Chinese Odyssey 2002
It's during the Ming Dynasty and, with the Empress Dowager running the land, the Emperor Zheng De and his sister the Princess Wushuang decide to escape the palace and have some fun for once. However, he is too well guarded but his sister escapes dressed as a man. Meanwhile, in the village of Meilong, Li Yilong, aka King Bully, has returned from wandering the land....
It's during the Ming Dynasty and, with the Empress Dowager running the land, the Emperor Zheng De and his sister the Princess Wushuang decide to escape the palace and have some fun for once. However, he is too well guarded but his sister escapes dressed as a man. Meanwhile, in the village of Meilong, Li Yilong, aka King Bully, has returned from wandering the land to visit his sister who runs the Dragon Phoenix Inn. Both are formidable characters - she dresses like a man and he is feared by everyone. Almost immediately King Bully reckons that his sister needs a man and offers her hand in marriage to anyone that can pass the test of the Sacred Fire of Meilong but none can withstand the pain.
However, when the Princess, still dressed as a man, and a mysterious stranger known only as Solid Gold Love arrive in Meilong, things get interesting. King Bully thinks the Princess is a he and a handsome one at that and so would make a fine husband for his sister who, also thinking the Princess is a man, has exactly the same idea and starts to dress more femininely and flirt with her. Things get confused and after a hard nights drinking, all three end up passing out and wake up in bed together. On waking, the Princess realises that she's fallen for King Bully but the other two still think she's a man, even though he has strange feelings for "him", and when she finds out she's being secretly shadowed by the Imperial Guard, she runs away.
Things get even more confused when, finding court robes in a bag she's left behind, both think she's actually the Emperor. Meanwhile, the real Emperor has escaped the palace and, masquerading as a travelling player, ends up in Meilong too. When he saves King Bully's sister from an attacker they also fall in love. All that's left to make things perfect is for the Princess to convince King Bully that she's a woman or so you'd think…
Review
This is essentially a romantic comedy Chinese style so there are some martial arts thrown in as well. Jeffrey Lau directed the earlier Chinese Odyssey films but this is definately not a remake of that story. This one is set in Ming Dynasty Imperial China and the period sets and props are all very well detailed and, along with some beautifully designed costumes and some very good location cinematography to set the scene, it works quite well.
It's about two brother and sister pairs and the convoluted set of circumstances around the respective opposites in each pair falling in love. One pair is rich and powerful but cannot easily pass among the commoners and the other two are a pair of toughs, feared by their fellow villagers. The whole story is based on the almost Shakespearian premise that, dressed as a man, the Princess Wushuang can completely fool everyone into thinking that she is a man. Now, as viewers, it's obvious to us that she's a woman - okay she's slim so the average guy costume fits okay but she's gorgeous and there's no way you confuse her with a bloke and that makes many of the scenes so much funnier.
There are some excellent comic moments in there as well and it all gets pretty ridiculous and requires a fair level of suspension of reality but it's enjoyable nevertheless. There are even some asides to the audience in the form of narrated commentary of some of character’s thoughts and some of these are really funny. One thing I can safely say is that it isn't predictable or formulaic and it gets so as you just can't imagine what's going to come next.
Jeffrey Lau's direction is very good and there are some really good set pieces in the movie. Tony Leung (Infernal Affairs, Hero, Chungking Express) and Faye Wong (Chungking Express) are excellent as King Bully and the Princess while Vicki Zhao (Shaolin Soccer, Warriors of Heaven and Earth) and Chen Chang (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) are not far behind as Phoenix and the Emperor. The two girls are absolutely gorgeous, even more so when they drop the drag acts and don more feminine garb and the movie won the best picture award at the 2003 Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards, where Faye Wong picked up best actress award as well.
The picture is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and, while the colours are strong and well used, the image is a bit soft and shows some signs of dirt and damage to the print. It also seems a little overexposed in some outdoor scenes where whites are just too bright but that aside, it's not a bad transfer. There's also some nice cinematography and the sets and costumes are excellent so with the good use of colour and lighting it's actually quite watchable.
The sound here is only Dolby Digital 2.0, which is a pity as the credits clearly give the indication that the original soundtrack was Dolby Digital Surround-EX so a much better version exists. While the track used here is adequate, the Mandarin dialogue is clear throughout and the subtitles clear and unobtrusive, I can't help thinking that a fuller soundstage would have given better delivery of the sometimes excellent score and ambient noise such as the fairly constant crickets, wildlife, crowd sounds, etc. Another point to note is that, while the film was shot with both Mandarin and Cantonese dialogue, the Mandarin version included here includes the dubbing of those actors speaking Cantonese, which explains the slightly odd lip synching for some.
A more serious issue are the cuts in this version. The original is credited as running for 97 minutes and all we get here is 86 minutes and even allowing for the NTSC/PAL speed difference, we appear to have lost some seven minutes of footage. I can't comment personally on what's missing but a little digging around indicates that those who have the other release of this movie on DVD see this as a more than minor flaw in this release.
However, Chinese Odyssey 2002 is an excellent and beautifully produced piece of Chinese slapstick comedy cinema. The only let downs are the poorish quality image and bargain basement soundtrack but it's still worth watching for the quality of the story and performances.
Extras
There are no extra features here other than…
Tartan Trailer Reel - Promotional trailers for a selection of Tartan Video's other offerings - 2046, My Architect, Super Size Me and In The Mood For Love.
Overall
If you're a fan of Chinese comedies or don't mind subtitles and appreciate a good comedy then this is well recommended for a gentle evening's humour and I have to admit that both my partner and I enjoyed it. Unless you've seen the original, you won't notice the cuts but the lack of any extras and the poorish sound and video won't help it sell at what appears to be a premium price and it may be worth waiting for it to drop in price or just opt for a rental.
If you're a serious fan of Chinese cinema, then there is an uncut version out there with a 5.1 soundtrack that should provide you with a superior alternative to this Tartan release.
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