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Product Description From the director of Hero and House of Flying Daggers comes the martial arts epic masterpiece. Starring Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li, Curse of the Golden Flower reveals a dazzling and spectacular world that will change the way you think of martial arts forever. Amazon.com Curse of the Golden Flower, a fictionalized historical glimpse into the brutally complicated politics of Emperor Ping's (Chow Yun Fat) reign during the Tang Dynasty, shows the viewer just how far a megalomaniac must go to gain and retain power in medieval China. Lavish sets, massive ceremonial displays, and perversely fascinating battle scenes impress similarly to the special effects Americans have come to love and expect from Chinese action films like Zhang Yimou's previous House of Flying Daggers and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. An intricate plot involving the Emperor's wife, Empress Phoenix (Gong Li) and their three sons, Crown Prince Xiang, Prince Jie, and Prince Cheng, most closely follows the Empress's secret plan to force abdication upon her corrupt husband as revenge for his slowly poisoning her with Black Fungus tea. Opening on the eve of the Chysanthemum Festival, 928 A.D., the Empress obsessively embroiders gold chysanthemums to adorn her army's uniforms while hatching plans with Jai to overthrow the Crown Prince for control of the throne. Meanwhile, a side plot develops as the Emperor's ex-wife and mother to Crown Prince Yu reemerges as Yu's lover. By the time the Festival occurs, family members are pitted against each other in a King Lear-ian web of lies that can only result in demise. The most sophisticated narrative aspect of Curse of the Golden Flower is that as the royal family crumbles, the Emperor's death grip on China remains unwavering. Gorgeous scenes set in the palace and costume design displaying China's upper class decadence cannot fail to entertain. The paradox between good and evil, here, is highlighted by how the Emperor successfully rules despite, and because of, his utter cruelty. --Trinie Dalton

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A breathtakingly intimate romance unfolds against a sweeping backdrop of social upheaval in renowned director Chen Kaige’s sumptuous saga of passion, fate, and the transcendent possibilities of art. Spanning fifty years of twentieth-century Chinese history, Farewell My Concubine follows aspiring actors Cheng Dieyi (a heartbreaking Leslie Cheung) and Duan Xiaolou (Zhang Fengyi) as they emerge from a childhood of brutal training to become Beijing-opera stars, with life mirroring art as Dieyi’s unrequited love for Xiaolou and the country’s changing political tides engulf them in their own personal tragedies of jealousy and betrayal. The first Chinese film to win the Palme d’Or is epic filmmaking of the highest order—visually and emotionally ravishing from frame to exquisite frame. 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New 4K digital restoration of the original director’s cut, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features New conversation between Chinese cultural studies scholar Michael Berry and film producer Janet Yang Documentary from 2003 on the making of the film Interview from 1993 with director Chen Kaige conducted by journalist Charlie Rose Trailer New English subtitle translation PLUS: An essay by author and scholar Pauline Chen Top About this item Similar From the Brand Reviews Farewell My Concubine (The Criterion Collection) [4K UHD]

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A breathtakingly intimate romance unfolds against a sweeping backdrop of social upheaval in renowned director Chen Kaige’s sumptuous saga of passion, fate, and the transcendent possibilities of art. Spanning fifty years of twentieth-century Chinese history, Farewell My Concubine follows aspiring actors Cheng Dieyi (a heartbreaking Leslie Cheung) and Duan Xiaolou (Zhang Fengyi) as they emerge from a childhood of brutal training to become Beijing-opera stars, with life mirroring art as Dieyi’s unrequited love for Xiaolou and the country’s changing political tides engulf them in their own personal tragedies of jealousy and betrayal. The first Chinese film to win the Palme d’Or is epic filmmaking of the highest order—visually and emotionally ravishing from frame to exquisite frame. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New 4K digital restoration of the original director’s cut, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack New conversation between Chinese cultural studies scholar Michael Berry and film producer Janet Yang Documentary from 2003 on the making of the film Interview from 1993 with director Chen Kaige conducted by journalist Charlie Rose Trailer New English subtitle translation PLUS: An essay by author and scholar Pauline Chen

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Young Hannibal Lecter's wartime trauma and thirst for revenge shape his transformation into a cultured killer.

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*This listing is for the standard edition version and does NOT come with a limited edition slipcase!* The film that put director Zhang Yimou and star Gong Li on the international cinema map follows beautiful young Ju Dou as she is married off to an egregiously cruel, and also impotent, owner of a dye mill in the Chinese countryside in the early 20th century. When the boss’ nephew arrives on the scene they fall for each other with lustful abandon. Their impassioned affair soon leads to a son. After the clandestine couple convinces the despotic husband that he is the father, the boy is raised as his long-awaited heir. However the myriad complications of infidelity lead to a visceral and psychological melee between the lovers and their ruler with explosively dramatic turns. With its stunning mise en scène and sumptuous use of color, JU DOU was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards® and has earned a reputation as one of the greatest Chinese films ever made. Bonus Features: 1. Commentary by film critics James Marsh and Pierce Conran 2. Video essay by USC Professor Kin Tak Raymond Tsang 3. Contemporary Chinese Voices on Ju Dou video discussion

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A Cinderella story set in a mysterious and exotic world, this stunning romantic epic shows how a house servant blossoms, against all odds, to become the most captivating geisha of her day.

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A Cinderella story set in a mysterious and exotic world, this stunning romantic epic shows how a house servant blossoms, against all odds, to become the most captivating geisha of her day.

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Two undercover Miami detectives infiltrate a violent international drug operation, blurring the line between duty and identity.

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Sun Wukong, (The Monkey King) is a monkey born a heavenly stone who acquires supernatural powers. After rebelling against heaven and being imprisoned under a mountain for 500 years, he ater accompanies the monk Xuanzang on a journey to India. Thus, according to legend, Buddhism is brought to ancient China. This much beloved story, is as much a part of Asian culture as The Iliad nd The Odyssey or The Wizard of Oz are to the West. This first installment in a trilogy of live action 3-D movies is actually a prequel to The Journey To The West, the much told story of the Monkey Kings adventures on the road to India.

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A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a warrior in order to save her father. A live-action feature film based on Disney's MULAN. (temp)

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A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a warrior in order to save her father. A live-action feature film based on Disney's MULAN. (temp)

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*This listing is for the standard edition version and does NOT come with a limited edition slipcase!* Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee SHANGHAI TRIAD is a thrilling and sumptuously stylized potboiler about the Chinese criminal underworld of the 1930's from legendary director Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, House of Flying Daggers). Hired to be a servant to pampered nightclub singer and mob moll Xiao Jinbao (Gong Li, Ju Dou, Farewell My Concubine), naive teenager Shuisheng (Wang Xiaoxiao) is thrust into the glamorous and deadly demimonde of Shanghai’s crime syndicates. Over the course of seven days, Shuisheng observes mounting tensions as triad boss Tang begins to suspect traitors amongst his ranks and rivals for Xiao Jinbao’s affections. Zhang’s inventive take on the gangster film is “assured and attention-grabbing” (Variety) and Gong’s central performance, “a portrait of a capricious and indulgent woman who gains depth as we watch her -- is one of her finest” (Chicago Tribune). Bonus Features: 1. Trouble in Shanghai video essay by author Grady Hendrix 2. Booklet with new essay by film critic and lecturer John Berra