Curse of the golden flower - 满城尽带黄金甲 - spoiler FREE!

[mind_wander]

I spend sometime take a look at this film. In comparing to Huo Yuan Jia, although this has nothing to do with emperial dynasty, but the clarity about the main points. The curse of the golden flower does not take a genius to figure out the plot. However it could at least allow more better dialogue from different angles of characters, because I like Jet Li's-Huo Yuan Jia, at least it point out the main point some thinking involved.

But, I give curse of the golden flower 3 1/2 stars, because of the great costume design, also picked out good acters/actress into this screenplay.

[Outofin]

Watched it just a few days ago and didn't like it.

They really should spend more budgets and efforts on fighting and war scenes. It's choreographed by 程晓东. I used to appreciate his work. But now if we compare him with Yuen Wo-Ping, (Fearless, for example) they're really not on the same level. Yuen is way better.

[Koneko]

According to Sin Chew Jit Poh

Malaysia was the only country in the world where you could watch Cantonese-dubbed 满城尽带黄金甲 at their cinemas! Even Hong Kong played the film in its original language, Mandarin.

How can we promote Mandarin in Malaysia?

Malaysia Chinese society is like big melting pot.

K.

[Jack MacKelly]

I must check this movie out

[Ian_Lee]

I watched it on DVD yesterday.

(1) The story didn't happen during Tang Dynasty as widely thought. If it were Tang Dynasty, then Chow should not be titled just as "King" but "Mandate of Heaven". I guess Zhang ambiguously implied it happened during/in one of those peripherial kingdoms after the doom of Tang dynasty. In fact, the movie mentioned another kingdom called "Liang" which couldn't exist under a unified Tang.

(2) If it didn't happen during Tang, then the big boob phenomenon should not appear. Tang was only liberal during the initial stage when there were widespread contacts with the WEST (Arabs & Persians). But when the Silk Road was closed after Tang forces were defeated by Arab army in Central Asia in AD 751, Tang gradually became conservative and inward looking. I seriously doubt if big boob clothing was still the fashion 150 years after the Silk Road was cut off.

(3) Of course, the big boob was just one of the calculated selling points of Zhang. Just like the cast includes Chow and Chou that targets at different segments of audience, the inclusion of big boob may be aimed to lure those Oscar judges:roll:

(4) For the announcing of hours in the movie, I really doubt if it was conducted that way. If it were so noisy, I guess everyone in the Palace would be awakened at night:lol:

(5) But why was the theme of Zhang's classical-era movies getting more despair one after another? Why was it getting more and more bloodthirsty one after another? In Zhang's non-classical-era movies like "To Live", "Not One Less", the audience see HOPE at the end of the movies.

[zarathustra]

Zhang Yimou has always been the most philosophical of Chinese directors. His earlier films are mostly about women struggling with Chinese tradition. He's now directly critical of Chinese culture and philosophy. Golden Flower is pretty much a critique if ideas like filial piety. He's not too fond of all this mandate from heaven stuff.

[Quest]

Saw it tonight, I think it was good, would have been well worth the ticket if I saw it on big screen. Personally I don't care about kungfu or fight scenes, which certainly aren't the main selling points of this movie, the people who gave it a bad rating might have had those expectations?

[Koneko]

I finally finished the whole film last week.

I thought the story line was a bit crap.

But I like the song, 菊花台。

K.