Curse of the Golden Flower

‘Curse of the Golden Flower’

I’m a sucker for Gong Li. This is a fabulous film. It’s the most expensive film the Chinese have made to date. Chinese cinema grows and grows. Not sure how much of this is CGI but the crowd scenes and the photography around the palace is incredible. It’s a good story with the usual necessity for ninja fight scenes and some swordplay but not enough to detract from the beauty of the costumes or the makeup. How they keep themselves tucked into their tops is a complete mystery to me. Chinese Sellotape must be really something. I also loved the court officials who have to go around telling the time and announcing the arrival of everybody to everywhere. A definite ***** from the Bontbusters Review Team. This is an excellent one for the ‘Big Screen’.

Full review at http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2007/04/09/curse_of_the_golden_flower_2007_review.shtml