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The Go Master 2006
Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 8:09 pm
by 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?
Link to trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMGt4_NvlBU
Re: The Go Master 2006
Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 12:03 am
by Vesa
[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
Re: The Go Master 2006
Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 1:43 am
by 1986
Google it
Re: The Go Master 2006
Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 4:28 am
by DrStraw
1986 wrote:Moderator edit: link removed
-- Fwiffo
Is that a legal download?
Re: The Go Master 2006
Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2010 11:41 pm
by ethanb
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.
Re: The Go Master 2006
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 6:11 am
by balmung
I might not paid for it, but it was a great film.
Re: The Go Master 2006
Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 10:05 am
by gaius
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.
Re: The Go Master 2006
Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 10:45 am
by John Fairbairn
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.
Re: The Go Master 2006
Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 11:41 am
by xed_over
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.
Re: The Go Master 2006
Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 8:37 pm
by imabuddha
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.
Re: The Go Master 2006
Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 12:11 pm
by Dusk Eagle
hanekomu wrote:...I liked the three Star Wars prequels...
Re: The Go Master 2006
Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 3:59 pm
by nagano
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!!
) 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.
Re: The Go Master 2006
Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 12:04 am
by sixko
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?
Re: The Go Master 2006
Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 3:20 am
by John Fairbairn
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.
Re: The Go Master 2006
Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 8:39 am
by imabuddha
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.
