Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia (2006)

Director:

Yimou Zhang

Writers:

Yu Cao (play)
Yimou Zhang (writer)

Release Date:

12 January 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Unspeakable secrets are hidden within the Forbidden City.

Plot:

During China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.

Plot Keywords:

Lust | Martial Arts | Betrayal | Stabbed In The Back | Soldier

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 7 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

Yun-Fat Chow	...	Emperor Ping
Li Gong	...	Empress Phoenix
Jay Chou	...	Prince Jai
Ye Liu	...	Crown Prince Wan
Dahong Ni	...	Imperial Physician Jiang
Junjie Qin	...	Prince Yu
Man Li	...	Jiang Chan
Jin Chen	...	Mrs. Jiang

Also Known As:

Autumn Remembrance (Hong Kong: English title) (working title)
Curse of the Golden Flower (International: English title)
The City of Golden Armor (Hong Kong: English title) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence.

Runtime:

Hong Kong:111 min | Argentina:114 min | USA:114 min

Country:

Hong Kong | China

Language:

Mandarin

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Sweden:11 | Argentina:13 | South Korea:18 | Ireland:15A | Germany:12 | Finland:K-15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Norway:15 | Brazil:14 | USA:R | Portugal:M/16 | UK:15 (cut) | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Australia:M | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Spain:18 | Malaysia:U | Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

China

Company:

Beijing New Picture Film Co.

Trivia:

The empress's Phoenix Crown weighed 12 pounds.

Goofs:

Plot holes: Given Chan leaves the inn almost immediately after Wan does, why does it take so long for her to reach the palace? (Consider everything that happens to Wan after he arrives back but before Chan arrives.)

Quotes:

Empress Phoenix: So you are leaving. Are you afraid?
Crown Prince Wan: You are my mother, Your Majesty.
Empress Phoenix: We have been intimate for three years. You, of all people should know who I am.
Crown Prince Wan: I am first and foremost my father's son.
Empress Phoenix: [grabs Wan, attempting to seduce him]
Crown Prince Wan: [recoils from the Empress] Mother!
Empress Phoenix: I am not your mother!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Go' morgen Danmark: (2007-08-31)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Juhua Tai

Just so beautiful to even look at...

Zhang Yimou was a very highly regarded filmmaker 5 years ago, before I had ever heard of him. Then he earned a place in my heart by directing both Hero and House of Flying Daggers. With those last two I felt like I was in martial arts movie heaven, so I would instantly be interested in any other future films that could approach those two in scope, talent, and action. Curse of the Golden Flower focuses mostly on the first two of those three traits, but besides, anything starring Chow Yun-Fat will earn my attention like a bullet to the head. I do own The Corrupter after all.

This is a film about a royal family, rather dysfunctional at that, in the 928 AD Tang Dynasty. Chow Yun-Fat is Emperor Ping, who from the way he handles his family and can anticipate any kind of attack or counterattack seems like quite the ruthless warlord. He has three sons: one is a teenager, who isn't given much regard but knows more than others think. The eldest of the three is the current crown prince, but doesn't seem to have any special talents, other than drawing the affections of the wrong women. The middle son is a great warrior and, of course, is now the favorite of the father. But these characters may be just pawns to Empress Phoenix (Gong Li), who is mother to the younger two brothers and step-mother to the eldest. Under normal circumstances she might be a great mother, wife, and Empress, but current circumstances, including a mystery illness, have forced her to take actions involving a secret plot to remove her husband from the throne.

This is not the action movie some might expect, though there is enough near the end to earn the R rating. It's basically a family drama, though in a rather fascinating and different setting for such a story. As you'd expect with a royal family, appearances are everything. Anything out of the ordinary has to happen in secret. All the normal everyday stuff is almost mechanical in nature. Whether you see dozens of servants getting up in the morning, or preparing food, or planting flowers, it all occurs in such a fiercely coordinated fashion. It would have been such a hard life, either being a royal or supporting one, but it would be a miserable life if one couldn't take any pride in what they did.

The filmmakers who designed and implemented all the sets and costumes should take a hell of a lot of pride in what they do. The family of this story, even while destroying themselves (and therefore their empire) from within, are living in the most lavish accommodations and outfits I've ever seen. I usually don't think much of costuming or set design, but I must say that after seeing Chow Yun-Fat's golden suit of armor, or anything Gong Li was in, or the design of their personal quarters, I really hope for some Oscar recognition. Perhaps the best I've ever seen in those areas.

Overall though, a good film, and a definite must for any Chow Yun-Fat fan to seem him play such a great villain, as with Sammo Hung in Sha Po Lang. It kept me interested throughout, but nothing too surprising happened in regards to story. It basically all went how I imagined it would.