Gu Changwei

Gu Changwei
Chinese name 顧長衛 (Traditional)
Chinese name 顾长卫 (Simplified)
Pinyin Gù Chángwèi (Mandarin)
Origin People's Republic of China
Born December 12, 1957 (1957-12-12) (age 54)
Xi'an, Shaanxi
Occupation Cinematographer, film director
Years active 1980s-present
Spouse(s) Jiang Wenli

Gu Changwei (born December 12, 1957) is a Chinese cinematographer and film director. Gu was born in Xi'an, Shaanxi in the People's Republic of China. Gu is considered one of the major Chinese cinematographers working today.[1]

Contents

Career

Gu Changwei began his cinematic career in the now legendary 1982 class of the Beijing Film Academy, today known as the Fifth Generation. Trained as a cinematographer, Gu was assigned to the Xi'an Film Studio after graduation where he served as a primary collaborator with classmates Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou on their early films, notably King of the Children (for Chen Kaige) and Red Sorghum (for Zhang Yimou), both in 1987.[1] Since then, Gu has worked with both men on multiple occasions, including on Chen's magnum opus, 1993's Farewell My Concubine. Like fellow cinematographer Zhao Fei, Gu has had the opportunity to work with major American directors as well, notably with Robert Altman, on his film The Gingerbread Man (1997).

Directing

Beginning in 2005, Gu Changwei branched out into film direction with his debut Peacock, a three-hour long epic about a small family in the 1970s and 1980s. The film was well received and won the Jury Grand Prix-Silver Bear at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival.[2] His sophomore feature, And the Spring Comes, was released in 2007.

Filmography

As cinematographer

Year English Title Chinese Title Director Notes
1987 Red Sorghum 红高粱 Zhang Yimou
1987 King of the Children 孩子王 Chen Kaige
1989 Codename Cougar 代号美洲豹 Zhang Yimou
1990 Ju Dou 菊豆 Zhang Yimou
1991 Life on a String 边走边唱 Chen Kaige
1993 Farewell My Concubine 霸王别姬 Chen Kaige Academy Award Nomination for Best Cinematography
1993 The Trail 大路 Zhou Xiaowen
1994 In the Heat of the Sun 阳光灿烂的日子 Jiang Wen
1995 Warrior Lanling Sherwood Hu
1997 The Gingerbread Man NA Robert Altman As director of photography
1998 Last Chance Love Ankie Lau
1998 Hurlyburly NA Anthony Drazan As director of photography
2000 Devils on the Doorstep 鬼子来了 Jiang Wen
2000 Autumn in New York NA Joan Chen As director of photography
2005 "Song Song and Little Cat" NA John Woo Director of photography; segment in All the Invisible Children

As film director

Year English Title Chinese Title Notes
2005 Peacock 孔雀 Jury Grand Prix at the Berlin International Film Festival
2007 And the Spring Comes 立春 Best Actress award at the Rome Film Festival
2011 Love for Life 最爱 -

References

  1. ^ a b Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwei (1998). "Gu Changwei" in Encyclopedia of Chinese Film. Taylor & Francis, p. 181. ISBN 0-415-15168-6.
  2. ^ Meza, Ed (2005-02-21). "'Carmen' cops gold". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117918249.html?categoryid=1886&cs=1. Retrieved 2008-05-31. 

External links