SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Orla Zuniga It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Mozjoukine This Shaw Brothers cross dressing Opera Film, made in the wake of the success of Li Han-hsiang's THE LOVE ETERN (they claim nearly a million viewers) is less filmic and lacks variation of tone - though an evil step mother offering a choice between a sword and a silk cloth as ways of having the heroine off herself, does stand out in the playfulness.The film appears to be the B team at work, with star Ivy Lin Po only contributing voice tracks, and it's unlikely that it will be remembered as a major item. The numbers don't catch the Western ear the way the best of these do. It does however assert itself as the plot unfolds.We do get Shaw's art department in full cry, contrasting the vivid colours of the studio-built settings with a few subdued back lot exteriors, which show up late. This, and some familiar faces among the character players, connects the piece to the famous Chivalry adventures influenced by the opera tradition.