09-30-2020, 11:40 PM
I take back what I said about White Snake usurping the crown ( http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFor...p?tid=5738)
Green Snake is still the best. It starts out so sensual. Joey Wang and Maggie Cheung are at the top of the divadom. And Zhou Wenzhou is brilliant as the obsessive Buddhist exorcist Fahui. From slinky titilation, the film moves into some big questions of good vs evil, delusion vs reality, emotion vs detachment, of sibling rivalry, and what it means to be human. Underlying the fable are some hard challenges for Buddhism, all wrapped in the slithery coils of Joey and Maggie as they sashay in their silken dresses, training for a glimpse of enlightenment. The opening imagery of the deformed humans in carnal crudeness, then the ring of the bell, the drop of water rippling as Fahui escapes into meditation, it's deeply Buddhist. And Maggie delivers a commanding performance that evolves from campy to vampy, to her perfect portrayal of trying to cry when you don't have emotions, to when she finally achieves tears. She's still got me mesmerized. The special effects hold up fairly well, even the snake puppets and prosthetics, but I watched a low res version. It's amazing how Tsui Hark acheived his visions without CGI.
I still love this film.
There is a sword fight that's more magic and posturing, but it's Joey vs. Maggie. DOOM recommended.
Green Snake is still the best. It starts out so sensual. Joey Wang and Maggie Cheung are at the top of the divadom. And Zhou Wenzhou is brilliant as the obsessive Buddhist exorcist Fahui. From slinky titilation, the film moves into some big questions of good vs evil, delusion vs reality, emotion vs detachment, of sibling rivalry, and what it means to be human. Underlying the fable are some hard challenges for Buddhism, all wrapped in the slithery coils of Joey and Maggie as they sashay in their silken dresses, training for a glimpse of enlightenment. The opening imagery of the deformed humans in carnal crudeness, then the ring of the bell, the drop of water rippling as Fahui escapes into meditation, it's deeply Buddhist. And Maggie delivers a commanding performance that evolves from campy to vampy, to her perfect portrayal of trying to cry when you don't have emotions, to when she finally achieves tears. She's still got me mesmerized. The special effects hold up fairly well, even the snake puppets and prosthetics, but I watched a low res version. It's amazing how Tsui Hark acheived his visions without CGI.
I still love this film.
There is a sword fight that's more magic and posturing, but it's Joey vs. Maggie. DOOM recommended.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse