The Emperor and the Assassin 1999 R, 160 min. Genre: Foreign / Adventure
Director: Chen Kaige Cast: Gong Li, Zhang Fengyi, Li Xuejian, Wang Zhiwen, Chen Kaige, Lu Xiaohe, Sun Zhou
In the third century B.C., Ying Zheng, the King of Quin (Li Xuejian) was determined to unite China's kingdoms. To achieve that goal, he sent his concubine, Lady Zhao (Gong Li), into Yan kingdom to serve as a spy and to arrange a fake assassination attempt on Ying Zheng's life, which he could then use as his excuse for invading Yan.
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Feng Yue 1996 R, 115 min. Genre: Foreign / Drama aka: Temptress Moon
Director: Chen Kaige Cast: Leslie Cheung, Gong Li, Kevin Lin, He Saifei, Zhang Shi, Lin Lianqun, Ge Xiangting, David Wu, Zhou Yiemang, Ko Hsiang-ting
This is a beautifully filmed–but confusing–story about a family's involvement with incest and opium addiction in early 20th-century China.
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Life on a String 1991 N/R, 110 min. Genre: Foreign / Drama
Director: Chen Kaige Cast: Liu Zhongyuan, Huang Lei, Xu Qing, Ma Ling, Zhang Zhengyuan, Yao Jingou, Zhong Ling, Zhang Jinzhan
This visually and musically beautiful story concerns an old musician and his young apprentice as they go from town to town playing music. Both are blind, and the old man was told, when he was a youth, that his sight would be restored if he devoted his life to music and broke 1,000 banjo strings. He is now nearing the magical number.
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The Promise 2005 PG-13, 102 min. Genre: Foreign / Fantasy / Action
Director: Chen Kaige Cast: Hiroyuki Sanada, Jang Dong-Kun, Cecilia Cheung, Nicholas Tse, Liu Ye, Chen Hong, Qian Cheng, Qian Bo, Yu Xiaowei, Anthony Wong
An orphaned young girl makes a bargain with an enchantress to give up on true love and, instead, become a beautiful princess. Now Qingcheng (Cecilia Cheung) is a princess, and, as befits her promise, any man she has loved has died. She is in love again–this time with General Guangming (Hiroyuki Sanada) who she believes has saved her life, but the real hero who rescued her is the general's slave, Kunlun (Jang Dong-Kun), who suffers in silence. Will the truth be told, and will Princess Qingcheng finally live happily ever after?
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Together 2002 PG, 116 min. Genre: Foreign / Drama
Director: Chen Kaige Cast: Tang Yun, Liu Peiqi, Chen Hong, Wang Zhiwen, Chen Kaige, Chen Qiang, Zhang Qing, Kim Hye-ri, Liu Bing, Tang Ru-Yun
When 13-year-old Xiaochun (Tang Yun) dreams of entering a prestigious music academy in Bejing, his father (Liu Peiqi) sets off for Bejing with his son–determined, but unsuccessful, in his attempt to get Xiaochun into the school. Once in Bejing, Tang Yun learns more than his father had planned, but in fields other than music.
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Yellow Earth 1984 N/R, 89 min. Genre: Foreign / Drama
Director: Chen Kaige Cast: Xue Bai, Wang Xueqi, Tan Tuo, Liu Qiang
A soldier (Xue Bai) travels to a remote Chinese province in 1939 to collect folk songs and meets a young peasant girl ( Wang Xueqi) with whom he falls in love. This was director Chen Kaige's ("Farewell My Concubine") first film.
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| 1. The Emperor and the Assassin (1999)
2. Farewell My Concubine (1993)
3. Feng Yue (1996) aka: Temptress Moon
4. Life on a String (1991)
5. The Promise (2005)
6. Together (2002)
7. Yellow Earth (1984)
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