Curse of the Golden Flower (2007)

A golden triumph...

Truly one of the most beautiful films of 2006, `Man Cheng Jin Dai Huang Jin Jia' is a truly magnificent film indeed, with an inner beauty that transcends its glorious set pieces and costume design. With tragic performances by the entire cast, not to mention the central beating heart that is Gong Li, as well as a heartbreaking story that includes deception, betrayal and murder, this Chinese epic is definitely a film you do not want to miss.

Taking place during China's Tang dynasty, the film focuses on Empress Phoenix and her struggle with her husband, Emperor Ping. Having bore him two sons, and raised his eldest from a previous marriage, it appears as if Emperor Ping has no further use for his wife and so he has her slowly poisoned with a black fungi that will gradually render her insane. Once Phoenix uncovers her husbands dastardly plot she sets her own plan in motion to dethrone him and place the kingdom in the hands of her son, Prince Jai. The Empress's relationship with the Emperor's son Crown Prince Wan may jeopardize her plans, as he turns on his stepmother in order to protect his father.

But there is a twist, for the festival in honor of the Emperor's late wife may be in vain after all.

The film also delves into the politics revolving around the Emperor's rule and the cruelty for which he safeguards his power. His relationship with his own children is placed on edge as he forces them to cower to his every command. The film fleshes out very well how the reign of his man was aided by his own ruthlessness and also exposes the lasting affects that it has on those acquainted with him.

So, the film received an Oscar nomination for its costume design, but failed to garner any other major awards traction, which is sad because the film is astonishing from really every angle. The set design and cinematography is flawless and should have also been rewarded with nominations, but more importantly, the film itself really should have been short listed alongside `Pan's Labyrinth' and `The Lives of Others' as one of the best foreign language films of the year.

And then there is the brilliant performance given by Gong Li. Now I know that this year was a really tough one for the Best Actress category, and I can't really complain because the Academy did nominate five very deserving leading ladies, but in my humble opinion Gong Li was better than them all. As Empress Phoenix, Li truly had the toughest performance to sell for she had to make her characters every tick and quiver seem authentic and believable, especially as her poisoned condition worsened. She also had to incorporate those ticks into her emotional response to her surroundings without allowing them to take over completely and she did so marvelously. But her performance is so much more than just a slew of technical accomplishments, her performance is a very grounded emotional journey of a woman betrayed and scorned and determined to take what she is owed.

Chow Yun-Fat is also brilliant as the evil Emperor Ping, delivering a very commanding performance, and Jay Chou and Ye Liu also deliver nicely as the couple's two eldest children.

A story of love and loss and despair, `Man Cheng Jin Dai Huang Jin Jia' is a film that is sure to astonish you visually and touch your emotionally. Sure, the films initial plot is not as original as I would have liked it to be (at least not when you consider most Asian cinema today) but the actors and the director (a marvelous Yimou Zhang) elevate the material and create a must see spectacle that is designed to take your breath away. September 23, 2008

Incest from Historical Perspective

A Beijing-2008 opening/closing ceremonies look bleak comparing with epic actions this work presents, and 300 (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD], computer-assembled digitally-mastered blood-thirsty action is a children tale-look either.

This is intriguing complex drama of historical family affairs not to miss for knowing nothing of Chinese history especially.
August 28, 2008

A lauriat for the senses

Curse of The Golden Flower, despite a few flaws, deserves a place in your DVD collection for its visual style alone. The story is a tad soap opera-ish, with royal family members squabbling over the Imperial throne, shifting alliances and motives. The first part starts slowly but picks up when the Empress decides to not keep her motives a secret. For the action fans, there are some truly exhilarating ninja scenes and a huge battle sequence. Although some CGI work are obvious, the art direction is unmatched. Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li, along with the other actors portray their roles with restrained intensity, so effective that even though you'll know what's going to happen, (especially the relation of the 1st son and the daughter of the doctor), which is a flaw of scripting, you still feel the full brunt of the emotion. Still, it's a keeper. August 14, 2008

Colors are amazing

Great Colors, Beautiful picture quality. All-in-All a decent film.

Worth having in your collection if you are a drama/kung-fu junky.

Not as much fighting as i wanted, but the drama did keep me guessing till the end. August 8, 2008

Agree with a few of the criticisms, but still very much liked this movie!

I can agree with a few of the criticisms offered by other Amazon reviewers. The drama was a bit overblown at times, and the start of the movie was a tiny bit slow. The end was an unholy slaughter and didn't leave off on a good / satisfying note.

That aside, the movie was beautiful. The sets were colorful, the costuming was over-the-top, but I rather liked it. This is not a "happy story." It's a drama about internal politics, deceit, back-stabbing, betrayal, and a little bit of good martial arts thrown in for good measure.

Having just come off watching Butterfly Sword and Warriors of Heaven and Earth, neither of which I cared for much, this movie was a welcome relief.

It was more in the artistic style of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, House of Flying Daggers, and Iron Monkey, all of which I enjoyed very much (Flying Daggers slightly less than the other 3).

So, if you like this movie, you'll probably like the 4 mentioned above. Or if you liked any of those 4, there's a good chance you may like this one too. Granted, the end of this one is quite bloody and doesn't end happily like some of the others. Won't say much more than that so as not to "spoil" anything. July 28, 2008

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