The Go Master 2006

PROVOK3 · Post by **PROVOK3** » Wed Dec 01, 2010 8:09 pm

So there is this Chinese movie called "The Go Master" centered on Go during Sino-Japanese war. I am dying to be able to watch this movie with subtitles. I do not like to buy movies without watching them first, and I do not see the movie available for rent on Blockbuster or Netflix. Anyone have suggestions?

Link to trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMGt4_NvlBU

Vesa · Post by **Vesa** » Thu Dec 02, 2010 12:03 am

[quote="PROVOK3"]So there is this Chinese movie called "The Go Master" centered on Go during Sino-Japanese war. I am dying to be able to watch this movie with subtitles. I do not like to buy movies without watching them first, and I do not see the movie available for rent on Blockbuster or Netflix. Anyone have suggestions?

I don't (didn't) see any other alternative than to buy it. It's a slow, meditating kind of movie but for go players good value and a different view to Go Seigen's life.

Cheers,
Vesa

1986 · Post by **1986** » Thu Dec 02, 2010 1:43 am

Google it

DrStraw · Post by **DrStraw** » Thu Dec 02, 2010 4:28 am

1986 wrote:Moderator edit: link removed
-- Fwiffo

Is that a legal download?

ethanb · Post by **ethanb** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 11:41 pm

I got the DVD - it's excellent, but it's a very arty film. If I didn't already have *some* idea of major events in Go Seigen's life, I'm not sure how much I would have learned from the movie. Armed with a small knowledge, I learned a lot of interesting details though.

balmung · Post by **balmung** » Thu Dec 09, 2010 6:11 am

I might not paid for it, but it was a great film.

gaius · Post by **gaius** » Fri Dec 10, 2010 10:05 am

Really? This film has such a slow pace it's unbelievable. Normally, I don't mind that at all; in fact, the high pace that many directors nowadays apparently seem to find necessary usually just annoys me. But the slowness of The Go Master is really quite something - probably it's the only film I ever found too slow. I also couldn't relate to any of the characters at all, despite knowing something about Go Seigen's life. The scenes are beautifully made, probably with a big budget, but at some point a viewer also wants to see a story!

It was shown at EGC-2009 in Leksand, and I walked out halfway due to sheer boredom. Shoot me.

John Fairbairn · Post by **John Fairbairn** » Fri Dec 10, 2010 10:45 am

I'm a GSG fan and I knew all the sub-plots and the allusions but I thought it was a truly awful film. Badly acted, badly directed, badly written. Boring, boring, boring. Apart from that, it was OK, I suppose.

The only point of interest for me was that it suggested strongly that there was an assumption that Go's story is so well known in China that there was no need to tell it in the film. What we got instead was a pastiche of moody moments.

xed_over · Post by **xed_over** » Fri Dec 10, 2010 11:41 am

That's a very interesting take.

I liked the movie very much, but admittedly found it difficult to follow without digging up as much history on Go Seigen as I could find. It does indeed move slow, and they could have told the story better.

But since English language history about Go (both the game and the player

) is so limited, I eagerly took in as much as I could absorb, watching the film several times. I was especially pleased to be able to form new opinions on Kitani Minoru and his relationship with Go Seigen from this movie.

imabuddha · Post by **imabuddha** » Fri Dec 10, 2010 8:37 pm

John Fairbairn wrote: [snip] ... I thought it was a truly awful film. Badly acted, badly directed, badly written. Boring, boring, boring. Apart from that, it was OK, I suppose.

I completely agree.

Dusk Eagle · Post by **Dusk Eagle** » Sat Dec 11, 2010 12:11 pm

hanekomu wrote:...I liked the three Star Wars prequels...

nagano · Post by **nagano** » Sat Dec 11, 2010 3:59 pm

hanekomu wrote:
John Fairbairn wrote:I'm a GSG fan and I knew all the sub-plots and the allusions but I thought it was a truly awful film. Badly acted, badly directed, badly written. Boring, boring, boring. Apart from that, it was OK, I suppose.

I didn't expect much of a plot, but I really liked the visuals and the atmosphere.

Much in the same way that I liked the three Star Wars prequels as a historical and political background to the original three movies, or in the same way that I liked the Silmarillion as a background for the Lord of the Rings.

Ditto. I am a big fan of both. Especially nice to see that somebody appreciates the Silmarillion. It would be even better though, if it were revised to take the discovery of later documents into account. (I want the First Age Chronology!! :ugeek:

) I disagree, though, with the idea of seeing them as "background". I think they are much more than that, and both significantly alter your perception of the more popular works.

sixko · Post by **sixko** » Sun Dec 12, 2010 12:04 am

imabuddha wrote:
John Fairbairn wrote: [snip] ... I thought it was a truly awful film. Badly acted, badly directed, badly written. Boring, boring, boring. Apart from that, it was OK, I suppose.

I completely agree.

Pity. Go is probably the pro player I would be most interested to learn more about, by any means, but bad writing is a deal breaker (doesn't seem to matter in how many other areas a film shines if the writing is bad I can't seem to enjoy it). Thanks for the candid reviews, I was actually thinking about tracking down the this dvd.

John, may I ask how extensive a biographical picture you are looking to paint through your series on Go? Also, I think I saw it mentioned here that there is a fourth volume in this series coming out, is it known how many there are going to be?

John Fairbairn · Post by **John Fairbairn** » Sun Dec 12, 2010 3:20 am

John, may I ask how extensive a biographical picture you are looking to paint through your series on Go? Also, I think I saw it mentioned here that there is a fourth volume in this series coming out, is it known how many there are going to be?

Subject, of course, to Slate & Shell's say in the matter, the wartime volume The Survivors is well in hand. There will be one on the games with Sakata, and another on the games with the Rising Stars, and possibly a sixth that catches the bits and pieces left over.

In addition, the third of the Famous Games series will be on the Go-Shusai New Fuseki game and that will be an excuse for a detailed look at New Fuseki in general.

I am also working on a small companion volume called Go Seigen's Josekis.

There are also a couple of books on the way early next year that have nothing to do with Go Seigen.

imabuddha · Post by **imabuddha** » Sun Dec 12, 2010 8:39 am

John Fairbairn wrote:Subject, of course, to Slate & Shell's say in the matter, the wartime volume The Survivors is well in hand. There will be one on the games with Sakata, and another on the games with the Rising Stars, and possibly a sixth that catches the bits and pieces left over.

In addition, the third of the Famous Games series will be on the Go-Shusai New Fuseki game and that will be an excuse for a detailed look at New Fuseki in general.

I am also working on a small companion volume called Go Seigen's Josekis.

There are also a couple of books on the way early next year that have nothing to do with Go Seigen.

This is wonderful news! I don't know how you manage to be so prolific, but I'm happy that you do. :clap:

Life In 19x19

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