"Curse of the Golden Flower" **** (out of ****)
"Curse of the Golden Flower" is the first of Zhang Yimou's martial art films to center completely on the plot. Read the reviews of Yimou's previous films "House of Flying Daggers" and "Hero". All the critics seemed to talk about were the film's visuals. And while they were certainly impressive little attention was paid to the film's plot. It is for that reason I think "Curse of the Golden Flower" may actually be the better of the three films.
Many viewers first became aware of Zhang Yimou back in 2004 when his film "Hero" was released, but for those of us who have followed this talented director's career we know him as something different. Yimou first started his career making period pieces. Films such as "To Live", "Raise the Red Lantern" and "Shanghai Triad". It has only been recently he has turned to martial art films. And these films have been his biggest money makers in the U.S.
But in "Curse of the Golden Flower" we are taken back to the Tang Dynasty. The year is 928. We are about to witness the downfall of a culture and a civilization. "Curse of the Golden Flower" is a film with a lot of family secrets. There is layer upon layer of family deception and greed. That makes it somewhat hard to describe the plot. How much does one reveal?
Empress Phoenix (Gong Li) has been having an affair with the Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye), the Emperor's (Chow Yun-Fat) oldest wife by his first wife. He wants to end the affair as he has fallen for another. A servant, Chan (Li Man). Meanwhile the Empress has been taken medicine, for the past 10 years by the Emperor's orders. It is revealed for the last 10 years black fungus has been added to her medicine. If taken long enough it will cause her to lose her mind. This leads the Empress to want her oldest son Prince Jai to form a rebellion against the Emperor after she reveals what he has been doing to her. But there is a younger son, Prince Yu (Qin Junjie) who feels he has been over-looked.
The story is ripe for Shakespeare in the way it deals with this material. I'm almost reminded of the film "Lion in Winter" with Peter O' Toole and Katherine Hepburn. Another film about sons rivaling for the father's power while under the thumb of their mother.
And despite my earlier claim, one must admit the visuals in "Curse of the Golden Flower" are stunningly beautiful. Yimou and his cinematographer's lavish use of colors are pure eye candy of the highest order. But unlike some of Yimou's previous films this film's visuals do not distract us from the film's plot.
"Curse of the Golden Flower" was nominated for one Oscar "best costume design" unfortunately the film didn't get more nominations. This was one of my favorite films in 2006, actually second behind "United 93". While it may not be Yimou's best film, it still manages to put on one heck of a good show.
Posts
