(1998)4Tom VickIn a departure from his previous films, all of which took place in 20th century Taiwan, Hou Hsiao-hsien's Flowers of Shanghai is set entirely within the lantern-lit dining rooms and private chambers of the famous brothels or "flower houses" of 19th century China. Its multiple plot lines revolve around the highly ritualized but deeply emotional interactions between the courtesans and their clients, and its slow, stately pace reflects the strictly governed rhythms of life within the brothel's walls. Relationships and tensions slowly emerge out of the rituals of dining, gambling, opium-smoking, and conversation. In a daring formal move, Hou filmed the entire movie with a constantly moving camera in individual long takes punctuated by slow fades to black. No other movie looks or feels quite like it. Beautifully shot in deep reds and rich golds, and pregnant with suppressed emotions that are constantly threatening to erupt, each scene seems to glide and float, creating an atmosphere so seductive that it feels less like a movie than an entire world unto itself.
