Growing up in America, the educational system doesn’t give much attention to Chinese history. Even my international history class skipped over centuries and dynasties. The elements that came up during my school days involved Europeans or Americans visiting the Asian country. We learned about Marco Polo going east to bring spaghetti noodles to Italy. There was a mention of President Nixon arriving in China to meet with Chairman Mao. Somehow that covered all the knowledge I needed to obtain a high school diploma. My grasp of China’s long history has been gleaned from reading magazines in dentist offices, Jeopardy answers and the movies. If you ask people about ancient China, they’ll assume it was always one big happy country. But there were numerous rival kingdoms over the centuries that battled for control. Hsi Shih: Beauty of Beauties takes place during the Warring States period between 475-221 B.C. This is a legendary historical story adapted as an epic film.
The Kingdom Of Wu has invaded and taken over The Kingdom of Yueh in a fierce battle. The tide is bathed in blood. The civilians are furious at the destruction the Wu army has done to their families and farms. There is a touch of mercy that Yueh Emperor Kou-chien (Madame White Snake‘s Lei Zhao) isn’t executed although he’s imprisoned for a long time. He is released and allowed to run this land although as a franchise manager. He reports directly to the Wu Emperor. He’s not exactly happy that his kingdom is now sending goods and food to Wu as tribute. He plots his kingdom’s freedom. Part of this plan involves getting Hsi Shih (Black Bull and White Snake‘s Ching Chaing) to be the concubine of Wu Emperor Fu Cha (Snake Fist Fighter‘s Mu Chu). This is the easiest part of his plan. Hsi Shih is considered one of the Four Beauties of this era. Fu Cha is so taken by her that she moves up the ranks of his court to be almost his queen. He builds her an elegant palace that has a musical staircase. He also trusts her when his advisors warn him about things being done in her beloved Yueh. Why does he need to worry about all the men being trained by Kou-chien since the best are being sent to Wu to help bolster their army. Can she keep Fu Cha distracted enough for the plan to go into overdrive?
Hsi Shih: Beauty of Beauties is a work of beauty. Director Han Hsiang Li (who also ran the studio) produced the most expensive film in Tawain history. The money is all over the screen. The scenes are filled with people in outstanding wardrobe. The sets are elaborate. The music staircase looks like it actually works so the bells beneath the steps chime as Hsi Shih goes up and down to create a melody. The battle scenes at the end of the film give sense of what it was to fight in the Warring Era. Ching Chaing makes it believable that she could manipulate a ruler for her true leader. Han Hsiang Li went all out giving this epic story the epic treatment.
This is the first time Hsi Shih: Beauty of Beauties has been released in America. While it would have been nice to have seen the film forty years ago, a pan and scan VHS tape would have really cut into the majesty of this royal intrigue. The Blu-ray really lets you see all the little details which are so essential to the plot. Hsi Shih: Beauty of Beauties is a marvelous way to learn another piece of Chinese history that got skipped over at school.
The Video is 2.39:1 anamorphic. The Audio is Mandarin LPCM 2.0 Mono. The sound levels are fine for the conversations and the big battles. The movie is subtitled in English.
Diamond In The Rough (22:03) lets Tony Rayns discuss The Beauty of Beauties. He points out the significance of this being the first movie by director Han Hsiang Li. Rayns gives the biography of how the director was born in Northern China and arrived in Hong Kong as the communists were taking over the country. He started in the film industry as an actor who spoke in Mandarin parts. He had no background in film, but learned quick on the set. In a few years, he began directing. He quickly caught on with Shaw Brothers when they built Movietown in Hong Kong. He produces big hits for the studio in the late ’50s including historical spectacles. He split with the Shaws to set up his own film company in Taiwan. This led to Hsi Shih – Beauty of Beauties. He points out that the film was originally 2 movies. When they re-issued the film in Tawain, they had cut it into one film. This is the single version cut is on the Blu-ray.
Restoration Comparison (5:39) is plenty of split screens to let us see how much work went into removing scratches, increasing the resolution and fixing the color. Viewers wouldn’t have been happy sitting through the previous version of the film.
Trailer (2:13) shows off the immense size of the production. This is from the re-issue.
Booklet includes photos and an article by Tom Cunliffe about the production.
Slipcover for the first pressing.
88 Films present Hsi Shih – Beauty of Beauties. Directed by Han Hsiang Li. Screenplay by Shao-Hua Tang. Starring Ching Chiang, Lei Zhao, Fang-Hsia Chang, Feng Chang, Kuan Chao, Shih Chin, Mu Chu, Yao Chung, Mien Fang, Bi-Hui Fu, Po Hung & Ming Kao. Running Time: 155 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: May 21, 2024.
