Reviews & Ratings for
The Emperor's Shadow More at IMDbPro »Qin song (original title)

9 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Tremendous, complex, historical epic, 12 May 1999

Author: red-74 from la jolla

Don't be misled by ANY of the US critics who reviewed this remarkable movie. The Emperor's Shadow's (Qin Song) opening sequence-anything but subtle with hundreds of enormous bells being sacrificed to a thundering cataract of water and river foam--and the dying Emperor's last pronouncement are a perfect preamble for what follows.

And pay no attention to the cursory plot summaries--far more is involved here than a simple stubborn musician who seduces the Emperor's favorite daughter and refuses to compose a national anthem. Word play, puns and verbal sparring are very important in the film (e.g. the instrument the musician plays is a qin; the Emperor is head of the Qin dynasty); and the love/hate; cat and mouse; art vs politics; peace vs war; pacifism vs force themes embodied in the relationship between the Emperor and the musician is one of the most fascinating interpersonal conundrums since Henry II and Thomas Becket.

The fact that this extraordinary film did not make the rounds of all US art houses is a tragedy. The scope, the grandure, the uniformly excellent performances, the stunning cinematography add up to a unique and unusually compelling experience.

The Emperor's Shadow may also be one of your very last chances to witness a true epic--there are no computer generated masses here--each one of those thousands and thousands of soldiers is a real human being.

The Emperor's Shadow is a misunderstood, over-looked, underestimated masterpiece.

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
A master piece., 3 April 2001

Author: Hunky Stud

This is an excellent, excellent movie. It seamless linked all those major stories that happened during the lifetime of first Chinese emperor. Jiang, Wen is a well-known actor. Sometimes it is hard to actually see a famous actor as the actual character. However Mr. Jiang has done a great job. Even though his face is so familiar to many of us, but in this particular movie, he is indeed the first Emperor of China.

Best of all, it is not boring to watch this movie at all. Sometimes it is hard to follow through a lengthy old historic movie, which one can not reflect upon oneself. However, this film grabs audiences' attention, and one wants to watch it till the end.

Ge You the other main character is also so excellent. It is definitely an epic. It has love, hate, massacre, etc. It may not have the fancy elegance as Titanic, but it is absolutely more meaningful.

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Utterly The BEST Chinese Film I Ever Saw!!!!, 12 February 2006

Author: Allen Rubin from Los Angeles, California

I cannot say enough about this film. The production value was TOPS. The locations, story, acting, music, and everything else involved in it was extraordinary. I watched it 10 times (Each time forcing others to watch, which they all agreed with me). It should have won an Oscar, but since there are probably big politics with Mainland China vs Hong Kong, it never got a mention. I am not Chinese, but do appreciate a fine film. WATCH IT!!! TRUST ME. You will agree. The music writer scored many other Top Chinese films like Farewell My Concubine, Ju Duo, and Raise The Red Lantern, just to name a few! WoW! The acting was superb. Natural and realistic. I cried each and every time I watched it. What can I say? I definitely think it was one of the best made films I've seen in many years. I am an actor and have produced a few action films (nothing that compares to this, or even gets close...PLEASE! I wish!). This has every emotion and is to be considered an EPIC of Extraordinary Proportions!

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
a beautiful epic, 31 December 1998
Author: al adams (alasf@earthlink.com) from San Francisco, California

A stirring beautiful epic with a heart at the center. The kind of movie that the U.S. doesn't make much anymore. Not amazing that people in around 200 BC had feelings and emotions like ours, even the people in high high places. There's one line about sex and politics (the emperor talks to his council about how affairs of the state have no relation to sexual matters) that had the small audience (the movie has been playing here for 28 weeks) laughing. Really enjoyable and interesting movie.

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Superb, 15 February 2010

Author: ky_chong

If you compare "The Emperor's Shadow" with films like "The Emperor and the Assassin" and "Hero" you will realize why people in China place this film at least on par with the other two films. A lot of people like myself actually prefer this movie. It has lavish sets and grandeur with a lot of human interest, but doesn't end up being obsessed with the technical aspects too much. Jiang Wen is especially good as Ying Zheng, the future First Emperor of China who in this movie is still the monarch of the state of Qin. He doesn't come across as a demented megalomaniac as per Chen Kaige's movie (courtesy of Li Xuejian's performance). Instead, Jiang plays him as rational, intelligent, exceptionally ruthless and ambitious, but none the less more a human being than a psychopath. Ge You plays his counterpart, the masterful qin musician who ends up having an affair with the princess. While it will be a stretch to call this amongst the handful of grandest epics ever made, the tension is very well maintained throughout thanks to the excellent acting. The script is also more polished than "Hero" or "The Emperor and the Assassin": in short, a very good historical film which centers around a pivotal Chinese monarch and a side character in history.

1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Stunning,exquisite and sumptous epic., 10 June 2001

Author: Genghiz (genghizkhan66)

I was surprised at how little information there is about this movie. This stunning piece of work is definitely worth more international regconition. The Emperor of Qin (Ching Shi Huang Ti) is a very popular figure here in Asia and everyone knows him thru history classes and here, is one of my favourite movie on the depiction of Emperor Qin.(221-207 BC.)

I had always admire Jiang Wen , and his cute,playful,fiercesome and brutal protrayal of the emperor is wonderful. Ge You is also great and comical at times. Ge You have won the International film festival best actor award twice.One for "To Live" the other for "Keep Cool". Both movies by Zhang Yimou.

The movies includes epic warfare, love, betrayal, friendship, stubborness, punishment, executions, tortures and power. Anything you should expect from and ancient epic, is all here.

The relationship of the two men in this movie is complicated, fascinating and touching. Full of emotions and feelings.

The entire movie from the beginning to the end are filled with gorgeous image and unbelivable scenarios. The opening sequence left me absolutely Speechless. The middle sequences left me in awe and terror and the final sequences left me in tears.

The Emperor's Shadow is a tremendous hit here in Asia.

Do not believe some of the US critics who down grade this film. From what I've read, some doesnt understand the culture and the history and some are political minded. See it for yourself and you decide.

Trust me. We, here in Asia knows best.

We came from our ancient ancestors of The Xia dynasty - ca.2000-1800 BC thru Qin,Han,Xin,Genghiz Khan to Kublai Khan who formed the Yuan Dynasty, and built the Imperial Palace (Forbidden City) and again thru Ming and finally Qing Dynasty (Empress Dowager Tsu Tzi /Aishin Goro Pu yi of Manchuria) to reach where we are in this modern world today 2001.

The Emperor's Shadow is visually sumptuous, with great cinematography and engaging history. Even if you are not a history fan. The movie can be enjoy via its visuals,ceremonies and scenery.

1 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
First Emperor ... 1st true epic ?, 23 November 2002

Author: eric wobma from amsterdam

When exploring the Asian epics it is wonderful to find out that all the critics and the general ideas are wrong. First of all, not all Asian pictures are filled with martial arts nonsense. Far from it, I'd say.

And here is a truely great epic. It has been compared with Kurosawa's RAN, which is rather silly since that film has been made by one of the Founding Fathers of cinema, and also with BRAVEHEART, which comes pretty close.

Somehow this film keeps the mind spinning; the wonderful stories of Jorge Luis Borges about this First Chinese Emperor twists and turns in the back of the mind. The refusal of using too bright a' colours in wardrobe keeps you asking why we needed all these glistening colours with Bertolucci's tale of the LAST EMPEROR anyway.

Is this epic true to history ? I really couldn't tell. It might be... I do know it is a wonderful lush film, and within its grand scale it has found a way to talk about the small yet important things. It is a gorgeous epic, and romantic without the silliness we westerners usually mix in our grand stories...

1 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
interesting parallel with modern China, 29 November 1999

Author: camel-9 (arzewski@shiprps.com) from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

When Zang Xiao Ping died three years ago at the age of 91, Richard Holdbrooke, the US Ambassador to the UN said that he will be remembered as relentlessly trying to bring a long-lasting period of peace, away from food famines, war, instability, financial dependence to foreign nations. The king in this motion picture, while claims that a national anthem will conquer hearts and minds of the eventually united kindoms that make China, also ponders on unifying scales and measures, trade protocols, language. Interesting parallel with modern-day China of Zang, the king's daughter is cripple from a fall off a horse. Zang's son was crippled from a fall off a window in the late sixties trying to escape the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution.

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