Kam
07-13-2008, 04:54 PM
I picked this up from a recommendation from a friend who knows I'm a big shakespeare fan. They hadn't told me it was an adaptation and as I was watching it, it quickly dawned on me that this was a rather beautiful adaptation of Hamlet. It should have hit me given the opening scrawl of information of the goings-on with the king, his brother, wife, and son. But... sometimes I can be dense.
There is a few little twists in it that serve to make it it's own story and a well done 'adaptation' rather than just another retelling of Hamlet. It's beautiful in it's own tragedy that differs ever so slightly from the ending of Hamlet, but makes it all the more beautiful for it. The last 2 minutes, if anyone has seen it or after seeing it, i would LOVE to hear your thoughts on, as I'm not sure if I understood it, but dalmations if it still wasn't moving!
The cinematography is beautiful with the backdrop of historical china serving as another gorgeous canvas. Zhang Ziyi (of crouching tiger fame) is the beautiful young Empress and Xun Zhou plays the loosely based Ophelia role (that Ophelia role is halfway split between the Empress and Xun is done perfectly!) so wonderfully that i've just added a bunch of her movies onto my "To See" list and will hopefully report back soon.
The fight choreography is by Yuen Wo Ping (yep, THAT guy from the matrix and everything else with wires) and the fluid fights are pure dances of death and sensuality in certain sequences.
So if you can't tell by now, this get's a Highly Highly Highly Recommended from me!! Go out and rent it asap!
peace
k2
EDIT:
TItles aka: (2006)
The Legend of the Black Scorpion
Ye Yan
There is a few little twists in it that serve to make it it's own story and a well done 'adaptation' rather than just another retelling of Hamlet. It's beautiful in it's own tragedy that differs ever so slightly from the ending of Hamlet, but makes it all the more beautiful for it. The last 2 minutes, if anyone has seen it or after seeing it, i would LOVE to hear your thoughts on, as I'm not sure if I understood it, but dalmations if it still wasn't moving!
The cinematography is beautiful with the backdrop of historical china serving as another gorgeous canvas. Zhang Ziyi (of crouching tiger fame) is the beautiful young Empress and Xun Zhou plays the loosely based Ophelia role (that Ophelia role is halfway split between the Empress and Xun is done perfectly!) so wonderfully that i've just added a bunch of her movies onto my "To See" list and will hopefully report back soon.
The fight choreography is by Yuen Wo Ping (yep, THAT guy from the matrix and everything else with wires) and the fluid fights are pure dances of death and sensuality in certain sequences.
So if you can't tell by now, this get's a Highly Highly Highly Recommended from me!! Go out and rent it asap!
peace
k2
EDIT:
TItles aka: (2006)
The Legend of the Black Scorpion
Ye Yan