Difference between revisions of "Gong Li"
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=='''Biography'''== | =='''Biography'''== | ||
| − | The youngest of five children, Gong Li was born in Shenyang province on December 31, 1965. She grew up in Jinan, where her parents both worked as college professors ("Gong Li"). Gong loved music as a child and wanted to grow up to be a singer. She applied to China's top music school in 1985 ("Gong Li") and didn't get in. In an interview with Sarah Kuhn, Gong Li reminisced about her experience in a 2007 interview. "I applied [to music school], and I guess I probably didn't sing very well, so they didn't accept me. You can imagine, if I were a better singer, maybe at this point, I would just be kind of an average music teacher somewhere. But I guess I didn't have what it took at the time to be a musician. So people said, 'Well, you can't get into that school; it's okay, you can try something else'" (Kuhn). After this rejection, Gong Li applied to the Central Drama Academy in Beijing. She was accepted and graduated in 1989 ("Gong Li"). While she was a student, she was discovered by director Zhang Yimou. In the same interview with Sarah Kuhn, Gong Li reflected on the experience. "[Zhang] came around to the colleges; I was a student then, and he was looking for somebody to be in this film. So we had a simple process, took some screen tests and so on, and eventually he talked to my teachers, and he said he wanted me to be in the film. The shooting went pretty fast - maybe a month and a half, two months - and it all happened during the summer vacation" (Kuhn). ''Red Sorghum'' was the start of an intensely passionate relationship (both on- and off-screen) spanning eight years. Zhang cast Gong Li in every movie he made until their breakup in 1995 (Schwartz, and Kung). In 1996 Gong Li married tobacco executive Ooi Wei Ming ("Gong Li"). She continued starring in movies in China and in 1997 made her English language debut. Gong Li can understand English, but doesn't speak it well. She speaks Chinese in interviews and learns lines for English speaking roles phonetically ("Gong Li"). In 2006, Gong Li reunited with Zhang Yimou for the film ''Curse of the Golden Flower''. Though no longer romantically involved, professionally it was as if they had never parted. In her interview with Sarah Kuhn, Gong Li said, "We had a good script to start with, very solid, so we had something to really work with. It was quite easy to communicate with him. It was very straightforward, we just said what [we] thought" (Kuhn). When asked about the mood on the set of ''Curse of the Golden Flower'', co-star Chow Yun-fat coyly smiled and said, "Their chemistry goes without saying" (Hu). While Gong Li has continued starring in films internationally with great success, she has been busy with other aspects of her career as well. She is a beauty ambassador for L'Oreal cosmetics ("Gong Li"), narrated the award-winning Beijing Soundwalk, and received her master's degree from Beijing University ("Biography"). Unfortunately, all her success hasn't stopped sadness from touching her life; both her father and older sister died of cancer and she divorced her husband in 2010 ("Gong Li"). Despite the tragedies that have touched her life, Gong Li continues to be an international superstar. | + | The youngest of five children, Gong Li was born in Shenyang province on December 31, 1965. She grew up in Jinan, where her parents both worked as college professors ("Gong Li"). Gong loved music as a child and wanted to grow up to be a singer. She applied to China's top music school in 1985 ("Gong Li") and didn't get in. In an interview with Sarah Kuhn, Gong Li reminisced about her experience in a 2007 interview. "I applied [to music school], and I guess I probably didn't sing very well, so they didn't accept me. You can imagine, if I were a better singer, maybe at this point, I would just be kind of an average music teacher somewhere. But I guess I didn't have what it took at the time to be a musician. So people said, 'Well, you can't get into that school; it's okay, you can try something else'" (Kuhn). After this rejection, Gong Li applied to the Central Drama Academy in Beijing. She was accepted and graduated in 1989 ("Gong Li"). While she was a student, she was discovered by director Zhang Yimou. In the same interview with Sarah Kuhn, Gong Li reflected on the experience. "[Zhang] came around to the colleges; I was a student then, and he was looking for somebody to be in this film. So we had a simple process, took some screen tests and so on, and eventually he talked to my teachers, and he said he wanted me to be in the film. The shooting went pretty fast - maybe a month and a half, two months - and it all happened during the summer vacation" (Kuhn). ''Red Sorghum'' was the start of an intensely passionate relationship (both on- and off-screen) spanning eight years. Zhang cast Gong Li in every movie he made until their breakup in 1995 (Schwartz, and Kung). In 1996 Gong Li married tobacco executive Ooi Wei Ming ("Gong Li"). She continued starring in movies in China and in 1997 made her English language debut. Gong Li can understand English, but doesn't speak it well. She speaks Chinese in interviews and learns lines for English speaking roles phonetically ("Gong Li"). In 2006, Gong Li reunited with Zhang Yimou for the film ''Curse of the Golden Flower''. Though no longer romantically involved, professionally it was as if they had never parted. In her interview with Sarah Kuhn, Gong Li said, "We had a good script to start with, very solid, so we had something to really work with. It was quite easy to communicate with him. It was very straightforward, we just said what [we] thought" (Kuhn). When asked about the mood on the set of ''Curse of the Golden Flower'', co-star Chow Yun-fat coyly smiled and said, "Their chemistry goes without saying" (Hu). While Gong Li has continued starring in films internationally with great success, she has been busy with other aspects of her career as well. She is a beauty ambassador for L'Oreal cosmetics ("Gong Li"), narrated the award-winning Beijing Soundwalk, and received her master's degree from Beijing University ("Biography"). Unfortunately, all her success hasn't stopped sadness from touching her life; both her father and older sister died of cancer and she divorced her husband in 2010 ("Gong Li"). Despite the tragedies that have touched her life, Gong Li continues to be an international superstar, ever seeking for innovative roles to play. Speaking with Sarah Kuhn, she said, "For me, it's important that I find something fresh and not just redo another role that I've already played before" (Kuhn). |
=='''Filmography'''== | =='''Filmography'''== | ||
Revision as of 10:16, 4 March 2012
Biography
The youngest of five children, Gong Li was born in Shenyang province on December 31, 1965. She grew up in Jinan, where her parents both worked as college professors ("Gong Li"). Gong loved music as a child and wanted to grow up to be a singer. She applied to China's top music school in 1985 ("Gong Li") and didn't get in. In an interview with Sarah Kuhn, Gong Li reminisced about her experience in a 2007 interview. "I applied [to music school], and I guess I probably didn't sing very well, so they didn't accept me. You can imagine, if I were a better singer, maybe at this point, I would just be kind of an average music teacher somewhere. But I guess I didn't have what it took at the time to be a musician. So people said, 'Well, you can't get into that school; it's okay, you can try something else'" (Kuhn). After this rejection, Gong Li applied to the Central Drama Academy in Beijing. She was accepted and graduated in 1989 ("Gong Li"). While she was a student, she was discovered by director Zhang Yimou. In the same interview with Sarah Kuhn, Gong Li reflected on the experience. "[Zhang] came around to the colleges; I was a student then, and he was looking for somebody to be in this film. So we had a simple process, took some screen tests and so on, and eventually he talked to my teachers, and he said he wanted me to be in the film. The shooting went pretty fast - maybe a month and a half, two months - and it all happened during the summer vacation" (Kuhn). Red Sorghum was the start of an intensely passionate relationship (both on- and off-screen) spanning eight years. Zhang cast Gong Li in every movie he made until their breakup in 1995 (Schwartz, and Kung). In 1996 Gong Li married tobacco executive Ooi Wei Ming ("Gong Li"). She continued starring in movies in China and in 1997 made her English language debut. Gong Li can understand English, but doesn't speak it well. She speaks Chinese in interviews and learns lines for English speaking roles phonetically ("Gong Li"). In 2006, Gong Li reunited with Zhang Yimou for the film Curse of the Golden Flower. Though no longer romantically involved, professionally it was as if they had never parted. In her interview with Sarah Kuhn, Gong Li said, "We had a good script to start with, very solid, so we had something to really work with. It was quite easy to communicate with him. It was very straightforward, we just said what [we] thought" (Kuhn). When asked about the mood on the set of Curse of the Golden Flower, co-star Chow Yun-fat coyly smiled and said, "Their chemistry goes without saying" (Hu). While Gong Li has continued starring in films internationally with great success, she has been busy with other aspects of her career as well. She is a beauty ambassador for L'Oreal cosmetics ("Gong Li"), narrated the award-winning Beijing Soundwalk, and received her master's degree from Beijing University ("Biography"). Unfortunately, all her success hasn't stopped sadness from touching her life; both her father and older sister died of cancer and she divorced her husband in 2010 ("Gong Li"). Despite the tragedies that have touched her life, Gong Li continues to be an international superstar, ever seeking for innovative roles to play. Speaking with Sarah Kuhn, she said, "For me, it's important that I find something fresh and not just redo another role that I've already played before" (Kuhn).
Filmography
| Year | Movie |
| Red Sorghum | 1987 |
| Xi tai hou | 1989 |
| Hoi sam gui miu ba | 1989 |
| Daihao meizhoubao | 1989 |
| Qin yong | 1990 |
| Ju Dou | 1990 |
| God of Gamblers III: Back to Shanghai | 1991 |
| Raise the Red Lantern | 1991 |
| The Story of Qiu Ju | 1992 |
| Meng xing shi fen | 1992 |
| Farewell My Concubine | 1993 |
| Flirting Scholar | 1993 |
| Xin tian long ba bu zhi tian shan tong lao | 1994 |
| Hua hun | 1994 |
| To Live | 1994 |
| Xi chu bawang | 1994 |
| Shanghai Triad | 1995 |
| Temptress Moon | 1996 |
| Chinese Box | 1997 |
| Jing Ke ci Qin Wang | 1998 |
| Breaking the Silence | 2000 |
| Zhou Yu de huo che | 2002 |
| 2046 | 2004 |
| The Hand | 2004 |
| Eros | 2004 |
| Memoirs of a Geisha | 2005 |
| Miami Vice | 2006 |
| Curse of the Golden Flower | 2006 |
| Hannibal Rising | 2007 |
| Shanghai | 2010 |
| What Women Want | 2011 |
("Gong Li")
Awards
References
"Biography." Admiring Gong Li. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.
"Gong Li." The Internet Movie Database. Internet Movie Database Ltd. 20 Feb. 2012.
Hu, Brian. "An Accent on Acting: An Interview with Gong Li." Asia Pacific Arts. UCLA Asia Institute, 20 Dec. 2006. Web. 22 Feb. 2012.
Kuhn, Sarah. "Gong Li: In Full Bloom." Backstage: The Actor's Resource. Backstage.com, 04 01 2007. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.
Murray, Rebecca. "Gong Li Talks About "Memoirs of a Geisha"." About.com Hollywood Movies. About.com, Inc., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.
Schwartz, Missy, and Michelle Kung. "The Women of Geisha." Entertainment Weekly.com. 09 Dec. 2005. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.
Gong Li Video Clips
Note: I did not produce these youtube videos and do not the videos themselves or the images, film clips, or music contained within them. They are simply video clips of Gong Li that I used in my presentation. They are not being used for profit and are for educational use only.
Click here to view Gong Li's Memoirs of a Geisha fight scene.
Click here to view Gong Li's interview discussing, among other things, her movie Curse of the Golden Flower.
Click here to view Gong Li's interview discussing, among other things, her career, roles, and views of Mainland/Hollywood film industries.
Click here to view the video I used as background while giving my presentation. It features film clips of many of Gong Li's movies, set to music.
NOTE
ATTENTION: THIS IS AN EXTREMELY ROUGH DRAFT THAT I AM CURRENTLY (AS IN RIGHT THIS SECOND) WORKING ON. ALSO, THIS IS NOT A MIDTERM (AS I AM DOING A FILM PROJECT, THUS DO NOT NEED TO DO A MIDTERM PAPER), JUST MY ORAL REPORT.