Man čcheng ťin taj chuang ťin ťia
Directed by:
Yimou ZhangScreenplay:
Yimou ZhangCinematography:
Xiaoding ZhaoComposer:
Shigeru UmebayashiCast:
Yun-fat Chow, Li Gong, Jay Chou, Ye Liu, Dahong Ni, Jin Chen, Changhui Guo, Man Li, Junjie QinVOD (2)
Plots(1)
China, Later Tang Dynasty, 10th Century. On the eve of the Chong Yang Festival, golden flowers fill the Imperial Palace. The Emperor returns with his second son, Prince Jie, to celebrate the holiday with his family despite the chilled relations between the Emperor and the Empress. For many years, the Empress and Crown Prince Xiang, her stepson, have had an illicit affair. Feeling trapped, Prince Xiang dreams of escaping the palace with his secret love Chan, the Imperial Doctors daughter. Price Jie, the faithful son, worries over the Empresss health and her obsession with golden chrysanthemums. Could she be headed down an ominous path? Meanwhile, The Emperor harbors clandestine plans that only the Imperial Doctor is privy to. When the Emperor senses a looming threat, he relocates the doctors family from the Palace. While they are en route, assassins attack them. Chan and her mother are forced back to the palace. Their return sets off a tumultuous sequence of dar surprises. (Sony Pictures Classics)
(more)Reviews (3)
This is a film that is just beautiful to look at. It's really enjoyable to watch, every moment of it. The composition and the attention to detail are absolutely incredible in places. And the use of yellow is incredible. And it even has a story! It's missing something, perhaps it's too aesthetic but otherwise devoid of emotions, yet it's still a beautiful spectacle.
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An intimate theater play in a colorful setting, interspersed with mass combat scenes. The theater part doesn’t work because of the excessive distance from the characters and emotional emptiness, while the combat scenes too obviously look like they were shot in a studio. Despite the obvious ambition to be a grand dramatic epic in Kurosawa’s style, Curse of the Golden Flower is simply formulaic and dysfunctional.
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Yun-Fat Chow and Li Gong as iconic rulers of the Tang Dynasty. Yimou Zhang directs this monstrous film as a demonstration of the best of what is possible in Chinese film studios. Maximum sets, maximum interiors, maximum costumes, maximum extras, and maximum details as far as the eye can see. And yet the story simply demonstrates a classic deadly family drama where everyone is both guilty and victimized. Curse of the Golden Flower is one of the few fashionable Eastern imports I'm willing to turn a blind eye to and blend in with every piece of gold embroidery.
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