The Bride with White Hair is a martial arts fantasy film, of the wuxia style. Not a horror, per se, although there are strong supernatural (and "forces of evil") elements. If you are not accustomed to '80s and early '90s Hong Kong fantasy films, this movie will be 90 minutes of "What the fuck was that?" If it is not a genre you enjoy, I imagine you'll think about it the same way you do a baseball movie.
Having said that, I believe the relationship aspect of the movie is powerful. Here's my review. You can decide if it is something worth your while to seek out.
The Bride with White Hair
Directed by Ronny Yu
Starring Brigitte Lin, Leslie Cheung, and Francis Ng
In Cantonese with English subtitles
Film: 5 stars (out of 5)
“You would never distrust me, would you?”
And so we are introduced to a fundamental question in this tragic story. A question that changes the course of the lives of several characters, especially the two star-crossed lovers central to this fantasy/romance swordplay action film.
The Bride with White Hair (based on a popular novel and directed by Ronny Yu) is a visual feast and wraps the viewer up in its compelling story. We are treated to love, lust, loyalty, and betrayal. Kindheartedness, naïveté, and the worst kind of evil. The movie asks the question of would you renounce your family or your clan for love? What happens if you have forever vowed to trust your lover but you are now facing a situation where you are not quite sure you can? What if you have been duped?
The film starts out with a prologue: a snow-covered man sits forlorn on an icy ledge from which grows a special flower that is said to have healing powers. The flower is not for just anyone—not even the ailing emperor. It is for a woman. You see, the man has been guarding the flower for 10 years, and we get the feeling that he will guard it for eternity if that is what it will take.
The film proper starts off in a flashback, as swordsman Yi Hang Cho (Leslie Cheung) tells of growing up as the star student of the Wu Tang clan, one of several “good” clans who have joined forces to protect the Ching dynasty from the evil outside clans. Yi Hang’s master is like a father to him and is grooming him to be the next Joint Chief of the 8 clans. As a boy of about 7 or so, Yi Hang has a strange encounter with a mysterious “wolf girl” who saves his life one night.
Jump to about 15 years later. Yi Hang is quite the troublemaker, but in a kindhearted roguish sort of way. He gets along well with the others in training, especially clan sister Lu Hua Ho. She’s a no-nonsense sort and her icy determination has her thinking about the Joint Chief position. They seem destined for each other based on their positions and training.
However, Yi Hang begins to have second thoughts about this whole “protect the dynasty” thing. These are brought to a head when he is helping a couple of peasants and encounters our wolf girl again (played by Brigitte Lin). Yi Hang is stricken by her mysterious, enchanting beauty and follows her.
Meanwhile, while Yi Hang is spying on this mysterious woman (who is now bathing in a secluded pool), we are introduced to the Chi siblings. This brother/sister team were long ago exiled from the clan and in their vengeful hatred have established an evil cult with the sole purpose of destroying the 8 clans. The Chi siblings are not only evil, but creepy and almost comical in their bickering and handling of the cult affairs. There is more than meets the eye regarding the siblings; the nature of which is not all that surprising, but the reveal is handled very effectively.
It turns out that the wolf girl was taken in by the Chi siblings and brought up in the cult. They have made her into a killing force, and that is the only life she has known up to this point.
So you see where this is heading. Yi Hang is tasked to lead the clans in a pre-emptive strike against the evil cult, but he just mopes around, all moody and reflective. He can’t get this mysterious woman out of his mind. Wolf girl (who wasn’t even given a name by the siblings, lest she think of herself as a person rather than the killing machine they want her to be) is also having second thoughts about her purpose in life, and is also preoccupied by fending off the advances of the Chi brother.
When she is sent out on yet another mission she encounters Yi Hang again. This time their feelings are too much and they go off together. Lu Hua has seen this and reports back to the clan chiefs. They all figure that he has been bewitched.
Which brings us to another interesting question that the film asks. What is love, if not some sort of enchantment or bewitchment? Who among us has not had the feeling that some force (love? lust? infatuation?) has control over us? That we are powerless to stop ourselves, even if we know it can (or will) come to a bad end?
Back to the film--has Yi Hang been enchanted by an evil witch? Is he merely overcome with infatuation with the mysterious and the beautiful? Or has he found true love?
Up to now, Brigitte Lin’s character has been in the background, but from this point on she is a force in this film—her expressions; her eyes; her range. The transformation her character undergoes at this point—from cold killer witch to a woman experiencing the first taste of overwhelming erotic love—would be difficult for a lesser actress. But Lin more than carries it off.
The two fall hard for each other. In a touching scene, he gives her a name. They make love. She asks him for a promise: “I hate it most when people distrust. Please don’t ever distrust me.” He swears on heaven and earth that he will never let her down.
Which brings us back to the quote I used to start off this review. Taking it a step further, how would you react if you had given up everything you had achieved, your future, all you have ever known—for love? And then are betrayed?
I’ll stop with plot, because the last very powerful 30 minutes of the film needs to be experienced, not explained. This is where the elements of trust, sacrifice, and betrayal come in. The way these elements are handled sets The Bride with White Hair apart from many other sword/fantasy films, as good as they may be.
The film asks provocative questions and does not compromise the emotion with insertions of the Hong Kong silliness common to these types of movies. We do get the “spectacle” of the Hong Kong sword fantasy genre, with lots of whooshing around and chopped up people. Action, emotion, good vs. evil, depth of character--it all adds up to A+ entertainment.
This is easily one of the 10 best Hong Kong films of the last 20 years. The sets and filming techniques are visually stunning, and the musical score is outstanding. Plus, the last spoken line in the film is a classic.
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Originally Posted by Jean
