Curse's opulence Oscar material?

Director Zhang Yimou painted a world of flamboyance, beauty, and glamour in his third martial-arts epic, The Curse of the Golden Flower.

The film will compete for an Oscar in the costume design category.

One of the heroes behind the bid is Hong Kong costume designer Yee Chung Man. The Curse is, at US$45 million, the most expensive production in Chinese filmmaking history. And a large part of the budget went to the costumes. "Luxury lies at the core of the royal family with its use of striking ornamental gold," Yee said.

"The dragon robe and the phoenix gown worn by Chow Yun-Fat (emperor) and Gong Li (empress) took 40 artisans two months to make," he added.

Yee designed seven costumes for the emperor and empress, and most of the outfits had four to six layers. Each layer was meticulously handcrafted.

Director Zhang explained that color constituted the film's major theme. The point was echoed by Yee who said he created, using color elements, a strong contrast between the exterior gold and jade glitter and the internal family darkness.

Thereby, "the tragic feeling of the story and of the characters was highlighted," Yee said.

He explained: "To emphasize the gold, as well to heighten the splendor of the Tang Dynasty, we cut gold color dust from a variety of sources and used it in the set designs, in glass vessels, and in the columns of the palace."

The elaborate costumes added to the time the actors took to dress up. The daily preparations including hair, makeup, and costumes took about three to four hours, said Yee.

As one of the most acclaimed art directors in Hong Kong, Yee has been in the field for more than 20 years and recently won the Best Costume & Make Up Design and Best Art Direction for Perhaps Love during the 2006 Hong Kong Film Award. Yee is also a director himself.

To win the Oscar, his movie has to beat four other top contenders, including The Devil Wears Prada, Dreamgirls, Marie Antoinette and The Queen. The 79th Annual Academy Awards will be presented on February 25 in Hollywood.

(China Daily 02/13/2007 page18)