Curse of the Golden Flower (Cert 15, 114 mins)
Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Gong Li, Jay Chou, Ye Liu, Junjie Qin
Directed by Zhang Yimou
AT A cost of $45m, Curse of the Golden Flower is said to be the most expensive film ever made in China. And it looks it.
This is one of the most sumptuous films you are likely to see, but that is just as might be expected from the director of House of Flying Daggers and Hero, two similarly lush-looking films.
Golden Flower, however, outclasses even them in its look and costumes.
Set in the Tang Dynasty of 10th Century China, the action takes place in an Emperor’s Palace with golden walls, plush furnishings and an eye for detail.
Production designer Huo Tingxiao has created a rich, eye-boggling world. And with most of the characters part of Chinese Royalty, the costumes are equally sumptuous, all rich colours, gold trimmings and beautiful to behold. Despite its historical setting, however, it is not entirely accurate with detail, not surprisingly as the script is based on a play that had been set in the 1930s. But only a die-hard would cavil at the mistakes – nail extensions were not popular in the Tang Dynasty, gold clothing was restricted to the emperor, etc – in a film that luxuriates in its own over-the-top style. The story is another matter, an initially slow-moving tale of infidelity, incest and rebellion with a very downbeat ending. It is also in Mandarin with sub-titles that for this viewer often flashed on and off the screen too quickly. |
