The Banquet
Encyclopedia
The Banquet, released on DVD in the United States as Legend of the Black Scorpion, is a 2006 Chinese wuxia
drama film. The film was directed by Feng Xiaogang
and stars Zhang Ziyi
, Ge You
, Daniel Wu
and Zhou Xun
. It is a loose adaption of William Shakespeare
's tragedy Hamlet
, and features themes of revenge and fate. It is set in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
in 10th century China.
Wu Luan is met at the palace by his fiancé Qing Nu, the daughter of a palace official, Minister Yin Taichang. Wu Luan asks Qing Nu if she knows what killed his late father, and Qing Nu tells him that while he was sleeping, a scorpion poisoned him. Wu Luan then confronts Empress Wan in her chambers, and after a brief sparring session, they discuss the goings-on in the palace and the Crown Princes' responsibilities. All of this is over-heard by Emperor Li, and to keep Wu Luan alive, Empress Wan makes a compromise with Emperor Li. This angers Wu Luan, since his relationship with his stepmother is unusual because they grew up together in the court, are about the same age, and she has romantic feelings for him.
The tension in the Imperial Court is high, and when a palace official, Governor Pei Hong, greets Empress Wan as 'Empress Dowager
', he and his family are sentenced to a violent death. With his death, Minister Yin's son, General Yin Sun, is sent to fill the position in a distant province, greatly weakening Yin Taichang's position in the court. Wu Luan is asked by the Emperor to perform a brief swordplay ceremony, to practise for the Empress' upcoming coronation. While sparring with harmless swords, the Imperial Guard suddenly produce sharpened swords and attempt to kill Wu Luan. The ceremony is stopped by the Empress, who implies that the Emperor was trying to murder Wu Luan in the ceremony and make it look like an accident. Later in his chambers, a scroll drops mysteriously from the upper balcony to Wu Luan, depicting his father being murdered by his uncle by blowing poison into his ear. Wu Luan enquires at an apothecary, who reveals that the poison used is made from Erysipelas and black scorpions, and nothing on earth is more deadly except for "the human heart".
Meanwhile, the Empress Wan is to have a new coronation ceremony. As a special treat, Wu Luan is required to perform a swordplay ceremony. Instead, as an accomplished singer and dancer, Wu Luan stages a masked mime play that exposes his uncle as his father's murderer. The Emperor is notably shaken, but manages to conjure a plan to remove Wu Luan. Rather than kill the prince and risk alienating Empress Wan, he decides Wu Luan would be traded as a hostage for the prince of a neighbouring kingdom, the Khitans, although it is known that the neighbour prince is an imposter. An ambush by the emperor's men is set up the snowy border with the Khitans' kingdom in the north, but the Yin Taichang's son Yin Sun, following the Empress's command, saves the prince.
Believing that his son in law is dead, and power is firmly in his grip, the Emperor calls for a grand banquet. The Empress comments that it would be bad luck to organise such an auspicious occasion on their 100th day of knowing each other, but the Emperor claims he does not surrender to suspicions. The Empress then decides to poison the Emperor, using the same poison that was used to kill the previous Emperor. All goes according to plan until Qing Nu takes to the stage, claiming to have planned another performance for the occasion, and in tribute to her finance, she wears her theatre mask. The scheme to poison the emperor fails as the cup he was to drink out of is instead given to Qing Nu out of respect and partly of pity for her. Upon the climax of the dance, Qing Nu falls down dead on stage, and Wu Luan reveals himself to comfort her in her dying moments. The Emperor realises in horror that the Empress had plotted his death. After a confrontation with Wu Luan, the Emperor commits suicide by drinking the rest of the poisoned wine intended for him. Upon Emperor Li's death, the Empress proclaims Wu Luan the new Emperor. However, Yin Sun, enraged by his sister's death, attempts to kill the Empress to avenge his sister. His blade is stopped by the hand of Wu Luan, and he proclaims in fear that the knife is poisoned. The Empress stabs him through the neck, killing him instantly, but Wu Luan has fatally poisoned himself in the process. Empress Wan is proclaimed Empress Regnant by the Lord Chamberlain.
In the closing scenes, Empress Wan grasps bright red cloth and speaks of the "flames of desire" that she has satiated by taking the throne. Through her private celebrations, she is suddenly pierced by a flying blade from an unknown source. As she is dying, she turns around to face her assailant. Her confusion shifts to horror and anguish, as the blade is then dropped into a mossy koi
bed, and the blood soaks the water. The film abruptly finishes, with the audience unsure who was the mysterious assailant.
, makes a claim that the film makers initially planned for the maid, Ling, to be the mysterious assailant, and the current version of the film still shows more shots of Ling than would be normally expected of such a minor non-speaking character. A popular interpretation is that it is a manifestation of the previous Emperor, extracting revenge and justice.
When paired with the film's sung theme, the ending most likely references Louis Cha's wuxia novella
Sword of the Yue Maiden
. In Sword of the Yue Maiden, the tale concludes with the beautiful female clutching her waist in pain with an expression "so beautiful that it will take away the soul of any man who looks upon her", similar to Empress Wan's final expression.
, where it received the Future Film Festival Digital Award. Parts of the film had been previewed by film buyers during the 2006 Cannes Film Festival in May, where a promotional event for the film was hosted.
The film was screened at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival
on the same day it opened to wide release in China
. It received the People's Choice Award at the 4th World Film Festival of Bangkok
, where it was screened two weeks before its wide release in Thailand
.
The Banquet was chosen as Hong Kong
's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
, while China's entry was Zhang Yimou
's Curse of the Golden Flower
.
The Banquet won two awards out of five nominations at the 43rd Golden Horse Awards
in Taiwan
. Art Director Tim Yip won for both Best Art Direction and Best Make up and Costume Design. The 3 other nominations were Best Cinematography (Li Zhang), Best Original Score (Dun Tan), and Best Song (Liangying Zhang). Co-star Xun Zhou, who plays Qing Nu, (Best Actress) and Stunt Choreographer Jyun Woping (Best Stunt Choreography) won awards for other films.
Wuxia
Wuxia is a broad genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms like Chinese opera, manhua , films, television series, and video games...
drama film. The film was directed by Feng Xiaogang
Feng Xiaogang
Feng Xiaogang , in is a Chinese film director. He is famous in China as being perhaps the most successful "commercialized" filmmaker whose comedy films do consistently well in the box office, although Feng has attempted to break out from that mold by making drama or period drama films...
and stars Zhang Ziyi
Zhang Ziyi
Zhang Ziyi is a Chinese film actress. Zhang is coined by the media as one of the Four Young Dan actresses in the Film Industry in China, along with Zhao Wei, Xu Jinglei, and Zhou Xun...
, Ge You
Ge You
Ge You is an acclaimed Mainland Chinese actor. A native of Beijing, he is considered by many to be one of the most recognizable acting personalities in the Mainland...
, Daniel Wu
Daniel Wu
Daniel Yin-Cho Wu is a Hong Kong actor, director and producer. Since his film debut in 1998, he has been featured in over 40 films. Wu has been called "the young Andy Lau," and is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese-language film industry.-Early life:Wu was born in...
and Zhou Xun
Zhou Xun
Zhou Xun is a Chinese actress and singer. She is regarded as one of the "Four Young Dan actresses" in China in the early 2000s, along with Zhang Ziyi, Xu Jinglei and Zhao Wei.-Early life:...
. It is a loose adaption of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's tragedy Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, and features themes of revenge and fate. It is set in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was between 907–960/979 AD and an era of political upheaval in China, between the fall of the Tang Dynasty and the founding of the Song Dynasty. During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were...
in 10th century China.
Plot
The prologue of the film is communicated by a narrator. It is explained that the Crown Prince, Wu Luan, was deeply in love with the noblewoman, known by the endearment of "Little Wan". However, his father, the Emperor, decided to marry Little Wan. Wu Luan, deeply hurt by this, has fled to the South of the state to reside with peaceful monks to study the arts of music and dance. Shortly after his departure, The Emperor was then murdered by his brother, who became Emperor Li and upon ascending the throne, and re-crowned her Empress Wan, as his wife. The film begins as Empress Wan sends messengers of the Imperial Guard to the monastery where Crown Prince Wu Luan is residing, warning him that the Emperor has died, and that his Uncle will succeed the throne. Unknown to her, the usurping Emperor Li has already dispatched riders to assassinate Wu Luan, who would succeed the throne before any of his uncle's progeny. Wu Lan manages to survive the massacre at the monastery while the monks there create a diversion for him to escape, and is eventually spirited back to the palace.Wu Luan is met at the palace by his fiancé Qing Nu, the daughter of a palace official, Minister Yin Taichang. Wu Luan asks Qing Nu if she knows what killed his late father, and Qing Nu tells him that while he was sleeping, a scorpion poisoned him. Wu Luan then confronts Empress Wan in her chambers, and after a brief sparring session, they discuss the goings-on in the palace and the Crown Princes' responsibilities. All of this is over-heard by Emperor Li, and to keep Wu Luan alive, Empress Wan makes a compromise with Emperor Li. This angers Wu Luan, since his relationship with his stepmother is unusual because they grew up together in the court, are about the same age, and she has romantic feelings for him.
The tension in the Imperial Court is high, and when a palace official, Governor Pei Hong, greets Empress Wan as 'Empress Dowager
Empress Dowager
Empress Dowager was the title given to the mother of a Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Vietnamese emperor.The title was also given occasionally to another woman of the same generation, while a woman from the previous generation was sometimes given the title of Grand empress dowager. Numerous empress...
', he and his family are sentenced to a violent death. With his death, Minister Yin's son, General Yin Sun, is sent to fill the position in a distant province, greatly weakening Yin Taichang's position in the court. Wu Luan is asked by the Emperor to perform a brief swordplay ceremony, to practise for the Empress' upcoming coronation. While sparring with harmless swords, the Imperial Guard suddenly produce sharpened swords and attempt to kill Wu Luan. The ceremony is stopped by the Empress, who implies that the Emperor was trying to murder Wu Luan in the ceremony and make it look like an accident. Later in his chambers, a scroll drops mysteriously from the upper balcony to Wu Luan, depicting his father being murdered by his uncle by blowing poison into his ear. Wu Luan enquires at an apothecary, who reveals that the poison used is made from Erysipelas and black scorpions, and nothing on earth is more deadly except for "the human heart".
Meanwhile, the Empress Wan is to have a new coronation ceremony. As a special treat, Wu Luan is required to perform a swordplay ceremony. Instead, as an accomplished singer and dancer, Wu Luan stages a masked mime play that exposes his uncle as his father's murderer. The Emperor is notably shaken, but manages to conjure a plan to remove Wu Luan. Rather than kill the prince and risk alienating Empress Wan, he decides Wu Luan would be traded as a hostage for the prince of a neighbouring kingdom, the Khitans, although it is known that the neighbour prince is an imposter. An ambush by the emperor's men is set up the snowy border with the Khitans' kingdom in the north, but the Yin Taichang's son Yin Sun, following the Empress's command, saves the prince.
Believing that his son in law is dead, and power is firmly in his grip, the Emperor calls for a grand banquet. The Empress comments that it would be bad luck to organise such an auspicious occasion on their 100th day of knowing each other, but the Emperor claims he does not surrender to suspicions. The Empress then decides to poison the Emperor, using the same poison that was used to kill the previous Emperor. All goes according to plan until Qing Nu takes to the stage, claiming to have planned another performance for the occasion, and in tribute to her finance, she wears her theatre mask. The scheme to poison the emperor fails as the cup he was to drink out of is instead given to Qing Nu out of respect and partly of pity for her. Upon the climax of the dance, Qing Nu falls down dead on stage, and Wu Luan reveals himself to comfort her in her dying moments. The Emperor realises in horror that the Empress had plotted his death. After a confrontation with Wu Luan, the Emperor commits suicide by drinking the rest of the poisoned wine intended for him. Upon Emperor Li's death, the Empress proclaims Wu Luan the new Emperor. However, Yin Sun, enraged by his sister's death, attempts to kill the Empress to avenge his sister. His blade is stopped by the hand of Wu Luan, and he proclaims in fear that the knife is poisoned. The Empress stabs him through the neck, killing him instantly, but Wu Luan has fatally poisoned himself in the process. Empress Wan is proclaimed Empress Regnant by the Lord Chamberlain.
In the closing scenes, Empress Wan grasps bright red cloth and speaks of the "flames of desire" that she has satiated by taking the throne. Through her private celebrations, she is suddenly pierced by a flying blade from an unknown source. As she is dying, she turns around to face her assailant. Her confusion shifts to horror and anguish, as the blade is then dropped into a mossy koi
Koi
or more specifically , are ornamental varieties of domesticated common carp that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens....
bed, and the blood soaks the water. The film abruptly finishes, with the audience unsure who was the mysterious assailant.
Ending
The ambiguity of the ending can produce many interpretations of who the assailant may be. Asian film critic, Bey LoganBey Logan
Bey Logan is a respected expert on East Asian cinema, particularly Hong Kong action cinema. He is also notable as a screenwriter, film producer and as a martial artist who has had roles in a number of films, including the 2003 Dante Lam film The Twins Effect.He has written two books - Hong Kong...
, makes a claim that the film makers initially planned for the maid, Ling, to be the mysterious assailant, and the current version of the film still shows more shots of Ling than would be normally expected of such a minor non-speaking character. A popular interpretation is that it is a manifestation of the previous Emperor, extracting revenge and justice.
When paired with the film's sung theme, the ending most likely references Louis Cha's wuxia novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
Sword of the Yue Maiden
Sword of the Yue Maiden
"Sword of the Yue Maiden" is a wuxia short story by Jin Yong. It was first serialized in 1970 on Ming Pao Evening Supplement . This short story is the last of Jin Yong's wuxia works, together with The Deer and the Cauldron...
. In Sword of the Yue Maiden, the tale concludes with the beautiful female clutching her waist in pain with an expression "so beautiful that it will take away the soul of any man who looks upon her", similar to Empress Wan's final expression.
Cast
- Zhang ZiyiZhang ZiyiZhang Ziyi is a Chinese film actress. Zhang is coined by the media as one of the Four Young Dan actresses in the Film Industry in China, along with Zhao Wei, Xu Jinglei, and Zhou Xun...
as Empress Wan - Ge YouGe YouGe You is an acclaimed Mainland Chinese actor. A native of Beijing, he is considered by many to be one of the most recognizable acting personalities in the Mainland...
as Emperor Li - Daniel WuDaniel WuDaniel Yin-Cho Wu is a Hong Kong actor, director and producer. Since his film debut in 1998, he has been featured in over 40 films. Wu has been called "the young Andy Lau," and is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese-language film industry.-Early life:Wu was born in...
as Crown Prince Wu Luan - Zhou XunZhou XunZhou Xun is a Chinese actress and singer. She is regarded as one of the "Four Young Dan actresses" in China in the early 2000s, along with Zhang Ziyi, Xu Jinglei and Zhao Wei.-Early life:...
as Qing - Ma Jingwu as Minister Yin Taichang
- Huang XiaomingHuang XiaomingHuang Xiaoming is a mainland Chinese actor, singer, and model. He is often referred to as China's "number one heartthrob" or "number one young male"...
as General Yin Sun - Zhou Zhonghe as Lord Chamberlain
- Zeng Qiusheng as Governor Pei Hong
- Xu Xiyan as Ling
- Liu Yanbin as messenger
- Ma Lun as pharmacist
- Xiang Bin as imperial guard
- Cheng Chun-yue as imperial guard
- Liu Tieyong as court secretary
- Wang Yubo as red-faced dancer
- Cheung Lam as joker
- Bo Bing as executioner
- Zhao Liang as dancer
- Cui Kai as dancer
- Fei Bo as dancer
- Du Jingyi as dancer
- Ou Siwei as dancer
- Toyomi Yusuke as dancer
- Takita Atsushi as dancer
Festivals and awards
The Banquet had its international premiere at the Venice Film FestivalVenice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
, where it received the Future Film Festival Digital Award. Parts of the film had been previewed by film buyers during the 2006 Cannes Film Festival in May, where a promotional event for the film was hosted.
The film was screened at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival
2006 Toronto International Film Festival
The 2006 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 7 to September 16, 2006. Opening the festival was Zacharias Kunuk and Norman Cohn's The Journals of Knud Rasmussen, a film that "explores the history of the Inuit people through the eyes of a father and daughter."In a press release...
on the same day it opened to wide release in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It received the People's Choice Award at the 4th World Film Festival of Bangkok
World Film Festival of Bangkok
The World Film Festival of Bangkok is an annual international film festival held between October & November in Bangkok, Thailand.The 8th Annual World Film Festival of Bangkok will be held between 5 - 14 November, 2010.-History:...
, where it was screened two weeks before its wide release in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
The Banquet was chosen as Hong Kong
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, while China's entry was 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....
's Curse of the Golden Flower
Curse of the Golden Flower
Curse of the Golden Flower is a 2006 Chinese epic drama film directed by Zhang Yimou.With a budget of US$45 million, it was at the time of its release the most expensive Chinese film to date, surpassing Chen Kaige's The Promise...
.
The Banquet won two awards out of five nominations at the 43rd Golden Horse Awards
Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962, by Government Information Office, Republic of China...
in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. Art Director Tim Yip won for both Best Art Direction and Best Make up and Costume Design. The 3 other nominations were Best Cinematography (Li Zhang), Best Original Score (Dun Tan), and Best Song (Liangying Zhang). Co-star Xun Zhou, who plays Qing Nu, (Best Actress) and Stunt Choreographer Jyun Woping (Best Stunt Choreography) won awards for other films.