''The Black Cannon Incident'' () is a 1985 Chinese black comedy film satirizing the bureaucracy and paranoia of the Chinese authorities. Presented by Xi'an Film Studio and directed by

Huang Jianxin Huang Jianxin (born 14 June 1954) is a Chinese filmmaker. He also writes film scripts under the pen name Huang Xin. He is normally considered part of the fifth generation of Chinese filmmakers (a group that includes Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou and Ti ...

, it stars

Gao Ming Gao Ming (; 13051370), also known as Kao Ming, Gao Zecheng, and the Cabbage Root Taoist, was a Chinese poet and playwright during the Yuan Dynasty. Gao was born and grew up in Wenzhou. In 1345, needing to find a way to support his widowed mothe ...

Gerhard Olschewski Gerhard Olschewski (born 30 May 1942) is a German actor. He has appeared in more than 90 films and television shows since 1966. He starred in the 1976 film '' A Lost Life'', which was entered into the 26th Berlin International Film Festival, whe ...

, and Liu Zifeng. The film was screened out of competition at the

1987 Cannes Film Festival The 40th Cannes Film Festival was held from 7 to 19 May 1987 in film, 1987. The Palme d'Or went to the ''Under the Sun of Satan (film), Sous le soleil de Satan'' by Maurice Pialat, a choice which was considered "highly controversial" and the prize ...

Plot

Zhao Shuxin ( Liu Zifeng) is a capable engineer and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

interpreter in a mining company. He is single and has the unusual habit of playing Chinese chess alone. The chessboard and pieces are his intimate friends and have accompanied him for years. One day, when Zhao returns from a business trip, he finds one of his chess pieces, the black cannon, missing. Despite heavy rain, he immediately hurries to the

postal office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

and sends a telegram to the hotel he stayed in previously, which reads, "Missing black cannon. 301. Searching. Zhao.", requesting the hotel's help to search for the piece in Room 301. Unexpectedly, this ambiguous telegram arouses vigilance of the authorities and the police swiftly set up a case to investigate the so-called "Black Cannon Incident". Zhao is removed from his post and assigned somewhere else. His interpreter post is taken over by Feng Liangcai ( Yang Yazhou), a tourism interpreter who has little knowledge of engineering construction. A German specialist, Hans Schmidt (

) arrives for the second time for the WD project. To his disappointment, his former partner, Zhao, has been replaced. The new interpreter frequently makes mistakes. Frustrated, Hans insists that Zhao return. He even meets Zhao personally and asks for the resumption of their cooperation, which pushes Zhao into a quandary. Meanwhile, the company manager Li Renzhong (Gao Ming), visits Zhao and accidentally finds the chess set with the missing black cannon. Thus the puzzle seems resolved. In a Party committee meeting, Li suggests Zhao resume his post as interpreter. However, Zhou Yuzhen, the Party Chief, insists no further actions will be taken until the incident is completely straightened out. At the moment, the pitiful Zhao still knows nothing about the case. The only thing he can do now is to inspect the progress of the project stealthily at midnight with a flashlight and to garner information during a brief meeting with Hans. The new interpreter, Feng, mistakenly translates "bearing" into "bracket", leading to serious damage to the parts during a test run, as well as severe financial loss. Before long, the postal office brings a package to Zhao, and Zhou and the others covertly open it, only to find a Black Cannon chess piece. The case is now completely clear, and Zhou grumbles to Zhao that he shouldn't have sent such a telegram. Apparently puzzled, Zhao asks, "Why can't I send a telegram of my own?"

References

External links

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''The Black Cannon Incident''
at the Chinese Movie Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Black Cannon Incident 1985 films 1980s Mandarin-language films 1980s German-language films 1980s black comedy films Films directed by Huang Jianxin Chinese black comedy films Chinese comedy-drama films 1985 directorial debut films 1985 comedy films