Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia (2006)

Director:

Yimou Zhang

Writers:

Yu Cao (play)
Yimou Zhang (writer)

Release Date:

12 January 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Unspeakable secrets are hidden within the Forbidden City.

Plot:

During China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.

Plot Keywords:

Calligraphy | Madness | Emperor | Power | Crown Prince

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 7 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

Yun-Fat Chow	...	Emperor Ping
Li Gong	...	Empress Phoenix
Jay Chou	...	Prince Jai
Ye Liu	...	Crown Prince Wan
Dahong Ni	...	Imperial Physician Jiang
Junjie Qin	...	Prince Yu
Man Li	...	Jiang Chan
Jin Chen	...	Mrs. Jiang

Also Known As:

Autumn Remembrance (Hong Kong: English title) (working title)
Curse of the Golden Flower (International: English title)
The City of Golden Armor (Hong Kong: English title) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence.

Runtime:

Hong Kong:111 min | USA:114 min | Argentina:114 min

Country:

Hong Kong | China

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:12 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Norway:15 | Ireland:15A | Brazil:14 | Netherlands:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Malaysia:U | USA:R | Australia:M | Spain:18 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Sweden:11 | UK:15 (cut) | South Korea:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

China

Company:

Beijing New Picture Film Co.

Trivia:

The largest set ever built for a movie in China.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The title screen says the story takes place in the T'ang dynasty, more precisely in 928 ad. The T'ang dynasty, however, ended in 907 ad.

Quotes:

Prince Jai: [upon discovering the Black Fungus] Mother was taken ill yesterday. Was it because of this?
Empress Phoenix: [nods head]
Prince Jai: Why is Father doing this to you?
Empress Phoenix: Jai, after the Chrysanthemum Festival, I shall tell you the whole truth.
[turns away]
Empress Phoenix: Each day, in front of your father, I have to feign ignorance. Every two hours, I swallow this poison without protest. Nobody knows what is happening. I shall die exactly as your father intends. A half-wit. But I refuse to submit without a fight. On the night of the Festival, I shall put an end to all this.
Prince Jai: Do my brothers know?
Empress Phoenix: No.
Prince Jai: If I had not returned, would Mother have gone ahead?
Empress Phoenix: Yes.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Go' morgen Danmark: (2007-08-31)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Juhua Tai

The Masterpiece of 2006

Zhang Yimou's latest film will not be liked by everyone. Many will claim that this is another copy of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". That is a shame because this movie is a true masterpiece equaling "Hero", "Red Sorghum" and "Raise the Red Lantern". Although there are martial arts sequences, this is not a martial arts film at its heart. Rather, it is a historical grand opera epic. In addition to great sight and sound, "Curse of the Golden Flower" boasts great performances by Chow Yun Fat, Gong Li and Liu Ye. Even, Jay Chou is surprisingly good. The movie works in so many levels and has a frantic pace that is unlike anything out there at this time. It is somewhat melodramatic, but also grandly tragic. This is what grand opera is all about. This is cinema at its best. This film will not break any box office record (in the US anyway). This film will not win many critics awards or Oscars. However, in years to come, this will be remembered as the Masterpiece of 2006.