Flowers of Shanghai

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Flowers of Shanghai ★★ Haishang Hua 1998

Slow costume drama/soap opera set in the brothels of late 19th-century Shanghai. In this self-contained world, the elegant “flower girls” depend on their ability to hold onto wealthy clients and Crimson (Hada) seems to be losing her charms. Her longtime patron, Wang (Leung Chui Wai), is also seeing Jasmin (Wei). Meanwhile, among the other ladies, Emerald (Reis) is working to buy her freedom and Jade (Hsuan) is refusing other clients because she believes Zhu (Chang) will marry her. Based on the novel “Biographies of Flowers of Shanghai” by Han Ziyun. Mandarin with subtitles. 125m/C VHS, DVD . JP TW Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Michiko Hada, Hsiaohui Wei, Jack Kao, Michelle Reis, Annie Shizuka Inoh, Fang Hsuan, Simon Chang; D: Hou Hsiao-Hsien; W: Tienwen Chu; C: Mark Lee Ping-Bin; M: Yoshihiro Yanno.