TEMPTRESS MOON
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.0 Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
China, 1996 U.S. Release Date: 6/20/97 (limited) Running Length: 1:55 MPAA Classification: R (Sex, mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Leslie Cheung, Gong Li, Kevin Lin, He Saifei, Zhang Shi, Lin Lianqun, Ge Xiangting, Zhou Jie Director: Chen Kaige Producers: Hsu Feng, Tong Cunlin Screenplay: Shu Kei, based on the story by Chen Kaige and Wang Anyi Cinematography: Christopher Doyle Music: Zhao Jiping U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films In Chinese with subtitles
FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE, director Chen Kaige's 1992 epic drama, told a tale about sex and friendship against a turbulent political backdrop. TEMPTRESS MOON, the film maker's 1996 followup (which premiered with much hoopla at that year's Cannes Film Festival) has similar intentions, but less successful results. Rather than existing as a deeply-moving exploration of characters and relationships, TEMPTRESS MOON plunges into a sudsy, melodramatic formula that it never quite manages to escape from. The film boasts many interesting elements, but, in comparison to CONCUBINE, it's a disappointing effort.
TEMPTRESS MOON opens on the Pang estate in 1911 rural China, following a lengthy opening scroll (in English) which describes the current political situation. We are introduced to the three main characters -- Zhongliang, Ruyi, and Duanwu -- as children, before the film skips forward in time to the 1920s. In Shanghai, we encounter an older Zhongliang (played by Leslie Cheung), who is now in the employ of one of the city's many criminal bosses. Zhongliang's specialty is blackmail -- he sleeps with a wealthy woman, then threatens to go to her husband if she doesn't pay up. He's very good at his job, and the boss treats him like a son.
Meanwhile, on the Pang estate, the opium-addicted Ruyi (Gong Li) has taken command following an unfortunate "accident" in which her older brother smoked arsenic instead of his usual poison. Ruyi's cousin, Duanwu (Kevin Lin), acts as her personal servant, kowtowing to her every whim. When Zhongliang arrives from Shanghai, sent to seduce Ruyi so the boss can gain her wealth, he becomes embroiled in a more intense relationship than he anticipated. Ruyi's passionate reaction to his advances discomfits the gangster and his cold-hearted composure is shaken.
Chen's story is interesting, but not ground-breaking, and it lacks the multi-layered depth of his previous effort. At its heart, TEMPTRESS MOON is about the war between the sexes at a time when women's equality was a phrase rarely uttered within China's borders. The triangle formed by the three main characters is constantly being reshaped as the balance of power shifts from Zhongliang to Ruyi to Duanwu, with sex being the most tangible arena where victory is clarified. It's fascinating to watch the intricate dance that these three go through as they fight to emerge unscathed, and to recognize that love not only complicates the battle, but raises the stakes.
The political climate of the 1920s serves as the film's background rather than an integral part of the proceedings -- the story could have been moved forward or backward in time without many changes. However, since the period details are among TEMPTRESS MOON's strengths, such an adjustment would have deprived audiences of some impressive visual elements. Chen's 1920s atmosphere is strongest at a train station and on city streets, but its influence pervades the entire picture. Regardless of its other flaws, this, like many Chinese motion pictures, is visually sumptuous.
The acting of the leads is nearly flawless. Gong Li and Leslie Cheung (both of whom appeared in Chen's FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE) generate a powerful chemistry. Many of their scenes sizzle and one in particular -- a confrontation in Shanghai when Ruyi demands to know if Zhongliang loves her -- is charged with emotional power. Kevin Lin is equally good in a role that demands more subtlety. Duanwu's participation in the war of the sexes is less obvious than that of the other two, but critical to the outcome.
TEMPTRESS MOON requires concentration, especially at the beginning, because, as scenes change and the story makes occasionally-jarring chronological jumps, it's easy to lose track of who the characters are and how they relate to each other. Miramax has attempted to ease the burden by supplying descriptive subtitles, but it's only a minor aid. Anyone who becomes lost early during TEMPTRESS MOON will have a difficult and frustrating time playing catch-up.
It's curious that the two latest Chinese films to feature gangsters (this and Zhang Yimou's SHANGHAI TRIAD) are among the weakest recent cinematic exports from those shores. Perhaps the film makers are so concerned with capturing the mystique of the era that they lose sight of the deeper thematic and plot-related elements that have made movies like FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE and RAISE THE RED LANTERN modern classics. But, although TEMPTRESS MOON falls short of the lofty perch upon which those pictures reside, there's still something compelling about the rhythm of this film, and the ending has its own brand of power. TEMPTRESS MOON is a flawed motion picture, but still makes for worthwhile viewing.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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