“Fate has brought them together.”
Flowers of Shanghai is set in the late 1880s; the story revolves around several Flower Houses–that’s a pretty name for brothels. Flower Girls–with names such as Crimson, Emerald, Pearl, Jasmine, Jade, Crystal, and Golden Phoenix, inhabit these houses. Their names imply that they are like precious jewels, and it’s true that their earning potential makes them valuable, but they are also beaten and quite replaceable. ‘Aunties’ buy girls when they are about 7 or 8 years old. The girls’ feet are then bound, and the ‘Aunties’ train the Flower Girls for their ‘duties’ in the Flower Houses. Girls receive callers, but as the girls become more popular, they may only receive one caller exclusively. It is every Flower Girl’s goal to have her freedom purchased by this one exclusive caller who will then make her a second wife.
Visually, Flowers of Shanghai is a stunning film. The sets are sumptuous, candles delicately light exquisitely beautiful rooms, and wind chimes gently move in the evening breeze. The great beauty in the rooms and houses inhabited by the Flower Girls is in contrast to the ugly reality of their lives. Most evenings, the girls sit around and watch wealthy men gamble and drink. The girls are kept like some sort of exotic pets–they’re beautiful to look at, but fragile and expensive. They exist to watch their decadent masters’ sport. The film is basically a sequence of beautiful tableaux, and in no sense is this a character-driven story. We actually know very little about the characters, and there is no story in any traditional sense. The film is a depiction of a system, and as such, it exceeds very well. However, since emphasis is not on individual characters, the film flows with a sort of beautiful detachment. Flowers of Shanghai is clearly not for all tastes. It is not a traditional film–it is however, a beautiful, artistic film, and those committed to watching it in its entirety will grasp the director, Hsiao-hsien Hou’s design.
Phoenix Cinema 