• pigduck
  • Feb 13,2007
  • In: Rants

Comparing themes - Curse of the Golden Flower & Farewell My Concubine

When I watched the ending credits of Curse of the Golden Flower and Jay Chou’s song came on, I remember thinking how similar it sounded to Leslie Cheung’s Farewell my Concubine theme song.

The two movies are about a time that was, a time that we imagined to be, romantic mythical eras that we dream about, tragic tales of love and loss…

You are brought back to reality, to the present, when you hear the theme songs for both movies, since they are contemporary pop ballads. It is a jarring comparison to the rich, colourful past the movies try to paint.

Maybe one of the reasons why they chose a modern chinese pop track as their theme song was to remind us that the themes of the films transcend space and time, that it moves past fiction and into our ever present world as we know it. It allows us to connect and internalise the emotions felt throughout the films.

If you think Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is tragic, you haven’t watched Chinese international cinema yet.

If you know me, you will know that “Farewell My Concubine” ranks as one of my favourite films of all time. The focus was not just on cinematography like Curse of the Golden Flower but about the loss of innocence, love, history, heritage, culture and art. A story that leaves us with an ache and an overwhelming sadness not just for the characters in the film but also for China and its people.
It is interesting to note that Curse of the Golden Flower and Farewell My Concubine both have Gong Li in it. It shows her involvement in the development of Asian cinema. She has played a pivotal role in Chinese cinema over the years. I would say she is the top choice not because she is pretty but because she is a great and wonderful actress who embraces the characters thrown at her and makes them believable and real.

Curse of the Golden Flower is about dysfunctional relationships and the destruction and demolition of family units when the greed for power overrides love. It is a vengeful, twisted tale of honour, trust, incest and filial piety. Yet, when you walk out of the cinema, you don’t carry these themes with you. Instead, all you remember about the film is the beauty of the backdrop, their costumes, the maids and their bosoms. The narrative is not as strong as Farewell My Concubine.

Since I do not read or understand Mandarin, I can’t tell you what the songs are about. Maybe if I understood the lyrics, the songs would take on a completely different meaning but I have to say that Leslie Cheung is more emotional on his track. I hadn’t heard it in a few years so when I heard it again this morning, tears sprung to my eyes. Even after multiple times, tears come naturally when I can hear him crying on this song.

Jay Chou sounds more distant on his song but maybe it’s because Curse of the Golden Flower is not a story about a man like Farewell My Concubine.

In terms of direction, storyline and themes, both films are very different but I can’t help comparing the theme songs.

This is Jay Chou’s song from Curse of the Golden Flower:-

This is Leslie Cheung’s song from Farewell My Concubine:-

I do prefer Leslie Cheung’s song, I won’t lie. What do you think?

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