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Available at Amazon.com |
In the past, it seemed that Asian cinema adaptations of Shakespeare plays were the sole province of Japanese filmmakers, most notably Director Akira Kurosawa. Perhaps no filmmaker worldwide save for Lawrence Olivier actually had more success adapting the Bard’s works to the big screen, with films such as Throne of Blood and Ran showing just how universal and powerful stories like Macbeth and King Lear could truly be, even in an Asian setting with no iambic pentameter in earshot. Now, following in Kurosawa’s footsteps is Chinese director Xiaogang Feng, as he tries his hand at the famous playwright’s work with Legend of the Black Scorpion, a loose revision of Hamlet, again showing just how powerful the Bard’s work can be, even without it’s original setting or language.
Pound for pound, the Danish tragedy has probably seen more screen versions than any of Shakespeare’s works, from the accurately set but truncated film starring Mel Gibson, to Olivier’s award winning adaptation, to the Elizabethan version that runs nearly four hours directed and starring Kenneth Brannaugh. Even Kurosawa tried his hand at the story with The Bad Sleep Well, a brilliant picture which moved the setting to a 1960s Japanese boardroom. Now Director Feng moves the play to Ancient China, where the core of the story still resonates soundly, while a few changes add flavor to the movie.
As always, the country’s noble king has been murdered in his sleep, and the only person who suspects treachery is king’s son. This time the son is Prince Wu Luan (Daniel Wu) learns of his father’s death while he is on a sabbatical, as he educates himself in various arts of poetry and acting. The Prince’s uncle (You Ge) has taken control of the kingdom and plans to marry the Empress (Ziyi Zhang). Wu Luan sets plots in motion to take revenge for his father, resulting in the story’s legendary tragedy. As you can see, the backbone of the plot still exists, but what I liked about this version were some of the new wrinkles put in by filmmakers.
For instance, the Hamlet/Mother relationship is changed dramatically by simply making the Zhang’s Empress the stepmother to Prince Wu Luan. In this version, the two have a past and a growing sexual tension that seems to swell further and further throughout the film. This relationship is complicated even further by Qing Nu (Xun Zhou), the Ophelia character, who has an open rivalry with Empress Wan for the Prince’s affections. It’s little differences like this, aside from just the setting, that set this version apart from all others I’ve seen.
Still, the film is far from perfect, shouldering some major flaws. Unlike many of the modern martial arts epics, such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or House of Flying Daggers, Black Scorpion seems to keep you at a distance. Even lacking the close, personal struggles apparent in other Hamlet adaptations, like the Franco Zeffirelli version, Director Xiaogang Feng’s film is hurt further because the story is so familiar that the movie has difficulty holding dramatic surprises for its audience. Oftentimes, a film based on the works of Shakespeare benefits from showy, over-the-top performances, but here it keeps you from connecting with the characters because you have no way to relate to them.
Make no mistake though, there is still much to love here. The film’s production design is beautiful to the point of being ludicrous. The opening sequence shows an amphitheater that Wu Luan is training at, a structure that resembles both ancient Greek and Chinese architectural themes. The Imperial palace is a structure of dark, wondrous colors, and huge open spaces, displaying opulence that even outshines the work done in Zhang Yimou’s Curse of the Golden Flower.
The design work ends up going hand in hand with the cinematography of Li Zhang, who gives Legend of the Black Scorpion an epic scope matching the grandeur of the rest of the film. We get gorgeous shots of the inner palace, moving from one level of the castle to the next, and then to gigantic throne rooms that you would expect from decadent imperial monarchs. Brilliantly, even with these stunning settings, Zhang fills with shots with shadow and what seems to be a lot of natural light, which adds a dark mood to the film that it would not have otherwise.
Also quite impressive is the work done on the film’s costumes. Imperial guards look like a cross between Nordic warriors, Japanese Samurais, and the Ringwraiths from Lord of the Rings. Poets and stage actors in the film wear masks resembling performers in a Greek tragedy, yet never feel out of place in the Asian setting. Imperial robes flow with unbelievable color and eye piercing beauty. All of these add to the overall theatrical aesthetic of the movie, without making it look like a fantasy picture. Each costume looks somewhat grounded in reality, but mixes in other cultures to make something your eye has never seen before.
Finally, there is the choreography of Yuen Woo-Ping. While the movie does not have any of the hard-hitting, bone-crunching action of Woo-Ping’s more brutal kung-fu offerings, such as Fist of Legend, Kill Bill, or The Matrix, this is as graceful as I’ve ever seen his choreography in a movie. Reminding me of the dream-like fight sequences of Hero, the kung fu of Black Scorpion is fluid and dance-like, and often shot in slow motion in order to savor the beauty of the sequences.
In total, Legend of the Black Scorpion is in no way a bad movie. Its visuals are second to none, and even though it doesn’t completely connect with the audience, the film’s story is one of the most dramatic and tragic of all time. If only the movie had been able to bring real humanity, we would be looking at true greatness, instead of just a really good movie.
For most of the way, the print on this disc is quite beautiful, with luscious colors that help to accentuate Li Zhang’s exquisite photography. Then in the last part of the film, there are these white flecks that seem to get more and more frequent all the way until the film’s ending. It’s very distracting, and I fail to see the reason for such flaws on a new film. The audio on the film is much better, as the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is a gorgeous showcase for Tan Dun’s amazing score.
Commentary by Hong Kong Film Expert Bey Logan – I wish all commentaries were this entertaining and enlightening on a film. Logan is nearly non-stop on this track, packing the movie with info on actors and extras, with terrific anecdotes and trivia the entire running time of the movie. I would pay particular attention to his commentary during the film’s ending, which if you’re not paying attention could come off as very confusing.
Master of Ceremonies: An Exclusive Interview with Director Feng Xiaogang – This is a twenty-minute interview with the film’s director who goes into great detail about his passion for this project. The director wanted this tale to be as original as possible, despite using such a storied tale, and on many levels he was able to achieve that.
Warrior Prince: An Exclusive Interview with Leading Man Daniel Wu – Wu’s excitement about working on this film and working with legendary choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping is really evident here, and you can see how devoted he was in the finished film. This interview lasts about 23 minutes.
The Making of Legend of the Black Scorpion – This is a “fly on the wall” type Featurette, showing the cast and crew at work while trying to put scenes together. It’s an interesting 15 minutes.
A Dynasty Uncovered: Behind the Scenes on Legend of the Black Scorpion – This Featurette goes over forty minutes and has in-depth interviews with all the major leads in this movie. This really just tops off a really nice features section for this set from Dragon Dynasty.
Trailers – You get trailers from several Dragon Dynasty releases, including Seven Swords and Robin-B-Hood.
Looking for an absolutely gorgeous period film with amazing costumes and over the top performances? This is absolutely the film for you then. While Legend of the Black Scorpion isn’t exactly as Shakespeare intended; it’s a ridiculously beautiful movie with a lot going for it in the way of visuals. Also, this disc is loaded with extras, packed with terrific interviews and featurettes.
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Dragon Dynasty presents Legend of the Black Scorpion. Directed by Xiaogang Feng. Starring Ziyi Zhang, You Ge, Daniel Wu, and Xun Zhou. Written by Gangjian Qiu, based on Hamlet by William Shakespeare.. Running time: 131 minutes. Rated R. Released on DVD: Feb 26, 2008. Available at Amazon.com.
About Robert Sutton
