |
1999 | The Emperor and the Assassin | Kinh kha thứ tần vương | Lü Buwei | |
2001 | The Grand Mansion Gate | Đại trạch môn | An official | guest |
2002 | Together | Hòa nhĩ tại nhất khởi | Yu Shifeng | |
2009 | The Founding of a Republic | Kiến quốc đại nghiệp | Feng Yuxiang | |
2012 | The Monkey King 3D: Uproar in Heaven | Đại nháo thiên cung 3D | Dragon King of the East China Sea | Voice role |
Awards and nominations
[edit]International
[edit]Domestic
[edit]Year | Nominated work | Award | Result | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Golden Rooster Awards | |||||
2004 (22nd) | Together | Best Director | Won | ||
Best Picture | Nominated | ||||
2009 (27th) | Forever Enthralled | Best Picture | Won | ||
Best Director | Nominated | ||||
2020 (33rd) | My People, My Country | Nominated | |||
2022 (35th) | The Battle at Lake Changjin | Won | |||
Hundred Flowers Awards | |||||
2020 (35th) | My People, My Country | Best Director | Nominated | ||
Huabiao Awards | |||||
2009 (13th) | Forever Enthralled | Outstanding Director | Won | ||
Outstanding Film | Won | ||||
2011 (14th) | Sacrifice | Outstanding Film | Won | ||
China Film Directors Association | |||||
2018 (9th) | Legend of the Demon Cat | Film of the Year | Nominated | ||
Director of the Year | Nominated | ||||
Chinese Film Media Awards | |||||
2003 (3rd) | Together | Best Director | Nominated | ||
2011 (11th) | Sacrifice | Filmmaker of the Year | Won | ||
Huading Awards | |||||
2020 (27th) | My People, My Country | Best Film Director Award | Nominated | ||
Shanghai International Film Festival | |||||
2010 (13th) | Chinese-language Film Outstanding Contribution Award | Won | |||
Beijing College Student Film Festival | |||||
2009 (16th) | Forever Enthralled | Best Director | Won | ||
Best Film | Won | ||||
2018 (25th) | Legend of the Demon Cat | Best Director | Nominated | ||
Best Viewing Effect Award | Won | ||||
Hong Kong Film Award | |||||
2004 (23rd) | Together | Best Asian Film Award | Nominated | ||
2009 (28th) | Forever Enthralled | Nominated | |||
Macau International Movie Festival | |||||
2018 (10th) | Legend of the Demon Cat | Best Picture | Nominated | ||
Best Director | Nominated |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^abcdeBerry, Michael (2002). "Chen Kaige: Historical Revolution and Cinematic Rebellion" inSpeaking in Images: Interviews with Contemporary Chinese Filmmakers.Columbia University Press, pg. 83;ISBN0-231-13331-6
- ^(7 January 1994)FILM / Critical Round-upindependent.co.uk
- ^ab"CHEN Kaige".festival-cannes.com.Retrieved2013-11-07.
- ^Klady, Leonard (2003-05-31)."Interview – Chen Kaige".Movie City News. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-04-01.Retrieved2007-04-23.
- ^Zhao Biqing (Triệu bích thanh), ed. (27 December 2017).Trần khải ca thiện dụng điện ảnh ngữ ngôn, trình hiện trung quốc mỹ học.xinhuanet.com(in Chinese).Retrieved9 October2021.
- ^"【 nhân văn tố dưỡng 】 ảnh phiến 《 hoàng thổ địa 》 thưởng tích".Weixin Official Accounts Platform.Retrieved2024-06-25.
- ^"The filmmakers".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-04-30.
- ^abDoughton, K. L. (2007-02-03)."The Color of Forbidden Fruit: Chen Kaige lights up the screen with The Promise".MovieMaker Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon 2013-01-04.Retrieved2008-08-25.
- ^"Berlinale: 1989 Juries".berlinale.de.Retrieved2011-03-09.
- ^"Trần khải ca",Duy cơ bách khoa, tự do đích bách khoa toàn thư(in Chinese), 2024-04-29,retrieved2024-06-25
- ^"Thính trần khải ca giảng thuật giao phiến hạp lí đích cố sự".www.cctv.com.Retrieved2024-06-25.
- ^Võng dịch (2023-02-08)."Trần khải ca đạo diễn đích giá 10 bộ điện ảnh, nhĩ canh hỉ hoan na nhất bộ?".www.163.com.Retrieved2024-06-25.
- ^"Ảnh thị phân tích | 《 bách hoa thâm xử 》".www.360doc.com.Retrieved2024-06-25.
- ^"28th Moscow International Film Festival (2006)".MIFF.Archived fromthe originalon 2013-04-21.Retrieved2013-04-21.
- ^Lee, Maggie (11 January 2011)."Sacrifice – Film Review".The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^"Caught in the WebCompetes for Academy Awards ".Chinese Films.29 September 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 9 October 2012.Retrieved29 September2012.
- ^Lý phi."Trần khải ca 《 yêu miêu truyện 》: Văn hóa đa nguyên hạ đích thịnh thế tưởng tượng | ảnh bình".Weixin Official Accounts Platform.Retrieved2024-06-25.
- ^He, Laura (2021-10-04)."China's Korean War propaganda movie smashes box office record | CNN Business".CNN.Retrieved2024-05-28.
- ^"Director Banks on New Film for Box-office Success".China Daily.December 16, 2005.
- ^Mak Mun San (May 21, 2007)."8 questions with... Hung Huang".AsiaOne.Archived fromthe originalon June 5, 2011.RetrievedMay 24,2009.
- ^Yang Jie, ed. (December 8, 2008)."Chen Hong, behind Chen Kaige´s illustrious cinematic career".Culture Express. CCTV International.
- ^"Trần khải ca tằng hãm quốc tịch môn: Lục tạp VS nhập tịch ứng khu phân".Sina(in Chinese).Retrieved20 March2017.
- ^"King of the Children".Time Out.10 September 2012.Retrieved29 August2023.
- ^Lee, Maggie (January 11, 2011)."Sacrifice: Film Review".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedAugust 29,2023.
- ^Clare Pennington (September 14, 2012)."China, Framed by the Cinema and the Web: 'Caught in the Web,' on Web Searches in China".The New York Times.RetrievedSeptember 18,2012.
- ^Tsu, Clarence (July 6, 2015)."'Monk Comes Down the Mountain' ('Dao Shi Xia Shan'): Film Review ".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedAugust 29,2023.
- ^Lee, Maggie (January 4, 2018)."Film Review: 'Legend of the Demon Cat'".Variety.RetrievedAugust 29,2023.
- ^"Ngã hòa ngã đích tổ quốc" thất đại đạo diễn thủ bộc thời thượng đại phiến trần khải ca từ tranh ninh hạo quản hổ cường cường liên thủ hiến lễ kiến quốc 70 niên.Mtime(in Chinese). April 25, 2019. Archived fromthe originalon January 23, 2020.RetrievedAugust 3,2019.
- ^Steven Lee Myers; Amy Chang Chien (5 October 2021)."For China's Holidays, a Big-Budget Blockbuster Relives an American Defeat".The New York Times.Retrieved9 October2021.
- ^Patrick, Brzeski (23 June 2021)."Cannes: Tsui Hark, Chen Kaige and Dante Lam Co-Direct China's Most Expensive Film Ever".The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved9 October2021.
- ^Trần khải ca trần phi vũ phụ tử đương điện ảnh 《 trần ai lí khai hoa 》 khai cơ.Mtime(in Chinese). July 3, 2019. Archived fromthe originalon September 14, 2019.RetrievedAugust 3,2019.
- ^Rosser, Michael (September 25, 2023)."Fortissimo boards Chen Kaige's 'The Volunteers: To The War'".Screen Daily.RetrievedDecember 29,2023.
- ^Rong, Yu (April 19, 2023)."Trần khải ca tân phiến 《 chí nguyện quân: Hùng binh xuất kích 》 quan tuyên, chu nhất long, trần phi vũ, trương tử phong chủ diễn"[Official announcement of Chen Kaige's new film "Volunteer Army: Heroes Attack", starring Zhu Yilong, Chen Feiyu and Zhang Zifeng].iFeng(in Chinese).RetrievedAugust 22,2023.
- ^Frater, Patrick; Keslassy, Elsa (May 2, 2023)."Chen Kaige Sets 'Swan Song' Tchaikovsky Epic as Next Directorial Project".Variety.RetrievedAugust 29,2023.
- ^"Vương học kỳ trần khải ca 24 niên tứ độ hợp tác 《 mai lan phương 》 sức thập tam yến"[Wang Xueqi and Chen Kaige collaborated four times in 24 years in "Mei Lanfang" as Thirteen Swallows].Sohu(in Chinese). 13 November 2008.Retrieved29 August2023.
- ^Yue, Fuyu (6 June 2001)."Tẩu cận sử thượng kinh điển quan chú trần khải ca tân kịch 《 lữ bố dữ điêu thiền 》"[Closer to the classics in history, pay attention to Chen Kaige's new drama "Lu Bu and Diao Chan" ].Sina(in Chinese).Retrieved29 August2023.
- ^Liu, Huan (5 November 2020)."《 thanh xuân sang thế kỷ 》 định đương trần khải ca thủ thứ đam nhậm đô thị kịch giam chế"[ "Youth Genesis" is finalized Chen Kaige is the first urban drama producer].China News(in Chinese).Retrieved29 August2023.
- ^Guo, Guanhua; Ding, Tao (10 June 2020)."Trần khải ca thủ thứ giam chế võng kịch 《 dân sơ kỳ nhân truyện 》 định đương 6 nguyệt 12 nhật"[Chen Kaige's first production of the online drama "Biography of Strange People in the Early Republic of China" is scheduled for June 12].People.cn(in Chinese).Retrieved29 August2023.
External links
[edit]- Chen Kaigeat They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?
- Chen KaigeatIMDb
- Chen KaigeatAllMovie
- Chen Kaige: "Freedom Above All Else"
- Chen Kaige – Star of Chinese Fifth-Generation Cinema Directors
- Chen Kaigeat the Hong Kong Movie Database
- 1952 births
- Living people
- Asian Cultural Council grantees
- Filmmakers who won the Best Foreign Language Film BAFTA Award
- Beijing Film Academy alumni
- Film directors from Beijing
- Male actors from Beijing
- Sent-down youths
- Beijing No. 4 High School alumni
- Directors of Palme d'Or winners
- Members of the 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference