Chen Kaige could be named as the greatest director in his generation because he directed Farewell My Concubine. He could also be named as the worst director for his movie WuJi. To be honest, these two extreme sides are my narrow knowledge of Chen kaige. This movie thus really broaden my understanding of Chen kaige’s film.
Unlike the Zhang Yimo’s “Hero”, “Emperor and the Assassin” is more realistic on portraying the whole story. The films not only focuses on the climax part of the assassination but also tells the previous part about why the assassination should happen. I think the previous part is more important because it serves as a comprehensive biography of the Emperor.
The Emperor, also known as Qin Shi Huang, is maybe the most controversial ruler in Chinese history. He is ruthless, as the movie shows that he ordered to burry all remaining Zhao Kindom’s children to prevent revenge. However, by portraying more stories about the same person, the seemingly insane movement turns to be understandable and logical. In Hero, the Emperor makes himself understandable from his philosophical idea to unify the land. In this film, the Emperor makes himself understandable through what he experienced in the past. For instance, his ruthless on Zhao came from his unpleasant experiences as the son of hostage father living in Zhao. When he entered the city he still recalled his shameful experience about his childhood. Details like this actually recover Qin Shi Huang back to a human named Ying Zheng. He shared same feelings as other human: he was sad when his lover left her; he was angry when his mother’s playboy tried to rebel; he was dubious when he noticed that he might not be king’s son. All of these details added together, Chen Kaige provided a more vivid and lively Emperor and explained the conflict between Assassin Jin Ke and Emperor Ying Zheng objectively.
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