Pavilion of Women (2001)

Director:

Ho Yim

Writers (WGA):

Pearl S. Buck (novel)
Yan Luo (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

16 November 2001 (Spain)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Romance | War

Plot:

With World War 2 looming, a prominent family in China must confront the contrasting ideas of traditionalism, communism and Western thinking, while dealing with the most important ideal of all: love and its meaning in society.

Plot Keywords:

China | Concubine | Priest | Love | Forbidden Love

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Willem Dafoe	...	Father Andre
Yan Luo	...	Madame Wu Ailian
Sau Sek	...	Mr. Wu
John Cho	...	Fengmo Wu
Yi Ding	...	Chiuming
Chieng Mun Koh	...	Ying
Anita Loo	...	Old Lady Wu
Amy Hill	...	Madame Kang
Kate McGregor-Stewart	...	Sister Shirley
Jia Dong Liu	...	Mr. Lang
Shu Chen	...	Head Servant
Hang-Sang Poon	...	Fat Cook
Li Wang	...	Kang Lin Yi
You Jin Xu	...	Matchmaker
Ding Yuan Gu	...	Mayor
Pei Ying Zhao	...	Midwife
Xiao Dong Mao	...	Liangmo
Lan Huang	...	Meng
Yang Sun	...	Fengmo's Friend
En Ti Yu	...	Fengmo's Friend
Huai Bo Yan	...	Fengmo's Friend
Kang Zhang	...	Boldman
Ge Jin	...	Loudmouth
Ya Liang Nie	...	Male Birthday Guest
Zhang Zhang	...	Male Birthday Guest
Bing Kun Lou	...	Male Birthday Guest
Hai Jiang	...	Male Birthday Guest
Zhong Yu Huang	...	Male Birthday Guest
Zheng Su	...	Female Birthday Guest
Xue Xin Zhang	...	Female Birthday Guest
Hua Zhang	...	Female Birthday Guest
Bo Sun	...	Female Birthday Guest
Lisa Ng	...	Female Birthday Guest
Rong Yang	...	Kang Maid
John Dunn	...	Kang Doorman
Yan Lei Miu	...	Wu Relative
Li Sun	...	Wu Relative
Xin-Qi Gu	...	Wu Relative
Xuan Ming Guo	...	Wu Relative
Ge Yang	...	Head of Police
Min Qi Song	...	Orphanage Woman
Lei Zhang	...	Kang's Wife
Ying Gu	...	Kang's Wife
Irene Zhen	...	Kang's Wife
Ying Chun Jin	...	Bride Carrier
Zhi Fang Zauang	...	Masseur
Hong Kui Pu	...	Land Steward
Zi Yuan Hong	...	Wu Doorman
Shou Gen Zhu	...	Accountant
Yim Linq	...	Policeman
Cun Zhuang	...	KMT General
Yin Chen	...	Japanese General
Hui Dong Liu	...	Japanese General
Yu Feng Chen	...	Japanese Soldier
Chen Hao Mo	...	Orphan
Lin Hui Qi	...	Orphan
Xu Chao Dong	...	Orphan
Xi Yang	...	Orphan
Zhao Zhang	...	Orphan
De Jie Ye	...	Orphan
Yi Fei Jiang	...	Orphan
Ding Xu	...	Orphan
Tian Yun Xue	...	Orphan
Yin Yuan Huang	...	Orphan
Jian Wen Zhang	...	Orphan
Meng Shi Liu	...	Orphan
Ling Yuan Zeng	...	Orphan
Xu Bai Cao	...	Kang Child
En Hao Gu	...	Kang Child
Yue Cai	...	Duck Kid
Yue Qing Xia	...	Old Lady Wu's Friend
Xiao Yi Wu	...	Old Lady Wu's Friend
Hua Qin Sun	...	Old Lady Wu's Friend
Meng Yun Zhang	...	Old Lady Wu's Maid
Chun Zhou	...	Old Lady Wu's Maid
Wu Jiu Zhao	...	Old Lady Wu's Maid
Hui Zhen Qu	...	Wu Nanny
Zhan Zhu Qiu	...	Wu Nanny
Zheng Hong Gu	...	Kang Nanny
Chun Lin Liu	...	Wu Servant
Yi Wen	...	Wu Servant
Qin Chen	...	Flower Boat Girl
Min Na Guo	...	Flower Boat Girl
Ying Zhou	...	Flower Boat Girl
Li Na Xiang	...	Flower Boat Girl
Chun Yu Zhou	...	Flower Boat Girl
Ya Shen	...	Flower Boat Girl
Xiao Liang Yuan	...	Pin Tan Player
Jin Wang	...	Pin Tan Player
Li Sheng Jin	...	Pin Tan Player
Qiu Fang Wei	...	Pin Tan Player

Directed by
Ho Yim

Writing credits (WGA)
Pearl S. Buck		(novel)
Yan Luo		(screenplay) &
Paul Collins		(screenplay)

Produced by
Simon Edery	....	co-producer
Rowena Li	....	associate producer
Xiaogeng Li	....	co-producer (as Li Xiao Geng)
Yan Luo	....	producer
Hugo Shong	....	executive producer
Bob Warden	....	associate producer
Robert Werden	....	associate producer (as Bob Werden)
Xia Zhang	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Conrad Pope

Cinematography by
Hang-Sang Poon

Film Editing by
Duncan Burns
Claudia Finkle

Casting by
Aaron Griffith

Production Design by
Leung Wah Sang James

Art Direction by
Kwok-wing Chong		(as Joel Chong Kwok Wing)
Xin Ming Huang

Costume Design by
Wendy Law

Makeup Department
Bernadette Cheng	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
Zhenyan Zhang	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Thomas Chow	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Paul Herndon	....	storyboard artist
Xin Ming Huang	....	set designer

Sound Department
Gary Alexander	....	supervising sound re-recording mixer
Mike Chock	....	sound effects editor
John Dunn	....	sound mixer
John Dunn	....	supervising sound editor
Allen Hurd	....	sound recordist
Victoria Rose Sampson	....	dialogue editor
Reuben Simon	....	sound editor
Jussi Tegelman	....	supervising sound editor

Special Effects by
Charles Cooley	....	special effects foreman
Erick Geisler	....	optical supervisor
Michael Huitron Lynch	....	special effects (as Michael Lynch)
Robert Hutchins	....	special effects supervisor
Tom Seymour	....	special effects assistant

Visual Effects by
Eric M. Beaver	....	digital compositor: Look Effects
Mark S. Driscoll	....	visual effects producer: Look Effects
Henrik Fett	....	visual effects supervisor: Look Effects
Anthony 'Max' Ivins	....	visual effects supervisor: LOOK! Effects (as Max Ivins)
Christopher Ivins	....	lead compositor: LOOK! Effects, Inc.
Jay Mark Johnson	....	digital matte painter
Danny S. Kim	....	art director: Look Effects (as Hong Danny Kim)
Charles Lem	....	visual effects production supervisor
Kevin O'Neill	....	visual effects supervisor
Hudson Shock	....	flame operator: Look Effects
Tefft Smith	....	digital artist: Look Effects
Isabel Vandernoot	....	digital compositor: Look Effects
Christopher Dusendschon	....	in-show optical effects compositor: THDX (uncredited)
Christopher Dusendschon	....	optical element Hazeltine colorist: THDX (uncredited)

Stunts
Bruce Law	....	action director

Camera and Electrical Department
Stephen Wang	....	director of photography: second unit
Rafael Winer	....	still photographer: China

Editorial Department
Hope Moskowitz	....	assistant editor
Charles B. Unger	....	first assistant editor
Chuck Winston	....	color timer

Music Department
Michael T. Andreas	....	music editor
Karen Han	....	musician: erhu solo

Other crew
Beau J. Genot	....	post-production delivery supervisor
Lu Cien Hioe	....	production coordinator
Yan Luo	....	additional director
Giancarlo J. Sini	....	production controller
Giancarlo J. Sini	....	production controller: China and USA

Production Companies

• Beijing Film Studio
• China Film Co-Production Corporation

Distributors

• Universal Studios (2001) (worldwide) (all media)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2002) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2001) (Spain) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2002) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Universal Focus (2001) (USA) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (video)
• LK-TEL (Argentina) (DVD)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (Argentina)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2002) (USA) (video)

Special Effects

• LOOK! Effects (digital visual effects)

Other Companies

• Film Finances  completion guarantor
• Mission Post  sound post-production

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality and war images

Runtime:

116 min | Germany:111 min

Country:

China | USA

Language:

English | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Suzhou, China

Company:

Beijing Film Studio

A touching love story

Somehow I always feel that Willem Dafoe and the films he starrs in are drastically underrated. It is also the case for this exceptional movie set in pre-comunist China. A simple, touching story about tradition and the constrains that it sometimes brings.

The plot outline is simple. When Ailin turns 40, she decides it is time to retire from her husband's bed, the rich Mr. Wu. In order to do so, she finds a second wife, a woman that would take her place and pleasure the oral-sex-obsessed Mr. Wu. But the young new wife has trouble adapting to her role and the old pervert is not satisfied with her. Meanwhile, Ailin befriends her son's teacher, an American priest named Andre (Willem Dafoe). From here on, the story develops in various directions but I don't want to spoil it for you.

Very good acting and directing on a classical subject.