The Banquet (2006)

Set at the end of the Tang Dynasty when China has broken into various warring kingdoms Wu Luan, the Crown Prince of one such kingdom, has left the palace to study drama after his father marries Wan, the woman he loves. His reign isn't long though; the Emperor's brother poisons him, usurps the thrown and plans to make his wife the new empress. Assassins are dispatched to kill the Wu Luan but he has been warned and survives. Returning to the palace he discovers the truth about his father's death. He wants revenge but it is very dangerous; upsetting the emperor can lead to death; not just of the person involved but also of his clan. Wu Luan isn't the only person wanting the Emperor dead; Empress Wan may outwardly appear to love him but she really wants to protect her prince and when she thinks he is dead she wants revenge.Having read that this story is loosely based on 'Hamlet' it came as no surprise that this is a tragedy without a happy ending. As is usually the case with Wuxia films everything looks stunningly beautiful and the fight scenes are amazingly choreographed; more ballet than battle as the characters move like dancers as the blood paints their stage. This is particularly noticeably in the opening scene where black clad assassins ambush the white clad members of the Prince's Theatre group. The acting was good; Ziyi Zhang is delightfully ambiguous as the Empress and You Ge is menacing as the Emperor. The film nicely captured the oppressive nature of the palace; everybody trying to please the emperor through fear rather than respect. If you are a fan of the genre this is well worth watching even if there are better examples.

I've started discovering Asian cinematography only a few years a go, and as the time passes, it gets more and more interesting. And so, there I was watching "The Banquet", a rather strange mix of drama, horror and history. With the first glimpses of splattering blood, I got the impression this wouldn't be much more than a modern and overvalued martial arts thing, but somehow, it evolved and overcame the shallow nature of CGI and fake blood which are more or less predominant in "The Banquet". First thing to notice is naturally the technical aspect of the film. The frame is very good, professional to be more precise, and it is quite obvious we're talking about a costly project, which is done in a proper way. But the thing which made me stay and follow until the end was a touch of history, combined with a dramatic twist. The story resembles Shakespeare's "Hamlet" quite some, and frankly I'm not sure whether this is a rip off or a genuine Chinese tale. Whatever the answer is, it looks convincing, although probably historically inaccurate. Power has ever been associated with jealousy, envy and betrayal. Still, the most touching part of "The Banquet" was neither the visual or the narrative aspect, but a most intriguing display of Chinese theater. Now, I honestly don't know whether this is a true depreciation, but the white masked performance left a deepest impression on me, particularly in it's last scene where Qing Nu performs in front of the emperor. Did I like it? I guess that is that could be said, though I'm not sure whether this referres to the whole movie, or just some bits. One thing is for sure - I will investigate further the white mask theatrical performance.

to summarize it real quick :Artfully made, beautifully staged, and ultimately rather cold. Feng Xiaogang's The Banquet gets the artifice right, delivering a visual experience that's predictably elaborate and beautiful. However, the characters and emotions never seem to soar. Aesthetically, this is a better film than most, but looks aren't everything. now for the full comment :another highly-regarded Mainland Chinese director goes for international acclaim with The Banquet, a lavish costume drama set in 10th century Ancient China. For his first attempt at this genre, Feng Xiaogang enlists the world's most popular Chinese actress, Zhang Ziyi, plus he adds the required dose of flying martial arts, courtesy of master choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping. Feng also calls upon composer Tan Dun and art director Tim Yip, both veterans of a little movie called Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. With these sort of people attached to the film, Feng has created what amounts to a cinema guarantee. The Banquet promises high-quality spectacle, and indeed, expectations have been enormous from salivating cineastes and drooling Zhang Ziyi fanboys alike. Feng delivers on the spectacle; The Banquet is a feast for the eyes, and features impressive sets, costumes, and atmosphere. But for an actual time at the movies, perhaps even The Promise may be more entertaining.Zhang Ziyi stars as the young Empress Wan, who once upon a time was in love with Crown Prince Wu Luan (Daniel Wu). However, instead of marrying the Prince, Wan became betrothed to his father, The Emperor, who subsequently died under mysterious circumstances. The culprit is reportedly his brother, Li (Ge You), who inherits the throne and his hot young wife - and he seems to enjoy both pretty heavily, especially during the much-publicized massage sequences featuring Zhang Ziyi's famously uncredited body double. Li is threatened by Wu Luan, who's off hanging with a white-masked theater troupe, and sends a bunch of royal assassins to off him before he can attempt to reclaim the throne. But Wan is concerned for her former love/former stepson/current nephew, and sends warriors to protect him; during the ensuing actor bloodbath, the warriors do just enough to help Wu Luan escape.Wu Luan returns to the palace, where he reunites with his former girlfriend/former stepmother/current aunt, and sees firsthand that his uncle has usurped his father's place. Wu Luan also meets up with his current flame Qing (Zhou Xun), a pure sweetheart who doesn't mind that her true love is eternally moody over his crappy family dynamics. Predictably, Li is upset that Wu Luan has returned, and shows it by trying to kill him during a staged duel, attempting to exile him again, and just acting mean to him in an offhand, high-handed manner. But Li has other problems; some of his subjects think that he's an usurper, and some even plot against him. Meanwhile, Wan's place in all of this is unknown. Is she still enamored of Wu Luan, and is she grooming him to reclaim the throne? Or is there something more self-serving and sinister going on in her devious little head? And will Wu Luan ever do more than just brood?Wu Luan never really does more than just act upset, pace moodily, or display his ire through indirect means - which is fine, because he's Hamlet. The Banquet is a loose adaptation of the classic William Shakespeare play, and Hamlet is supposed to be a melancholy, borderline wishy-washy person with almost no forward momentum. Daniel Wu does a decent job of brooding, but Wu Luan never registers that deeply, probably because he's not even the film's central character. It's Empress Wan who takes on the central role in this web of deceit, lust, and potential betrayal - which is fine, because it puts Zhang Ziyi and her impressive bone structure front and center. Still, Empress Wan comes off as distant and undeveloped, and Zhang struggles to carry the film. One reason for this may be Zhang's age. A coolly conniving character like Empress Wan needs an actress with a bit more seasoning, and Zhang Ziyi is still a very young-seeming twenty-seven years of age.However, a bigger problem may simply be the film itself, which excels at aesthetically pleasing drama, but doesn't really find a way to convey any real emotion to the audience. The Banquet is presented in a conspicuously confined way, much like its stage-restricted inspiration. The sets and art direction are spectacular, but do little more than dress up each dialogue and gesture-heavy scene with obvious artifice. The Banquet feels very much like an ornate theater drama, where everything is perfectly arranged and everyone impeccably mannered. Even the people with murderous intent conduct themselves politely - to the point where they allow loved ones to die before finally acting with any sort of passion. It's all very beautiful in its restraint, but it's also very artificial and slow. The actors speak in measured tones, and even Yuen Woo-Ping's elaborate action scenes are hampered by an overabundance of slow-motion that makes them seemingly go on forever. The action also feels perfunctory and even unnecessary. Given its themes of desire and deception, The Banquet could have been told without any martial arts whatsoever, much less the flying kung-fu variety. The Banquet doesn't try to be as epic as its contemporaries, but its production is so polished and programmed for international acclaim that it ultimately detracts. The filmmakers follow the genre playbook and go for opulence and elegance, and the result is a film that never seems to surpass its obvious commercial or artistic aspirations. The Banquet is predictably gorgeous, but also somewhat cold.

For those who gave this movie bad reviews, must not know true art.....and should not of commented at all. This is one of the best foreign films i have seen to date. I had a hard time understanding Shakespeare, but this movie depicts it to the T. The action was great. the kung fu was great. the direction was superb.I would say to all that this movie was great. a must see to all, it had action, drama,romance,great scenery, and a good plot, foremost it kept me interested throughout the entire film, should you like movies you would like this one.see it!Marcus C. Collier