House of Flying Daggers
HJ Links
—Review by Darrel Manson
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film pdf
—Spiritual Connections
Earlier this year, American audiences got to see Zhang Yimou’s visually beautiful and intellectually thoughtful martial arts film, Hero. Now we are treated to Zhang’s second martial arts film, House of Flying Daggers. This film shares a good deal with Hero -stunning cinematography, excellent choreography of the wuxia style martial arts sequences, and interesting plot twists. (Note: while I won't be speaking of the twists themselves, some of my comments may give hints that will reflect some of the twists.)
House of Flying Daggers is a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. It focuses on the romantic triangle that develops between the three main characters: Mei, Jin and Leo. (Hence the title of the film in Japan: The Lovers.) We are never sure about any of the relationships, however, because the whole story is also a story of deception.
Jin and Leo are deputies for the security forces of the corrupt government. This is a period when many rebellious groups are taking advantage of the government's weakness. One of these groups is the House of Flying Daggers, a collection of martial arts practitioners who have been robbing the rich and sharing with the poor, gathering much popular support. There is a rumor that a new dancer at the local brothel is an agent for the Flying Daggers. Jin and Leo hatch a scheme for Jin to go undercover to find and kill the new leader of the House.
The new dancer, Mei, at the Peony Pavilion turns out to be blind (as was the daughter of the old leader of the House). But she is such an accomplished dancer she can perform the “Echo Game,� an elaborate dance that even a sighted person would have trouble with. She also proves to be an amazing wuxia fighter in spite of her blindness. After her arrest, Jin rescues her and they set off on a trip to the north. Along the way they come under attack by government forces, always barely escaping death (but keep in mind that Jin and Leo have set all this up).
Along the way, Jin and Mei begin to fall in love. Leo is constantly trying to warn Jin about such a connection, but it happens anyway. Eventually we discover that Leo has his own love for Mei. When Jin and Mei finally make their way to the headquarters for the House of Flying Daggers, the plot begins to twist in various ways.
The love triangle creates the foundation of the tragedy. There is no way that this triangle can work. Once all the relationships are revealed, the story becomes one of sacrifice, but also of selfishness. Both of those concepts can lead to courageous action. Each character has a bit of selfishness; some, though, manage to put the one they love above their own safety. And we see the extent to which love will go to in order to save the one we love -even giving up our own lives.
House of Flying Daggers, while certainly a commendable film, may be a minor disappointment to fans of Hero. Although just as beautiful, the story doesn’t carry the same vast sweep that is found in Hero. The film also fails to follow all of the story lines to conclusion. This is especially obvious in the story of what happens to the House of Flying Daggers. While the crucial confrontation between Jin, Leo and Mei is taking place, we see an army closing in on the headquarters, but never see the outcome of the inevitable battle.
But while it may be a disappointment in comparison to Hero, it still manages to speak to us of the power of love that leads us to great sacrifice. Sometimes that coming together of love and sacrifice can lead to tragedy, as it does here. But even in the midst of the tragedy, there is also a vision of the salvation that also comes from sacrifice. For people of faith, it can serve as a reminder of the sacrifice God made to bring salvation to us.
—Review by Darrel Manson
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film pdf
—Spiritual Connections
Earlier this year, American audiences got to see Zhang Yimou’s visually beautiful and intellectually thoughtful martial arts film, Hero. Now we are treated to Zhang’s second martial arts film, House of Flying Daggers. This film shares a good deal with Hero -stunning cinematography, excellent choreography of the wuxia style martial arts sequences, and interesting plot twists. (Note: while I won't be speaking of the twists themselves, some of my comments may give hints that will reflect some of the twists.)
House of Flying Daggers is a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. It focuses on the romantic triangle that develops between the three main characters: Mei, Jin and Leo. (Hence the title of the film in Japan: The Lovers.) We are never sure about any of the relationships, however, because the whole story is also a story of deception.
Jin and Leo are deputies for the security forces of the corrupt government. This is a period when many rebellious groups are taking advantage of the government's weakness. One of these groups is the House of Flying Daggers, a collection of martial arts practitioners who have been robbing the rich and sharing with the poor, gathering much popular support. There is a rumor that a new dancer at the local brothel is an agent for the Flying Daggers. Jin and Leo hatch a scheme for Jin to go undercover to find and kill the new leader of the House.
The new dancer, Mei, at the Peony Pavilion turns out to be blind (as was the daughter of the old leader of the House). But she is such an accomplished dancer she can perform the “Echo Game,� an elaborate dance that even a sighted person would have trouble with. She also proves to be an amazing wuxia fighter in spite of her blindness. After her arrest, Jin rescues her and they set off on a trip to the north. Along the way they come under attack by government forces, always barely escaping death (but keep in mind that Jin and Leo have set all this up).
Along the way, Jin and Mei begin to fall in love. Leo is constantly trying to warn Jin about such a connection, but it happens anyway. Eventually we discover that Leo has his own love for Mei. When Jin and Mei finally make their way to the headquarters for the House of Flying Daggers, the plot begins to twist in various ways.The love triangle creates the foundation of the tragedy. There is no way that this triangle can work. Once all the relationships are revealed, the story becomes one of sacrifice, but also of selfishness. Both of those concepts can lead to courageous action. Each character has a bit of selfishness; some, though, manage to put the one they love above their own safety. And we see the extent to which love will go to in order to save the one we love -even giving up our own lives.
House of Flying Daggers, while certainly a commendable film, may be a minor disappointment to fans of Hero. Although just as beautiful, the story doesn’t carry the same vast sweep that is found in Hero. The film also fails to follow all of the story lines to conclusion. This is especially obvious in the story of what happens to the House of Flying Daggers. While the crucial confrontation between Jin, Leo and Mei is taking place, we see an army closing in on the headquarters, but never see the outcome of the inevitable battle.But while it may be a disappointment in comparison to Hero, it still manages to speak to us of the power of love that leads us to great sacrifice. Sometimes that coming together of love and sacrifice can lead to tragedy, as it does here. But even in the midst of the tragedy, there is also a vision of the salvation that also comes from sacrifice. For people of faith, it can serve as a reminder of the sacrifice God made to bring salvation to us.
1 Comments:
Darrel-
This is Ed Travis here, and I just wanted to ask you to check out my review of the film once David posts it. I think there was a reason for the lack of resolve at the House of Flying Daggers, and address that in my review. Thanks for sharing all your thoughts!
Grace and Peace,
Ed Travis
Post a Comment
<< Home