War and Beauty, again 再説金枝慾孽

[skylee]

Again, because I've mentioned it before on this thread.

I've heard that 金枝慾孽 is still very hot on the mainland (Hunan, Xiamen, etc). Is it true? Has anyone else watched it and like it?

The series was aired in HK in 2004 and was a great hit ...

港劇《金枝欲孽》首播收視率超過《大長今》

[Quest]

金枝慾孽 was one of the better productions. HK's 古装 dramas/soaps in general need better music and cinematic quality to compete. That was why 大长今 was so refreshing. Quantity vs quality, they've opted for quantity before, but that won't work now, since people have many more choices. But, I am just being critical. TVB is so rich, they are just not willing to spend the money. It's so cheap to go to China to shoot, but they've until recently done everything in cheesy studios. Now, we are starting to see some nice scenaries and real daylight; it seems like they are waking up to the competitions, but there's more work to do. Also, it's silly to keep a group of old and expensive actors and actresses, and use them in every other show they broadcast. That was the right formula 10 to 30 years ago, but not anymore... I don't think. I think they should spend the money instead on cheap and pretty professional actors/actresses from universities, and get better at cinematics. Also, either directing or acting skills have dropped tremendously, most "touching" or "emotional scenes" make you laugh.... I remember TVB's sad scenes used to be very sad.

I know, complaints and complaints... but 打者爱也.

[skylee]

I have bought the DVD of this series (Mainland version dubbed in Putonghua because it costs only HKD 55 whereas the HK Cantonese version is HKD 480) and am re-watching it. And I still think that it is very good, despite its flaws ... From Episode 21 the twists and turns of the story are breath-taking ... and when Dr Sun puts the sticky-rice dumpling (糯米糍) in his mouth it is almost heart-breaking ...

很好看啊 ... highly recommended.

[calibre2001]

I am watching this show right now. So far I think it's pretty damn good and very promising.

Here's the synopsis

The story, set in the Royal Court during the Qin dynasty, with the four female leads fighting for the heart of the Emperor Jiaqing (1796-1820), which in turn means power and prestige. Imagine all six wives of Henry VIII all living under the same court fighting for his love and you will have a basic premise of War and Beauty. But in a court where there are many more wives, of which there are different ranks, Henry VIII's wives feel like day care teachers by comparison! These women of the Emperor will use every dirty trick in the book: back-stabbing, gossiping, mind-games and the occasional murder or two to get ahead. One reason for this show's popularity is that the dirty politics to get ahead struck a chord with the mass of office workers in Hong Kong, with many feeling the series in an allegory of office politics.

War and Beauty is a rare show where women of a men-dominated world get to take center stage. Shot on location in Beijing's Forbidden City, the audience can witness the grandeur of Qin Palaces and snowy exteriors. With one intrigue after another, never ending shocks and shifts; it is an irresistible drama that is impossible not to watch episode after episode.

When I watch this show I suddenly remember why I historically prefer HK serial dramas over mainland and taiwan serial dramas - quality of story lines are better. The costumes are noticeably a class or two above the standard TVB period costume drama fare. Cinematography is ok although mainland productions are generally better in this area.

From a language learning perspective this is not an easy one whether you watch it in the original cantonese or mandarin. It's tough as it mostly uses palace & imperial language. So this one gets an advanced level rating.

So I'm just gonna watch and enjoy the show and skip the language learning bit. I'll give a first episode review once I finish the series.

[skylee]

I am glad that you like it (so far). Hope you go on to enjoy it and finish the series.