The Banquet (2006 film)
The Banquet (Chinese: 夜宴), released on DVD in the United States as Legend of the Black Scorpion, is a 2006 Chinese wuxia drama film. The film was directed by Feng Xiaogang and stars Zhang Ziyi, Ge You, Daniel Wu and Zhou Xun. It is a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet and Henrik Ibsen's play Ghosts, featuring themes of revenge and fate. It is set in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in 10th century China. Plot At the end of the Tang dynasty, China is divided. The Crown Prince, Wu Luan, is deeply in love with the noblewoman Little Wan. However, his father, the Emperor, decides to marry her. Wu Luan, deeply hurt, flees to a remote theater to study music and dance. Meanwhile, the Emperor is murdered by his brother, Li, who takes the throne. He also dispatches riders to assassinate Wu Luan, who survives the attack. Returning to court, Wu Luan is met by Empress Wan and her lady-in-waiting Qing Nu who is officially still engaged to him. The tension in the Imperial Court is high, and when a palace official greets Empress Wan as 'Empress Dowager', he and his family are sentenced to a