This is one of the most beautiful films ever made, but it has a different
style to
"House of Flying Daggers", made by Zhang Yimou two years earlier. The atmosphere in "Curse of the Golden Flower" is
much more intense and foreboding. It's obvious from the opening scenes that
only bad can come.
Ping is the Emperor of a large dynasty. (In the original Chinese he's only
called a king, but I'll keep to the English translation). The film takes place
in the Tang Dynasty, some time between 618 AD and 907 AD. He used
to be a lowly captain, but he rose to the level of Emperor after marrying the
daughter of the King of Liang. He has three sons: Wan, Jai and Yu. Wan was
born to his first wife, Jai and Yu to his present wife. Jai is his official
heir, but Wan is his favourite son.
The palace is run efficiently, presenting a perfect harmony to the world, but
the Emperor's family is far from perfect. The Empress is having an affair with
her step-son, Wan. The Emperor knows about it, so he's arranged for poison to
be mixed in with her regular medication for anaemia. After the Empress's death
he intends to make Wan his heir.
Years ago the Emperor, while still a captain, exiled his first wife so that he
could marry the daughter of the King of Liang. He expected her to die, but she
married the Emperor's chief physician. He doesn't know she's still alive, because she lives
in a house outside of the palace. Her daughter is a servant of the Empress,
and Wan has fallen in love with her, not realising that she's his sister.
It's difficult for me to write about this film without giving away too much.
All I can say is that it's an epic in the true sense of the word. There are
only a few action scenes, but they're exquisitely filmed. The suspense and the
emotional content are in perfect balance. The palace shown in the film is the
biggest film set ever built. Over 4,000 extras were used.
It's a film that has to be seen to
be believed.
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