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Review by
Calvin
McMillin: |
Some movies provoke instant
reactions of "I loved it!" or "I hated it!"
Other films fall into the "It was okay, I guess"
category. And just a few leave viewers scratching their
heads at what they just saw. Sometimes this occurs because
the plot is so complicated that a massive amount of information
needs to be processed before gaining a full appreciation
of the film. Other times, the material is just so "out
there" that one isn't quite sure what to think about
the movie once it's over.
And on some rare occasions, an
otherwise normal film has something about it that is just
a little bit off. Which brings me to The Kingdom and
the Beauty, a lovingly restored film from the Shaw Brothers
vaults that seems like a pretty straightforward romantic
comedy from the get-go, but has a few jarring twists and
turns along the way to leave the viewer questioning just
how he or she is supposed to feel about the film when it's
over.
Set during the Ming Dynasty,
The Kingdom and the Beauty tells the story of a bored-to-tears
Emperor (Zhao Lei), who decides to take a little vacation
from his regal duties. His destination is Kiang Nan, a village
that according to legend lays claim to the most beautiful
women in all of the Middle Kingdom. Upon learning that one
of his imperial guards will be heading home to Kiang Nan
for a visit, the Emperor decides to tag along, much to the
consternation of his royal advisers.
Once there, the Emperor
happens upon a parade in celebration of the spring season
and glimpses the film's title beauty (Linda Lin Dai). They
smile at each other, and an obvious attraction is sparked
between the handsome couple-to-be. After happening upon
his beloved in the forest and playing a game with her friends,
the Emperor then tracks his newfound love to a local wine
shop. He learns that her name is Li Feng, an oh-so-innocent
waitress working for her stern brother.
Li Feng welcomes the newcomer,
but her friend Tai Niu (a surprising early acting turn by
famed director King Hu) does not. Though Tai Niu is essentially
the comic sidekick, it's not hard to imagine that he pines
for Li Feng too, albeit offscreen. In any case, Tai Niu
can do nothing as a romance blossoms between the Emperor
and Li Feng. Flirtations ensue, love is declared through
song, and as expected, the two eventually end up in bed
together. But the next morning, the happy couple is shocked
to find the Queen Mother's men outside the window with a
decree: it seems our royal protagonist cannot have both
the kingdom and the beauty.
Now if you're anything like
me—I've seen a number of films with vaguely similar
plotlines, remember what happened in the recent Hong Kong
hit Chinese Odyssey 2002, and have very little background
on what The Kingdom and the Beauty is all about—you'd
probably suspect that something like the following scenario
would occur. At first, the Emperor will bow to his mother's
wishes, and abandon his beloved for his imperial duty. However,
after realizing how deep his love is for Li Feng, he will
risk his crown for her in a stunning declaration of love
that wows not only the Queen Mother, but the all those subjects
living under his rule. Once he has asserted his authoritative
power, the Emperor decrees that he will marry whomever he
wishes, and the couple will live happily ever after. The
End.
The above, my friends, does
not happen. Not even close. Whether this turn of events
is a good or bad thing is debatable. The film begins, as
related earlier, as a standard romantic comedy. The Emperor
initially seems like a swell guy, but even before his seduction
of Li Feng, his once charming smile slowly turns creepy.
This is a man who has power and is not accustomed to hearing
"no." This brings us to the bedroom seduction
scene. By contemporary standards, what they do is not sex—it's
rape. Some may want to split hairs about what was appropriate
for that time, but no matter how one tries to justify it,
the scene still seems more than a little disturbing.
And that scene is only the tip
of the iceberg in terms of the slightly off-kilter developments
that begin popping up at the film's halfway mark. First
of all, the consequences of the Emperor and Li Feng's tryst
can be guessed by anyone remotely familiar with the content
of your average afterschool special. But that's not all,
folks! Not only does the Emperor run home to mommy and abandon
his new love, but guess what? He FORGETS Li Feng! Just forgets
her! For three years, the poor girl pines away, bears the
insults of people in the neighborhood, and becomes the Hester
Prynne of Kiang Nan, while Mr. Smooth Operator spends his
free time with a bevy of high-priced floozies!
At this point, the viewer
may cease to wonder, "Will the Emperor see the error
of his ways and jettison his harem of beauties for the lovely
Li Feng?" and instead think, "When will the plucky
Tai Niu take up the sword and shed some royal blood?"
I half expected him to form a posse of warriors and storm
the palace, but to the filmmakers' credit, Tai Niu's solution
to the problem is infinitely more clever, safe, and of course
suited to the film's musical origins.
And perhaps that is part of
what makes the film so disorienting: the contrast between
the catchy, upbeat songs sung by Linda Lin Dai, and the
film's increasingly downbeat content. And if you think for
one second that everything's going to turn out all for the
best for Li Feng, you're are in for a quite shock. Sure,
the film subverts one's expectations, and totally disposes
of formulaic constraints, but one can't help but feel a
little frustrated by the proceedings. Ultimately, Kingdom
and the Beauty is an excellent film that is definitely
worth seeing, but some viewers might wonder once it's all
over, "Is this what I came for?" (Calvin McMillin 2003) |
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