INLAND EMPIRE

[the Robot Vegetable]

On Thu, 7 Sep 2006, Dave Monroe wrote:

> "The Go Master" (Wu qingyuan), directed by Tian
> Zhuangzhuang (China)
> The Go Master is based on the true-life story of the
> world's most renowned master of the ancient Asian game
> of Go, Wu Qingyuan. A Chinese prodigy practicing a
> Japanese game, Wu's allegiances are torn by the
> increasingly bellicose relations between the two
> countries. Remaining in Japan in spite of the outbreak
> of war, and later, sucked into a religious cult which
> tries to exploit his celebrity, Wu (excellently played
> by Chang Chen) is the still center of the storm,
> following his own inner notions of spiritual integrity
> and loyalty to the discipline of his chosen vocation.
> Few filmmakers today can make movies as visually
> elegant and psychologically astute as Tian
> Zhuangzhuang ("The Blue Kite", NYFF 1993).
> 
> [...]

> Though I'm not so sure the Zhuangzhuang film is
> adapted from the Kawabata novel 

It is not.  The Kawabata novel is about a very famous game,
played in 1938, between the last head of the traditional 
Japanese go houses and an advocate of thenew fuseki.

http://senseis.xmp.net/?KawabatasMasterOfGo

The movie is loosely based on the life of Wu Qingyuan,
better known by his Japanese name Go Seigen.  It is a
very good movie.