Curse Of The Golden Flower

Curse Of The Golden Flower
Director: Zhang Yi Mou
114 minutes
2.39:1

One word that describes the Curse Of The Golden Flower: sumptuous.

It is films like this that makes you appreciate this art form. The language is not important so long as the message is clear. Like other delicate art, the message is not quite spelled out. It means different things to different people. Just like how differently festivals are celebrated and valued.

The story starts as the Chong Yang Festival nears. The Emperor arrives in the Palace after a battle to defeat the rebels. He is accompanied by Prince Jai who had served in the military for three years. Their homecoming is met with open arms by the Crown Prince Wan and Prince Yu, but the Empress is besotted by dizzy spells. Inspite of this, the royal family prepares to celebrate the festival. It is during these last few days that secrets are unearthed and elaborate plans are revealed. Family unity and love is stretched to the limits as the irony of the meaning of the festival hits home.

The similarity between Riding Alone For A Thousand Miles and the Curse Of The Golden Flower is that Zhang Yimou likes to paint on a huge canvas while telling a small story. Of course, that is the only similarity of the two films. Flower bitchslaps you with intoxicating eye candy the moment the opening credit ends, which is just under a minute away. Credit for the delirious visuals must be given to production designer Huo Tingxio, costume designer Yee Chung Man, and director of photography Zhao Xiaoding. Kudos also for editor Cheng Long who had to piece it all together coherently.

The visuals however must be supported by a great story. Writers Wu Nan, Bian Zhihong and Yimou himself, along with story consultant Wang Bin have crafted a simple story that is best described as Thanksgiving with swords. The tension they build is not just from the layers and facade each character puts up but also from the royal rule of knowing your place within the palace. By the time they place the last piece, all the audience can do is watch the dominoes fall.


The performance of the cast is generally excellent. Gong Li is particularly impressive as the ice-cold Empress whose moments of despair and pain are heartbreaking. Chow Yun Fat is compelling to watch as the iron-fisted leader of the family who somehow manages to insert glimpses of a moral being in his performance. Jay Chou as Prince Jai fumbles into modern expressions in a few scenes but otherwise gives a commendable effort. Liu Yu as the Crown Prince, Chen Jin as the Imperial Doctor's wife, Ni Dahong as the Imperial Doctor, Li Man as Ni's daughter Chan, and Qin Junjie as Prince Yu give great performances as supporting cast who had to match the fine expressiveness of the main actors.

Unlike Chinese costume dramas of yore, this movie benefits greatly from modern filmmaking techniques. Composer Shigeru Umebayashi is an interesting choice for a Chinese movie. His score enhances each scenes that unfold. Sound supervisor Tao Jing impresses again with his aural work here. Sounds that are delicate and forceful are presented across the wide soundfield. Visual effects supervisor Frankie Chung Chi Hang do a marvellous job at enhancing the action, even though in some scenes the effects are apparent. Finally, action director Tony Ching Siu Tung made most of the fight sequences a fresh experience to watch, even if a few are clearly done with wires.


The Curse Of The Golden Flower is a must watch. The many beautiful metaphors in the movie points to its numerous messages. Zhang Yimou has crafted another gem.


One thing that must be made clear to Malaysian audiences is that for Malaysia, the Curse Of The Golden Flower has been dubbed completely to Cantonese! According to the film's distributor here Malaysia is the only country in the world that will have the film's language dubbed to Cantonese. Even Hong Kong and Singapore get the original Mandarin. Dubbing robs audiences the full performances of the actors. It is regretful that Malaysians have to endure this blatant theft. If the original language of the film is not available, the film distributors must clearly inform audiences of this on their movie posters.