''The Last Supper'' is a 2012 historical film directed by

Lu Chuan Lu Chuan (born 8 February 1971) is a Chinese filmmaker. One of China's Sixth Generation directors, he is known for his films '' Kekexili: Mountain Patrol'' (2004), '' City of Life and Death'' (2009)'', and The Last Supper'' (2012). Early life ...

. The plot is based on events in the Chu–Han Contention, an

interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of revolutionary breach of legal continuity, discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one m ...

between the fall of the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng enga ...

and the founding of the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

Chinese history The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...

. A Chinese-Hong Kong-Taiwanese co-production, the film was originally scheduled to be released on 5 July 2012, but was delayed. It premiered at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

on 8 September 2012.

Plot

The story is told in flashbacks from the point of view of a 61-year-old

Liu Bang Emperor Gaozu of Han (2561 June 195 BC), also known by his given name Liu Bang, was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning from 202 to 195 BC. He is considered by traditional Chinese historiography to be one o ...

, the founding emperor of the

. Liu Bang has been experiencing nightmares and living in fear and apprehension as he constantly suspects that someone is trying to kill him. In his whole life, he has been afraid of only two persons:

Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (), born Xiang Ji, was a Chinese warlord who founded and led the short-lived ancient Chinese states, kingdom-state of Western Chu during the interregnum period between the Qin dynasty, Qin and Han dynasty, Han dynasties of China, d ...

, his rival in their power struggle for supremacy over China after the fall of the

; and Han Xin, a man who previously served Xiang Yu, but later became a general under him, and helped him defeat Xiang Yu. Liu Bang then reflects on key events in his life, such as the Feast at Swan Goose Gate and the Battle of Gaixia. Among all his subjects, Liu Bang regards Han Xin,

Xiao He Xiao He (257 BC – 16 August 193 BC''xinwei'' day of the 7th month of the 2nd year of Emperor Hui's reign, per vol. 12 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'') was a Chinese calligrapher and politician of the early Western Han dynasty. He served Emperor Gaozu of ...

and Zhang Liang as the three most important persons who assisted him in defeating Xiang Yu and establishing the

. Yet, after becoming the emperor, he has started to suspect that Han Xin is plotting against him, so he has imprisoned Han Xin for the past six years. Later, he releases Han Xin and lets him stay in Zhang Liang's residence. As Liu Bang becomes increasingly paranoid and suspicious of his subjects, Zhang Liang claims to be in poor health and retires to spend his time experimenting with elixirs. Xiao He, who is now the

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

, is supervising the historians writing the history of the Han dynasty. Liu Bang's wife, Lü Zhi, ultimately threatens and coerces Zhang Liang and Xiao He into turning against Han Xin and writing in the historical record that Han Xin plotted a rebellion. Xiao He then reluctantly leads Han Xin to a banquet hosted by the empress which is actually a trap. Han Xin is arrested, accused of treason and executed by strangulation, and his dead body is suspended. To prove his loyalty, Xiao He tearfully cuts off Han Xin's head and presents it to Liu Bang, just moments before the emperor dies. It is said that Liu Bang finally found peace in death because he has been living in suspense and fear throughout his life.

Cast

* Liu Ye as

* Daniel Wu as

* Chang Chen as Han Xin * Qin Lan as Lü Zhi * Sha Yi as

* Nie Yuan as Xiang Zhuang * Huo Siyan as Concubine Qi * He Dujuan as Consort Yu * Tao Zeru as Fan Zeng * Li Qi as Xiang Bo * Qi Dao as Zhang Liang * Lü Yulai as Ziying * Hao Bojie as Yu Ziqi * Zhao Liang as Wu She * Mohe Ta'er as Fan Kuai * Zhao Xiang as Kuai Che * Xiaotangyuan as Cao Wushang * Qi Yixian as

Xiahou Ying Xiahou Ying (; died 172 BC), posthumously known as Marquis Wen of Ruyin, was a Chinese official who served under Liu Bang (Emperor Gaozu), the founding emperor of the Han dynasty, and two of his successors. A friend of Liu Bang, he first joine ...

* Liu Wei as

Xiang Liang Xiang Liang (; died 208 BC) was a Chinese military leader who led a rebellion against the Qin dynasty between 209 and 208 BC. He is best known as an uncle of Xiang Yu, the rival of the Han dynasty's founding emperor Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Ban ...

* Dong Bo as Lü Matong

Production

Shooting for ''The Last Supper'' started in March 2011 and ended on 1 November 2011. Locations include the Xiangshan Film City in

Ningbo Ningbo is a sub-provincial city in northeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises six urban districts, two satellite county-level cities, and two rural counties, including several islands in Hangzhou Bay and the Eas ...

, and Kangxi Grassland in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

. The film is based on the latest archaeological data collected in recent years and aims to provide a new perspective on that part of history. The film was originally titled ( Feast at Swan Goose Gate) in Chinese, but was later changed to (''The King's Supper'') to avoid confusion with Daniel Lee's '' White Vengeance'' (Chinese title ), which is also based on events in the Chu–Han Contention. In an interview with ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', when asked on how different ''The Last Supper'' would be as compared to other Chinese historical films, director Lu Chuan said, "I wish to present to audiences something believable. Many earlier Chinese historical films showcase gorgeous scenes and flamboyant costumes, but what actually occurred in history thousands of years ago was not like this. I want to show history in its true form, and things that really happened in the past." Lu also revealed that to paint a more accurate picture of history, he and his team had invested a lot of time and money. He had read many historical books and texts, and carefully designed the character models, costumes, props, etc.

Casting

Chow Yun-fat and Liu Ye were initially considered for the roles of

and

respectively, but eventually the latter was cast as Liu Bang instead and Daniel Wu was chosen to play Xiang Yu. Principal cast members Daniel Wu, Qin Lan and Liu Ye gained weight to prepare for their roles. Wu felt that he was too slim to portray the robustly built Xiang Yu, so he put on 10 kg by having seven meals a day. Qin increased her weight from 48 kg to 54 kg by consuming foods and drinks high in calories and fat in order to play a middle-aged Lü Zhi.《王的盛宴》结束象山拍摄项羽造型曝光
/ref> Qin portrayed Lü Zhi again in '' King's War'', a 2012 Chinese television series about the Chu–Han Contention.

Yang Mi Yang Mi ( zh, s= 杨幂, t=, p=, born 12 September 1986), also known as Mini Yang, is a Chinese actress and singer. She began her career as a child actress in '' Tang Ming Huang'' (1990) and transitioned to adult roles in the 2000s, gaining recogni ...

had promised director

to join the cast but she dropped out due to conflicts in her schedule.''The Last Supper''
on movie.mtime.com

References

External links

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on Sina.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Last Supper 2012 films Chinese historical drama films Hong Kong historical drama films Taiwanese historical drama films 2010s Mandarin-language films Films set in the Chu–Han Contention Films directed by Lu Chuan 2010s Chinese films 2010s Hong Kong films