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THE GREAT CONQUEROR’S CONCUBINE
(1994) |
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Despite the suggestive connotation held in the title, the film is about the rise and fall of the great military general Xiang Yu, who overthrew the Qin Empire, became the Western Conqueror, only to throw it all away for the love of a woman. In 221 BC, King Zheng unified all of China and declared himself “First Emperor” of the Qin empire but his tyrannical ways led to his downfall. In 210 BC he died during a trip to the South, and his son succeeded him as Second Emperor. At this time, most of the empire were already anti-Qin, and a general of the Chu state, Xiang Yu (Ray Liu) led the revolts against the Qin armies. Liu Bang (Zhang Feng Yi) was born a peasant, but rose to prominence in Central China as a lowly ranked official. Liu was a charismatic leader, and one of the great heroes of Chinese history. With his small band of brothers, he joined forces with Xiang Yu, hoping to use Xiang’s power to increase his own. With time, Xiang and Liu became sworn brothers, but Xiang had not countered on Liu’s ambitiousness. While Xiang was away fighting the Qin armies, Liu entered Xianyang, the capital of the Qin, unopposed. Liu had gone back on his word to wait for Xiang before he entered the capital, but he spared the life of the inept Second Emperor, and forbade his troops to loot and rape the city. When Xiang finally arrived in Xianyang, he fired the city. The true reasons why Xiang Yu burnt down Xianyang have not been recorded, but in the film, it is because he thought his beloved wife, Lady Yu (Rosamund Kwan), was killed there by the Second Emperor. In a fit of rage, he also ordered all of the royal family to be beheaded. The burning of the city lasted three months, with priceless artefacts, history scrolls, tomes of great literary texts and countless of other treasures, lost in the blaze. Chinese historians have never forgiven Xiang Yu for this barbaric act. Xiang Yu was a great military leader and tactician. One of his most famous victories was defeating the Qin army of 200,000 men with only 20,000 of his own. He was literally a born leader, and he inspired confidence and bravery in his troops, as he had not lost a single battle in the fields. But no one could rule an empire atop a horse, and it turned out sadly that Xiang Yu was inept in ruling. He became assured in his invincibility, and thought he was popular with the common people, but his decision to burn down Xianyang, and the murdering of over 200,000 captured soldiers were too much for even his own vassal lords to stomach. His inability to see through Liu Bang’s treachery marked his downfall. In a word, he was an incompetent ruler. On the other hand, Liu Bang was a born ruler, and a master at playing political games. He used Xiang’s trust in him to carefully plan his attack on Xiang, but Liu was not a military tactician, and time after time, he was beaten by Xiang. In the film, Liu used his wife, Lu Zhi (Gong Li), an even more crafty and cunning person than he, to ensnare Xiang. Lu Zhi and Lady Yu were also sworn sisters, and it was because of them that Xiang ordered a peace treaty with Liu. Tired of fighting, Xiang spilt his empire in half, hoping that Liu would be content. But Liu was not, and he attacked Xiang unawares. Xiang died fighting. This film is almost three hours long, and is very detailed in its historical significance, but for all its pomp, the film has its flaws. You could call this film an epic: elaborate costumes, grand set pieces, and thousands of extras. Unfortunately, the direction was weak, and most of the non-action scenes were simply tedious to watch. The problem lies with the performances, with the exception of Ray Liu, who gave a grand protrayal of Xiang, all were uninspiring to say the least, and one major flaw is that we find it hard to sympathise with any of the characters. Xiang Yu was a great hero, but I failed to sympathise with him because of his bloodthirstiness, and the fact that he had a great ego. Liu Bang is considered one of the greatest men in Chinese history, but in the film, he is nothing but an uncultured treacherous fool. Certainly not a person to root for. The biggest head-scratcher is Lu Zhi, Liu Bang's wife. She is actually in love with Xiang, but it is her manipulation that leads to his eventual downfall. Strange people, women. Overall, the film manages to look like an epic period drama, but lacks the focus and spirit that makes an epic feel like an epic. A shame really. |
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RATING 6 / 10 |