House of Flying Daggers (5 Stars)

This is a Chinese historical film set in the year 859 AD. The Tang Dynasty is declining as a result of the corruption among its leaders. Rebels are fighting to overthrow the government. The largest rebel group is called the Flying Daggers. Despite its historical setting and the frequent battle scenes, "House of Flying Daggers" is a love story. It's the tale of a woman who's loved by two men and has trouble deciding between them.

The film focuses on two local police captains who have been ordered to kill the leader of the Flying Daggers within ten days. This is an impossible task in itself, made more difficult by the fact that they don't know who the leader is. They suspect that a blind dancer called Mei is the daughter of the previous leader, so they follow her when she travels north to meet the other members of the group.

However, the film is so stunningly beautiful that the story soon fades into the background. Film critic Roger Ebert wrote:

"Forget about the plot, the characters, the intrigue, which are all splendid in 'House of Flying Daggers', and focus just on the visuals. There are interiors of ornate elaborate richness, costumes of bizarre beauty, landscapes of mountain ranges and meadows, fields of snow, banks of autumn leaves and a bamboo grove that functions like a kinetic art installation. The film is so good to look at and listen to that, as with some operas, the story is almost beside the point, serving primarily to get us from one spectacular scene to another".

I couldn't have put it better myself. The film has such a lush, exotic beauty that it leaves the viewer speechless. In every scene the costumes and the background are colour coordinated.

I would go one step further and call the director, Zhang Yimou, the Shakespeare of cinema. He creates works of outstanding beauty which will stand the test of time and still be treasured a hundred years from now, long after other popular and critically acclaimed films of our time have been forgotten.

The blind dancer is played by Zhang Ziyi. I can understand men falling in love with her. Her innocent beauty is overwhelming.

The film is a tragedy. I don't know if this is a typical genre for Chinese drama. I suspect that the director is drawing inspiration from classical literature, as did William Shakespeare. The viewer has tears in his eyes when the film reaches its conclusion. This is a film that I strongly recommend to all serious film fans.

Success Rate:  + 5.7

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de