Source: CRI

10-31-2008 16:19

Posters and stills of director Chen Kaige's biopic about the late Peking Opera master, Mei Lanfang, were released Monday in Beijing.

A still of director Chen Kaige's biopic about the late Peking Opera master,  Mei Lanfang, is released April 28, 2008 in Beijing. [Photo: yule.sohu.com]

The movie is Chen Kaige's comeback into art films after the commercial blockbuster "The Promise" in 2005.

The new film is said to portray the human side of the legendary performer. Mei Lanfang (1894-1961) was a highly accomplished Peking Opera artist, known for playing women's roles on stage.

"Mei Lanfang is well-known for his contribution to Peking Opera," Chen Kaige told Sohu.com, "But I'm more interested in his inner charm, the grit he displayed during wartime and his life-long pursuit of beauty."

The film features Cantopop singer and actor Leon Lai in the lead and the internationally acclaimed actress Zhang Ziyi as Meng Xiaodong – a singer and Mei Lanfang's friend.

The South Korean copyright of the film was sold during the function. Before this, producers sold the Japanese copyright of the film for more than 10 million yuan.

The movie is scheduled for release in December this year.