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Jul 18, 2018Nursebob rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Using the tumultuous friendship between two stage performers to illustrate fifty years of Chinese history, Kaige Chen’s sweeping epic is as intimate as it is grand. Filled with lush widescreen images awash in reds and gold against the cacophonous bang and clash of Chinese Opera, Chen’s love for the art of cinema (as well as an abiding sympathy for the suffering of artists) is evident in every frame. Running just under three hours his masterful film unfolds with a composed patience, each scene imbued with layers of meaning whether it be a brainwashed mob shouting revolutionary rhetoric or an abandoned pair of silk slippers softly underscoring a greater tragedy. Deeply human and overtly political (which is probably why it didn’t receive the Oscar it rightfully deserved) Chen’s masterpiece is a sterling example of cinema’s ability to transport and transform.