Cheap Shanghai Triad (DVD) (Li Gong, Baotian Li) (Yimou Zhang) Price

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Customer Reviews of Shanghai Triad

"You will die as white as a lily."
The film, "Shanghai Triad" from Chinese director, Yimou Zhang, is a week in the life of 14 year-old Shuisheng Tang--a country boy who is sent from the provinces to live in decadent Shanghai in the 30s as a servant to a glamourous nightclub singer named Bijou (Li Gong). Bijou is the beautiful, spoiled, petulant, bored mistress of "The Boss"--arguably the most powerful man in Shanghai and head of the Tang family triad. Bijou, who is prone to unpredictable temper tantrums, isn't thrilled to have yet another member of the Tang family in her presence, and so Shuisheng becomes the recipient of Bijou's sporadic cruelty and spiteful mirth.

Shuisheng is told by his Uncle Lui that the Boss surrounds himself with Tang family members, and serving "Miss" is Shuisheng's chance to be "somebody" in Shanghai. Uncle Liu instructs Shuisheng--and tells him basically--that a servant is to be unobtrusive, subservient and the recipient of whatever treatment is doled out.

It's clear that Shuisheng has landed in the middle of a very bad situation, and he is both fascinated and terrified by the exquisitely beautiful Bijou. Although Shuisheng actually has very few lines in this film, his feelings are mirrored in his eyes. As a servant, he can't express his feelings or even show them, but his eyes never lie. His situation is complicated by his Uncle's obsequience that covers only contempt for Bijou. Shuisheng isn't really capable of the sort of duplicity his Uncle has mastered.

While Shuisheng's is fascinated with Bijou, he isn't mature enough to analyze her behaviour--that's for the viewer to do. She is obviously a bitterly unhappy woman--nothing more or less than a exotic pet kept in a gilded cage by a man old enough to be her grandfather. Her unhappiness shows in her random cruelties, and in the humilation she suffers from being Tang's mistress. The Boss may have installed her in a beautiful home, but she's there to serve--only as long as the Boss wills it, and she may be a nightclub singer, but her songs are picked for her, and the Boss troops his friends to her performances so they can envy him. As the precariousness of Bijou's situation becomes clearer, she becomes a more sympathetic character.

"Shanghai Triad" is not widely accepted as Yimou Zhang's best film (with Li Gong), and indeed it is not an easy thing for me to select an Zhang/Gong collaboration as my absolute favorite--"Ju-Dou," "Raise the Red Lantern," "Red Sorghum"--other Zhang films which star Li Gong--are all perfect, unforgettable films--no argument there. However, of them all, "Shanghai Triad" has a special appeal for me. It is the character of Bijou and the relationship she has with Shuisheng that makes "Shanghai Triad" my favourite Yimou Zhang film. Critics blasted "Shanghai Triad" for containing too many scenes with Li Gong singing. I thought the nightclub scenes were integral to the story, and I didn't consider this overdone. Seeing the beautiful Li Gong dressed up in rather ridiculous outfits singing rather pathetic little songs that pleased the Boss served to underscore her position as the 'pet'--she performed only to please, and amuse, and then her use was ended. There is a sort of inevitability to this film, and the sense of the inescapable and hopelessness of one's fate looms throughout the film. Visually, the film was stunning. Some of the photography--especially in the island scenes--were some of the best I've ever seen--displacedhuman.

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Godfather of Shanghai
Wow . A chinese gangster story from the pre revolution times. But ladies and gentlemen, expect no blasting action here. This is a Zhang Yimou film and everything which makes his films great is here.
A young teenager from a village comes to shanghai in order to work in Tang family mansion. ( a powerful underworld family in which he is also a distant relative) He is assigned to serve the boss' mistress called bijou (gong li) and gets the shock of his life in just couple of days.. He witness a shooting even before his arrival to the house later finds himself surrounded with confusing modern world devices like telephone which he has never seen and finally finds only distant relative in the house (uncle lo who brought him) dead.. Add that bijou's arrogance and spoiled behaviour and gang business around the family and you get the picture. We witness those days by the eyes of this young villager boy. Shanghai is where traditional east and modern west meets in china and Yimou captures it best with the nite time shots of the club where bijou works. Tap and cabaret dancing, half western half traditional songs sung in mandarin, dresses. gang members with traditional dresses as well as western style hats, pistols as well as traditional knives all brings the situation to life.
As I mentioned , film is based on a gangster story seen by the eyes of a village boy. But action is rather hiding. Killings and fighting are left the imagination of the viewer but their signs are always there like bloody knives, dead bodies being washed near the pool and blood in the house. These are the moments that the main character witness and we watch the film from his perspective. We also witness the underworld conspiracy and strategic planning and betrayal but again as much as a boy can witness, hear and understand.
As the film goes deeper, characters became more open and visible. For example, bijou's real character starts to come out in the island and her arrogance dissapears. Her relations with the boy and the island villagers bring her back to the roots, the pure and innocent life in the village. Film is actually more oriented on the inner side of the characters instead of totally focusing on a strictly godfather type story. Shanghai represents the sophisticated, dangerous and confusing side of bijou. But island is being her true self. Boy starts to put more faith in her from spitting to her glass of water in shanghai to being a totally loyal servant in island. Yimou captures all these with the simple but effective shots in the island and shanghai.
Performances are excellent, especially Gong li giving her very best. Also portrayal of the realisticly drawn chinese godfather is remarkable.
In sum, shanghai triad is a great film. It may not be a far eastern cinema masterpiece , but it is good enough. A story of love, death,innocence, corruption,faith and betrayal. A chinese godfather type movie from the eyes of a young witness.
Zhang yimou and gong li. A great chemistry on screen.

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I LIKE THIS MOVIE
OH THE MOVIE IS VERY GOOD,YOU NEVER SEEN,IT IS BETTER THEN HAPPY TOGETHER.YOU HAVE TO SEE.