Hai shang hua (1998)

In the "flower houses" (upscale brothels) of Shanghai, various interweaving stories of love, loyalty, and deceit play out subtly.

Director:

Hsiao-Hsien Hou

Writers:

Eileen Chang (translation), T'ien-wen Chu

Stars:

Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Michiko Hada, Michelle Reis

5 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Tony Chiu-Wai Leung	...	Wang (as Tony Chiu Wai Leung)
Michiko Hada	...	Crimson
Michelle Reis	...	Emerald
Carina Lau	...	Pearl
Jack Kao	...	Luo
Rebecca Pan	...	Huang
Vicky Wei	...	Jasmin
Hsuan Fang	...	Jade
Annie Shizuka Inoh	...	Golden Flower
Ming Hsu	...	Tao
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Josephine A. Blankstein	...	(as An-an Hsu)
Pauline Chan	...	(voice)
Shui Chit Cheung
Hui-ni Hsu	...	Shu-Fang's sister
Firebird Liu

Storyline

In Shanghai in the 1880s there are four elegant brothels (flower houses): each has an auntie (called madam), a courtesan in her prime, older servants, and maturing girls in training. The men gather around tables of food, playing drinking games. An opium pipe is at hand. The women live within dark-paneled walls. The atmosphere is stifling, as if Chekhov was in China. The melancholy Wang is Crimson's patron; will he leave her for the younger Jasmin? Emerald schemes to buy her freedom, aided by patron Luo. Pearl, an aging flower, schools the willful Jade, who thinks she has a marriage agreement with young master Zhu. Is she dreaming? Women fade, or connive, or despair.

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Plot Keywords:

rivalry | prostitution | male female relationship | clothing | based on novel | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Taiwan Japan

Language:

Cantonese Shanghainese

Release Date:

17 October 1998 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Flowers of Shanghai

Company Credits

Production Co:

3H Productions,Shochiku Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min 127 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film consists of 38 long shots.

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Connections

Featured in I Wish I Knew (2010)

User Reviews

Fascinating and hyponitic

This is a film for patient and serious film-lovers. From the first scene, one face takes almost complete possession of the screen - that of Tony Leung. There he is, a silent member of a group of drinking men, and just try to take your eyes off him. Throughout the entire film, he dominates, but that is exactly right for this tale of obsessive love in a 'house of flowers'. A totally fascinating film.