The Chinese Film Curse of the Golden Flower (2007) is featured during International Film Series at MiraCosta College. Curse of the Golden Flower (simplified Chinese: 满城尽带黄金甲; traditional Chinese: 滿城盡帶黃金甲; pinyin: Mǎnch?ng J?nd?i Hu?ngjīnjiǎ), also known literally as When Golden Armor Covers the Entire City, is an Academy Award-nominated 2006 Chinese historical epic drama film directed by Zhang Yimou.
The movie is based on Cao Yu's 1934 play Thunderstorm, but is set in the imperial court of the Later Tang Dynasty, which was during the turbulent Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. Emperor Ping is a man of humble origins and strong ambition, having risen to the throne from the lowly rank of captain. He abandoned his first wife to marry the Princess of Liang, who is now his Empress Phoenix. The Emperor does not love his second wife or her often sour mood; he blames the latter on an illness, for which he has forced her to take medicine of his own concoction every two hours for the past ten years. Empress Phoenix has been outwardly obedient throughout the marriage and her husband's treatment, but has grown suspicious of the medicine in the recent span of ten days. Her submissiveness also conceals the fact that she and Crown Prince Wan, the Emperor's son from his previous wife, have engaged in an illicit affair for three years. The status quo is broken, however, when Wan reveals to the Empress his guilt about the affair and then ends it against her wishes. Part of his motivation is a second secret relationship, held with Jiang Chan the daughter of the Imperial Doctor. Wan's overriding desire is to escape the palace, which he has never left, and thereby see the outside world with Chan.
Friday, November 30.
Film shows at 1:00 PM in room 201 at MiraCosta's San Elijo campus (3333 Manchester Avenue) and later at 7:00 PM in room 3601 on campus at One Barnard Drive.
In Chinese with English subtitles.
Admission: Free
For more information please call: 760-795-6612
The movie is based on Cao Yu's 1934 play Thunderstorm, but is set in the imperial court of the Later Tang Dynasty, which was during the turbulent Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. Emperor Ping is a man of humble origins and strong ambition, having risen to the throne from the lowly rank of captain. He abandoned his first wife to marry the Princess of Liang, who is now his Empress Phoenix. The Emperor does not love his second wife or her often sour mood; he blames the latter on an illness, for which he has forced her to take medicine of his own concoction every two hours for the past ten years. Empress Phoenix has been outwardly obedient throughout the marriage and her husband's treatment, but has grown suspicious of the medicine in the recent span of ten days. Her submissiveness also conceals the fact that she and Crown Prince Wan, the Emperor's son from his previous wife, have engaged in an illicit affair for three years. The status quo is broken, however, when Wan reveals to the Empress his guilt about the affair and then ends it against her wishes. Part of his motivation is a second secret relationship, held with Jiang Chan the daughter of the Imperial Doctor. Wan's overriding desire is to escape the palace, which he has never left, and thereby see the outside world with Chan.
Friday, November 30.
Film shows at 1:00 PM in room 201 at MiraCosta's San Elijo campus (3333 Manchester Avenue) and later at 7:00 PM in room 3601 on campus at One Barnard Drive.
In Chinese with English subtitles.
Admission: Free
For more information please call: 760-795-6612
