Purely Joyful Movie!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

First i thank my parents to have picked this Chinese movie because i think it's my first one in 1000+ reviews. Sure my taste explains it but i can't also train it if i don't have opportunities. For that, France is awful because except our language and American production, media are close to foreign films, maybe due to the fact that we think we are genius and all the world is retarded! This movie is the flagrant proof that China can make movies too and in addition at an extraordinary level! When i see that Bertollucci is praised for his big historical movies, that LOTR is praised for its hardworking production, here you have the same efforts, poetry, choreography and however no recognition! This movie lost its single Oscar for costumes and didn't have nominations in Cesars! So it's shameful ostracism if not racism. But i let this poor fed-up experts to have fun with their hollow, stupid, soulless western movies while me i enjoy the oriental ones as they are the ones left to bring us what movies should be!

The Emperor (Chow Yun-fat) returns with his second son, the Empress's first son, Prince Jai (Jay Chou) after a northern campaign. The Empress (Gong Li) has been having an affair with her stepson Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye), the emperor's first son. She's planning to overthrow the Emperor but he's been slowly poisoning her. It's palace full of intrigue as the youngest Prince Yu arrives.The brightly-colored grand sets and costumes set this off. Although it can be a distraction. Some of the action is great. The final battle is a massive color explosion. The melodrama is over the top. Everything is over the top. None of the characters are appealing. It's hard to care about any of them. This is interesting to look at but not that compelling to watch.

An intense drama with superb production design.It's the kind of drama that we used to see in our childhood with family politics involved and the fight is for the throne. Who is going to be the heir? How to take the throne from a king who is good at fighting but not so kind at heart? This forms the whole story and indeed that is what is the whole movie.Characters are shown as they are, and slowly as the film progresses, their real motives are revealed. From crown prince to the empress to a doctor, everyone is doing something for themselves and its their selfishness that has drowned them. At the beginning, I thought it would be hard to understand story, but as things got simpler, I started actually disliking it. It's a complex story with every character being pivotal to the culmination of the story, yet with each detail revealed I was getting to know more of the story and as knowledge grew, interest reduced and that's what happened. Yet, this is a very hardcore drama and a great drama too. We don't see so much of politics involved and each character plotting against the other in many films. Now, before I go ahead reviewing anything, costume design and set design which combine into production design are aspects I loved this movie for. The climax fight that is choreographed superbly shows a glimpse of how authentic the whole film is. From beginning to the end, the palace, the kings costume, the queen's embroidery each has it's own distinct artistry and all are beautiful. Gong Li as the empress has showed great variation in emotion and so did Chow Yun Fat as the emperor. All others showed emotion well. Sound design was good tooNow, this is good movie and not a great one though, a 3/5 is what I think is apt.

The title refers to the Chrysanthemum flowers filling the Imperial Palace as the Emporer returns from the battlefields with his son, the general, Prince Jai. While on the road for three years, the Empress(sexy Gong Li) has been messing around with her stepson, Crown Prince Wan. He, meanwhile, has another girl, Jiang Chan, the Impetial Doctor's daughter, on the side. Intrigue follows, as the Emporer orders the doc to poison his cheating wife. Many family secrets unfold along the way, and the plots become Borgia like in their scope. Shakespeare's dramas also come to mind, with the twists and turns of the story. The thousands of bright yellow flowers, the palace, and the costumes provide an epic feast for the eyes. Curse of the Golden Flower is at the upper level of historical dramas.