11. Curse of the Golden Flower
The Film: Despite the millions of chrysanthemum flowers and thousands of background actors (as soldiers) used for this production, there’s a couple of things that will capture your attention even more in this film. On the one hand, Gong Li and her titillating assets overshadow pretty much everything else in the movie. While it may not be historically accurate for 10th Century Tang Dynasty palace women to dress so scantily, director Zhang Yimou obviously wants to make a stylistic statement right from the opening scene. And he’s doing a pretty damn good job if you ask me.
On the other hand, his play with colors is one of a kind in this film. Yimou manages to present magnificently a kaleidoscope in its grandeur palace setting and elaborate costumes. The final fighting scene led by Prince Jai, the prince with golden armored warriors trampling over chrysanthemum, is nothing short of impressive. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that very few movies in history have achieved the level of sheer visual beauty as this one with its interior shots of Chinese palace walls and columns illuminated by glowing hues of gold, emerald, and ruby.
Also, very few films have also have managed to weave the threads of so many tangled tortured relationships into such a fascinating masterpiece of tragedy. Curse of the Golden Flower is the perfect mix of soap drama and a period epic in a successful attempt to impress with colors, opulence and sheer indulgence.
The Historical Events: From a historical point of view, things are a little complicated in this film. The English language version declares that the events take place during the reign of the “Tang dynasty” in AD 928. However, the Chinese version doesn’t specify a time period at all, even though the film’s published screenplay implies that it’s set during Later Shu of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Strangely, neither the Tang dynasty (618-907) nor Later Shu (934-965) existed in the year 928, although another state named “Tang” — known as Later Tang in history — was.
Further, the Mandarin Chinese title of the movie is taken from the last line of the Qi Dynasty poem written by the rebel leader Emperor Huang Chao who was also the Emperor of the Qi Dynasty that was at war against the Later Tang Dynasty. Huang Chao had nothing to do with 928 as well since the man was born in 835 and was killed by his nephew Lin Yan in 884. Huang was a salt smuggler before joining Wang Xianzhi’s rebellion in the mid-870s. After splitting with Wang, his troops turned south and invaded Guangzhou.
In 881, his forces captured the capital Chang’an, forcing Emperor Xizong of Tang to flee. Huang proclaimed himself the Qi emperor, but he was defeated by the Tang army led by the Shatuo chieftain Li Keyong in 883 and forced to desert Chang’an.