''Mr. Zhao'' is a 1998 Chinese dark comedy film. It is the

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

of Lü Yue, already a well-established

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

for director

Zhang Yimou Zhang Yimou (; born 14 November 1950) is a Chinese filmmaker.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retrieved 21 August 2008. A leading figure of China's Cinem ...

. ''Mr. Zhao'' tells the story of a philandering doctor living in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

. His infidelity gets the best of him, however, when his mistress Tian Jing ( Chen Yinan) announces she is pregnant, while his wife learns of his affair but refuses to grant a divorce.

Cast

* Shi Jingming as the titular Mr. Zhao, a teacher of Chinese medicine. * Zhang Zhihua as his wife, a factory worker. * Chen Yinan as Tian Jing, his student and now pregnant mistress.

Reception

''Mr. Zhao'' won the 1998

Golden Leopard The Golden Leopard () is the top prize at the Locarno International Film Festival, an international film festival held annually in Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. Directors in the process of getting an international reputation are allowed to b ...

at the

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno International Film Festival is a major international film festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narr ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. The film was also entered into competition at the 1999

Hong Kong International Film Festival The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) is one of Asia's oldest international film festivals. Founded in 1976, the festival features different movies and filmmakers from different countries, and takes place in Hong Kong. HKIFF screens ...

and the 1998

AFI Fest The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

in Los Angeles.

References

External links

*
''Mr. Zhao''
at the Chinese Movie Database 1998 films Chinese comedy films 1990s Mandarin-language films 1998 comedy-drama films Films set in Shanghai Golden Leopard winners Films directed by Lü Yue (cinematographer) 1998 directorial debut films {{1990s-China-film-stub