Chen Kaige

Biography

Chen Kaige was born in 1952 to an eminent Beijing film family. His mother was a film star of the 1950s and 1960s (Davis), and his father was prominent film director Chen Huai’ai (Berry 83). Though he grew up in a film family, Chen Kaige wasn’t interested in working in film until after he had been admitted to the Beijing Film Academy (Berry 85). When Chairman Mao called for the youth of the nation to rise up in revolt, Chen Kaige answered the call and was sent to the Yunnan province. The three years he spent working with other privileged youths had a great affect on his psyche and later films (Berry 83). Upon his return to Beijing in 1975, he was admitted to the Beijing Film Academy. His 1982 graduating class is now known as the 5th generation (Berry 83). Chen Kaige has consistently experimented in filmmaking, “rebelling against cinematic norms and audience expectations” (Berry 84). Upon graduating, he worked on several films as assistant director before making Yellow Earth. Following Yellow Earth, he first made a series of “highly personal and philosophically driven” films and spent time in New York City. During his stint in New York City, he completed his memoir Young Kaige which discussed his time as a teen toiling in the Chinese countryside (Berry 84). He also directed the “Do You Believe in Shame” music video for the British pop group Duran Duran (“Kaige Chen”). In 1993 he made his most commercially successful film Farewell My Concubine which was an international blockbuster (Berry 84). In 1999, Chen Kaige set out to make The Emperor and the Assassin. By all accounts, this film should have been another commercial success. However, even with its enormous sets, fastidious and authentic period costumes, thousands of extras, and a cast of China’s greatest film stars, The Emperor and the Assassin was a flop. It failed to connect with either audiences and critics alike (Berry 84). Following this cinematic misfire, Chen Kaige went to Hollywood and made Killing Me Softly with Heather Graham and Joseph Fiennes, which was unfortunately another flop, this time not even released in theaters (Berry 84). Many of Chen Kaige’s films deal with dark and depressing themes. In 1996, he said, “I really wish that I could one day make a happy film. But in terms of the history I have lived through and everything I have experienced, that is an impossibility for me—at least for now” (Berry 84). But just eight years later, Chen Kaige’s outlook on life seemed brighter. In 2002, he released Together, a heartwarming tale of a child prodigy—a virtuoso on the violin. The film was his first major commercial success since Farewell My Concubine and was successful worldwide (Berry 85). When asked in 2003 if he planned on continuing to work in China or if he planned on going abroad, he said, “There are possibilities in both arenas, but one thing I do know is that for the new [sic] few years I intend to make more happy films. I want to make films that will excite people” (Berry 104).

Directorial Filmography

Movie	Year
Yellow Earth (Huang tudi)	1984
The Big Parade (Da yuebing)	1986
King of the Children (Haizi wang)	1987
Life on a String (Bian zou bian chang)	1991
Farewell My Concubine (Bawang bieji)	1993
Temptress Moon (Fengyue)	1996
The Emperor and the Assassin (Jingke ci Qinwang)	1999
Together (He ni zia yigi)	2002
Lu Bu and Diao (Lu Bu yu Diao Chan)	2002
Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet (100 Flowers Hidden Deep)	2002
Killing Me Softly	2002
The Butterfly Dance (Diewu tianya)	2004
The Promise (Wuji)	2005
To Each His Own Cinema	2007
Forever Enthralled (Mei Lanfang)	2008
Sacrifice (Zhao shi gu er)	2010

(Berry 104, “Kaige Chen”)

Sources

Berry, Michael. Speaking in Images. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005. Print.

Davis, Edward Lawrence. "Beijing Children's Film Studio." Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture. eBook. Taylor & Francis, 2005. Web. 28 Mar 2012.

“Kaige Chen.” The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 25, 2012, from http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0155280/.