07-07-18 Curse of the Golden Flower (Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia) (2006)

Seen: July 12th, 2007
Format: Blu-Ray
Rating: 9
Zhang Yimou makes big films. Whether they are big in size, big in concept, big in georgraphy, he doesn't seem to do anything small. This one is no exception.
I'm a fan of Zhang Yimou's films. They, like many films from this region, tend to be highly stylized. This is part of the genre, and it stems from cultural themes in theater. Things here are larger than life, and when life is this involved, this complex, they can't be any other way.
This film is Shakespearean in it's scope and themes. It reminds me of Lear and McBeth. The nature of family is the central theme. It explores what exactly it means to be family, the responsibilities of family for each of its members and the consequences of violating those boundaries.
These are themes are tied tightly with that of natural law, that there are rigid rules for the functioning of the universe. Everything that is done must follow these rules or risk throwing the universe out of balance. That this family believes this is ironic, given the way each and every one flouts tradition and honor.
The plot is convoluted, but not overly so. Things develop fairly slowly, questions arise early and are explored and resolved without any particular hurry. Everything we want to know involves a fairly small cast of characters in a fairly small circle. The insular nature of the family, especially after the Emporer returns, creates and maintains tension. Even the re-posting of the physician does little to alleviate this, the geographic distance does little to solve the issues.
Visually this is a huge film. Yimou has stated that he wanted the focus to be on the opulence of the period. He has succeeded beyond reason here. The palettes of the film are startlingly vivid. The sheer volume of color is sometimes overwhelming. While I noticed this in House of Flying Daggers as well, here it's not merely thematic, with a single color used to unite the scene. There are brilliant juxtapositions of color, which often represent factions or attitudes of some of characters. Watch too, the way the color black is used. It is so often absent that it's appearance is often shocking and telling.
It should be noted that the soundtrack is also excellent. It is often subtle or even absent, but is constantly driving the film from one moment to the next.
Acting is generally excellent. Chow Yun-Fat and Gong Li are staples of this genre and virtually flawless. The rest of the cast is generally excellent as well. While it takes strong personalities to bring these characters to life, the characters themselves are so rich that there's little chance they'll be lost behind the actor. I never found myself seeing the actor instead of the character.
My high rating is a synthesis of the films aspects. I am fond of the quasi-Shakespearean scope of the story. There are heart rending moments here. I am also very fond of the genre, and the film is a visual feast.
The Good: Everything
The Bad: Misplacing your trust
The Ugly: Family ties