| The Golden Girls (1995)
山水有相逢
Director: Joe Ma
Starring: Anita
Yuen, Choi Siu Fun, Lau Ching Wan, Paulyn Sun
A movie about the movies, "The Golden Girls" is a
romantic comedy that follows the lives of screenwriter Chun Wai (Lau
Ching Wan) and two actresses who are best friends, glamorous Lulu (Ada
Choi Siu-Fun) and the "plain" Mei Ball (Anita Yuen).
This is not only one of the best films of 1995,
but one of the most beautiful romantic comedies ever made in Hong Kong.
It's a romantic comedy movie all about the movies. Lau Ching Wan is Chun
Wai, screenwriter involved with two actresses: he finds himself livinng
with the glamorous Lulu (Ada Choi) but he's in love with her best
friend, the far more talented Mei Ball (Anita Yuen).
The film follows the three of them through
increasing success, spanning the mid 60s to the mid 70s. Lau Ching Wan
is in love with Mei but ends up with Lulu instead. Mei, not finding
success in the film industry at first, leaves to marry her cousin but
soon comes back, only to find success playing male roles.
Golden Girls is about the relationships between
these characters. The drama comes from Chun Wai's continued pursuit of
Mei, even as he is with Lulu. The film is far from all serious. It uses
its inside view of the film industry to make numerous jokes about film,
producers, directors, and actors.
This film is graced by gorgeous sets (after all,
this is the movies) and wonderful colors. The film is shot in a way that
somehow feels very 60s, particularly in the colors of the film (as
opposed to the sets). There are also some hilarious costumes and hairdos
that make us wonder just what they were thinking in the 70s (see Boogie
Nights). Anita Yuen is simply fantastic: moving, funny, silly, complex:
she can show you a whole range of emotions crossing her face, in one
simple close-up. Her chemistry with Lau Ching Wan is perfect.
This sly romantic comedy about the HK film
business, gets the DVD version it deserves. The DVD version we sell has
very good image quality, good sound, removable subtitles, a theatrical
trailer, and info on Lau Ching Wan.
This is not only one of the best films of 1995,
but one of the most beautiful romantic comedies ever made in Hong Kong.
It has genuine charm and a level of sophistication rarely equalled in
contemporary Asian cinema. The film beautifully captures its era; it is
a truly "swinging" comedy.
DVD:
List Price: US $19.95
Sale
Price: US$8.95
Language:
Cantonese / Mandarin
Subtitle:
English / Traditional Chinese
/ Simplified Chinese
All Regions
(Can be played on any DVD player in the
world)
Letter Box
Rating:
II -
"May be Inappropriate For Children" (Broad
rating may be roughly equal to an MPPA rating of
"PG-13" to "R". In the late 1980s
this rating splintered in two ratings: IIA and IIB) Films
rated Category II may contain mild to strong violence,
nudity that is usually not sexually oriented, explicit
language and adult situations.
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