 |
| Images courtesy of 88 Films |
88 Films and Fortune Star have taken great pains alongside
Arrow Video and Shout Factory to bring the Hong Kong based Shaw Brothers film
library typically comprised of martial arts action fighter escapism or fantastical
ghost stories. What they’re not usually
known for to westerners until recently is, like the Nikkatsu Roman Porno line
in Japan, they also dealt in sumptuously designed period erotica judging from
88 Films’ release of Li Han-Hsiang’s Facets of Love followed by The
Golden Lotus a year later. Elegant
if not a little kinky costumed period softcore pornography, the writer-director’s
output of sexy yet distancing period dramas play less like conventional
narratives or your typical sex film for that matter. Rather it aims to recreate a time and place
in the form of an ornate brothel in a frank if not occasionally scathing look
at prostitution reminiscent of Gate of Flesh or The Shape of Night albeit
far less compelling than those two Japanese classics.
At a Shanghai based Ming Dynasty brothel at the turn of the 20th
century a new female recruit is tricked into a life of prostitution ala The
Shape of Night or more recently the South Korean Bad Guy. From here a ruthless madam cracking her whip
in full authority of the brothel runs the brothel as a labyrinthine spectacle
of stairways and elegant corridors lensed exquisitely by Lin Hua-Zhao. With a soft spoken period score of guitar twanging
and soft percussive instrumentation by Wu Da-Jiang and handsome costume design
by Liu Chi-Yu, Facets of Love doesn’t boil down to one single character
but rather regards the brothel itself as an ensemble full of secrets and
lies. Featuring a then-unknown Jackie
Chan in one of his earliest roles before making his presence known to Golden
Harvest fans, the Run Run Shaw produced ensemble sex drama though at times held
at arm’s length nevertheless forms a kind of Dancing at the Blue Iguana regard
for its subset of characters.
As always, 88 Films have given the blu-ray release reversible
artwork from Yu-Ming Huang, four collectible lobby cards and a special
slipcover case. Completists keen on all
the facets of the Shaw Brothers canon may not know how to take this one or the
director’s next work The Golden Lotus which dealt in sensual erotica but
maintained a sort of distance from the characters. Even with scenes of women tied up in bondage to
be punished, there’s not a whole lot in the way of relatable characters to
latch onto. The film itself is largely a
collection of vignettes of the lives of the women having to lie in bed with men
from all walks of life. It looks
beautiful and is elegantly constructed clearly, it just becomes difficult to
relate to and by the end of this journey you are mostly glad it is over
with. As a carnal offering of sensual
delight yes it delivers ample sex, nudity and occasional kink but emotionally
speaking is rather dry and wanting.
--Andrew Kotwicki
