Flowers of Shanghai
1998 · Movie · NR · 113 min · ★ 6.9 · 83% critics
In late-19th-century Shanghai, a secluded network of lavish “flower houses” offers the city’s elite a private refuge for dining, opium, games, and companionship. Inside this closed world of strict rituals and coded manners, power, money, and desire shape fragile relationships between patrons and the women who work there.
Also known as The Flowers of Shanghai
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Details
- Original title
- 海上花
- Years
- 1998
- Release date
- 1998-10-05
- Language
- Chinese
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Critic score
- 83/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.9/10 (113 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a slow, immersive period drama about desire and power in a closed social world; Not for you if you need fast plots or clear answers, unlike Millennium Mambo.
Pros: hypnotic, dreamlike mood; beautiful period setting; emotionally compelling drama | Cons: very slow pace; confined single-location feel; demands patient viewing
Themes
- shanghai, china
- brothel
- courtesan
- 19th century
Awards & recognition
- International Submission to the Academy Awards · 1999 · nominated
Cast & crew
Tony Leung Chiu-wai
as Wang
Michiko Hada
as Crimson
Carina Lau
as Pearl
Michele Reis
as Emerald
Jack Kao
as Luo
Rebecca Pan
as Huang
- SS
Stephanie Fong Shuan
as Jade
Annie Shizuka Inoh
as Golden Flower
Vicky Wei
as Jasmin
- FL
Firebird Liu
as Vagabond #2
Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien