Cynthia is a young Chinese woman in love with Itami, a Japanese man about to be sent home for military service.
Director:
Ye LouWriter:
Ye Lou
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Title: Purple Butterfly (2003)
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1 win & 8 nominations.
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Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
| Ziyi Zhang | ... | Cynthia / Ding Hui (as Zhang Ziyi) | |
| Ye Liu | ... | Situ (Szeto) | |
 |
Yuanzheng Feng | ... | Xie Ming |
| Tôru Nakamura | ... | Hidehiko Itami | |
| Bingbing Li | ... | Tang Yiling | |
|
|
Kin Ei | ... | Yamamoto |
|
|
Leni Lan Crazybarby | ... | A zi (as Lan Yan) |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
|
|
Seiichiro Hashimoto | ... | (as Sciichiro Hashimoto) |
|
|
Felicia Pullam | ... | Russian Prostitute (as Fellicia Pullam) |
| Cheryl Xie | ... | (as Li Xie) | |
| Anlian Yao | |||
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Ding Hui is a member of Purple Butterfly, a powerful resistance group in Japanese occupied Shanghai. An unexpected encounter reunites her with Itami, an ex-lover... and officer with a secret police unit tasked with dismantling Purple Butterfly. Written by Anonymous
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for strong violence and a scene of sexuality | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
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Hidehiko Itami: Xie Ming won't be coming either. He's dead too. I did my job as well.
Hidehiko Itami: We can go to Tokyo now. We've won, Cynthia.
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Written by Yao Min (composition), Yan Kuan & Su Wong (lyrics)
Performed by Yao Li
Courtesy of EMI Music Publishing Hong Kong
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Did You Know?
Quotes
Hidehiko Itami: Yamamoto isn't coming. He's dead. Your mission is accomplished.Hidehiko Itami: Xie Ming won't be coming either. He's dead too. I did my job as well.
Hidehiko Itami: We can go to Tokyo now. We've won, Cynthia.
See more »
Soundtracks
Could Not Get Your LoveWritten by Yao Min (composition), Yan Kuan & Su Wong (lyrics)
Performed by Yao Li
Courtesy of EMI Music Publishing Hong Kong
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Details
Release Date:
17 September 2004 (Greece) See more »Also Known As:
紫蝴蝶 See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$6,970, 28 November 2004Gross USA:
$17,790Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$17,790Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalColor:
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Sixth Generation Chinese director Ye Lou's visually stunning revolutionary romance "Purple Butterfly" is set in Japanese occupied Manchuria in the 1930's and for the first 45 minutes or so you may find it impossible to figure out who's who or what's going on, (I certainly did). Lou uses hand-held cameras to dizzying effect and shoots mostly in various shades of blue and with an awful lot of rain. What is clear is there is an underground organization, (the Purple Butterfly), dedicated to fighting the Japanese and that there's a traitor in their midst. Otherwise the plot is reasonably complex and the time structure not always clear while a case of mistaken identity does little to help. Nevertheless, trying to put the pieces together in some kind of logical order turns out to be hugely rewarding and, as I've said, it's visually magnificent with superb performances from the entire cast. Inevitably it will remind you of the cinema of Kar-Wai Wong but Ye Lou remains his own man and even if you need to see this a couple of times to 'get it' it will be time well spent.