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[peony pavilion] by william chan
-- hong kong / 2000 / 120 mins
-- director : yon fan
-- screenplay : yon fan
-- starring : joey wang, rie miyazawa, daniel wu
-- certificate : IIb(hk)

  • Peony Pavilion is one of the opening films of the 25th Hong Kong International Film Festival, the movie boldly forays into the ancient aesthetics of Kunqu-opera, a traditional performing art of China originating from Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, which requires exquisite singings and presentations. The movie used Kunqu melody to depict the affluent family, polygamy marriage and women's fates about the dubious friendship between a concubine and a female cousin in the family in the traditional Chinese society.

    The story happened in the earlier twentieth centuries, a rich family at Suzhou, China. A famous female Kunqu opera singer married in it as a concubine (the fifth wife). Although she had a daughter and a good living, the marriage didn't give her fortune and happiness, she was so lonesome and boring. She started to lead decadent life with opium and lost. She met a female cousin in the family and developed a dubious relationship with her. She left the "affluent family" and started her new life with the cousin and her daughter, it changed her life in passion and meaningful. But everything was changed when that cousin fell in love with a man, it brought her into a lost world with complex-feelings?

    I highly recommend this movie, despite suffering a fall in family fortune, keeping their luxurious living by selling patrimonies, the joy and sweet in love as well as pains and hatefulness in a dubious relationship between women. The beautiful shots in a world-heritage classic garden - "The Humble Administrator's Garden" gave a visual and aesthetic treat. The art direction and cinematography of the film were nothing less than perfect.

    William Chan, April 25, 2000
    • rating (by william chan)
    direction 7.5
    script
    8.0
    acting 8.0
    cinematography 9.0
    music 7.5
    originality 8.0
    overall 8.0
    8.0 / 10
    l i n k s