Legend of the Black Scorpion (DVD)

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Originally released in 2006 as "The Banquet" in China and internationally, Dragon Dynasty´s "The Legend of The Black Scorpion" is essentially a retelling of "Hamlet" with a Chinese spin (with a dash of Macbeth thrown for a good measure). Directed by Xiaogang Feng, the film is a lavish costume drama, with mesmerizing aesthetics and fairly strong performances (particularly from star Zhang Ziyi). The film suffers a bit as it´s version of Prince Hamlet, Lu Wan (Daniel Wu), is virtually a nonentity in the film, not offering much of a protagonist to relate to. Nevertheless, the production is a grand one attempting to marry the opulence of a Shakespearean drama with the touches of Eastern flair.

The story takes place just after the fall of the Tang Dynasty, in a period known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms – a time of political turmoil. Emperor Li (Ge You) usurps the throne from his brother, and takes the emperor´s wife, Empress Wan (Zhang Ziyi) as his own. This is where things get a little tense as Wan was once Prince Lu Wan´s girlfriend. Here, the prince is devoted to the arts, dance and music and wants nothing more than to avenge his father´s death. Further complicating things is the unrequited love the minister´s daughter, Qing Nu (Zhou Xun), feels for Wan.

Thematically, the film is rampant with the notion of desire (with undertones of obsession), the desire for love, endless power and pure, and unadulterated revenge all make themselves known throughout the film through the various characters. Taking things up a step is the Oedipal nature of the film, by making the two leads closer in age, making her an ex-lover (and stepmother) adds interesting layer to the mixed bag. Zhang Ziyi is at the center of this show and she chews through scenery, stealing every scene she´s in. Which brings me back to the film´s Hamlet, Lu Wan, who really doesn´t have much to do except react and even then the reactions feel like he´s going through the motions. Wan is a player in the film but not the most vital one.

But what is a Chinese period film without a little wuxia style swordplay and action. With Yuen Wo-Ping as one of the executive producers and acting as action choreographer you´d expect the fight scenes to match up and they do, sort of. Yuen´s masterful fight choreography never quite reaches the same balance of inner turmoil as voiced by outer expression as some of his previous work showed. Here the fights feel a bit muted and often too balletic, kicking the slow motion cinematography into high gear. For a film about revenge and the innate desires surrounding that notion, everything around feels a bit too pretty at times, never quite unleashing the brutality one might expect.

The art direction and production design is definitely something to marvel at. Tim Yip brings the same elegance as he did on previous productions such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". The world he helps to create in "Legend of the Black Scorpion" is nothing short of breathtaking. From the sets to the costumes and everything in between, the aesthetics on display are dazzling to say the least. The filmmaker´s use these elements to show the inner workings of the characters is great, combining the rich textures of these designs with the many layers of the characters true intentions.