Curse of The Golden Flower
Author's Note: My Dad told me it was a brilliant movie, and for the sake of wanting nothing more than to waste time in order to avoid studying, I decided to give this movie a chance. After all, it did star Jay Chou and I've heard news that he was an okay actor and was on his way to be a fabulous director as well. So, what the heck.
Lets just say, I was hooked by the complexity of the plot even though it was slow paced. It was fantastic. It was just so irritating the way Zhang Yimou ended the whole movie. Though it had meaning and all that, I wasn't really satisfied.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Strength
She is a strong woman.
She is the Empress.
She holds her head up high and she will not bow down to him. Her hand shakes as she places the golden pins in her hair. She curses herself for her weakness, but in the mirror, she stares hard at herself and tells herself, I will hold on. Her hand steadies.
The time has come again. The Hour. She looks at the cup and laughs inside, does he think of her as a fool? She takes the cup and she braces herself. She will drink the poison, even if she will die a cretin, just as he wants her to be. But she will drink it, she will drink it, for he knows he will see the end. She will make him see the end, and until then, she will play the fool, she will play her role, she is the sick Empress, and she will play.. Play along till the time comes.
She will drink the poison.
But she will not give in without a fight.
She is a strong woman.
She is the branded one.
She holds her head up high. She lives her life, but she cannot forget what he has done to her and her family. Fire, anger burns in her, and everyday, she curses the day he has ever lived. The Empress has asked for help, and she will give it to her, she will help the Empress. Not for the money. Hah, never the money. She knows, the best way she can make him see is with fighting with the Empress.
She finds out the ingredient, and she closes her eyes. Her husband has been a fool to trust the Emperor. She feels pity for the Empress, and she knows, he has not changed. Oh the lying manipulating man. She smiles bitterly and the tears come freely. Oh, what a fool she has been, to have loved him, to have bore him a son. She sees the Empress withdrawn face, that determined look in the eyes and she thinks, yes, the end will come soon.
She will help the Empress.
She is a strong woman.
And she will not give in without a fight.
In the end, they both are strong. The branded one lies with her daughter, eyes wide open. Dead. The Empress looks at her son with eyes wide open. He is dead and she screams.
They have both been strong.
-
-
But he is stronger.
Love
He knows he will not win. He knows that from the start.
He sees the imperial warning, and deep in his heart, he wonders if this is the right path that he will take. The Emperor is his father, but then in his mind, he sees his mother, head held up high, her eyes bright not with tears, but with pride, and she gulps down the poison. Even though she knows it will kill her, she drinks it.
He sees his mother, so strong, so beautiful, and she looks at him fiercely, proudly, as would a tigress, and he knows, he will do it, he will fight for her. He will help her accomplish what she is determined to do. She looks at him and she smiles that slow, sad smile, and he can feel her, so fragile, so small.
The flowers will bloom tonight, and he holds the scarf with the golden flower woven by his mother, woven with trembling hands with hope for the future, for a split second, and then he holds the spear and he slices down the pole.
He will fight his father. He will fight that Emperor.
He will save his mother.
Silence
He watches from the shadows.
Step, step, step.
He moves about, not seen, never seen, alone and wandering behind closed doors. He laughs at them, mockingly, he knows what they thought he did not. After all, he is but a child, he must not know such things. He laughs at their backs, because he knows, he knows.
His heart stings, tightens. He wanders alone. He is not a child, he is not a child, why? Why must they treat him so?
Mother only loves him. That one to be heir. Second brother. Does Father think he does not know? He laughs bitterly.
Pause.
He tries, once again, to be seen, to be loved, and he asks his father, can he be the one to guide the guards?
His Father looks at him, and he trembles a little. This is the Emperor, and he is powerful. I'll be like him one day. I will. He thinks and he smiles a small smile they do not see.
But his heart tightens once again, and he can feel the fury coursing through his veins. No, he has to give second brother the task, not him.
He is too young isn't he? No, Father has not liked him from the start. There is oldest brother who is Father's favourite and second brother who is Mother's favourite. They love me not.
And who will love him? No one, they never liked him. Too small, too ignorant, too forgotten.
Mother's sighs.
He wanders once again, behind shadows, watching, watching them. Mother, Father, oldest brother, second brother. Disgusting, incest, hah, he will be Emperor, give it up Second Brother.
They think he does not know, too young, too young. Fools.
No one to see him, no one to love him.
He laughs, he laughs at their backs.
Weak oldest brother.
They will see him one day. That day will come soon, he knows. I will win, you'll see. You'll all see.
He will make them see. He will be Emperor.
Then, he will kill them all.
You'll die by my hands.
They didn't love him after all.
So he will not as well.
Secrets
He has known that she was hiding something from him. He knows by the way she holds herself.
She stands tall, proud, but inside, he knows, that she is burning with grief.
To the very end, when he is nearly dead, he holds on to her and he can hear her heart beating so fast, so fast. He smiles a little.
"I know you're hiding something important from me. But it doesn't matter anymore. I love you. Save Xiao Chan. Save out daughter." He says softly, and he can almost feel the grief pouring out from her. He can almost taste her tears with blood.
He jumps. He can hear her call his name as he lungs with that golden scoop. He does not know how to fight well, but he will fight for his family.
He smiles as he hear her horse thunder off.
He has his own secret.
He knows.
He knows. How long has he stared at that portrait in the Emperor's room after helping the Emperor. How long has he seen the tears that pool in her eyes and the hate so deep that she clenches when he talks of the Emperor.
He knows.
But he says nothing.
He just wishes, that she could have trust him more. Wishes that she could trust him more to tell him of it.
But in the end, he only wishes that he could have met her first.
He loves his family.
He would die for them.
Puppets
They are mechanical puppets.
They play their roles to perfection. They are the Emperor and Empress. There is no room for failures, weakness, or petty emotions.
They do everything perfectly together. She smiles at him, inside she is sneering. This Emperor thinks of her to be a fool, and she will act it, only during that moment. The medicine is for her health, he says, he can cure her sickness, she must drink it. Inside, he is thinking, death, death will come soon.
They may hate each other. Deep in their hearts he hates her, deep in her heart she hates him. But on the outside, they are the Emperor and Empress, and they must not let the people see their Hate.
They hold hands tight as they walk to the altar to pray together. The ceremony must begin.
They are mechanical puppets. They are perfect, they know what must be done.
But they will break soon.