Mr. Zhao is a 1998 Chinese dark comedy film. It is the directorial debut of Lü Yue

Lü Yue

Lü Yue is a Chinese cinematographer and film director. Born in Tianjin, Lü is today among the most important cinematographers of recent Chinese cinema, and is particularly well known for his collaborations with director Zhang Yimou with whom he served as director of photography in three films...

, already a well-established cinematographer

Cinematographer

A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...

 for director Zhang Yimou

Zhang Yimou

Zhang Yimou is a Chinese film director, producer, writer and actor, and former cinematographer. He is counted amongst the Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers, having made his directorial debut in 1987 with Red Sorghum....

.

Mr. Zhao tells the story of a philandering doctor living in Shanghai

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

. His infidelity gets the best of him, however, when his mistress Tian Jing (Chen Yinan) announces she is pregnant, while his wife learns of his affair but refuses to grant a divorce.

Cast

• Shi Jingming as the titular Mr. Zhao, a teacher of Chinese medicine.
• Zhang Zhihua as his wife, a factory worker.
• Chen Yinan as Tian Jing, his student and now pregnant mistress.

Reception

Mr. Zhao won the 1998 Golden Leopard

Golden Leopard

The Golden Leopard is the top prize at the Locarno International Film Festival, an international film festival held annually in Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. Directors in the process of getting an international reputation are allowed to be entered in the competitive selection. The winning films...

at the Locarno International Film Festival

Locarno International Film Festival

The Film Festival Locarno is an international film festival held annually in the city of Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. After Cannes and Venice and together with Karlovy Vary, Locarno is the Film Festival with the longest history...

 in Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

.

The film was also entered into competition at the 1999 Hong Kong International Film Festival

Hong Kong International Film Festival

The Hong Kong International Film Festival is a platform for filmmakers, film professionals and filmgoers from all over the world to launch and experience new film work. There are seminars, conferences, exhibitions, and parties celebrating the festival community...

 and the 1998 AFI Fest in Los Angeles.

External links

• Mr. Zhao at the Chinese Movie Database