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BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR (1993) |
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At the beginning of the film, we see Churk Yat Hong (Leslie Cheung) sat atop a snowy mountain waiting for the snow flower to blossom. He has been there for the last 10 years, seemingly invincible from the elements. Then the story shifts back to Churk's childhood when Churk was the top student of Wudan Mountain, and nominated as heir to his master's mantle. During one night, Churk meets a mysterious girl who saves him from being devoured by wolves. This fateful encounter would lead to serious consequences for the both of them in the future. Churk grows up to be a master swordsman, but his innocence, playfulness, and chivalrous characteristics mean that he is often at odds with his elders. The huge responsibility placed on his head doesn't help him either. When an occult led by Siamese twin Kei Mo Seung (Francis Ng and other) wants to destroy the 8 clans, Churk is ordered to lead a force to exterminate the cult. But Churk is opposed to violence, and a chance encounter with Lien (Brigitte Lin), a female killer under Kei, lead to them falling for each other, although it would be forbidden as they are on opposite sides. Churk calls her Lien Ngai Seung (since she doesn't have a name), and their love is so deep that they both decide to leave their own clans. While Lien gets a heavy beating for leaving her cult, Churk gets the worse nightmare when he returns to Wudan to find his master and most of his fellow students horrifically massacred. The blame is put squarely on Lien's shoulders, and when she turns up to find him, the surviving Wudan students attack her. Driven by an overwhelming sense of despair, Churk does the one thing that causes Lien to go completely berserk: he distrusts her. Suddenly, Lien turns into a white-haired mad witch who destroys everything in her path. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." While trying to stop her, Kei turns up to finish them off. Bride with White Hair is one of the best films to come out of Hong Kong. Based on a novel, it condenses a very long winded story on the forbidden relationship between Churk and Lien. Their love for each other was enough to sustain them, and for them to leave everything behind. Unfortunately, outside interferences, and their ultimate obligation to their own clans mean that they would always be at odds with each other. Although Lien had a more difficult upbringing (she was brought up by wolves after all), and later trained as a cold-blooded killer, it is Churk who loses the most by being with her. He is the heir of Wudan, and a future leader of the 8 clans; a big a responsibility as any, but because of love, he decides to throw it all away. This tragic love story tugs our heart-strings because anyone who has fallen in love knows that love is blind. Our feelings for that person overwhelms us so much that we care about nothing but that person. It takes a huge physical jerk out of our consciousness to wake us, and it is the same with Churk when he sees the decapitated head of his beloved master. Although very action orientated, Bride offers marvellous cinematography as well as good set designs. It's visual style is one of the best, and the action is fast and furious, often to the point of being ostentatiously graphic. What works in the film though is the two leads: Leslie Cheung and Brigitte Lin were perfect in the film; to them, their love is the most innocent thing in a world gone savagely wrong. But like the best of Shakespearean stories, all things end in tragedy.
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RATING 9 / 10 |