Temptation of a Monk (1993)
"You Seng" (original title)

Near the beginning of the Tang dynasty, in 7th century China, General Shi Yan-sheng is tricked into leaving the crown prince unguarded. The crown prince is murdered by one of his brothers ... See full summary »

Director:

Clara Law

Writers:

Eddie Ling-Ching Fong (screenplay), Pik Wah Li (screenplay),

Stars:

Joan Chen, Hsing-kuo Wu, Fengyi Zhang

6 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Joan Chen	...	Princess Hong-e - Scarlet / Qing-shou - Violet
Hsing-kuo Wu	...	General Shi Yan-sheng / Jing-yi (as Hsin Kuo Wu)
Fengyi Zhang	...	General Huo Da
Ming-yang Li	...	The Abbot
Lisa Lu	...	Shi's Mother
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Teddy Robin Kwan	...	Soldier

Storyline

Near the beginning of the Tang dynasty, in 7th century China, General Shi Yan-sheng is tricked into leaving the crown prince unguarded. The crown prince is murdered by one of his brothers who then becomes emperor. Shi retreats to a monastery, perhaps to hide, perhaps to plan a coup. When his loyal troops as well as the princess he desires are slain, he seeks refuge in a remote, abandoned monastery where an aged abbot schools him with practical, earthy teachings. The emperor's forces pursue Shi: first a woman, then a general seek to overpower him with lust and might. Over the course of the film, the reds of battle give way to blues of meditation.

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Plot Keywords:

crown prince | general | monastery | princess | tang dynasty | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance | Action

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Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin Cantonese

Release Date:

25 August 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Temptation of a Monk

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golden Harvest Company, Tedpoly Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joan Chen had her head completely shaved for the role of Qingshou (Violet).

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Quotes

The Abbot: [after Shi Yan-sheng finished shaving his head] Feels so good! Just like what man and woman do together.
[laughs]

User Reviews

A Comic Book of a Movie but a Comic Book of Genius

Throughout, I felt that this movie had the sensibility of a comic book, but a comic book of genius. The visuals were ceaselessly stunning, every single scene change led to another beautiful surprise; both dramatically and with what we were allowed to gorge our eyes (and sometimes ears) on. Rather than call it "directing", or "photography," or "set design," I want to say that the artwork was breathtaking.

What are movies but comic books with the added dimensions of movement and sound? Both largely tell their stories with visuals, and dialog or narration. Too often I am a stickler for believability in movies but I could not help cutting this movie a lot of slack. "Yes, that is just how a comic book might treat the story but with nowhere near the impact," I found myself thinking throughout...