The Banquet, directed by Feng Xiaogang, will hit the big screen in October 2006, to be followed closely by Zhang Yimou's Wearing Golden Armor Across the City, with an international release scheduled for December 2006. Considered by many critics and filmgoers to be China's top directors, Feng and Zhang both began shooting their latest projects in 2005. Both in subject matter and scope of production, the two films are expected to generate competition and a big buzz in China's already hyper-hot film scene.
Directors-Zhang Yimou vs. Feng Xiaogang
In 1998, while US-based Time magazine named Zhang Yimou as one of the Top Ten Outstanding Directors in the World, Feng Xiaogang became something of a household name in China, when his Dream Factory took to the screens and earned 36 million yuan in ticket sales. Eight years later, after producing films that mainly portrayed the lives of ordinary people, Feng commenced shooting his first truly big budget flick, a historic epic depicting the lives, love and conflict of royalty. In a step towards his goal of taking an Academy Award, Feng submitted The Banquet for consideration at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival on May 22.
Compared to Zhang Yimou, a three-time nominee for Oscar's Best Foreign Language Film, Feng must perhaps more rely on the participation of major movie stars like Zhang Ziyi, as he works his way into the Hollywood circuit and the global film community. It was Zhang Yimou who introduced Zhang Ziyi to the global stage, and today Zhang Ziyi in turn offers a hand to Feng Xiaogang as he continues his ambitious drive to gain his own position on that same international stage.
In terms of directorial achievements, Feng Xiaogang can not yet compete with Zhang Yimou. From Red Sorghum to Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, Zhang's works are regarded as representatives of Chinese films, whether in the depth of character portrayal or in the range of styles.
Feng's Dream Factory opened a new style of comic New-Year films, which feature humorous dialogue and intriguing plotlines based on social psychology. The advantageous traits in conception of language and the reflection of social psychology have instilled artistic appeal to Feng's films, as well as generated considerable profits at the box office.
Nevertheless, Zhang Yimou films still hold both first and second place in terms of box office revenue in China. His Hero earned 250 million yuan, more than the total of Feng's first six New-Year films-Dream Factory, Be There or Be Square, Sorry Baby, A Sigh, Big Shot's Funeral, and Cell Phone; and Zhang's House of Flying Daggers yielded 150 million yuan, beating Feng's A World Without Thieves. And in its North America run in 2004, Hero was number one at the box office during its first two weeks, marking a remarkable success for the Chinese film industry in the global market, and demonstrating the commercial potential and technological power of Chinese-language films.
Lead Actors-Chow Yun-Fat vs. Ge You
In Golden Armor, Chow Yun-Fat, for years a strong draw in the Hollywood market, takes the role of a king contending with crises both in his nation and in his family; and in The Banquet, Ge You, winner of the Best Actor Award at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, depicts an emperor who usurps the throne.
So which of these two powerful actors can best project a majestic and royal demeanor? Ge You is particularly favored for his unique comic style, as exhibited in Feng Xiaogang's New-Year films, Dream Factory, Be There or Be Square, and Sorry Baby. As a solid, steady actor in Feng's films, Ge You's personal charm even surpasses the charm of those fictional characters he portrays. Even so, the film which contributed to Ge's success in winning the Best Actor Award in Cannes was To Live, directed by Zhang Yimou.
Chow Yun-Fat is a legendary actor with sweeping popularity among people of Chinese origin worldwide. Since the 1980s, he has created many classic characters in TV plays, China-made films, and Western films, including Shanghai Bund, True Colors of a Hero, God of Gamblers, and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. As he matures, his performance comes closer to the acme of perfection.
Lead Actresses-Gong Li vs. Zhang Ziyi
Of the queen in the Golden Armor, played by Gong Li, and Zhang Ziyi's queen mother in The Banquet, which actress and which character will be best received by critics and filmgoers? At the first press conference for Golden Armor, Zhang Yimou confessed that Gong Li's bearing more befits a queenly status. The younger beauty, Zhang Ziyi, was selected by Feng Xiaogang as his one and only choice for the role of the queen in The Banquet. According to Feng, Zhang Ziyi's performance will determine the success or failure of The Banquet.
Gong Li is thus far the only actress in the world to preside at juries of international film festivals for three years in succession. At the 2001 Berlin International Film Festival, the 2002 Venice Film Festival, and the 2003 Tokyo International Film Festival, Gong Li played a decisive role in the international film community, while her Oriental beauty held the limelight. Taking advantage of the blockbuster, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Zhang Ziyi gained special favor from US-based magazines and entertainment events. Time magazine hailed her as "China's gift to Hollywood.?Zhang Ziyi was invited to be a judge at the 59th Cannes Film Festival this year, and her Hollywood career continues to accelerate.
Plots-Hamlet vs. Thunderstorm
While The Banquet was based on Shakespeare's Hamlet, the Wearing Golden Armor Across the City is an adaptation of Thunderstorm, a Chinese classic attributed to noted writer Cao Yu. Both films are set in the imperial court of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and the theme of revenge is central to both plots.
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