Review of Curse of the Golden Flower (Review)
Wednesday, 19th September 2007, 07:48

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Introduction
It's thanks to Sony making the decision to open 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' like it would open a summer blockbuster back in 2000 that Asian cinema is experiencing a, albeit minor, renaissance in the west. Someone (who deserves a pay rise if they didn't already get one) came up with the idea not to simply limit it to art-house Odeons and allow it to be buoyed by the festival circuit and word of mouth alone, but to act as if it was the must-see popcorn-chomper of the year and produce a media blitz worthy of the latest Bruce Willis actioner. And hey, it worked as it was the first foreign language film to bust through the $100,000,000 barrier at the US box office, and it's still the highest grossing.

The sublime mix of frenetic action, brilliantly choreographed swordplay and epic plot paved the way for others to follow in Ang Lee's footsteps, not least of which Zhang Yimou. While many Asian properties sat gathering dust on US shelves as executives shrugged and sighed over what to do with them (and still do), it only took 2 years of shelf-warming at Miramax (and an interjection from QT) before Yimou's 'Hero' made it to American theatres. Like 'Crouching Tiger', it was a sweeping and colourful spectacle that closed with a highly respectable gross and much acclaim. Compared to his Jet-Li-starring launch vehicle, his follow-up, 'House of Flying Daggers' was a more modest success, but was still a definite critical hit.

Despite this, his latest period epic 'Curse of the Golden Flower' met with a luke-warm response, mixed reviews and a disappointing return in the US. The UK opening didn't follow until a full 5-months later, and stories of yawning punters walking out within the first 30-minutes are commonplace. While logic would lead you to believe Zhang Yimou had lost his touch and simply can't match the quality of his international breakthrough and its follow-up, the truth is that people walked into cinemas expecting death-defying wirework and martial arts galore, and what they got was a very different kind of animal indeed.

In 10th Century China, the imperial family appear to be everything the first family of the Empire should be. But underneath the facade lies a complex web of hate, lust, intrigue and political ambition that threatens to tear the family, and the country, apart. The Emperor (Chow Yun-Fat) is slowly poisoning his wife the Empress (Gong Li) and driving her insane with the aide of the imperial doctor, she in turn is having an affair with her stepson and the Emperor's eldest and the three sons are either having illicit romances with the help or getting ready to stab each other in the back for the crown. But after a mysterious woman breaks into the palace and reveals to the Empress the truth of her husband's underhanded doings, a chain of events is set off that leads to dark family secrets being unearthed, innocents being slaughtered and the emergence of a political coup which threatens the very fabric of the country.

Video
Anamorphic 2.35:1, and in all honesty, the transfer is neither as sharp nor as vibrant as its 2006 vintage and heritage would suggest. There's a touch of noise here and there and some mottling in the backgrounds, but generally there's just a look about the slightly washed out transfer that says it's not as clean or as fresh looking as it could be. On the other hand, as you would expect, the costumes, sets and art direction can be summed up in a single word: stunning. The sets in particular must surely be the most extravagant ever committed to film, and the attention to detail throughout is astonishing.



Audio
A fantastic Dolby Digital 5.1 in native Mandarin is accompanied by a stereo option. The surround track is almost shyly reserved at times, freeing it from the overuse of gimmickry with the soundstage. Ambience is handled superbly, the sub kicks and hollers like a cave-dwelling monster and when the rears are in use, they're put to a restrained effect that, while adding to the sense of being drawn into the action by having swords slash and arrows fly past your head, doesn't oversaturate the audio with an abundance of flashy directional effects. It's all wrapped up in a gorgeous score from Shigeru Umebayashi which subtlety blends an overtly western influence into classical Chinese orchestration.

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