R E V I E W :   The Bride With White Hair

Reviewed 12/2/00 | Background | Movie Review | DVD Review | Recommendation

Background 

Tai Seng / 1993 / 88 minutes
Directed by Ronny Yu
Screenplay by David Wu and Ronny Yu

The film is based on a 1950's novel by Liang Yu-sheng that director Ronny Yu was initially reluctant to film. He had not made a "sword-and-sorcery" fantasy before. Eventually, his desire to try something new inspired him. It was mostly filmed at night (being that it was summer and too hot to wear the heavy costumes during the day), mostly inside a studio, in a tight eight weeks, on a typical low Hong Kong movie budget (in one scene, four horses are filmed to look like a large herd). [All these details, by the way, are mentioned on the audio commentary for the DVD.]

Released during the incredibly fruitful 1993 (Hong Kong's equivalent of Hollywood's 1939), which also saw the release of Iron Monkey, The East is Red, Green Snake, Tai Chi Master, Butterfly and Sword, A Moment of Romance II, Fong Sai Yuk I and II, etc., the film still established a reputation as a masterpiece. It was a box-office success and played the art-house circuit in the United States and Canada.

Director Ronny Yu made the sequel in the same year, then Phantom Lover in 1995 before heading to Hollywood, where he has made the likes of Warriors of Virtue, Bride of Chucky (unfortunate choice of title), and the unseen Chasing Dragon. He is currently filming The 51st State.

Movie: plot, performances, production, rating

The narrative unfolds in a somewhat straightforward manner. At heart, it is a love story between Brigitte Lin Ching-Hsia and Leslie Cheung. The two leads are heartwarming as they open up emotionally to one another, elegantly erotic when they become lovers, and heartbreaking when one betrays the other. Fine performances are also given by Francis Ng and Elaine Lui as Siamese twins - you can talk about sibling rivalry all you want, but these two portrayals are perhaps the most unique brother/sister combo in the history of world cinema. The story's combination of romance, action, comedy, and drama are mixed well and in just the right measure.

The sets, designed by Eddie Ma, are exceptional, and cinematographer Peter Pau's lighting is equally good at capturing the right tone for each scene. The musical score by Richard Yuen is especially evocative, rousing when it should be and tender as needed. The colorful and extravagant costumes are by Japanese designer Emi Wada. Director Ronny Yu deserves credit for using style and filmmaking technique to enhance the emotional core of the story.

The film is rated as Category II. There are many scenes of explicit violence (bodies being sliced apart, blood spraying, and similar) and brief flashes of nudity.

DVD: look, sound, subtitles, and features

This is a beautifully photographed film. The DVD's widescreen (2.35 to 1) image quality is very good, although the print used reveals some blotches and other imperfections. Blues and grays dominate the color scheme, and these are rendered accurately.

The Dolby 2.0 sound is good, with adequate separation in the surrounds. Cantonese, Mandarin, and English audio tracks are provided. Only English subtitles are available - they are removable and easy to read.

A commentary by director Ronny Yu is included, and it is a real bonus. He describes his goals in making the film, cites influences for specific scenes (Shaw Brothers, pinball machines, etc.), and talks about some of the film's techniques, especially the "step motion" that was used extensively. Strangely, though, at the 52 minute mark he stops talking, speaks briefly at the 62 minute mark, and doesn't speak again until the 71 minute mark (all times approximate). Did he run out of things to say? Fall asleep?

The original trailer is included, but it is the pan-and-scan version, which feels quite cramped after viewing the widescreen splendor. Also included are Tai Seng's own English-language trailers for their DVD releases of The Bride With White Hair 2, Tai Chi 2, The Untold Story, and Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (all 1.85 to 1).

There are 23 chapter markings, nicely illustrated in the Chapter Menu. Filmographies for Leslie Cheung, Brigitte Lin Ching-Hsia, Francis Ng, and Ronny Yu are included. Rounding out the package is a 12-minute "making of" feature (full frame, in Cantonese with English burned-in subtitles) that has interviews with the filmmakers and the two stars, a little behind-the-scenes footage, and scenes from the film.

Buy, rent, or pass?

A wondrous film that lives up to its reputation and deserves multiples viewings. The DVD quality is very good with several extra features. There are several versions of this film available on DVD, but the Tai Seng version appears to be the one to get. A definite buy.

 

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