The Go Master
The Go Master is a 2006 biopic film directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang of the twentieth century Go master Wu Qingyuan, better known as Go Seigen, the Japanese pronunciation of his name. The film, which premiered at the 44th New York Film Festival, focuses on the life of this extraordinary player from his meteoric rise as a child prodigy to fame and fortune as a revolutionary strategic thinker, as well as the tumultuous global conflicts between his homeland and his adopted nation. The film also features a scene involving the Atomic bomb go game. The film also screened at the AFI's China Film Festival in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Plot
With the breakout of the Sino-Japanese War in the 1930s, Wu Qingyuan and his family are thrown into an uncomfortable and dangerous position as Chinese nationals residing in Japan. While Wu's family returns to China, he chooses to stay behind in his adopted country to continue to pursue the game of Go. In the quiet recluse of his school, there are no politics, only the singular dedication to his art and the love for his wife Kazuko. However, the chaos of the times eventually forces him out of his enclave, throwing his life and mind into conflict.Wu's career ends abruptly when he is struck by a motorcycle in a collision which does not appear to be an accident. This real-life incident may have been a conspiracy against him by opponents in the world of Go, where he remained an unshakable winner. He is later hospitalized and can no longer play Go due to brain trauma. Despite this, the film ends nostalgically in the golden room of Go.
Cast
- Chang Chen as Wu Qingyuan
- Sylvia Chang as Shu Wen
- Akira Emoto as Kensaku Segoe
- Ayumi Ito as Kazuko Nakahara
- Xin Baiqing as Wu Yan
- Keiko Matsuzaka as Fumiko Kita
- Kaho Minami as Nagako Nagaoka
- Hironobu Nomura as Yasunari Kawabata
- Takashi Nishina as Minoru Kitani
- Nao Omori as Utaro Hashimoto
- Takayuki Inoue as Shusai Honinbo
- Betty Huang as Wu Qingying
- Li Xuejian as Li Yutang