La città proibita

Chinese filmmakers have a double curse. They have this tradition where individuals only matter in context, so when there is a spat between a man and his wife, it can only be illustrated in large sweeps of society. This is compounded by the ability to marshal (real, human) extras and extravagant sets on a scale unmatchable anywhere else.

I liked this filmmaker's earlier projects. "To Live" really was able to show the inside of a man by mapping it to lurches and sweeps in the world around him. "Daggers" was at least a masterpiece of ballet. And "Hero," probably my favorite, was the most cinematic, expressing real human qualities in luxurious cinematic terms. Who can forget the spatial existence of discovered deceit in the flickering flames in front of the throne?

This is a wholly different formula in how the internals of a family sweep into the environment. The setup is an extraordinary web of relationships between two families. Some commentors think this is drawn from soap opera, but I think they have a common ancestor instead. This is Greek, and though on daytime TeeVee you will get similar relationship complexities, they will have their tethers to the cosmos broken. They will be single souls adrift in the world.

These are souls that command the world, apparently. It could have worked.

Why it didn't I think is because the filmmaker decided to root himself in the magisterial. It probably was influenced by the fact that he is a former lover of the female star and there are some reflections between that situation and what we see. Its "Annie Hall" with flying ninjas instead of lobsters. Breasts instead of the swirling of engagement. Narrative mistrust where Woody had open exploration and experimentation. Diane and Woody were in a place, a city that colored them. These characters here ARE the city.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

I just got back from watching the 8.30 pm show at Vivo City Gold Class and I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable the movie was.

I guess it could have been the bad press with the movie but I was really very impressed with Gong Li and Chow Yun Fat. They are true virtuosos, masters of their fields. Very impressed with the both of them.

Even that Jay Chou wasn't that bad although, although to be honest, he is just too green and inexperienced. He was miscast as the 2nd Prince because of his lack of good looks, but I can see that he tried his best.

But Gong Li, who acted opposite Jay as his mother was superb. Her convulsions (because of a long time illness no spoilers) were realistic.

Her varied range of emotions were a joy to watch. I didn't feel she was acting; you don't see the wheels moving. Chow Yun Fat's Mandarin wasn't that bad too. Not at all. He exudes the strength and power of the ruthless Emperor.

The only person whom I thought over acted was the actor, Ye Liu, who played the Crown Prince. I was not used to his acting. Now with him, you could see him acting.

The action scenes were not a lot since this is more of a political intrigue film BUT the two major action scenes were very impressive.

One happened at a small villa amidst the mountains.

The other is the one at the end which occurred at the Imperial Palace.

The only gripe I have with this film is the set decoration. It is quite garish.

The colors on the pillar walls were like these tie dye t-shirts which Rupert of Survivor wore. Really odd.

The costumes were not too bad. Even with my Chinese background, it was all alien to me.

I am not sure it's authentic but I will give the costumers the benefit of the doubt. They must have done they research to stand by the deep cleavage of the actresses.

Now I know where all the money went to. Though the set decoration can be a bit rainbow-brite for me, it certainly was opulent.

Go watch this film. It is a must see.

This is a highly charged docudrama epic, instead of the gladiator/hero-ish action flick its marketing led people to believe. With that said, this is a very gripping film, almost to the point of eerie realism, for those of us who are familiar with ancient royal family politics. Betrayal, back-stabbing, assassination, adultery, family tragedy,... everything that could go wrong in the the royal court happened, and were woven in a way that made the complicated plot that much more involving. More than once, I felt real tangible emotions as events with each character/turning point deepens the tragedy. The one aspect I don't like was the intensity of this film... its almost like watching films the likes of Saving Private Ryan... more like a stressful experience than simple entertainment.

However, if you go in expecting extravagant sword fights, kung-fu, battles, you are going to be disappointed.

I had the pleasure of seeing this film with special personal appearances by Zhang Yimou and Gong Li... I have to say I was blown away by it! I was not expecting a story with such depth...The cinematography, the art direction, and the sheer enormity of the visuals were staggering. Great sword work... exquisite wire sequences... and HUGE battles - but all done with an intensity that's stunning. And even more, the acting was superb - Chow Yung Fat is a master, and his scenes together with Gong Li are beautifully emotional. Gong Li is more beautiful than ever in a role that demands huge range from the first scene and never lets up... She does her best work ever! I have nothing but praise for this film. I can't wait to see it again.

Zhang Yimou was a very highly regarded filmmaker 5 years ago, before I had ever heard of him. Then he earned a place in my heart by directing both Hero and House of Flying Daggers. With those last two I felt like I was in martial arts movie heaven, so I would instantly be interested in any other future films that could approach those two in scope, talent, and action. Curse of the Golden Flower focuses mostly on the first two of those three traits, but besides, anything starring Chow Yun-Fat will earn my attention like a bullet to the head. I do own The Corrupter after all.

This is a film about a royal family, rather dysfunctional at that, in the 928 AD Tang Dynasty. Chow Yun-Fat is Emperor Ping, who from the way he handles his family and can anticipate any kind of attack or counterattack seems like quite the ruthless warlord. He has three sons: one is a teenager, who isn't given much regard but knows more than others think. The eldest of the three is the current crown prince, but doesn't seem to have any special talents, other than drawing the affections of the wrong women. The middle son is a great warrior and, of course, is now the favorite of the father. But these characters may be just pawns to Empress Phoenix (Gong Li), who is mother to the younger two brothers and step-mother to the eldest. Under normal circumstances she might be a great mother, wife, and Empress, but current circumstances, including a mystery illness, have forced her to take actions involving a secret plot to remove her husband from the throne.

This is not the action movie some might expect, though there is enough near the end to earn the R rating. It's basically a family drama, though in a rather fascinating and different setting for such a story. As you'd expect with a royal family, appearances are everything. Anything out of the ordinary has to happen in secret. All the normal everyday stuff is almost mechanical in nature. Whether you see dozens of servants getting up in the morning, or preparing food, or planting flowers, it all occurs in such a fiercely coordinated fashion. It would have been such a hard life, either being a royal or supporting one, but it would be a miserable life if one couldn't take any pride in what they did.

The filmmakers who designed and implemented all the sets and costumes should take a hell of a lot of pride in what they do. The family of this story, even while destroying themselves (and therefore their empire) from within, are living in the most lavish accommodations and outfits I've ever seen. I usually don't think much of costuming or set design, but I must say that after seeing Chow Yun-Fat's golden suit of armor, or anything Gong Li was in, or the design of their personal quarters, I really hope for some Oscar recognition. Perhaps the best I've ever seen in those areas.

Overall though, a good film, and a definite must for any Chow Yun-Fat fan to seem him play such a great villain, as with Sammo Hung in Sha Po Lang. It kept me interested throughout, but nothing too surprising happened in regards to story. It basically all went how I imagined it would.