:
Chow Yun-Fat,
Chow Yun-Fat,
Gong Li,
more...
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Zhang Yimou,
Zhang Yimou,
Gong Gu,
more...
see all cast/crew...
: 
: Sony Pictures
: Action, Drama, Foreign, Romance, Hong Kong, Adventure
: 114 min.
see additional details...
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A dying love between two powerful people leads to deceit, infidelity, and conspiracy in this epic-scale historical drama from director Zhang Yimou. During the latter days of the Tang dynasty, the Emperor (Chow Yun-Fat) returns home from the war with his son Prince Jai (Jay Chou) in tow. However, the monarch gets a chilly reception from the Empress (Gong Li); though she's eager to see her son, her marriage has become deeply acrimonious, and she's taken a lover, Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye), her stepson from the Emperor's first marriage. The Emperor, meanwhile, has his own plan for dealing with his failing marriage -- he's ordered the Imperial Doctor (Ni Dahong) to find an exotic drug that will drive the Empress insane and administer it to her without her knowledge. However, the doctor's ethical dilemma is intensified by the fact his daughter Chan (Li Man) has fallen in love with Crown Prince Wan and the two wish to elope. As the Emperor and Empress allow their estrangement to sink into violence and retribution, their youngest son, Prince Yu (Qin Junjie), struggles to keep the peace in the household. Curse of the Golden Flower (aka Man Cheng Jim Dai Huang Jin Jia) received its North American premiere at the 2006 American Film Institute Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
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| Costumes are Better Than the Movie
by chasiubao8
June 15, 2008 - 10:45 PM PDT
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3 out of 3 members found this review helpful
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| Even visually stunning costumes and set designs can't save Zhang Yimou's indulgent, over the top drama about dysfunctional family dynamics disguised as a historic epic set in the Tang Dynasty (600-900 AD). Not one element in the film attempts stay close to historic facts and the costumes and set designs bear little resemblance to the Tang Period. For example, the film is obviously shot in the Forbidden Palace in Beijing which almost a thousand miles away and 400 years later(. Chang An was the capital of the Tang and the architecture has no resemblance to Ming and Qing dynasty architecture (1346 AD). But historical authenticity isn't really Zhang Yimou's trajectory - rather its about how internal family dynamics within families of the ruling elite have social and political consequences that reverberate throughout the empire. However, the annoying and carefully choreographed army of extras, which worked brilliantly in "Hero" detracts from the human drama. Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li are stunning to watch in their magnificent imperial robes, but even their engaging performances can't rescue the film from a mediocre script and film's own sense of grandiosity and excessive self-importance. Think "Cleopatra" squared. |
| Visually stunning
by JJames3
February 27, 2008 - 1:38 PM PST
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1 out of 3 members found this review helpful
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| This movie is amazing. The costumes, sets and movement are visually stunning. It is a great story. The character of the Empress is a study in surpressed emotion. I loved this movie so much I bought it. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.20)
61 Votes
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