Colour Blossoms
Encyclopedia
Colour Blossoms is a 2004 Hong Kong art film written and directed by Yonfan
, and the third in an informal trilogy of films inspired by Tang Xianzu
's The Peony Pavilion
. The original Chinese title of Colour Blossoms literally translates as "Peach Colour", a euphemism
for sexual desire, one of the central themes in the film.
for Colour Blossoms in Venice
, following the screening of his previous film, Breaking the Willow, at the Venice Film Festival
. He had all three lead actresses in mind from the outset, in particular longtime friend Teresa Cheung for the part of Meili. Despite being a Hong Kong production, the cast and crew of the film came from a number of Asian countries, with actors from Japan
(Matsuzaka and Yokouchi) and Korea
(Harisu), and a filmmaking crew from mainland China
, led by cinematographer
Wang Yu. For the film's score
Yonfan travelled personally to India
to find a local composer
, eventually hiring the talents of Surender Sodhi, a veteran of the Indian film industry
.
Although Colour Blossoms had initially been planned as a low budget production, the actual cost ran to HK$10 million. It was largely funded by Yonfan himself, but financing problems resulted in an extended filming period of 13 months. The film had difficulty attracting potential investors due to its risqué subject matter, and a number of local actors had also been dissuaded from participating by their agents
.
for its strong sexual themes and the involvement of lead actress Teresa Cheung, herself a controversial figure. It premiered in Hong Kong on October 27, 2004, and opened to the public the following day. During its opening weekend it was the second highest grossing film in Hong Kong, but total box office
earnings of HK$4,584,092 failed to recoup the film's budget. Colour Blossoms also received a cinema release in both Singapore
and Japan
, and was screened at a number of film festival
s worldwide, including Berlinale, Cinemanila, and the Chicago International Film Festival
.
In 2011, the film was screened at the 16th Busan International Film Festival, as part of a retrospective of Yonfan
's films, which featured seven of his restored and re-mastered films from the 1980s through 2000s.
. In a particularly scathing review for Firecracker magazine, Alison Wong dismissed Colour Blossoms as "a sexual melting pot that is all style, little substance and virtually no chemistry", describing the S&M scenes as "almost laughable", and going on to say "that for all its lofty aspirations, the film has no driving purpose beyond attempting to titillate." Another critic wrote that the film is "incredibly dense, emotionally cold, and moves at a glacial pace", and that "Everything looks and sounds absolutely stunning [but] it just doesn't make any sense." Other negative reviews have nevertheless also praised the films visual aspects: Carl Davis at DVD Talk stated "There is no arguing that Colour Blossoms is a gorgeous looking movie", but that the director ultimately "gives us style over substance." A review at Fridae.com called the film "an undeniable feast for the eyes", but added that it "also veers dangerously into campy excess and plain old weirdness" while criticizing the "weak and unconvincing" characters and plot. However, some critics have defended the film's artistic merit
. In a review for DVDActive, Bodhi Sarkar described the film as "a profoundly mesmerising journey of human sensuality and spirituality", going on to add that the "poetic camerawork, luminous cinematography and Surender Sodhi’s tranquilising soundtrack help create an enjoyable and thought provoking visual treat".
It has won the following accolades:
It has also been nominated for the following awards:
Yonfan
Yonfan is a Hong Kong film director and photographer.-Biography:...
, and the third in an informal trilogy of films inspired by Tang Xianzu
Tang Xianzu
Tang Xianzu , courtesy name Yireng , was a Chinese playwright of the Ming Dynasty.Tang was a native of Linchuan, Jiangxi and his career as an official consisted principally of low-level positions. He successfully participated in the Provincial examinations at the age of 21 and at the imperial...
's The Peony Pavilion
The Peony Pavilion
The Peony Pavilion is a play written by Tang Xianzu in the Ming Dynasty and first performed in 1598 at the Pavilion of Prince Teng. One of Tang's "Four Dreams", it has traditionally been performed as a Kunqu opera, but Chuan and Gan opera versions also exist...
. The original Chinese title of Colour Blossoms literally translates as "Peach Colour", a euphemism
Euphemism
A euphemism is the substitution of a mild, inoffensive, relatively uncontroversial phrase for another more frank expression that might offend or otherwise suggest something unpleasant to the audience...
for sexual desire, one of the central themes in the film.
Production
Yonfan began writing the scriptScreenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
for Colour Blossoms in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, following the screening of his previous film, Breaking the Willow, at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
. He had all three lead actresses in mind from the outset, in particular longtime friend Teresa Cheung for the part of Meili. Despite being a Hong Kong production, the cast and crew of the film came from a number of Asian countries, with actors from Japan
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
(Matsuzaka and Yokouchi) and Korea
Cinema of Korea
Korean cinema encompasses the motion picture industries of North and South Korea. As with all aspects of Korean life during the past century, the film industry has often been at the mercy of political events, from the late Joseon dynasty to the Korean War to domestic governmental interference...
(Harisu), and a filmmaking crew from mainland China
Cinema of China
The Chinese-language cinema has three distinct historical threads: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China, and Cinema of Taiwan. Since 1949 the cinema of mainland China has operated under restrictions imposed by the Communist Party of China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television and...
, led by cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
Wang Yu. For the film's score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
Yonfan travelled personally to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to find a local composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, eventually hiring the talents of Surender Sodhi, a veteran of the Indian film industry
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...
.
Although Colour Blossoms had initially been planned as a low budget production, the actual cost ran to HK$10 million. It was largely funded by Yonfan himself, but financing problems resulted in an extended filming period of 13 months. The film had difficulty attracting potential investors due to its risqué subject matter, and a number of local actors had also been dissuaded from participating by their agents
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
.
Main cast
- Teresa Cheung as Meili. Yonfan has stated that Cheung was his inspiration for the film, although the character was not directly based on her personality. A first time actress, Cheung was initially reluctant to perform the nude and sexual scenes, but has defended the film's artistic qualities.
- Keiko MatsuzakaKeiko Matsuzakais an actress.Born in Ōta, Tokyo, her father was a naturalized South Korean while her mother was Japanese. Active as a child actress in the 1960s, she came into her own as an adult with Daiei, then in 1972 with Shochiku....
as Madam Umeki. Regarded by Yonfan as one of his cinematic idols, Matsuzaka has said that Colour Blossoms was her most demanding film. - Harisu as young Madam Umeki. Like the character she plays in the film, Harisu is also transgendered.
- Carl NgCarl NgCarl Ng is a Hong Kong actor and model. He is the son of Richard Ng.- Early life :The third of four children, Ng was born in Hong Kong and is of mixed ethnicity. His father is comedy actor Richard Ng, while his mother, a British woman, worked as a hair stylist for Bruce Lee in the 1970s...
as 4708. Ng was originally approached to play the role of Kim, but after reading the script "fell in love with the cop 4708". The character has no dialogue in the film, instead relying on gestures and movement, something Ng recognized as a challenge. - Sho Yokouchi as Kim. A former male model with no previous acting experience, Yokouchi had great difficulty with the film, admitting that he "just couldn't grasp the meaning." As a result he has since stated that he will never make another film, believing he is not suited to the work. Credited in the film as Sho.
Reception
Prior to its release, Colour Blossoms received strong criticism from the Hong Kong mediaMedia of Hong Kong
Media in Hong Kong are available to the public in the forms of: television and radio, newspapers, magazines and the Internet. They serve the local community by providing necessary information and entertainment.-Overview:...
for its strong sexual themes and the involvement of lead actress Teresa Cheung, herself a controversial figure. It premiered in Hong Kong on October 27, 2004, and opened to the public the following day. During its opening weekend it was the second highest grossing film in Hong Kong, but total box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
earnings of HK$4,584,092 failed to recoup the film's budget. Colour Blossoms also received a cinema release in both Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and was screened at a number of film festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
s worldwide, including Berlinale, Cinemanila, and the Chicago International Film Festival
Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America....
.
In 2011, the film was screened at the 16th Busan International Film Festival, as part of a retrospective of Yonfan
Yonfan
Yonfan is a Hong Kong film director and photographer.-Biography:...
's films, which featured seven of his restored and re-mastered films from the 1980s through 2000s.
Critical response
The film has received a very mixed response from criticsFilm criticism
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films, individually and collectively. In general, this can be divided into journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, and other popular, mass-media outlets and academic criticism by film scholars that is informed by film theory and...
. In a particularly scathing review for Firecracker magazine, Alison Wong dismissed Colour Blossoms as "a sexual melting pot that is all style, little substance and virtually no chemistry", describing the S&M scenes as "almost laughable", and going on to say "that for all its lofty aspirations, the film has no driving purpose beyond attempting to titillate." Another critic wrote that the film is "incredibly dense, emotionally cold, and moves at a glacial pace", and that "Everything looks and sounds absolutely stunning [but] it just doesn't make any sense." Other negative reviews have nevertheless also praised the films visual aspects: Carl Davis at DVD Talk stated "There is no arguing that Colour Blossoms is a gorgeous looking movie", but that the director ultimately "gives us style over substance." A review at Fridae.com called the film "an undeniable feast for the eyes", but added that it "also veers dangerously into campy excess and plain old weirdness" while criticizing the "weak and unconvincing" characters and plot. However, some critics have defended the film's artistic merit
Artistic merit
Artistic merit is a term that is used in relation to cultural products when referring to the judgment of their perceived quality or value as works of art....
. In a review for DVDActive, Bodhi Sarkar described the film as "a profoundly mesmerising journey of human sensuality and spirituality", going on to add that the "poetic camerawork, luminous cinematography and Surender Sodhi’s tranquilising soundtrack help create an enjoyable and thought provoking visual treat".
Awards and nominations
Colour Blossoms has both won, and been nominated for, a number of awards.It has won the following accolades:
| Year | Award | Category — Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards The Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards are the annual awards given by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society in Hong Kong, China since 1995. The awards are determined by votes cast in three rounds after a substantial discussion session between the members of the society... |
Film of Merit |
| 2005 | 7th Cinemanila International Film Festival Cinemanila International Film Festival The Cinemanila International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Manila, the Philippines. It was founded by Filipino filmmaker Amable "Tikoy" Aguiluz in 1999.... Awards |
Tribute — Yonfan |
| Rising Star Award — Teresa Cheung | ||
| 2005 | 2nd Chennai International Film Festival Awards | Most Promising Actress — Teresa Cheung |
It has also been nominated for the following awards:
- 25th Hong Kong Film AwardsHong Kong Film AwardsThe Hong Kong Film Awards , founded in 1982, are the most prestigious film awards in Hong Kong and among the most respected in mainland China and Taiwan. Award ceremonies are held annually, typically in April. The Awards recognize achievement in all aspects of filmmaking, such as directing,...
(2005)- Best New Performer — Teresa Cheung
- Best Art Direction — Man Lim Chung
- Best Costume & Make Up Design — Yonfan, Ho Tsz Leung
- Best Original Film Score — Surender Sodhi
- Hong Kong Film Critics Society AwardsHong Kong Film Critics Society AwardsThe Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards are the annual awards given by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society in Hong Kong, China since 1995. The awards are determined by votes cast in three rounds after a substantial discussion session between the members of the society...
(2005)- Best Actress — Teresa Cheung
External links
- Official Site
- Colour Blossoms at the Hong Kong Film ArchiveHong Kong Film ArchiveHong Kong Film Archive is located at 50 Lei King Road, Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong .It was opened in January 2001 and it is now under the management of Leisure and Cultural Service Department...