While curse of the golden flower is stylistically similar in its martial arts blend to the more recent hero end of the spectrum, the 2006. Why did the emperor poison the empress in curse of the golden. Curse of the golden flower was a 2006 chinese epic drama film based on cao yus 1934 play thunderstorm they are fictional stories, not historical whatsoever. Curse of the golden flower is martial arts melodrama with amazing sets, costumes, cleavages, fight scenes and the best action star chow yun fat. The film got a warm reception from fans of eastern cinema, although not quite as rapturous as for the previous two films.
Curse of the golden flower is easily the most visually sumptuous film around. Gong li, a desperate empress in curse of the golden flower sat, 27 jan 2007 12. Curse of the golden flower half succeeds in its visual display, which sustains the audience for the first 20 minutes. For many years, the empress and crown prince wan, her stepson, had an illicit sexual affair. The family is also desperate to cure the moral illnesses that seem to have infected its members.
Normally this wouldnt really be an issue, as late period yimou films like house of flying daggers and hero have been perfectly. The screenplay was cowritten by zhang yimou, wu nan and bian zhihong, and coproduced by bill kong and zhang weiping. Director yimou transposed the setting to premodern china. Sep 14, 20 this feature is not available right now. Starring chow yun fat of crouching tiger, hidden dragon as the embattled emperor and gong li of memoirs of a geisha as his poisoned empress, curse of the golden flower grants you entry into a dazzling and spectacular world of betrayal, vengeance and passion that will change the way you think of martial arts forever. The art of discussion has improved and the breadth of language used has been enhanced by the variety of films watched, all of which we order free from the into film website. During chinas tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as wife. Curse of the golden flower on dvd 043396167261 from sony pictures home entertainment. For his third lushly photographed martialarts film, curse of the golden flower, zhang yimou once again collaborated with japanese composer shigeru umebayashi, who created the music for the chinese directors lauded house of flying daggers. Basically, the movie is soap opera done on a grand opera scale more. Z hang yimou and chen kaige were the two dominant figures of the socalled chinese fifth generation of.
The curse of the golden flower posted by jeff meyers on wed, jan 17, 2007 at 12. Curse of the golden flower 2006 yi mou zhang, zhang yimou. Curse of the golden flower, a fictionalized historical glimpse into the brutally complicated politics of emperor pings chow yun fat reign during the tang dynasty, shows the viewer just how far a megalomaniac must go to gain and retain power in medieval china. Curse of the golden flower zhang yimou, chow yunfat. Zhang yimou made his first feature twenty years ago, and as a creative force, he continues to adapt and find new ways to tell a story, keeping his work fresh. A pageantry of pageantry that would put bertolucci or lean to shame, zhang yimous the curse of the golden flower piles spectacle upon spectacle, and tragedy on top of tragedy, until the whole contraption fairly disintegrates under the fervid weight of it all. Jul 09, 2011 curse of the golden flower was a 2006 chinese epic drama film based on cao yus 1934 play thunderstorm they are fictional stories, not historical whatsoever. Pretty on the outside, yet vacuous within, lets hope that the great director zhang yimou fares better with his next project. Their longawaited reunion for curse of the golden flower splits the difference between zhangs recent endeavors, awkwardly fusing overwrought shakespearean drama with elaborate martialarts clashes. Set in chinas tang dynasty, follows an imperial bodyguard named phoenix and prince ping as pair of starcrossed lovers who fall in love wi. Despite its flaws, curse of the golden flower is a diverting enough film, just somewhat flat compared to zhangs previous epicsa little too willing, perhaps, to let story and action cede the. The high production value provides a glimmer of hope that zhang would pull off. In 2004, zhang yimou caused a sensation with his astonishing house of flying daggers, and his curse of the golden flower is yet another dazzling, visually stunning film. In the curse of the golden flower, chinas official 2007 oscar entry, highly acclaimed director zhang yimou carries us into the world of the tang dynasty, a period known for its flamboyance, beauty, and glamour.
Curse of the golden flower 2006 ye liu in curse of the golden flower 2006 li gong and. Janice middleton, headteacher, edlington victoria school, derbyshire. Shigeru umebayashi director zhang yimou has proven through the years that he is capable of both high melodrama and extreme action, ranging from raise the red lantern to house of flying daggers in his mandarinlanguage efforts. Family turmoil, treachery, and treason threaten to destroy a 10th century royal chinese monarchy. At its essence this film is a horror story, and it carries the fascination that a good horror story. Thats not to say that it isnt entertaining, or that it isnt well made. Curse of the golden flower is a 2006 chinese epic wuxia drama film written and directed by zhang yimou. Curse of the golden flower was one of my favorite films of 2006, and watching it again in 2007, i can see that its a movie that only gets more enjoyable the more time you spend with it. The film comes with several extras including making of featurette, interviews and trailers. On the eve of the chong yang festival, golden flowers fill the imperial palace. Curse of the golden flower continues the epic wuxia cycle upon which fifth generation leading light zhang yimou unexpectedly embarked with 2003s hero and its followup, house of.
Curse of the golden flower original motion picture soundtrack. That film was the highestgrossing in china of alltime. Its the early 10th century of chinas tang dynasty and the emperor chow yunfat and his second son prince jai jay chou have returned, following jais long absence, to the palace on the eve of the chrysanthemum festival. Its amazing visual spectacle and will satisfy wuxia film fans. Curse of the golden flower on dvd march 27, 2007 starring chow yunfat, gong li, liu ye, chen jin. Curse of the golden flower is a direct response to audiences who mayve felt disappointed by the relative smallness of scope of director zhang yimous 2005 film, riding alone for thousands of miles, and even 2004s house of flying daggers, in comparison to 2002s internationallyacclaimed epic, hero. At times, this makes curse of the golden flower look like two different movies, though it should be said that both are ravishingly beautiful. Calling again upon the talents of the striking gong li, yimou tells an epic tale of lust and power set in the opulent world of the later tang dynasty.
From the imperial doctors humble wife and handmaiden daughter to the emperors sons, from the vast competing armies to the imperial assassins, everyone in this kingdom seems adept in the martial arts. Zhang yimou is seriously off his game with the utterly ridiculous curse of the golden flower, a new epic that feels like hero meets the lion in winter meets peyton place. The curse of the golden flower is based on one of the most famous and most commonly performed plays in china, thunderstorm, written in 1933 by cao yu. Curse of the golden flower curse of the golden flower topic. Z hang yimou and chen kaige were the two dominant figures of the socalled chinese fifth generation of filmmakers who revitalised the. Curse of the golden flower follows the disintegration of a chinese emperors family during the 10th century. The curse of the golden flower curse of the golden flower, the third of zhang yimous martial arts films, follows hero and the house of flying daggers. Curse of the golden flower was ultimately a great disappointment considering the amazing talent that was in front of the camera as well as behind it. Despite its flaws, curse of the golden flower is a diverting enough film, just somewhat.
Besides starring in the film, jay chou has also recorded two songs to accompany the film, one titled chrysanthemum terrace chinese. Curse of the golden flower is a shakespearian drama told by a master combatant and shot like a dream. Hot on the heals of the wonderful crouching tiger, hidden dragon 2000, hero 2002, house of flying daggers 2004 and fearless 2006 comes curse of the golden flower from director yimou zhang, which by the looks of things is another sumptuous period epic providing a glimpse into semifaux chinese history currently in post production. The hardest scene in curse of the golden flower for chow yunfat duration. Curse of the golden flower 2006 yi mou zhang, zhang. This is one of those films that needs to be seen to be understood. Jan 17, 2007 the curse of the golden flower posted by jeff meyers on wed, jan 17, 2007 at 12. The duel between the king and his son, prince jai plz comment and rate. The film is worthless as a serious work of art, but it may offer the jaded viewer a surplus source of mst3kinspired wisecracks. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. Curse of the golden flower medicine for empress youtube. The film is chinas official entry for best foreign film in the academy awards. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.
Why did the emperor poison the empress in curse of the. Curse of the golden flower dvd, 2007 for sale online ebay. Apr 16, 2007 that film was the highestgrossing in china of alltime. Gong li, a desperate empress in curse of the golden flower. Curse of the golden flower original motion picture. With curse of the golden flower, as in ju dou 1990, raise the red lantern 1991 and shanghai triad 1995, even survival is denied. The beautiful empress phoenix is depressed by her isolation and her husbands obvious disdain for her. Jan 17, 2007 curse of the golden flower is easily the most visually sumptuous film around. The story is a truly unique tragedy that never becomes dour or mopey, the blade and wirework is second to none, and the setcostume design sears the eyes and stirs the soul. Behind the scenes look at the making of zhang yimous curse of the golden flower. Juhua tai, released on his 2006 album still fantasy and one included in his curse of the golden flower ep. The mandarin chinese title of the movie is taken from.
Chinese action adventure movie chinese movie with english subtitles new martial arts movie 720p. She spends her time planning the chrysanthemum festival, which is always a grand celebration but this year, no one feels like celebrating. Curse of the golden flower 2007, directed by zhang yimou. Zhang yimous series of stylised swordplay epics comes to an end in the curse of the golden flower, a characteristically stunning portrait of. Jul 23, 2017 in fact, the only weakness in curse of the golden flower is the films too numerous martial arts sequences. Curse of the golden flower official trailer 2006 youtube. Zhang yimous series of stylised swordplay epics comes to an end in the curse of the golden flower, a characteristically stunning portrait of family plotting. But with curse of the golden flower i feel i have done something very newan amalgamation of the melodrama and the action film.