Curse of the Golden Flower [Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia]

Yimou Zhang, Hong Kong/China, 2006, 111 minutes

I have not seen films like Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - I never considered Martial Arts movies to appeal to me. So when my housemate requested company to watch Curse of the Golden Flower, I relented. What I saw was better than I imagined. Following the narrative of a planned coup of Emperor Ping (Chow Yun-Fat) of the Tang dynasty by his wife (Li Gong) and one of his sons, Curse is a delight of colour, from the hosts of chrysanthemums named in the title to the beautifully adorned palace. The martial arts scenes are not overlong, nor are they gruesome, but are excellent counterpoints to a tight narrative. You are genuinely drawn in to the intrigues and counter-intrigues surrounding the coup and are similarly involved during the tense battle sequences.

Whilst such films carry anachronisms (Fireworks in the Tang dynasty, hmmmm), the acting is superb, conveying the tensions that abound in any royal family. Couple this with the invigorating fight scenes and the beautiful cinematography and this makes it a must-see film. If you've never considered this type of film to be your thing, come along and give it a try - you won't be disappointed. If you do like these films, you are in for another treat. Book your place now.

Review by Niko Ovenden
Written for EUFS Programme Autumn 2007