You should watch this film if not for the eye candy and
colors alone. Curse of the Golden Flower is directed by
acclaimed director Zhang Yi Mo. He is sort of the Chinese
version of Steven Spielberg you could say. He's made
many many films in his life time and in his last couple
of films, his style has definitely changed to become more
artistic and has put huge emphasis on color and imagery.
The film stars Gong Li and Chow Yun Fat. Two heavy
weights in the Chinese film industry. Gong Li was in fact
made famous by director Zhang Yi Mo. Gong Li may not
be the most beautiful woman to live, but she certainly
has presence like no other. Simply by entering a room,
she can command it. I love watching her films.
The whole movie is a showcase of fashion and interiors!
The photo above and the few below showcase one of the main
hallways in the film. It is a "sick" display of beautiful hand
carved panels and woodwork. I've never seen anything like it.
Through clever use of lighting, the same exact hallway
can change into different colors altogether. What was
originally the bright red hallway above is now Green.
A beautiful shade of peacock blue.
And red again. Simply amazing.
Another element that there was an obvious focus on
were the costumes. The scene here shows maids
dressing each other.
And the finished costume. I will note that in no way were
any Chinese ladies allowed to wear bare shouldered gowns
in any time period in history. However, for a modern
rendition of an old story - the colors and attention to detail
are simply amazing.
Another look at those gorgeous gowns.
I just couldn't stop staring at those colorful panels!
This is a close up of those beautifully carved panels.
I wonder how they made the panels translucent to
let in light.
Get a load of that hair do!
And this brings new meaning to the
phrase "Red Carpet Treatment."
A night time peak at the same red carpet.
At the end of the red carpet is a
staircase that leads into the palace.
A great still of a Chinese room with traditional
furnishings and architectural elements.
Her head dresses are simply amazing.
This makes the word "decadent" pale in comparison.
Especially when you realize just how large this square is
and they somehow managed to cover every square inch
of it. All I can do is look in awe. No words can describe it.
has beaten me to it. Definitely stop over at her blog to see her post
because she has a different take on the movie and has shared some
really interesting pieces of Chinese history as well.
If some of you are interested in Zhang Yi Mo's other beautiful
films, I would also recommend "Hero" which is also beautifully
filmed filmed. Beautiful in Color and Beautiful in Scenery
with some of the most amazing scenes in China.
All photos from Sony Pictures and taken by Ms. Bai Xiaoyan.
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