CHINESE MOVIE

Bruce Lee & Kongfu Movie

• American-born Chinese martial artist, instructor, actor and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts system.

• one of the most influential and famous martial artists of all time.

• widely known as the greatest icon of martial arts cinema and a key figure of modern popular culture

• Cantonese given name, 振藩 (Jun Fan Cantonese: Janfàan Pinyin: Zhènfán), literally means "invigorate“

• Bruce Lee's screen name was 李小龍 (Cantonese: Léi Síulùng Pinyin: Lǐ Xiǎolóng) which literally means "Lee Little Dragon". He was commonly known by this name in Asia.

Bruce Lee Main Filmography

• 1971The Big Boss

• 1972Fist of Fury

• 1972Way of the Dragon

• 1973Enter the Dragon

• 1979Game of Death

Jackie Chan - 成龙 Chéng Lóng

• Chinese martial artist, actor, director, producer, stuntman and singer.

• one of the most well-known names in Kung fu and action movies worldwide, known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and use of props including furniture and other set pieces as improvised weapons.

• very popular and successful singer

• 2006Rob-B-Hood ( 寶貝計劃 )

• 2005The Myth ( 神話 )

• 2004New Police Story ( 新警察故事 )

• Twins Effect II ( 千機變 II - 花都大戰 )

• Around the World in 80 Days

• 2003The Medallion

• The Twins Effect ( 千機變 )

• Shanghai Knights

• 2002The Tuxedo

• 2001Rush Hour 2

• The Accidental Spy ( 特務迷城 )

• 2000Jackie Chan Adventures

• Shanghai Noon

• 1999 King of Comedy ( 喜劇之王 ) Gorgeous ( 玻璃樽 ) Who Am I? ( 我是誰 )• 1998 Rush Hour

• 1997 Mr. Nice Guy ( 一個好人 )

• 1996 Police Story 4: First Strike ( 警察故 事 IV 之簡單任務 )

Rumble in the Bronx

• 1995 Thunderbolt ( 霹靂火 )

• 1994 Drunken Master II ( 醉拳 II)

• 1993 Once a Cop (aka Project S) Crime Story ( 重案組 ) City Hunter ( 城市獵人 )

• 1992 Police Story 3 ( 警察故事 III 超級警察 )

The Twin Dragons ( 雙龍會 )

• 1991 A Kid from Tibet ( 西藏小子 )• Armour of God II: Operation

Condor ( 飛鷹計劃 )

• 1990 Island of Fire (aka "The Prisoner") ( 火燒島 )

Jet Li - 李连杰 - Lǐ Liánjié• won fifteen gold medals

and one silver medal in Chinese wushu (martial art sport) championships

• his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Then in the U.S.

• beginning with role as the lead villain in Lethal Weapon 4, first leading role in a Hollywood movie was in Romeo Must Die.

Some of his famous Chinese films • The Shaolin Temple series (1, 2 and 3), which are considered to be the films which sparked the rebirth of the real Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, China;

• The Once Upon a Time in China series (Chinese title: Wong Fei Hung), about the legendary Chinese folk hero;

• Fist of Legend (Chinese title: Jing Wu Ying Xiong), a remake of Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury (Jing Wu Men in Chinese, named after the martial arts school);

• The Fong Sai-Yuk films, about another Chinese folk hero. As one might expect from a martial artist of his caliber, he performs most of his own stunts.

• 2006 Rogue Fearless• 2005 Unleashed/Danny the Dog• 2003 Cradle 2 the Grave• 2002 Hero• 2001 The One Kiss of the Dragon• 2000 Romeo Must Die• 1998 Lethal Weapon 4 Hitman• 1997 Once Upon a Time in China VI• 1996 Black Mask Dr. Wai and the Scripture Without

Words ( 冒險王 Mo him wong)• 1995 Meltdown My Father is a Hero• 1994 The Bodyguard from Beijing( 中南海保鑣 Zhong Nan Hai bao biao) Fist of Legend Legend of the Red Dragon

• 1993 Fong Sai-Yuk II; Fong Sai-Yuk The Kung Fu Cult Master( 倚天屠龍記之魔教教主 Yi tian tu long ji

zhi mo jiao jiao zhu)• Last Hero in China( 黃飛鴻之鐵雞斗蜈蚣 Wong Fei-hung

chi tit gai dau neung gung)• Tai Chi Master• Once Upon a Time in China

III• 1992 Once Upon a Time in China II• 1991 Once Upon a Time in China• Swordsman II• 1989 The Master• 1988 Dragon Fight• ( 龍在天涯 Long zai tian ya)• 1986 Born to Defense• Shaolin Temple 3: Martial

Arts of Shaolin( 南北少林 Nan bei Shao Lin)

• 1983Shaolin Temple 2: Kids from Shaolin( 少林小子 Shao Lin xiao zi)

• 1982Shaolin Temple

Chinese Drama Directors Zhang Yimou - 张艺谋

Chen Kaige – 陈凯歌 Jia Zhangke - 贾樟柯

Jiang Wen – 姜文 Zhang Yuan – 张元 Wang Xiaoshuai – 王小帅

Zhāng Yìmóu ( 张艺谋 )• internationally acclaimed

Chinese filmmaker and cinematographer

• Zhang's first work, One and Eight (as director of photography), was made in 1984

• collaborated with Chen Kaige to photograph one of the defining Chinese films of the 1980s, Yellow Earth (1984)

• in 1986, cinematographer and actor — a role in Old Well that won him Best Actor at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Red Sorghum- 红高粱 - Hóng Gāoliáng-1987

• directorial debut• stars Gong Li and Jiang Wen. • The cinematography (DP Gu

Changwei) use of rich, intense colors, giving the film a strong visual impact.

• "Red Sorghum" garnered international acclaim for Zhang and eventually won the Golden Bear for Best Picture at the 1988 Berlin Film Festival.

Starring:

Cinematography:

Jú Dòu – 菊豆 - 1991• Starring Gong Li & Li Baotian• an early example of Zhang's

unique use of colors and lush cinematography.

• the first entry in Chinese cinema to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

• is set in the 1920s, tells the story of a wealthy old textile man who marries a juicy young bride and hires a desperate young nephew and enslaves both of them with his cruel will.

Starring:

Raise the Red Lantern - 大红灯笼高高挂 -Dà Hóng Dēnglóng Gāogāo Guà -1992

• Plot: China in the 1920's. After her fathers death, nineteen year old Songlian is forced to marry Chen Zuoqian, the lord of a powerfull family. Fifty year old Chen has already three wives, each of them living in seperate houses within the great castle. The competition between the wives is tough, as their master's attention carries power, status and priviligies. Each night Chen must decide which wife to spend the night with and a red lantern is lit infront of the house of his choice. And each wife schemes and plots to make sure it's hers. However, things get out of hand...

• Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1992

• noted for its opulent visuals and sumptuous use of colors.

• shot in Qiao's Compound in the ancient city of Pingyao, in Shanxi Province

• officials fearing that the story would be taken as an allegory against Chinese communist authoritarianism. was initially banned from theatrical release in China.

The Story of Qiu Ju- Qiu Ju Da Guan Si - 秋菊打官司 - 1992

• won the Golden Lion for Best Picture at the 1992 Venice International Film Festival.

• It tells of a peasant woman, Qiu Ju, who lives in a rural area of China and whose husband suffers a slight (a kick in the groin) at the hands of the village head. She then travels to a big city despite her pregnancy but has to deal with its bureaucrats in order to find justice.

To Live - 活着 – Huozhe - 1994

• Starring: 葛优 Gě Yōu

• based on the novel of the same name written by Yu Hua.

• To Live featured an epic framework about the resilience of the ordinary Chinese folks, personified by its two leads, amidst three generations of historical upheavals throughout Chinese politics of the 20th century.

• banned in Mainland China at the time due to its satirical portrayal of various policies and campaigns of the communist government. It won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival as well as the Best Actor Award for Ge You.

• Writer: Yu Hua

• Shanghai Triad ( 摇啊摇，摇到外婆桥 - yao a yao, yao dao waipo qiao 1995)

• gangster drama

• The film is set in the criminal underworld of 1930s Shanghai

• Keep Cool ( 有话好好说 – you hua haohao shuo 1997)

• a small-scale film about life in modern China

• Starring by Jiang Wen

• about a young bookseller in 1990s China, marked a move away from earlier period pictures of Zhang's earlier work to a more realistic or documentary period• Not One Less ( 一个都不能少 -Yī gè dōu bù néng shǎo 1999)

•Made in the neorealist/documentary-drama style

• won 10 international film award including awards at, São Paulo International Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival (including the Golden Lion award for Best Picture).

• using a troupe of non-professional actors

• The Road Home ( 我的父亲母亲 ; Literal translation: "My Father and Mother"; wǒde fùqīn mǔqīn)

• featuring Zhang Ziyi, is a simple throw-back narrative centering around a love story between an unidentified narrator's parents.

• nominated for and won several prestigious international film awards at the Sundance Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival

• Happy Times ( 幸福时光 Xìngfú Shíguāng; 2000)

• relatively minor film by Zhang, represented his second foray into modern Chinese city life

•an official selection for the Berlin International Film Festival in 2002.

• Hero ( 英雄 Yīng Xióng) 2002

•Chinese martial arts, drama and adventure film

•his first foray into the historical fiction genre

•a huge international hit. one of the few foreign-language films to debut at #1 at the U.S. box office, and was one of the nominees for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2003 Academy Awards.

• House of Flying Daggers ( 十面埋伏 shí miàn mái fú) 2004

• more of a love story than a typical martial arts film.

•Use of strong colors again is a signature of Zhang in this movie

•the film and its director were fairly heavily criticized locally in China. Many Chinese critics felt that the film lacked a strong storyline or message, that the dialogue was poor, and that Zhang was simply trying to appeal to Western audiences with heavily choreographed fight scenes and extensive use of computer-generated imagery.

• Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles ( 千里走单骑 qiān lǐ zǒu dān qí) 2005

• starring Japanese actor, Takakura Ken

• return to the more low-key drama that characterized much of Zhang's earlier pieces.

• The film stars legendary Japanese actor Ken Takakura, who wishes to repair relations with his alienated son, eventually led by circumstance to set out on a journey to China.

• Zhang Yimou has also directed an acclaimed version of the music opera, Puccini's Turandot, at the Forbidden City, Beijing, with Zubin Mehta as conductor. He also directed a portion of the Closing Ceremonies of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece and is set to direct the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Chén Kǎigē - 陈凯歌• His films are known for their

visual flair and epic storytelling.

• first movie, Yellow Earth (1984), is one of his most famous and important works

• His most famous film in the West, Farewell My Concubine (1993)

• n 2002, Chen made his first, and to-date only English-language film, Killing Me Softly, a thriller starring Heather Graham and Joseph Fiennes

Chén Kǎigē Movies• Farewell My Concubine (1993)

•nominated for two Academy Awards and winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival

Temptress Moon (1996)

• Together (2002)

• about a young violinist and his father •The Emperor and

the Assassin 1999

• Technical Prize at the Cannes film festival in 1999

Jiāng Wén - 姜文

Native of Beijing in New York • Chinese film actor and director

• Jiang became renowned in China for his starring role in the 1992 TV series A Native of Beijing in New York, which made him one of the well-loved actors of his generation.

• Jiang wrote and directed his first film in 1994, In the Heat of the Sun, adapted from a novel by Wang Shuo.

Wang Shuo

Jiang Wen Starring Movies Red Sorghum Hibiscus Town

Green TeaWarriors of Heaven & Earth

Devils on the Doorstep

The Missing Gun

Jiang Wen Directing Movies• In The Heat Of The Sun

( 阳光灿烂的日子 yáng guãng càn làn de rì zi)

• adapted from a novel by Wang Shuo. A tale set in the Cultural Revolution

• won the Venice International Film Festival's Best Actor prize for its young lead actor Xia Yu as well as the Golden Horse Film Awards for Best Picture and Best Director.

• it is told from the perspective of Monkey (this is supposed to be a young Jiang Wen), who is a teenage boy at the time. Monkey and his friends are free to roam the streets of Beijing day and night because the Cultural Revolution has caused their parents to be either busy or away. Most of the story happens during one summer, so the main characters are even more free because there is no school.

Starring Xia Yu

Jiang Wen - Devils on the DoorstepGuizi lai le ( 鬼子来了 )

• set during the Japanese occupation of China in the early 1940s

• won the Grand Prix in the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.

• Synopsis• • In a remote village that has been in a China

decimated by both civil war and the War against Japanese Aggression, a local peasant Ma Dasan is caught by surprise when soldiers from the Chinese Army deposit for a few days two gunnysacks in his home. Inside the gunnysacks are two bodies, a Japanese prisoner of war (POW) and his interpreter, a Chinese. Six months pass without any sign of the Chinese soldiers. As the village is located at 50 m from a Japanese blockhouse, the villagers try to manage their fear. In the meantime, Dasan and his mistress, a young widow, take care of the prisoner and the interpreter with human bonds forming between them. In order to ingratiate himself with the villagers the interpreter falsifies his transmation and tells them the prisoner is begging for mercy. The idea that his begging for mercy comforts them reflects the mentality of the day. But after many months, a food becomes short and situation shows no through road, the villagers finally decide to kill them; As none of the villagers has ever killed anyone and no one wants to take responsability for the death of the POW, a tragic drama will follow...

• Extracts of Dialogues

• The old man• Well then do what must be done.

• Villagers• Good!

• Interpreter• Hold on! I've got more to say!

• Japanese• Kill me. I'm not afraid to die!

• Interpreter• There are few of 'em.

• Japanese• You can kill us, but never insult us!

• Interpreter• They've telephones, radio sets...

• Japanese• I'll never surrender! Or betray the motherland!

• Interpreter• ... an ammunition depot

• Japanese• We'll be victorious! Log live the Emperor!

• Interpreter• And fourteen horses!

• Japanese• Shoot me!

Jiǎ Zhāngkē - 賈樟柯

• 2006 - Still Life (Sanxia haoren)( 三峡好人 ) (Winner of the Golden Lion Award at the 63rd Mostra of Venice) • 2004 - The World (Shijie) ( 世界 ) • 2002 - Unknown Pleasures (Ren xiao yao) ( 任逍遙 ) • 2001 - In Public • 2000 - Platform (Zhantai) ( 站台 ) • 1997 - Xiao Wu ( 小武 ) • 1996 - Dudu • 1995 - Xiao Shan hui jia • 1994 - Zai Beijingde yi tian

His films treat themes of alienated youth, contemporary Chinese history and globalization, as well as his signature usage of the long-take, colorful digital video and his minimalist/realist style.

Zhang Yuan 张元• Little Red Flower ( 看上去很美 2006)• Green Tea ( 绿茶 , Lü cha (2003) • I Love You ( 我爱你 , Wo ai ni) (2003) • Seventeen Years ( 过年回家 , Guo

nian hui jia) (1999) • Crazy English ( 疯狂英语 , Fengkuang

yingyu) (1999) • East Palace, West Palace ( 东宫西宫 ,

Dong gong xi gong) (1996) • Danish Girls Show Everything (Danske

piger viser alt) (1996) • Sons ( 儿子 , Erzi) (1996) • The Square ( 广场 , Guang Chang)

(1994) • Beijing Bastards ( 北京杂种 , Beijing za

zhong) (1993) • Mum ( 妈妈 , Mama) (1992)

Other Directors• Wang Xiaoshuai ( 王小帅 )• Beijing Bicycle (2001)

• LU Xuechang ( 路学长） Kala.My Dog ( 卡拉是条狗 )

Zhang Ming ( 章明 ) RainCloud Over Wushan ( 巫山云雨 )

Lou Ye ( 娄烨 )Suzhou River ( 苏州河 )

陆川 (Chuan Lu)Kekexili: Mountain Patrol

Guan Hu ( 管虎） Dirt ( 头发乱了 )

Chinese Comedy Direct – Féng Xiǎogāng 冯小刚

• Banquet aka Ye Yan (2006) • A World without Thieves aka Tian

Xia Wu Zei ( 天下无贼 ) (2004) • Cell Phone aka Shou Ji ( 手机 )

(2003) • Big Shot's Funeral aka Da Wan

( 大腕 ) (2001) • A Sigh aka Yi Sheng Tan Xi

( 一声叹息 ) (2000) • Sorry Baby aka Mei Wan Mei

Liao ( 没完没了 ) (1999) • Be There or Be Square aka Bu

Jian Bu San ( 不见不散 ) (1998) • Dream Factory aka Jia Fang Yi

Fang ( 甲方乙方 ) (1997) • Lost My Love aka Yong Shi Wo

Ai ( 永失我爱 ) (1994)

Big Shot's Funeral

Lost My Love

Dream FactoryBe There or Be Square

Sorry BabyA Sigh