A more appropriate title would have been Large Jiggling Chests and the Homicidal Emperors Who Love Them.
As Leo already noted, Zhang Yimou is renowned for his use of color. Hero, a vibrant and violent depiction of pre-empirical China, was aesthetically pleasing, offering us a visually digestible balance of man-made colors and the natural world. (The autumnal fight between Flying Snow and Moon—Maggie Cheung and Ziyi Zhang, respectively—still ranks as one of the most beautiful, expertly shot moments I’ve ever seen put to film.) With Curse of the Golden Flower, the director outdoes himself, casting eye-blinding rainbow hues into every nook and corner. Not a single appliance or piece of furniture is spared; even the emperor’s armor clangs with gold. Needless to say, the colors seem to hide a very bland and predictable plot, and the ending, which I hoped would offer us an incredible fight, left me immensely disappointed. And the fact that this film was given more critical attention than Zhang’s Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, which was both heartfelt and easy on the eyes, left me feeling even more letdown.
by Adam Balz | Source: Sony Pictures 35MM Theatrical Print
16 Jan 2007 8:30 PM | Submit Comment