Legend of the Black Scorpion |  | Director: Xiaogang Feng
Actors: Ziyi Zhang, You Ge, Daniel Wu, Xun Zhou, Jingwu Ma
Studio: Dragon Dynasty
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.95
Buy Used: $5.25
as of 3/21/2010 12:00 EDT details
You Save: $14.70 (74%)
New (29) Used (19) Collectible (2) from $5.25
Seller: catsmeowmedia
Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 5455
Format: Color, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), Mandarin Chinese (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Dubbed)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 131 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.7
MPN: 80991
UPC: 796019809917
EAN: 0796019809917
ASIN: B00104AYGK
Theatrical Release Date: 2006
Release Date: February 26, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
(Action) A cross between Shakespeare s Hamlet and Tarantino s Kill Bill scheming royals and other officials attempt to consolidate power in a empire in chaos. Packed with deadly plots sweeping camerawork and elaborate fight choreography. System Requirements:Run Time: 126 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/CRIME UPC: 796019809917 Manufacturer No: 80991
Amazon.com
Tackling William Shakespeare's Hamlet, director Xiaogang Feng presents a unique take on the bard's famous play with the action drama Legend of the Black Scorpion, which is beautifully filmed and well acted. Ziyi Zhang stars as Empress Wan, a conniving woman whose beauty is equaled by her taste for power. She lustfully longs for her stepson Wu Lan (Daniel Wu). But when the Emperor dies, it is Wu Lan's younger brother who ascends to the throne, setting off a chain of events that are tragic. Though the story is familiar, the presentation is anything but; just as Hamlet captivated readers with its tale of lust, greed, and betrayal, Legend of the Black Scorpion draws viewers in with a story that is both fascinating and repulsive, but shot so beautifully that the eyes are drawn to the screen. Legendary fight choreographer Woo-ping Yuen (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the Matrix trilogy) orchestrates some beautifully fierce aerial battles that while no longer novel are still thrilling to watch. We are used to seeing Zhang in the wide-eyed ingénue roles. As the cold-hearted matriarch, she more than proves her abilities as an actress who is ready to move onto meatier roles that aren't driven by her beauty. --Jae-Ha Kim
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 27
 Simply Hamlet February 16, 2010
MWA (Kaiserslautern,Germany)
Who says Hamlet has to be hard? This is a great movie for kids struggling with Shakespeare's Hamlet,if they are reading it in High School. This very lushly visual, action-packed "Hamlet-in-a-nut-shell"
will give them the basic plot and story line. There are certain departures like the rivalry between the two female leads but watching this may spark an interest in actually reading the play itself. Anything is worth a try when today's students have so little patience and such small vocabularies.
A DRAMA OF COURT INTRIGUE, AND THE LUST FOR POWER January 17, 2010
Josef Bush (Phoenix, AZ)
The version I bought doesn't have the same cover art as this one does, but is a beautifully packaged Chinese Collector's Edition with a portrait of the fabulously beautiful actress and heroine of this story, Zhang Ziyi, as she stars in her first adult role, that of the Dowager Empress. Some observers have suggested that this movie (La Legende de la Scorpion Noir, in my French voice-over) or BANQUET, on the cover, is based on Shakespeare's HAMLET. That may ultimately be true. However, though there are similarities, it need not become a distraction.
If BANQUET were a Shakespeare adaptation, it might remind one of THRONE OF BLOOD, the Japanese take on MACBETH, or RAN, Kurosawa's thrilling take on KING LEAR. However, in that case one views the HAMLET story, through the eyes of the Prince, who detests the marriage of his mother, Queen Gertrude, to her brother-in-law and his uncle, King Claudius. In that case, the problem is what to do with her son, the heir to the throne?
In this re-writing, before the story even begins, she Zhang Ziyi was not the prince's young mother, but his young fiancee. No incest problem. The death of the Emperor and the resultant confusion at court is only intensified when she agrees to marry the new Emperor (her brother-in-law) and the Prince goes into hiding in a kind of Monastary/Theatre School, specializing in poetry and dance.
The film begins, actually, as a messenger of the Court arrives to invite the prince to return to Court, only minutes before a squad of assassins sent by the Emperor arrives, to kill him. He escapes, and makes his way back to Court and lives there under the protection of the new Empress, his former fiancee, who loves him at least as much as she loves the prestiege and power of her new position. In this story, all the problems of the situation are hers, not the Prince's.
Eventually we learn that the former Emperor was murdered (by his brother, it seems) by means of a powdered compound made in part from the essence of a black scorpion which is blown into the victim's ear, through a feather. That's a detail very like the murder of Hamlet's father, by a poison in liquid form poured into his ear.
Another similarity to the Hamlet story is the adoration of a young woman of the Court for the Prince. As with Ophelia, his feelings about this innocent and loving girl are sexual, but ambiguous, and cannot be resolved.
The most striking difference between the two stories of Court intrigue is that here, there are no ghosts, and the Prince does not ever hallucinate his father.
But all these details are superficial distractions. My advice is to abandon if you can, every reference you've heard between this film and the Shakespeare play, and simply sit back, relex and enjoy an historical drama of psychological complexity, produced with exceptional beauty and style, and played skillfully by some of the best film actors you'll ever see, in a specifically Chinese historical context, but with universal appeal. The music is good, the sets and costumes are georgeous, and often spectacular, and if you follow the characters and their relations with one another, you will grasp and enjoy the story in its entirety. The cultural differences between this production and any European story of similar type, are unavoidable; however the human emotions that motivate the characters are universal. The behaviors of the characters may puzzle children and adolescents, they will not trouble adults at all.
BANQUET, or CURSE (or venom, actually) OF THE BLACK SCORPION is a piece of adult entertainment in the grand style.
Black Heart December 12, 2009
zooni (long beach ,ca)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It usually takes a couple times b4 I fully understand the intricate plots of films in this genre (Crouching Tiger, Hero, Curse of the Golden Flower etc....) Ironically Ziyi Zhang is in all of these! She is everywhere but I love her as an actress, no complaints. I love these type of films for the cinematography mainly and the martial arts. I no nothing about Hamlet, I'm not a fan of Shakespeare at all, and I found the plot of this film very complicated. I need to see it again a few more times. So mainly I just read the subtitles, look at the the beautiful cinematography and listen to the score. I really didn't understand the ending, it was so abrubt and confusing. I'm sure it will all make sense with later viewings. I hope they continue to make amazing Chinese films like this, I own all of them. These are almost the best movies around right now. I think I own almost every movie Ziyi Zhang is in at this point, including Memoirs of A Geisha. What will she do next????
 legend of the black scorpion November 1, 2009
Paul Schembri (Malta Europe)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I bought Legend of The Black Scorpion and to my surprise I found out that its the same film of Banquet.Please dont advertise them as different dvd becuase they are the same. I bought Banquet a month ago.now I have two copies of the same film. The posters and title are diffrent but the films the same.Many thanks
A must see event October 8, 2009
R. Hunt Jr. (Richmond, Virginia United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The movie is a true epic, set in Ancient China during the time of the 10 Kingdoms where areas of the land were restless coming under there own rule ,small kingdoms cropping up often through much blood shed and misery. This tale is an interesting version of a female Hamlet type love story that has its breath taking rises and falls as the story progresses. The costumes,uniforms, and background scenery the colors the padgentry is truly romantic and true to the age as well as the breath taking artistic input, it is simply a must see. The martial arts fighting scenes through-out the film, the flowing rythmic dance moves during the banquet, the tragic empothy you feel in each melody comes together so gracefuly without over shadowing the drive of the tale and feeling true to each scene. The icing to this marvelous mixture is the soul stirring theme song composed by Tan Dun titled "Only For Love", that plays prominently from the last scene through out most of the credits and the stiring vocals in Mandarin is a touch of class as this movie leaves you weeping and awe stricken for the ride you just took. It is incredible. The cast was strong and wholy satisfying in the portayal of the tale. I recommend srongly this movie to all of us who love a great story.Legend of the Black Scorpion
Showing reviews 1-5 of 27
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