Purple Butterfly

• Played by emerging Chinese superstar Zhang Ziyi as a young Chinese woman in love with Itami (Toru Nakamura), a Japanese man about to be sent home for military service. Devastated, she moves back to Shanghai only to witness the death of her elder brother during an attack by the Japanese extreme right then, changes her name to Ding Hui and joins a secret resistance group code-named Purple Butterfly.

(Action) A cross between Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Tarantino’s Kill Bill, scheming royals and other officials attempt to consolidate power in a empire in chaos. Packed with deadly plots, sweeping camerawork, and elaborate fight choreography.Tackling William Shakespeare's Hamlet, director Xiaogang Feng presents a unique take on the bard's famous play with the action drama Legend of the Black Scorpion, which is beautifully filmed and well acted. Ziyi Zhang stars as Empress Wan, a co! nniving woman whose beauty is equaled by her taste for power. She lustfully longs for her stepson Wu Lan (Daniel Wu). But when the Emperor dies, it is Wu Lan's younger brother who ascends to the throne, setting off a chain of events that are tragic. Though the story is familiar, the presentation is anything but; just as Hamlet captivated readers with its tale of lust, greed, and betrayal, Legend of the Black Scorpion draws viewers in with a story that is both fascinating and repulsive, but shot so beautifully that the eyes are drawn to the screen. Legendary fight choreographer Woo-ping Yuen (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the Matrix trilogy) orchestrates some beautifully fierce aerial battles that while no longer novel are still thrilling to watch. We are used to seeing Zhang in the wide-eyed ingénue roles. As the cold-hearted matriarch, she more than proves her abilities as an actress who is ready to move onto meatier roles that aren't driven ! by her beauty. --Jae-Ha KimThe story of a man's parents! ' courts hip unfolds when he comes home to bury his father.
Genre: Foreign Film - Chinese
Rating: G
Release Date: 27-NOV-2001
Media Type: DVDAt the start of the most recent film from Chinese director Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, Ju Dou, Shanghai Triad), a young man returns to his native village after the death of his father, the village's schoolteacher, who died while trying to raise money for a new schoolhouse. His body is in a neighboring town; the young man's mother insists that it be brought back on foot, lest his spirit not find his way home. From this starting point, the young man recounts the tale of his parents' courtship, which involved a red banner, mushroom dumplings, a colorful barrette, and a broken bowl. The Road Home is beautifully filmed, particularly the luminous face of Zhang Ziyi (from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), whose performance is a heartrending portrait of hope and yearning. ! A simple but deeply emotional film. --Bret FetzerCynthia is a young Chinese woman in love with Itami, a Japanese man about to be sent home for military service. A devastated Cynthia moves back to Shanghai only to witness the death of her elder brother during an attack by the Japanese extreme right. She changes her name and joins a secret resistance group code named Purple Butterfly the same group that years later will plot to assassinate ItamiZhang Ziyi looks as beautiful as ever in Purple Butterfly, a film that takes her out of the martial-arts world of Hero and House of Flying Daggers. She plays a member of Purple Butterfly, an underground resistance group fighting against the Japanese aggression in early-1930s China. The movie's central dilemma comes when her ex-lover, a Japanese agent (Toru Nakamura), returns to Shanghai and is earmarked for assassination by Purple Butterfly. This compelling-sounding set-up is frustratingly unfulfilled, as ! director Ye Lou (Shuzou River) opts for an opaque brand! of stor ytelling, in which chronology is jumbled and drama short-circuited. The film looks gorgeous, but it is close to impossible to understand what is going on at any given moment. If handsome images and dreamlike editing are enough, the movie might work for a very select group of patient viewers and Zhang Ziyi fanatics. --Robert Horton