FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Curse of the Golden Flower [DVD] [2007]

Curse of the Golden Flower [DVD] [2007]
enlarge	Actors: Yun-Fat Chow, Li Gong, Jay Chou, Ye Liu Studio: Universal Pictures Video Category: DVD List Price: ~~£19.99~~ Buy Used: £1.55 as of 23/11/2009 22:53 GMT details You Save: £18.44 (92%) New (22) Used (21) Collectible (1) from £1.55 Seller: heatherk245 Rating: 39 reviews Sales Rank: 3903 Format: PAL Language: Mandarin Chinese (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region: 2 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 114 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.6 EAN: 5050582485080 ASIN: B000ION4JC Theatrical Release Date: 2007 Release Date: September 3, 2007 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review Chinese director Zhang Yimou ends his bid to outfly iCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon/i with iCurse Of The Golden Flower/i, the third in his Wuxia (the Chinese style of flying and fighting) films. Much like iHero/i and iHouse Of Flying Daggers/i, it is drenched in colours so dazzling, and boasts action scenes so exhilarating, that you can almost forgive any shortcomings in the story. Almost. Despite its grandeur, this film is in many ways the least rewarding of the three. p Set in China's tenth century Tang dynasty, the story sees Chow Yun Fat's emperor trying to poison his wife, a trussed-up and progressively unstable Gong Li, who is having an affair with her step-son Wan, and trying to manoeuvre her other son Jai against his tyrannical father. Let's just say that it gets more complicated from there on in, and involves lots of running through endless corridors, but really, it's best to just sit back and let that intense visual style work its magic. p Swapping action for dramatic intrigue might have been Yimou's mistake, but there's no mistaking his knack for breath-taking cinematography. Even if purely on a visual scale, iGolden Flower/i still manages to captivate, and the final battle scene is at least worth the slightly overlong wait. Die hard fans of these films might feel a bit stiffed, but everyone else won't be short of eye candy. --iLuke Mawson/i

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 39 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...8 Next » Totally stunning, poetry on celluoid! July 19, 2007 Kali (United Kingdom) 49 out of 54 found this review helpful Firstly lets be clear about thing, this is not a martial arts movie though it has some incredible martial arts scenes that will take your breath away and leave you looking on in stunned wonder. br / br /Also it is a foreign language film, fortunately not dubbed but with subtitles, not everyone's cup of tea but this will not stop you from enjoying ever single second of it, from the opening credits to the blood splattered ending. br / br /The Curse of the Golden Flower is a sumptuous tale about family secrets, revenge, lust, desire, incest, adultery, power, and corruption, all wrapped up in a beautiful but very flawed package that is the Forbidden City of 10th century China. br / br /Never before has one come across such a dysfunctional family as the Tang dynasty, the exquisite but deadly Empress Phoenix, played by the gorgeous Li Gong, the thoroughly amoral Emperor Ping, a glorious Yun Fat Chow in his element, his three sons, the weak Crown Prince Wan (Ye Liu)who has been having an affair with his stepmother, the Empress, Prince Jai, (Jay Chou) brilliant solider, and loyal son to his mother, torn between duty and love, he will make a fateful decision that will herald the beginning of the end for his family. And last but certainly not least the spoilt and unloved Prince Yu, (Junjie Qin) whose hatred of his family is cunningly disguised by his seemingly placid nature and acceptance of his lowly third son status. br / br /Add to this mix, an Imperial Physician (Dahong Ni) with a wife (Jin Chen) whose connection to the royal household is a closely guarded secret, her daughter the lovely Chan (Man Li) who is is in love with the Crown Prince and you have the ingredients for a tragedy on a scale that can only be imagined. br / br /With breathtaking scenery, the carpet of golden chrysanthemums has to be seen to be believed, fantastic costumes, atmospheric background music, coupled with stunning fight sequences between assassins and royal guards you will be left with your jaw hanging down as you witness the golden warriors go into battle against the Emperor and the twists and turns in a film that is none stop action and intrigue throughout. br / br /The overall acting is without doubt perfection on celluloid, its a shame it didn't win an Oscar but sometimes Hollywood gets it wrong, and boy did they get it wrong this time! A stunning vision of decadence and deceit. April 13, 2007 R. Archer (Kent, England) 9 out of 11 found this review helpful When I saw this film at the cinema, as soon at it was finished, I went straight back to the box office, bought a ticket for the next showing and went straight back in to see it again. It took a real effort of will not to do the same as soon as that showing was over as well. That is how good this film is. br / br /The cast are all, without exception, superb; the shooting and set pieces are breathtaking; every frame of the film is so soaked with colour, so filled with dazzling scenery and costuming that it burns itself indelibly into your mind. The story itself is a rollercoaster ride of pride, passion and politics that invloves from the very beginning, right to the bitter end. This film is a true work of art. Throne of Blood January 10, 2007 MICHAEL ACUNA (Southern California United States) 18 out of 24 found this review helpful As depraved and corrupt as the House of Thebes, as morally bankrupt as the Hubbard/Giddens family in Lillian Hellman's "Little Foxes" or George and Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia br /Woolf," (all of which this film calls to mind) Zhang Yimou's "The Curse of the Golden Flower," though huge in scale is at it's core an intimate family (albeit a majorly dysfunctional family) drama which unfolds during the Later Tang Dynasty (923-936 AD), a time of corruption, dictatorship and warfare--with a mind-blowing, color-soaked brilliance and an almost insane excess that does over-ripe justice to the passions and intrigues that are raging full throttle inside the palace. br /The sinister ensemble cast includes an evil emperor (Chow Yun Fat), his desperate wife (Gong Li), his three wildly contrasting sons and heirs (Liu Ye, Jay Chou and Qin Junjie), the troubled imperial doctor (Ni Dahong) and the doctor's bitter wife (Chen Jin) and naive daughter (Li Man), both of whom have secrets that could destroy an empire. br /Though all of the performances are first rate, Gong Li as the pathetic consort to the Emperor and Jay Chou as Prince Jai show us the pain and heartbreak behind all the bravura acting: these are brave performances that not only come from the mind but also from heart and the soul of these performers; a particularly difficult task based on all the grandeur and grandiosity surrounding them. br /"The Curse of the Golden Flower" is eye-poppingly gorgeous to look at yet Zhang Yimou nonetheless has managed to, in the midst of the thousands of extras, millions of flowers and opulent and decadent costumes, produce a very thoughtful and tragic drama about a family that can't help but demolish and destroy itself. br / What I do not give, you must never take by force. November 6, 2007 Ms. N. P. Dougan (Ravara, Ireland) 7 out of 9 found this review helpful Emperor Ping returns to his palace just before the Chong Young Festival. The Empress Phoenix, his wife, is far from happy to see his return. Ping has ordered his imperial doctor to slowly poison the empress. And, in retaliation, the Empress conspires to overthrow her husband. As hatreds fester and secret passions come to light, no one will remain untouched by the Curse of the Golden Flower. br / br /The Director Yimou Zhang follows up House of Flying Daggers and Hero with his most lavish epic yet. Curse of the Golden Flower is an extraordinary film. It is a big-budget extravaganza that is reminiscent of some of the Hollywood epics of the fifties and sixties. As with all Zhang's western exports, his use of colour is incredible. The palace of Emperor Ping is brought to the screen in a blaze of arresting colour. Every costume and set create a world of sumptuous majesty a world that you will be immediately drawn into. br / br /Of course, like all Asian Cinema, this film has the usual martial arts set pieces throughout, but it does not seem to rely on them to keep the audience interested. Instead, the film uses a complex plot involving the power struggle between the two leads. Chow Yun Fat, as Ping, presents a character who is ruthless and dogmatic, and Gong Li's Empress Phoenix is vulnerable and defiant. Both stars' perfomances are beyond reproach, and all of these qualities come together to create a gloriously opulent saga. br / br /The Curse of the Golden Flower is an epic filled with intrigue and breathtakingly-bloody battle scenes, all set against a backdrop of radiantly decadent colour. If you liked Flying Daggers and Hero, you will adore the Curse of the Golden Flower. br / The misunderstanding of the golden flower July 6, 2007 Mr. D. J. Murphy (London, London United Kingdom) 4 out of 5 found this review helpful When it comes to chinese film - if you can - think back to Raise The Red Lantern, the sets are magnificent, creations of time and space that if you are willing allow you to absorb more the mood and the intensity of feeling that the actors are going through, in Red Lantern, the amount of dialogue in such a long film is minimal so that, with total understanding of what Gong Li goes through as she becomes crazy, is that she suffers in silence and yet with such pride. Golden flower is no different, of course the story is 'thin' but its all about how the characters demonstrate through their feelings and behaviours the true emotions of what they are going through - very typically and culturally Chinese. Chow Yun-Fat is a strong ruler who must maintain his appearance of strength no matter what, a strong wife, played by Gong Li - and as we find out, similar to that of his previous wife, is a force too strong to be reckoned with and action (her eventual death) must be taken - which then leads to consider in the future that his next wife would be just as strong and may succeed where the others fail. The sons, one whose acting is more over dramatic, shows a man who is loyal, ambitious, manipulated and immature forced to take over the spotlight and yet blinded by love to realise the true extent of the games being played, the elder son, possibly more aware that he shows has no desires except to enjoy the benefits of the life he already has and the youngest son, not recognised because of his age and how that dictates his levels of understanding and of course dangerously ignored demontrates that it can be those whom we least expect can cause the most surprising of actions to occur. If you have seen the film and only looked at the costumes and the set background, watch again and pay special focus to the body language the nuances in the dialogue and the way the eyes belie the smiles and see unfold before you a very sinister story of different fights for survival, recognition and self pride. You will get a much more deeper understanding of what Chinese film is all about. Showing reviews 1-5 of 39 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...8 Next »

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