Tragedies are out of fashion in modern culture. Today people want to see films that have a happy ending. Many of Shakespeare's plays were tragedies. "Coriolanus" showed the fate of a man who suffered because he did the right thing, whereas other tragedies show suffering as a result of his own evil deeds. Judging by this film, as well as other recent films, there is still an interest in China in tragedies.
The film is set in China's Tang Dynasty, which lasted from 618 to 907. The Emperor has three sons, Jai, Wan and Yu. Jai is the oldest, but the Emperor has chosen Wan, his favourite son, as his heir. After the death of his first wife he married a younger woman, the king's daughter. For years Wan had an affair with his step-mother, but now he has met Chan, the daughter of the imperial doctor, and wants to renounce his claim to the throne to run away with her. The Empress is bitter that Wan has rejected her and wants to kill him.
As if that isn't enough, the Emperor knows about his wife's infidelity and is taking revenge on her. He has asked the imperial doctor to add a slow working poison to her daily medicine. When the Empress finds out she decides to continue to drink the poison. She's happy to die, as long as the Emperor and Wan die with her. She involves Jai in a plot to overthrow the throne on the annual Feast of the Golden Chrysanthemum. At first Jai is unwilling to act against his father, but then he decides it's the right thing to do to avenge his father's poisoning of his mother.
But to be a true tragedy, even the love has to fail. We find out that the Emperor's first wife never died, she was simply banished because he wanted to strengthen his kingdom by marrying a higher situated woman. Unknown to him his first wife married the imperial doctor, which means that Wan is unwittingly having an affair with his sister.
And then the youngest son Yu also wants to become Emperor.....
As you can see, this is a complex story. The colours are opulent, as in most of the modern Chinese historical films. The battle scenes look more like ballet than a fight. The palace shown in the film is the largest film set ever built in China, maybe in the world. I didn't realise until today that I already own five films by the director Zhang Yimou. Apart from this film I have "The Road Home", "Hero", "House of Flying Daggers" and "Flowers of War". I should pay more attention to him.
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