The Grandmaster | |
---|---|
![]() Promotional poster | |
Traditional Chinese | 一代宗師 |
Simplified Chinese | 一代宗师 |
Literal meaning | Ancestral teacher of a generation |
Hanyu Pinyin | Yīdài Zōngshī |
Jyutping | Jat1 Doi6 Zung1 Si1 |
Directed by | Wong Kar-wai |
Screenplay by | Wong Kar-wai Zou Jingzhi Xu Haofeng |
Story by | Wong Kar-wai |
Produced by | Ng See-yuen Megan Ellison Wong Kar-wai |
Starring | Tony Leung Zhang Ziyi Chang Chen Zhao Benshan Song Hye-kyo Wang Qingxiang |
Cinematography | Philippe Le Sourd |
Edited by | William Chang |
Music by | Shigeru Umebayashi Stefano Lentini Nathaniel Méchaly |
Production companies | Annapurna Pictures Block 2 Pictures Jet Tone Films Sil-Metropole Organisation Bona International Film Group |
Distributed by | Lark Films Distribution (Hong Kong)[2] China Film Group Corporation (China)[2] |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 130 minutes |
Countries | Hong Kong[1] China[1] |
Languages | Mandarin[1] Cantonese Japanese |
Budget | ¥240 million (US$38.6 million)[3] |
Box office | US$64.1 million[2] |
The Grandmaster (simplified Chinese: 一代宗师; traditional Chinese: 一代宗師) is a 2013 martial arts drama film based on the life story of the Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man.[1][4] The film was directed and written by Wong Kar-wai. It was released on 8 January 2013, in China. It was the opening film at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2013.[5] The film was selected as part of the 2013 Hong Kong International Film Festival.[6] The Weinstein Company acquired the international distribution rights for the film.[7] The film was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards,[8] making the January shortlist, but ultimately did not receive the nomination.[9] Despite this, the film was nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design.[10][11]
Although The Grandmaster was not as popular as others of Wong Kar-Wai's works in the western world, this film was highly-praised and applauded in the Chinese-speaking world for its profound philosophical depth, historical perspective, and break-through of the Kung-Fu film genre, further cementing Wong's "Grandmaster" Status in Chinese cinema. The film received a record-breaking 12 awards in the 33rd Hong Kong Film Awards, most wins for a single film in history.[12] Zhang Ziyi also received an unprecedented 12 different Best Actress awards for her performance.[13]