Wu Qingyuan (movie)

"Wu Qingyuan" (吴清源, English name: "The Go Master", Japanese name: "Go Seigen kiwami no kifu" (呉清源極みの棋譜) is a biopic about Go Seigen (the japanese name of Wu Qingyuan) by director Tian Zhuangzhuang (田壮壮). It was released in 2006 after circuiting many film festivals including London, New York and Rome.

"The Go Master" is available at Netflix, both as a DVD rental and streaming.

Links

• IMDb
• English Wikipedia
• A picture of Go Seigen on the set of the film

Reviews

18 October 2006: DJ: I've seen the movie and written a short review on my blog ( specifically here), you're welcome to come and leave comments!

Background

28 January 2001: "The life of Go Seigen 9-dan, now 86, is to be turned into a film made by Chinese director Tian Zhuangzhuang, it was announced at the end of December 2000. The film should be ready for showing in three years time. Tian, 48, won the Tokyo Film Festival Grand prix in 1993 for his "Blue Kite" and has an international reputation also with "Horse Thief". He sees Wu as more than a go player and was struck, for example, by his deep knowledge of the Chinese classics. In discussing his previous work he has said, "On reaching my 40s, I found myself more and more thinking about the past, China's history since the Revolution." This new film seems a logical progression. Wu, for his part, sees the venture as another way of spreading international goodwill." (source: Mindzine)