Ye yan (2006) User Reviews

More than just a Hamlet Adaptation

[tripxyde · 7/10 · 8 November 2006]

"The Banquet" is a loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" which, I believe, is Shakespeare's most powerful literary creation, and one which has been adapted (as I count) 5 times in the silver screen (my personal fave is the version with Mel Gibson; I have yet to watch the one with Ethan Hawke). This adaptation is so loose that oftentimes it feels like it has its own originality and only drew inspiration from "Hamlet".

One of the original aspects of the film is that of the character played by Ziyi Zhang, which is a product of a revision of the original script. A revision which added quite a depth to the storyline. Gong Li (Memoirs of a Geisha, Miami Vice, Farewell My Concubine) was originally supposed to play Zhang Ziyi's part. Maggie Cheung (2046, Hero) was also considered for the role. Due to scheduling conflicts. When Ziyi Zhang took over the part, the script was rewritten to make the character younger. Her character is a former love interest of the Prince Wu Luan (the main character) but was later wed to the Prince's own father and eventually, to become the Empress to his uncle. Such a character has given a large amount of dramatic tension to the storyline and further complicates it, making the story more unpredictable even though it is an adaptation.

It is such a wicked delight to see Ziyi Zhang play such a dark snake of a character in this movie, a character who claims a love which is actually of self rather than something pure. Since her breakthrough in "Crouching Tiger..." she has proved time and again that the potency of her talent doesn't easily wither, and in her youth she has already made great performances, more than enough to satisfy a cinema-acting retiree. Likewise, impressive performances from Daniel Wu as the Prince Wu Luan, (the alluring & yummy) Xun Zhou as the Opheliac Qing Nu, Jingwu Ma as the wise Minister, and You Ge who also deserves much praise for playing the Emperor Li, a character who defies being generalized as black & white; a character which is richly layered with many levels. THE BANQUET is mainly drama, You do not watch this film for the Martial Arts, even though Yuen Woo Ping has a hand in the making of this film as both producer and action choreographer (I would consider Yuen Woo Ping as the living god of Martial Arts movies, having directed timeless classics like "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow" & "Drunken Master" until now, & was given international spotlight when he worked as Fight choreographer of "The Matrix" movies), but you watch this movie for its beautiful storyline. Although there are moments that induce awe in some of the fight sequences, these are expected to be minimal compared to the dialogue-driving motion of the film. It may even be observed that the martial arts here is a mere icing on the cake.

Along with that icing is the amazing visuals that it presents. From flying stunts, to set designs to costumes. You can feast your eyes upon the visuals, which wakes up viewers from a possible boredom. It employs a semi-surreal style of setting.

It seems that ever since it broke into worldwide popularity, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" has opened the floodgates for Chinese dramatic epics which are done in "closed form" of movies, movies which such a forced unnatural ambiance that generally use wire-works to do fantastic martial arts feats and exaggerated vibrancy and style on sets which depict surreal environments (although this style was long used in Hong Kong, but mostly only for action epics). But this type of fantasy-like genre was getting old and it needed to be complemented with really good story lines. Such was achieved by Yimou Zhang's "Hero" (which starred Jet Li & Donnie Yen). This same surreal "closed form" style is employed by THE BANQUET.

THE BANQUET is powerful, dramatically rich, and such a masterpiece of a work, as dark and beautiful as the Shakespearean tragedy from which it is based on.

Wanted To Love It, But...

[david-dodd · 5/10 · 10 March 2008]

I'm a big fan of Chinese movies, Ziyi Zhang and Shakespeare, so I was definitely looking forward to this movie. The story is inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet and does an excellent job of translating the classic to an historic setting at the end of the Tang dynasty. I especially enjoyed the reinterpretation of Hamlet's mother as Prince Wu Luan's former lover (there was always something uncomfortably incestuous in Shakespeare's original). The acting is superb with kudos to both Ziyi Zhang and You Ge for creating a pair of very complex characters as Empress and Emperor. Some of the dialog is poetic in spite of not being Shakespearean. The sets were sumptuous. And Qing Nu's song at the end was beautiful!

So where did it go wrong? Except for Qing's song, the rest of the music was annoyingly obtrusive. Most of the action scenes were stylized and shot in slow motion. And many times the annoying music was playing during the slow motion action sequences, which effectively doubled the annoyance. Only the Prince's "audition" was a meaningful, well constructed action sequence. Finally, it could have been edited better with the movie reduced by about 15 minutes. There were several scenes that just didn't make sense. For example, there is a beautiful shot of Empress Wan entering the water naked, but it has no relation to what came before or after (ok, maybe that scene doesn't need context, but it just seemed out of place).

Overall, a decent movie with flashes of brilliance but having one too many flaws to rank any higher.

Some good reasons to watch this

[aristofanis · 7/10 · 10 April 2007]

This is a very well made production of an epic story placed in 10th century China. Magnificent scenes of ritual, majestic scenery, beautiful landscapes, great stage design, artful choreography and above all a very good sense of the theatrical that echos ancient Greek Tragedy. One thing that seems to be wearing out in Chinese movies of this kind are the long violently cruel scenes that are attempted to be beautified and the ongoing fighters who fly allover. In a choreographic sense they are of great merit but a lot is unnecessary. Zhang Ziyi is one more good reason to see this movie. I found her convincing in her role although somewhat stiff. I would like to see more of her in the future, more such great productions with even less fighting and more content that Chinese culture can easily provide.

One that is truly worth recommending, finally

[harry_tk_yung · 15 September 2006]

Feng Xiaogang, arguably the most popular director in China today, demonstrates convincingly that in his first attempt at the "historic epic" genre (loosely termed), he has outclassed the two veterans best known to the rest of the world, Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige who, by trying too hard to impress and please, have courted backlashes. Zhang's pretentious "Flying dagger" has become a bit of a laughing stock and Chen's elaborated "Wu ji", while not as disastrous, has failed to be convincing.

Feng avoided these fatal mistakes by keeping his feet firmly planted on the ground. While he starts with a clear message that he is second to none in the fancy stuff department, with two spectacular sequences (which I'll come back to), he did not get carried away as the other two directors, and comes back firmly to the story and the characters.

The story is what I would call quasi-history – and is a very clever move. While there is definitive reference to the rather chaotic historical period after the Tang Dynasty (the "decaying Tang" or "five dynasty, ten nations" period as known in Chinese history), the movie is intentionally vague on where exactly the story happened. For all intent and purposes, it's a fictitious nation. There's the cleverness, of getting the better of both worlds – having the air of authenticity and yet avoiding completely any possible criticism of distorting historical facts.

VERY loosely, there is a Hamlet plot, sort of. We do have an indecisive prince (Daniel Wu) finding himself in the predicament of his uncle (Ge You) murdering his father and taking over both the crown and the queen (Zhang Ziyi). But here, the queen is not the biological mother, but a former adolescent sweetheart (4 years younger) that his father took away. Perhaps to ease his son's pain, the king (now murdered) made a match for him with lovely and devoted maid-of-honour Qing (Zhou Xun).

This would be the place to bring up an interesting point. Purportedly, the role of the queen was initially offered to Gong Li, who declined because of other engagements. Had it been Gong, she would have to play someone 4 years younger than Wu. This leads me to speculate that maybe we had originally a closer Hamlet plot in which Gong would be Wu's real mother. It was then changed because Zhang playing Wu's mother would be just as unconvincing as Gong playing his young ex-lover. If that is really what happened, the plot suffers in that the love story between the prince and Qing has become less "pure" and sympathy-worthy.

There is no question that the queen is the main character, the opening credit of Zhang's solo billing betrays as much. She is relentlessly scheming, overmatching even the king (the reigning one, that is, her ex-brother-in-law) hitting him at a spot that is every man's Achilles' heel, by telling him that he can give her something that he brother wasn't able to (and she may well be very honest about it, judging from what we see in the erotic scenes). But, there are more facets to the queen than just the ruthless survivor. There's the ambitious power-monger and there's the vulnerable young lover, just to name two. Zhang has come a long way from the wooden, angry, rebellious young damsel which has been her single-expression, over-simplified persona. In "Banquet", she begins to show subtleties and variations that we have never seen in her before. Although I must confess that in Zhang's scene throughout the movie, I couldn't help that if-only-we-have-Gong subconscious, in all fairness to Zhang, she has come off rather well with this difficult challenge.

Daniel Wu suffers by comparison, but manages to deliver an art-loving, introvert prince that is reasonably believable. And I must give Ge due credit for resisting the easy temptation to overacting the usurping brother (or uncle, or brother-in-law, depending on who's talking), making the role more of a real flesh-and-blood human being than a stereotyped bad guy. The darling of the movie is obviously Qing - pure, innocent (but not naïve), devoted, defiant – portrayed to perfection by Zhou. There are two other important characters, Qing's father the minister (Ma Jingwu) and brother the general (Huang Xiaoming).

The movie opens with a most exquisite set, a three-dimensional arena-cum-stage where the self-exiled prince finds melancholic pleasure in perfecting his art in a Greek-type tragedy, complete with masks and all. Soon, this tranquil paradise becomes an infernal of bloody slaughters by the royal guards sent by his uncle to eliminate him. These are the two scenes I mentioned earlier, in which director Feng shows what he is capable of in the "artistic" department. But, as I said, he didn't indulge.

After a stunning opening, the movie gets back down to earth, telling a story in a simple, but effective way. The middle section could be considered slightly long, but is never dragging. The finale is sure-handed, punchy or poignant as the situation demands, and I particularly like the imaginative aerial shot framing an exquisite pattern of three dead bodies in white, black and brown and a living one in fiery red.

The music is also exquisite, beginning with Tan Dun's powerful orchestration. Most memorable is the haunting song of unfulfilled love that starts the movie and is echoed at the end, sung in a scene by Zhou in a way that deepens the pain tenfold. The original sound track has been advertised in town just as heavily as the movie. I expect to get one soon and will edit this comment if there's more to say after listening to it.

If you like Crouching Tiger, this is the movie to see. Forget about everything in between.

A Nutshell Review: The Banquet

[DICK STEEL · 7/10 · 15 September 2006]

It's an oriental kung fu Hamlet.

Everyone's been saying it's loosely based on Shakespeare's tragedy, and to some, the movie's indeed a tragedy with its slowness in pace and lack of action, but I'd like to see it as because of its heavy reference to Hamlet (the poisoned quill, and many other plot points and scenes), it sort of created a crutch on which to lean the movie upon, hence the familiarity to some, therefore having the source serving as a double edged sword - the movie beholden to it and eventually ending it on a weak note.

Having inherited the creative team of Yuen Wo Ping (action choreography), Tan Dun (Music), Tim Yip (Art Direction), and the starlet in Ziyi Zhang (wonder why the westernized juxtaposition of her name) does not automatically replicate the success of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon that easily. It's the X-factor and the blending of elements of novelty in CTHD that made it a huge success, and blindly following the predetermined formula is akin to hammering a square peg into a round hole.

While the art direction is lush and everything looking adequately regal, somehow Tan Dun's music seemed to be muted throughout the movie, only exhibiting sporadic brilliance to drum up scenes with the soundtrack, or the hauntingly beautiful theme song. The major disappointment however, will be in the fighting scenes. Here, martial arts both function as a contrast to the much muted artsy style of the Hamlet here, Prince Wu Luan (Daniel Wu), highlighting the difference in power between the pen and the sword, as well as functioning as foreplay. I thought with the gratuitous fake blood spewing across the screen, it was kind of a homage to 70s Shaw Bros martial arts classics, and a nod to director Chang Cheh, the king of ketchup blood. The initial big sequenced battle scene might have whet appetites, but sadly subsequent battles do not match up, with its repetitive running up walls or in mid air, as if Yuen had run out of tricks in the wire-work manual, having at one point seemed to copy Tsui Hark's Dao (1995). There's one moment of innovation though in a scene of punishment not seen (at least to me) before.

But not that I'm complaining. If this martial arts in this movie is viewed without comparisons to other more recent fantasy martial arts movies like Hero and House of Flying Daggers, it is still enjoyable and beautifully choreographed, and surpasses The Promise by a huge mile. Just that it lacked a fresh look in battles, and the unimaginative costuming of the Imperial Guards didn't help, looking too close like distant cousins of Lord of the Ring's Nazguls / Ringwraiths / Black Riders.

Desire as a theme runs through the movie very strongly, the desire for love, endless power and pure, unadulterated revenge. Very briefly, the story by now will be fairly obvious with Emperor Li (Ge You) usurping the throne from his brother, and coverts his wife Empress Wan as his own, who at one point in time was Prince Wu Luan's old flame. The Prince here is a fellow in love with the arts and bent on avenging his father, and who is the subject of unrequited love by the daughter of a minister - Qing Nu (Zhou Xun).

It's all about the wearing of masks and the building of facades, of hiding true intentions to achieve personal objectives. The contrast between the two men in the Emperor and the Prince is looked into, their love lives examined - one who uses power to obtain love, while the other's fortune to be loved brought him unimaginable influence.

Despite its references to Hamlet, the focus of the movie here seemed to be Ziyi Zhang's Empress Wan, as she plots and schemes, leaving you perplexed as to whether to sympathize and pity her, or applaud her attempts at exacting her own brand of justice. Acting all round is nothing to rave about, and though Ge You's performance seemed the better of the lot, his measured, subtle ways as the Emperor comes off rather weakly as a man capable of scheming to get to where he is. Somehow, I thought that Hamlet allowed the acting to take a foot off the pedal as audiences would already put in place perceptions and direct translations of character for character.

All said, The Banquet is still a reasonably competent foray into the martial arts genre for director Feng Xiaogang, and if he were to put another movie from the genre out, I'll sure be there to watch it. Now to anticipate Zhang Yimou's next contribution to the genre.

Chinese version of Hamlet beautiful setting and well acted.

[juliansachao · 7/10 · 28 September 2006]

I went to watch this movie not knowing what it was about, thinking it was just another Chinese period movie with old martial arts thrown in... Let me just say the costumes and set were beautifully done.

Someone put a lot of effort giving the movie character and feel for the period. From the start to the end I was always amazed at the amount of detail placed in the set and costumes, which brings it to life for the movie goer.

The storyline is basically Hamlet, and if you have ever watched Hamlet you can see the parallels in the story, but in Chinese with added martial arts goodness. The only downside you could guess how it was going to end and sadly unlike Western movies it doesn't keep you in the grips of your seat wondering "would the prince make it this time..."

I found that towards the end I just wanted the movie to end I guess if you know the age old tragedy story by Shakespeare people die and in this movie they die tear jerking realistic deaths, no PG here...

The acting is serious excellent, I can only understand Cantonese but when the words are spoken with such emotion and the acting so well done you don't need to understand the language to feel the movie. Certain scenes are such a treat, eg the love song is so beautifully done, the martial arts are second to none *going to leave scenes out not to spoil anything*.

The only downside is if you know the storyline of Hamlet you can guess how everything is going to go.

I do hope you check it out well worth a watch and it is damn impressive coming out of China... The PRC is coming out with such talent nowadays!

Zeroing out. JC

I don't know if I put anything that is really a spoiler but this is my first review of a movie, hope it helps users here decide if they want to watch this movie or not, adding the spoiler just in case...

visually satisfying but not as good emotionally....

[vicdragon19-1 · 7/10 · 6 December 2007]

Having high anticipations for this film, in particular it was a Shakespeare play adaptation i was fond of (Hamlet),the story suits the betrayal and revenge themes that most wuxia films are evolved upon. Yet, I could not really feel any feeling towards the characters, and the fight scenes don't really display anything that makes the violence truly horrific for such a tragic story. The acting is good, Ziyi Zhang showing another compelling performance. Many of the scenes feel a bit oddly shot, as though it doesn't really capture the characters true feelings. The ending ( i wont say anything about it) is also a tad confusing, but i'm assuming is meant to be symbolic of tragedy - see it for yourself and see if you understand.

The similarities with Hamlet are very apparent, yet the real villain in the film is the queen. Shows an interesting twist to the characters. Its well worth a look.

Very poetic

[Enchorde · 7/10 · 11 August 2009]

Recap: In an ancient Chinese kingdom a noble has murdered his brother and intends to wed his widow in order to become the next emperor. But in doing so he creates a scenario where his claim to the throne are weak and many foes lurk in the shadows to either avenge his brother or to claim power to themselves. Everyone has an agenda and no one will stop at murder. The new emperor must get rid of the prince, his brother's son that has legitimate claims to the throne. The princess clearly wants to avenge his father, but also has fallen in love with the empress maid. This maid is the sister to a general and daughter to the minister that wants to claim power for his own family. And in the middle of it all, the empress herself, that is unhappily in love with the prince, jealous of her maid and wants the throne for herself. But with so many players, the game is too complex to evolve as anyone planned. (The movie is apparently loosely based on Shakespeare's Hamlet)

Comments: Very poetic. True to recent Chinese tradition of making movies it is stunningly beautiful. Every move choreographed, bright colors and abundant scenes with slow motion. It is very much like a long, visual poem. Poetic. Touching and stunningly beautiful. Truly a well made movie. However, true to recent Chinese tradition of movies it is also far too focused on the visual, with the storytelling taking the back seat. How beautiful it is, without a strong story no movie can be a complete success. And when fights are over choreographed its meaning starts to lack plausibility. The story becomes too hard to believe in and then the stunningly beautiful visual parts are not enough. For some stretches it becomes too slow, to dull, even if it is in the middle of an assassination attempt or sword fights. It's stretched far too thin. But, for its genre it is clearly a step in the right direction. Compared to other Chinese movies, for example Flying Daggers, this is much better at keeping tempo. Not quite there yet, but clearly better than movies before it.

Also the fairytale components are kept to a minimum. Not so poetic maybe, but it makes the movie better. They are there, a few brief details. But not disturbingly much as the tree running that in my opinion crippled Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, for example.

Still, for all its faults it is actually quite a good movie. I think it could have been better with a stronger story, a higher tempo and more focus on authenticity and plausibility. But the strong visual parts make up for a lot of it and I enjoyed it.

7/10

A beautiful yet disturbing art piece

[mailonekms-imd · 9/10 · 24 September 2006]

Definitely worth catching on the BIG screen, this is an epic about court intrigue in the Five Dynasties period, which follows in part the Hamlet setup of a murderous uncle usurper (You Ge) and his duplicitous queen (Zhang Ziyi), with an angry yet distant, brooding prince (Daniel Wu). The details and setting are different enough so that the new story carries its own weight and is interesting, however. The acting is strong (some excellent), the martial arts scenes memorable, and the sets are fantastic! This is not a fully realistic historical drama, by the way. Director Xiaogang Feng has crafted a modern art piece here, highly stylized in some parts, and often gory, especially the martial arts scenes, so if you can't stomach people flying and leaping like phoenixes (while disemboweling each other), skip it. The highly artistic feel of the film is kept somewhat in check by the gritty, used, and sometimes decaying feel of the palace, and more so by the tight, sparse dialog, the drama and the tension of the story. (Although following in the footsteps of highly stylized films like some of Zhang Yimou's, the focus returns very firmly to the story in this one, thankfully.) Similarly, the stunning beauty of parts of the film is balanced by the unmitigated ambition of the characters and their other dark flaws. These left the story with no single, simplified protagonist to cheer for – the very opposite of Hollywood formula. (The supporting role played by Xun Zhou might be an exception, but she's the very image of innocence and purity to a fatal flaw, and you pity her more than rooting for her.) The raw ambition, incestuous lust, jealous hate, betrayal and/or impotence darken nearly every character. While refreshingly different in this sense, it almost left me reaching for my goblet of hemlock. The Chinese title Ye Yan should have been translated as The Night Banquet rather than The Banquet (its English billing where I am), as the climax occurs at a midnight banquet unwisely set by the emperor at an inauspicious time, and it would have better reflected the darkness of the film.

Overall, I give it a big thumbs up.

Sumptuous tale of intrigue and betrayal

[JoeytheBrit · 7/10 · 4 July 2008]

Not being a Shakespeare aficionado I didn't realise this was an adaptation of Hamlet although I did pick up on the Shakespearian aspects as far as the scale and tragedy are concerned. The Banquet also reminded me of The Curse of the Golden Flower – to which it is quite considerably superior in almost every aspect – in terms of the storyline crammed with intrigue in the royal court, the interaction of woefully dysfunctional families and the suggestion of incestuous diversions.

Some reviewers have complained that the film is slow but I never really found time dragging. The set design and costumes are sumptuous and the performances are quite restrained for this type of flick. There are a number of tense scenes in between all the talk and a couple of stylised action scenes, mostly in slow motion. The fights are staged and choreographed like ballet dances at times. The score is used sparingly – and to incredibly good effect – while the storyline, although slightly convoluted at times, unfolds with agreeable style.

The open ending is considered a weakness by some, but I'm not sure that we are supposed to be left wondering just who aims the final knife so much as the director is trying to make the impression that these intrigues, betrayals and murders will continue, simply with a new cast of duplicitous characters to replace the old.

It's essentially Hamlet set in 900s AD China.

[kjwhite · 5/10 · 6 October 2006]

The cinematography of this movie is wonderful, and anyone willing to sit through a movie of any stripe to see a fresh sword fight on a gorgeous mountainside should see this movie. I particularly liked the way that fighting scenes in the movie were sometimes juxtaposed next to musical performances complete with beautiful, slow movements by dancers. I think the comparison heightened my sense of the ballet-like quality of the otherwise violent confrontations. Those lead to consider seeing this movie on suggestions that it presents an artful re-imagination of Shakespeare's Hamlet--the one I read was in the Beijing Daily--should look elsewhere, however. This movie is a study in how a complex and interesting character study of one of the most enigmatic characters in the history of drama could be rendered both cliché and senseless.

Much more than just visually stunning!

[wandering-star · 8/10 · 25 March 2007]

Movies out of HK and China are increasingly rivaling or surpassing the best out of Hollywood in acting, cinematography, costuming and artistic vision. 'The Banquet' is a shining example.

This is a loosely based interpretation of Hamlet adapted for the Tang dynasty period. In my opinion there is too much energy spent on this site debating whether it is a good adaptation of Hamlet, comparing it to other Hamlet films, etc. It is not a straight "remake" of Hamlet - it obviously takes inspiration from the play, and uses many of its elements, and that's it. So just sit back, watch it and judge it on its own merits.

This is primarily a drama but it's sprinkled with great martial arts choreography a la Yuen Wo Ping. Many fight scenes follow the wu xia (fantasy kung fu) genre – just suspend your disbelief and enjoy the beautiful spectacle of it.

A riveting moment comes when a one of the Emperor's mandarins (scholars who rule over the provinces) introduces Wan as "Dowager Empress", language that means Wan is the mother of an Emperor (Prince Wu Luan) and is a slap in the face to Li. Wan and Generals alike must decide where their allegiances lie.

The acting is very good and I enjoyed Zhang Ziyi playing the lecherous Empress, You Ge playing a convincingly imperial Emperor and Xun Zhou as the naïve Qing in love with our 'Hamlet'.

One of The Banquet's strong points is it is absolutely stunning visually, right from the first scene in a verdant and swaying bamboo forest that makes you wonder if such a beautiful place really exists. The costumes throughout are incredibly rich and detailed.

It lags a little in the last half hour (maybe I was just tired) but to its credit does not run much longer than 2 hours.

Highly recommended.

The Banquet – Paying a heavy price tag may not come with fine dining

[themovieclub · 6/10 · 16 September 2006]

Set during the period of five dynasties and ten kingdoms, The Banquet is a story of power struggle and emotional conflicts.

The invitees to This Banquet is top-class: Director Feng Xiaogang from The World Without Thieves (a very entertaining movie starring Andy Lau and Rene Liu), cast Zhang Ziyi (or Ziyi Zhang and hers was the only name reversed the credits), Ge You, Daniel Wu Zhou Xun and Huang Xiao Ming, and action choreographer Yuen Wo Ping (again) and soundtrack composer Tan Dun.

A loose adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, the focus is the young empresses who plots against the emperor (Ge You), but lusts after her step 'son' (Daniel Wu as Hamlet?). The final banquet was a climax where everyone plans a final showdown and crucial assassination.

The Banquet is spectacular in terms of ravishness and grandeur in terms of set design, and that's probably about it. It's like entering a grand restaurant without the food you expect.

All the actors were strangely speaking their dialogue with unexpected slowness matched with wooden expressions. The lovable Zhou Xun, who was only one who looked natural, instead seemed very out of place.

Ge You delivered one-liners which were clever, but somehow sounded ridiculous in the setting that the audience burst into laughter. I was trying hard to control when Zhang and Daniel started fighting, which seem to burst into a waltz dance. The direction was very deliberate, but pushed too hard to being arty-farty. A good 41 minutes could have been cut if more could have been done to its pacing.

The Banquet is a fine example to show that big budget films may not equate to substance, top actors may not equate to fine acting, and Chinese period movies should just stay true to the heart.

Not so good

[lia00027 · 5/10 · 27 April 2007]

I'm gonna say it directly about my thought of this movie. The plot is too long and too boring, the story somehow ridiculous and Daniel's character especially is very weak and his character doesn't a bit close enough with "Hamlet". The setting is good but it's too dark since almost everything are in black and red. This is somehow a bit disappointment and "Curse of the golden flower" is much better than this movie. The director couldn't bring the talents of the artists. Zhang Zi Yi and Zhou Xun are may be who acted well. The ending also silly and unexplained. The queen just died without being explained who's the killer. Enough of this quite disappointment movie.

I won't suggest any of you to watch this movie.

Best Non Tradtional Version of Hamlet I've seen

[kevn57 · 23 October 2006]

Wu Luan is banished when his father the Emperor of 900 AD China marries Wu Luan's girlfriend making her Empress Wan and Wu Luans stepmother. When his Uncle murders his father and marries his stepmother assassins are dispatched to finalize his uncle's new position as Emperor Li. The assassins' arrival at the theater where Wu Laun studies ignites the first of the marvelous fight sequences. The amphitheater is multileveled with ramps connecting the different areas . The assassins slide down the ramps and fly through the air as they decimate all of the masked actors in a beautiful wuxia ballet of death in their attempt to murder Wu Luan.

Thus begins the Wuxia adaptation of Hamlet however the stories main focus is on the Empress Wan as she tries to save her stepson and former lover from the same fate that befell his father.

The film is beautifully shot the outdoor scenes taking advantage of the natural beauty of the landscape while the interior scenes at the place and amphitheater are gorgeous and impart an epic feel to the story.

The acting is also quite nice, with Zhang Ziyi being the standout in her portrayal of Empress Wan. Her acting has matured quite a bit since I first saw her in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Her fight scenes are also quite good. Daniel Wu as Wu Laun and You Ge as Emperor Li both give fine performances.

The fight scenes are beautifully staged and shot by all involved. The opening fight sequence in the amphitheater is my personal favorite. My only complaint is there are not enough fights, but I understand that this is a limitation of the source material. I'm sure when Shakespeare wrote it he never envisioned its adaptation to wuxia.

I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes wuxia, historical epics, or someone looking for a neat twist to Shakespeare's Hamlet.

I have this review and some screen shots posted on my blog burndvdburn.blogspot.com

Koreans can't understand this movie...

[kimeastlight · 7/10 · 25 September 2006]

Koreans can't understand this movie...Why? This movie's running time is 131 minutes. But in Korea this movie's running time is 112 minutes. 20 minutes fade away. How terrible!! I can't understand Korea government. I cannot understand CEO of Korea cinemas. (I think Lotte Entertainment company imported this movie) Who makes this movie shorter in Korea? I really want to this movie in DVD (131 minutes). Zhang Ziyi is very beautiful. Zhou Xun's song is very good. Story is good, too.(I heard story of this movie from English novel Hamlet)But people dying scene makes me terrible. I expect Chinese movie makers will make better movie.

Sooo Slow..........

[dmuel · 6/10 · 8 October 2006]

The Banquet is the latest big budget, period-piece film from China, providing yet another series of flawless, frequently impossible executions in the martial arts, along with a plot that includes palace intrigues, treachery and murder. Set in China's Dynastic era of some 1,000 years ago, this film offers intriguing eye-candy in its opulent sets, colorful designs and some unusual costumes. Following other well-known and much admired films—Crouching Dragon, Hidden Tiger, Hero, House of Flying Daggers—one more good film of this ilk is certainly palatable, the viewer might believe. But The Banquet seems so full of its own sense of profundity that what drama there is in the movie is lost in the film's slow and labored pacing. The opening sequence alone takes nearly ten minutes for a lone individual to enter the palace and exchange just a few words with a second character. At two hours plus the film is far too long, as there is far too little in the way of a good story, or good character study, to fill this much time. What the viewer gets is many slow-motion shots and long stares, each seeming to take longer with each passing scene. Since we've already had much of this sort of thing in the aforementioned films, these shots begin to lose their appeal and luster, especially after several repetitions. While the film might be viewed as a form of Chinese Nuo—a Tang Dynasty art form said to have influenced the Japanese Noh style—one wonders if two hours plus of this sort of thing is typical. Perhaps yours truly simply lacked an appreciation for this highly stylized dramatic form, but then again, it's only a movie.

No depth

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 12 July 2007]

It's a shame, that I couldn't enjoy this movie more. But it just wasn't up to the standards, I'm used to from Hong Kong Cinema, as far as depth of character or story on that concern. Ziyi Zhang is beautiful to watch, but her character could've done with more motivation/back story as far as I'm concerned. Goes for the rest of the story/characters as well.

What it is, is beautiful shot, and if you can oversee the mentioned flaws and bumps (in the story), you'll be able to enjoy this movie. Although I'm pretty sure, that "Curse of the Golden Flower" might be a better choice, for a choice as an Asian popcorn delight!

A strange mix

[andrejvasiljevic · 7/10 · 21 November 2011]

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.

America Needs Feng Xiaogang's Movies!!!

[ritadeanne · 10/10 · 9 January 2007]

It has long bothered me that Feng Xiaogang's movies don't get U.S. releases...and so I have had to make a habit of getting them sent to me from overseas or other equally inconvenient means. Having discovered his movies while living in China several years ago, I have been eagerly awaiting the release of Ye Yan and watching its progress through "pre-production" notes on IMDb. I was a little intrepid--one of the elements I love about Feng Xiaogang's movies is their ability to create inordinate beauty in contemporary settings that many would not see the beauty in...and I knew this was to be a film of another era. (In truth, I feared a little that Feng was going the way of Zhang YiMou--from the extraordinary into the traditional, beautiful, but traditional.) But I also love Feng's cultural, historical, and linguistic layering--and what better basis for that can their be but Hamlet? (Noting for fairness sake that I am an English Professor, and love Hamlet above all other Elizabethan dramas.) However, this film is, while traditional in setting, still extraordinary. The use of masks and movement play with Shakespearean notions of the play within the play/all the world's a stage. And, for me at least, this is the most impressive layer of the film. The story is well done; though one should not watch it as a "version" of Hamlet, but rather as "inspired by" Hamlet. Both Ye Yan and Hamlet address political, cultural and social issues through the story, but their issues are not identical. At this point, I would say this is my second favorite Feng Xiaogang film--only behind Tian Xia Wu Zei--but oh how I wish they would all be released in America. I read in the trivia of this web page that Ye Yan will be nominated for the Oscars and I hope this is true......mostly on the off chance that if it wins--despite the American public not seeing it--that it will lead to some of Feng Xiaogang's movies getting an American release.

no masterpiece

[thisissubtitledmovies · 6/10 · 5 September 2010]

Loosely based on Shakespeare's Hamlet The Banquet, directed by Feng Xiaogang, is a lavishly produced tale of incest, corruption and revenge during the fall of the Tang Dynasty, a period known as the 'Five Dynasties of Ten Kingdoms'. A web of intrigue has been woven within the walls of the Imperial Palace that ultimately leads to tragedy and bloodshed.

The Banquet is by no means a masterpiece, but it is a gloriously spectacular work of visual art with some fine performances, mainly from two of China's brightest stars - Zhang Ziyi and Xun Zhou. Sadly, it's hard to feel any compassion for the three main characters, as they are often cold and callous, putting a distance between them and the viewer. SLP

What happens when a director goes to film school and makes a movie? You get this stinker.

[Firehawk · 2/10 · 11 December 2006]

I have a high threshold for bad movies. While I think the Resident Evil movies are horrible, I sat through both of them without complaining too much. I even put myself through an Uwe Boll marathon just to see what the hype was all about. But this movie actually made me physically violent. It just made my angry that I was wasting two hours of my life watching a film that I knew was bad.

So, why is this film bad? First, it's a horribly (can't use the word I want to) poor adaptation of Hamlet. Now, not all adaptations of Shakespeare have to be accurate or even full adaptations. Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood" and "Ran" are excellent adaptations of Shakespeare's plays that rely loosely on the plots and themes of MacBeth and King Lear respectively. How does this film adapt Shakespeare? By exposition. The characters essentially speak the plot of Hamlet to each other, constantly reminding the audience that they are watching a Chinese interpretation of Hamlet. You're basically sitting through a two hour plot summary of a four hour play. There are better adaptations of Hamlet... and if you really need to get your Shakespeare fix through Asian cinema, get it through Kurosawa, because he does it infinitely better.

Second, the film assumes that you're an idiot. The film not only explains the symbolism of the most basic visual cues - the meaning of the color red, the meaning of water, and really anything that you could think of - but it also over explains the plot. In one convoluted scene, a general calls the Empress the Empress Dowager. The Emperor that goes on a five minute tirade on how this is an insult to his dignity. As if you couldn't figure that out on your own. And the film constantly does this. So, you're not only sitting through exposition that reminds you that you're watching Hamlet, you're basically sitting through a director's commentary as told by the characters in the film. It makes for a painful experience.

Third, if you're expecting some of that Wu Xia stuff to impress you, because this is billed as a Wu Xia film, well, you're going to be disappointed. There is probably one short scene at the end which is slightly impressive, but on the whole it disappoints. It's not that kind of a movie, even if it's in the genre.

So really, there's no reason to watch this film. If you want a good version of Hamlet, go watch Branaugh's version. If you want a good Asian adaptation of Shakespeare, go watch Throne of Blood. If you want a good Wu Xia film, go watch Hero, or even better, go to your local Chinatown and pick up something from the 90s. However, if you want a film that is patronizing and treats you like a five year old child, then this one's for you.

An excellent story driven drama with some action sequences

[cdrober · 10/10 · 14 September 2006]

I just got back from the UA theater in Kowloon Bay, supposedly watching this film on release day I thought, yet so many people on here act as if they had seen this movie already.

Anyways, I saw it how it is meant to be seen (in the theater) and here is my opinion.

You will like this movie if you like drama and are a fan of stories in the style of the Greek Tragedy. It is a slow paced film, clocking in at over 2 hours, but for those who like listening to purposeful dialogue and those interested in dynastic Chinese culture it is a very quick 2 hours.

If you are looking for a martial arts film, there is fighting in this film, but that is not what the film is about. To me the fighting is a necessity, and done beautifully (not realistically, if you care about realistic fighting go watch some UFC bouts or other films).

I think this film is as much appropriate for females as males if not more so (even though I am male) do to the involving love stories presented.

Overall, for what it is, I give it a 10 out of 10. Perhaps it isn't perfect, but I still enjoyed it and to me it was an excellent drama/tragedy story.

More inspired by Shakespeare than a true adaptation of Hamlet

[Billiam-4 · 6/10 · 26 August 2021]

More inspired by Shakespeare than a true adaptation of Hamlet, this sumptuous and obviously expensive production with visually stunning sets and martial arts scenes, but its narrative lacks logic and coherence and is difficult to follow.

Unbearable, only for those who want to see pictures.

[renyipiaoliu · 1/10 · 23 October 2006]

Totally ruined.

You can enjoy some good scenery/ dancing. But don't ever take it as a movie.

It based on Shakespeare's Hamlet, which western audiences may be familiar. But all the behaviors and dialogs have nothing to do with ancient China.

You can hardly find the soul of most of the characters.

If you want to see some good-looking costumes, some dancing-like fighting scene. You can have a look. If you like a normal movie that tells something, go find any other movie.