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East Palace, West Palace on DVD (1998)

East Palace, West Palace cover art
Average rating: 51%
311813201811623
2.5
from 190 members
 
Starring: Si Han, Hu Jun
Director: Zhang Yuan
Studio: MILLIVRES MULTIMEDIA / LACE
Run time: 91 mins
Certificate: 15
Genres: Drama, Gay/Lesbian, World Cinema
Languages: Mandarin
Dubbed: None
Subtitles: English
Released: 21/06/2004

Brief synopsis of East Palace, West Palace

China's rebellious and incessantly audacious Yuan Zhang delves into the secret world of illicit homosexuality in his devastatingly erotic and politically astute film, EAST PALACE, WEST PALACE. Immediately banned by the Chinese government, the film follows the young gay writer, A-Lan, as he drifts in and out of China's hidden homosexual haunts, where he is beaten, humiliated and harassed along with other gays. When a handsome policeman busts him for "cruising" the grounds of the Forbidden Palace, A-lan starts to see his behaviour as a dangerous obsession. When he is caught by the officer a second time, A-lan undergoes a loaded overnight interrogation laced with barely sublimated erotic tension in which he talks about his life as a homosexual to the enraptured officer. As A-lan describes the sometimes tortuous conditions of being gay in China, which he proudly proclaims "make life worth living," the master and servant relationship slowly evolves into one of curious attraction and fear. Zhang slyly uses the chamber drama taking place between A-lan and the officer to create a stunning metaphor for the sado-masochistic relationship that Chinese people have with their own authority figures. As the drama is played out, A-lan's dreamlike, tragedy-laced past mingles with symbolic images from Chinese opera. Each of A-lan's stories deftly seduces the officer and further illuminates A-lan's complex hidden courage.

Related

Critics Reviews

Time Out

The most daring and achieved of all the 'illegal' independent films made in China in the '90s - and quite probably the... Read more on www.timeout.com

Screen International

"...A rich, poetic meditation on desire and degradation..."

Sight and Sound

"...Unerring... and intense..."

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Members Reviews

Reviews Voted Most Helpful

Rated - 4 starsA slow paced entrancing look into one aspect of 'gay' life in China.

Bruce from Oxford, England , 04/07/2004

East Palace, West Palace comes from Chinas, is in Mandarin with English subtitles, 90 minutes, and released in 1997. Starring Si Han and Hu Jun, and directed by Zhang Yuan.

The movie is basically a two-character drama, involving a young gay man (Si Han), identified as a writer, and a local policeman (Hu Jun) who arrests him for public cruising in a park, possibly in Beijing. The policeman is more than professionally curious about the young man, who seems to undersand the policeman's 'extreme interest' with the writer suddenly kissing the policeman.

The movie is almost completely focused on a nightlong interrogation of the young gay man by the policeman, touching on issues such as coming out, cruising, being married and gay, S&M, etc. The movie has political ramifications, comparing the intolerance of gays with interolance in general of human rights (in China).

I enjoyed the acting, tight directing, and the almost surrealistic moments of the movie. It is slowly moving, but I personally enjoyed this, and felt it added to the movie.

  21 out of 22 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 4 starsnice surprise

sweetpea from cardiff , 19/08/2007

Quite a nice little movie, though not for everyone, it's on the arty/nothing much happens side. A guy is caught cruising in the park, and what follows is a sort of powerplay of instincts and desires presented as interrogation or dialogue between the two lead characters - the cop and the 'robber'. The film is very well written, acted and directed. What makes the film really excellent is that it keeps juggling and never drops one question: which one of the two guys was actually cruising and which one was caught in the park? Who is really 'on top' (you see what I mean when you see it) here? Make up your own mind....

  18 out of 19 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 1 starsDreary

A customer from Bristol , 09/11/2007

Fell asleep watching this one

  3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 1 starsEast, West Goes South for me!

Pete Shuttleworth from Hemel Hempstead , 07/12/2004

I will normally give the benefit of the doubt to films of this nature - where subject matter and country of origin are less than mainstream but this film is pedestrian, static, frustrating and I didn't like the stereotypes on offer. Closet police officer/literary and sensitive victim. Watch an episode of 'The Bill' - it will have more substance and surprise and you might still need subtitles!

  1 out of 2 people found this review helpful
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Most Recent Reviews

Rated - 1 starswot a pile of junk

A customer from Aberdeen, Scotland , 07/03/2006

This movie was rubbish...the plot is quite novel, but you are left with puzzlement as to what the escort is saying is true. It border on peverse too, as it's some kind of transvestite type exploration of sexuality. Weird.

I only watched it cuz i had started watching it...i wasn't revited at all!

  0 out of 1 person found this review helpful
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Rated - 1 starsUtter dross

A customer from OXON , 07/10/2008

Dull dull dull. Don't waste your time with this pile of rubbish.

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