Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #161878 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-09-12
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: Color, DVD, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese
• Subtitled in: English, Vietnamese, Japanese, Georgian, Chinese, Thai
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 95 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
A 1986 Hong Kong variation on Somewhere in Time, with Adrian Lyne-style snazzy visuals contributed by director Tony Au, and music that sounds like Tangerine Dream outtakes. Chow Yun-fat and Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia (The Bride with White Hair) are a strikingly glamorous pair of star-crossed lovers. Apparently they were an item in a past life, during the Qin dynasty over 2,000 years ago. When they meet at an exhibition of terra cotta soldiers unearthed from the Qin emperor's tomb, the past merges with the present. (The flashback scenes mark Chow's only big-screen appearance in traditional Chinese garb, although he played several period roles in his apprentice phase as a TV idol.) The storytelling is anemic, and the finale a major letdown, but you may be satisfied just gazing at the stars, and at the lush period sets and costumes. Movies don't come much prettier. --David Chute

Customer Reviews

MESMERIZING!
A hypnotic film, one of the finest romance mysteries ever filmed. Tony Au's direction is awe-inspiring. His background as an art director is readily apparent in this beautifully conceived and shot film.

Chow Yun-Fat and Brigitte Lin have their incredible talents used to the hilt in this romantic mystery about a pair of tragic lovers from 2100 years before now reincarnated in modern Hong Kong. No film has better illustrated the adage that the course of true love never runs smooth.

Erotic, lyrical, shamelessly romantic yet never sentimental. A stunning masterpiece which rivals any of the classic French films.

5 of 5 stars for cast, director, cinematographer and writer. Superb.

Not your typical "Western Style" romance
My primary motivation for viewing this film was to enjoy the performances of 2 incredible artists. Chow Yun Fat, known to some for his Rambo-style, shoot-em-up attitude, and Brigitte Lin Ching-Hsia, known for her roles in many fantasy-fu flicks.

From the opening scene, I was in awe of the cinematography. Beautiful backgrounds and settings are used throughout this whole film, and do a wonderful job of creating an atmosphere representative of the whole story.

As much as I love Lin and Chow, I must say that Cher Yeung stole the show. She does a beautiful job of really bringing out the transformation of her character through the movie.

Complaints: Chow just didn't act out the flashback scenes to his potential. I felt that he didn't play a character that was from the past during the flashbacks. Also, I felt that the suspense of the whole situation could have been delayed a tad longer, to further the connection between the characters and the audience.

Finally, the movie may not suit well with certain viewers. But if you think of the context in which this movie was made, you'll see that it does fit. There are some abstract topics that some may not comprehend or subscribe to i.e. reincarnation, but if you look past that, what you'll find is an incredible love story that is unique.

Definitely worth a view, and a purchase.

Not Typical
This is not your typical Chow Yun Fat shoot'em up fest. Instead, this is an incredible love story. Chow Yun Fat and Brigitte Lin are reincarnations of lovers from the Qin Dynasty. It took them over 2,000 years to be reincarnated. They find each other while visiting an exhibition featuring the famous terra-cotta army of the Qin Dynasty (coincidence? I think not). Well, they fall in love, which wreaks some havoc in Chow Yun Fat's life. But, eventually...

...I think I'll save the ending for you to see, since it's somewhat unexpected.

A beautifully shot movie. The surreal dream sequences are an excellent counterpoint to the real-life sequences. Definitely a must see and must have.