The Kingdom and the Beauty
Reviewed by YTSL
Among the close to 800 Shaw Brothers productions
that Celestial Pictures are in the process of re-introducing to the world
are quite a few whose (legal re-)release many filmophiles have been looking
forward to for a number of years. If Western Hong Kong movie fans
were asked re which titles they most want to feast their eyes upon, chances
are high that kung fu classics like Chang Cheh’s “Crippled Avengers” and
the Lau Kar Leung helmed “Legendary Weapons of China” would top the list
(along with King Hu’s “Come Drink With Me”). Alternatively, that
which many ethnic Chinese folks appear to have had their hearts most set
on viewing are the Huangmei Opera/Operetta likes of Li Han-Hsiang’s “The
Love Eterne” (which stars Ivy Ling Po and Betty Loh Ti) and the 6th Asian
Film Festival Best Picture winner that was one of the first ten works that
Celestial chose to make available on home video.
According to such as the blurb on its DVD cover,
THE KINGDOM AND THE BEAUTY was a “huge box office success” when it was
released back in 1959. On the commentary track of that which was
a lengthy two years in the making, Paul Fonoroff states that the 2000 extras
filled, then still rare color -- but, interestingly, not so rare synch
sound -- work was the “super production of 1958”. Another interesting
bit of trivia that the Hong Kong based critic can be heard informing his
co-commentator (the often painfully clueless Josie Ho) and the still very
watchable effort’s audience was that: For all of its music actually being
a blend of that which belong to a then popular contemporary singing style
along with more traditional Huangmei (i.e., Yellow Plum) Opera pieces),
this particular offering can be credited with having created a major thirst
for Huangmei Opera and/or Operetta films that the Shaw Brothers and their
production company would have to work hard to satisfy in succeeding years.
The set-in-the-1600s THE KINGDOM AND THE BEAUTY’s
dramatic tale centers on a “young and restless” -- plus rather callow --
Ming Dynasty ruler and the even more youthful wine shop maid he found to
be “more intoxicating than wine”. Although Zhao Lei was actually
30 years old at the time, the fun cum pleasure loving Emperor (Chu Te Cheng)
that this actor -- who Paul Fonoroff described as having specialized in
playing imperial personages -- was entrusted with portraying in this often
absolutely visually splendid work was supposed to just be 20 years of age
for much of the film. Similarly, while the womanly looking Linda
Lin Dai had already reached her 24th year, her coquettish Li (AKA Ta) Feng
character was supposed to have “just turned 18” as well as be “still unwed”
at the time that the hooky playing -- a la Chang Chen’s character in “A
Chinese Odyssey 2002” (a rare 2002 Hong Kong movie that contains Huangmei
Opera music and is supposed to be partly inspired by this decades older
work) -- head of state first cast his eyes upon her person.
Prior to this fateful event’s taking place, the
audience of THE KINGDOM AND THE BEAUTY get treated to resplendent looking
scenes that supposedly take place inside of the Forbidden City and are
designed to get us to understand why a pampered ruler would want to take
at least temporary leave of his gilded cage-like surroundings; and particularly
upon hearing of how wondrous are certain sections of his hitherto unseen
realm. Soon after being informed of the near mythical delights that
were to be had in Kiang-Nan and finding out that one of the Imperial Guards
was about to head there for a home visit, the Emperor decided to slip out
of his palace and join the afore-mentioned individual (the understandably
not very happy about this Chou Yung was played by Ma Lam) on his journey.
Following the discovery of the Emperor’s disappearance,
the Dowager Empress (essayed by the appropriately imperious Tong Yeuk Ching)
ordered a party led by his aged tutor (Liang Chu was portrayed by the older
than 50 year old Wang Yuan Long) a single month to bring her truant son
back to the royal fold. In the short time leading up to their doing
so though, the incognito cum itinerant Emperor had reached the Southern
town of Mei Lung. While there, he hadn’t only managed to take in
its impressive “parade to welcome spring” but also fall for the alluring
Spring Festival participant who scattered flower petals at him -- and (many)
others -- as she passed by, successfully get to know her in less formal
circumstances, and declare to this undeniably lovely local lass -- who,
almost needless to say, was none other than THE KINGDOM AND THE BEAUTY’s
main female character -- that he wished to marry her.
Unlike her buddy, Ta Niu (a generally comic looking
plus acting character who turned out to have been played by none other
than director extraordinaire, King Hu), Li Feng did not harbor any modicum
of suspicion or hostility against the new stranger in town. Despite
not knowing who he really was, she chose to return the Emperor’s affection.
Even more shockingly, on what was just their third real meeting, this admittedly
frisky young pair actually ended up in the physical space that was her
bedroom...and “quickly mat[ing]”! Rather than reveal -- like a couple
of other internet reviews of the movie have done -- the consequences of
that passionate action plus how this love story concludes, I’ll just state
here that, upon his return to Peking, the hereditary ruler of China was
told by his mother that he couldn’t have both THE KINGDOM AND THE BEAUTY
but, instead, only one of those two prized possessions. Consequently,
those who wish to know whether this impetuous Emperor was to feel that
“absence makes the heart grow fonder” or show that it’s more likely to
be a case of “out of sight, out of mind” will have to check out this sumptuous
cinematic feast for the senses for themselves (or track down those more
spoiler-filled reviews to read!).
My rating for this film: 7.