The Flip Medley

“Gold and jade on the outside, decay on the inside…” – Zhang Yimou, director of “Curse of the Golden Flower”

Three weeks ago, I woke up at 5:30am and camped out with my friend Yan in Central Park to get tickets to one of the last Shakespeare in Central Park productions — “Romeo & Juliet”.

The show was fantastic, and it reminded me of the beauty of Shakespeare on stage. I found myself silently admiring aspects of the production. The set design was innovative and intriguing, using a modular metal bridge and a rotating stage that was partially submerged, which made every actor’s step sparkle and glitter, and it drew the eye to every movement, no matter how subtle. I could go on and on, but you can read a review here.

Last night, I watched “Curse of the Golden Flower” on Blu-Ray, and I found that same sense of wonder welling up within me… This movie strikes chords on multiple levels, with complex characters who are reminiscent of one of Shakespeare’s classics.

“It reveals the complexity of the relationships… The emotional ties are complex. Everyone has a secret. This is the nucleus of the story…” — Zhang Yimou

The young prince stands up to his father…

I have to start by first deferring a description of the substance of this story to comment on the stunning visuals. Honestly, I am not sure I can even endorse watching this movie on DVD with a standard definiton TV. It is sumptuous and seductive in its beauty, and if you really want to enjoy this film to the fullest, and recreate the sense of grandeur it attempts to impart through its cinematography, you’ll want the biggest 1080p TV you can afford.

This film is simply beautiful.

The vibrant, colorful sets and the sweeping, epic nature of the battle scenes are so gorgeous when viewed in high definition. The sound mix was good, though the music is not quite as lush as the soundtrack to “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (which benefitted from Tan Dun’s beautiful score (with Yo-Yo Ma) which won him several internatonal awards). Even so, running this in Dolby Digital 5.1 (uncompressed!) was delicious, especially during the battle sequences.

Now, to the substance… which I’ll try to focus on without giving away any spoilers.

The story itself is built upon a “decaying” marriage between the Emperor (Chow Yun Fat) and his wife, the Empress (Gong Li), who gives an amazing turn in this role that forces her to play a wife, a scorned lover, and a courtly manipulator who wants to bring about the downfall of her husband.

If you thought Lady Macbeth was a big, bad mama…

She has been sleeping with his oldest son, Crown Prince Wan, so there is also a dynamic in play due to the near-incestuous nature of the infidelity. However, Wan is also enjoying the charms of young maiden wh serves the royals, and who is the daughter of the Imperial Physician. Who happens to be married to… well, let’s just say that the story weaves a tangled web that will leave you feeling like you’ve just seen the Chinese equivalent of a West Virginia family reunion!

The conflict all stems from a battle to wrest control over the “body” of the Empress, for the Emperor claims that she is sick and must take a medicine every hour, and when she realizes that she seems to be getting sicker, a plot is set into motion that will test the loyalties of the every member in the royal family, especially those of Prince Jai who is the only child of the Emperor & Empress’ union.

“I am soooooo going to kick somebody’s ass…”

And when things turn violent, and you know that in an epic story like this that it will, it is more beautiful than it is visceral. Heroism in Chinese cinema is not always about winning, but about taking on the impossible task, despite knowing that victory is impossible.

“Okay, if 300 can defeat a million, then surely I can beat these guys! Plus this looks just like Dynasty Warriors 5 on Playstation 2!”

There is a beautiful, almost stoic charm to the way the characters evolve as the story moves towards its conclusion that makes this movie absolutely compelling.

If you think your family is dysfunctional…

Highly, highly recommended in my book. But be forewarned — there is a lot of exposition early in the film, so go in with the expectation that you’re going to be inundated with plot before you enjoy a very rewarding finale. It is a sumptuous feast for cinema lovers.