Celestial Pictures Ltd.'s DVD release
The Amorous Lotus Pan/Pan jin lian, Chow See Luk, China, 1964, 75 mins, Celestial Pictures Ltd.
|
The Amorous Lotus Pan tells a classic, tragic story of Lotus Pan (Diana Chang Chung Wen): A young, beautiful woman being stuck in a forced marriage with Wu Da (Lee Kwan) - an older, man of low social status. She is longing for something more, and finds it in her broter-in-law Wu Song (Paul Chang), who is a proud hero, saluted by the state and citizens. Yet, when he disapproves of her flirting and leaves in disgust of her insinuations, she gets even more desperate, and is lured into a trap by a sneaky, manipulative woman who lures a man of high social status into her open, longing arms. Her husband eventually finds out, and now trouble really begins. This is a lesser known entry in the huge Shaw Brothers studio filmography. Perhaps this is because of the lack of martial arts, and focus on personal drama, as well as the musical factor that is present at times, though not often enough to mark it as an actual musical. This elemant is used finely though, and even though it seems lighthearted and almost comic at times, it does resemble the theatrical feeling of the Shakespearian plot in the conflict between personal urges and societal bonds, the love and loyalty between brothers, and a tragic ending. As usual with Shaw Brothers productions, the cinematography and locations, though few, are beautiful, colorful, and moody depictions of old China. With a duration of only 75 minutes, you're entertained all the way through, and this movie comes recommended. 6/10 Reviewed by Media Cult |
