The Grandmaster (film)

The Grandmaster
Promotional poster
Traditional Chinese一代宗師
Simplified Chinese一代宗师
Literal meaningAncestral teacher of a generation
Hanyu PinyinYīdài Zōngshī
JyutpingJat1 Doi6 Zung1 Si1
Directed byWong Kar-wai
Screenplay byWong Kar-wai
Zou Jingzhi
Xu Haofeng
Story byWong Kar-wai
Produced byNg See-yuen
Megan Ellison
Wong Kar-wai
StarringTony Leung
Zhang Ziyi
Chang Chen
Zhao Benshan
Song Hye-kyo
Wang Qingxiang
CinematographyPhilippe Le Sourd
Edited byWilliam Chang
Music byShigeru Umebayashi
Stefano Lentini
Nathaniel Méchaly
Production
companies
Distributed byLark Films Distribution (Hong Kong)[2]
China Film Group Corporation (China)[2]
Release dates
  • 8 January 2013 (2013-01-08) (China)
  • 10 January 2013 (2013-01-10) (Hong Kong)
Running time
130 minutes
CountriesHong Kong[1]
China[1]
LanguagesMandarin[1]
Cantonese
Japanese
Budget¥240 million (US$38.6 million)[3]
Box officeUS$64.1 million[2]

The Grandmaster (Chinese: 一代宗师, Yi dai zong shi) 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]

  1. ^ a b c d Lee, Maggie (8 January 2013). "The Grandmaster". Variety. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "The Grandmaster". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  3. ^ Stephen Cremin and Patrick Frater (15 January 2013). "Grandmaster has masterful BO debut". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  4. ^ Elley, Derek (28 January 2013). "The Grandmaster". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 18 March 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  5. ^ "WONG Kar Wai's The Grandmaster to open 63rd Berlinale". Berlinale. Archived from the original on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  6. ^ "HKIFF Review: The Grandmaster". HK Neo Reviews. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  7. ^ "Berlin: So Much For Bad Blood Between Harvey And Megan Ellison; TWC Acquires Wong Kar Wai's 'The Grandmaster'". Deadline Hollywood. 7 February 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  8. ^ "Oscars: Hong Kong Nominates Wong Kar-wai's 'The Grandmaster' for Foreign Language Category". Hollywood Reporter. 23 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  9. ^ "9 Foreign Language Films Advance in Oscar Race". Oscars. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  10. ^ Peter Knegt, 2014 Oscar Predictions: Best Cinematography, http://www.indiewire.com/article/2014-oscar-predictions-best-cinematography
  11. ^ Oscars, William Chang Suk Ping, Best Costume Design, http://oscar.go.com/nominees/costume-design/the-grandmaster
  12. ^ "Subscription". www.straitstimes.com. The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Zhang Ziyi won her 12th Best Actress award".