Flowers of Shanghai: Difference between revisions

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Flowers of Shanghai (上海花) is a Taiwanese movie directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien (who later made Three Times) and released in 1998. Adapted from a Chinese novel from the turn of the 20th century, it focuses on the lives of several "flowers" (i.e. high-class courtesans) in the brothels of Shanghai in the late 19th century.

The movie is mostly non-narrative, consisting of a series of tableaux, with most of what little action takes place remaining off-screen. Similarly, while a fair bit of talking is done, the really important things are never spoken out loud.

The male patrons come to the flower houses for a good time, which involves eating, drinking, being pampered by attentionate courtesans, and of course sex. The girls, meanwhile, vie for their attention, and either attempt to become a given client's favorite in order to be taken up as a second wife, or save money to buy up their own contract. The world they all live in is one of illusion and manipulation.

Tropes used in Flowers of Shanghai include:

Band of Brothels: The courtesans.
Chinese Dialects and Accents: The characters speak in the local Shanghai dialect rather than standard Mandarin.
Fade to Black: Every scene systematically ends that way.
Gorgeous Period Dress
High-Class Call Girl: The "flowers" aren't common prostitutes, but expensive courtesans catering to an exclusive clientele of rich and well-connected men.
Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Averted. The courtesans are calculating and manipulative, and those who believe in "true love" are chastised by their peers for their gullibility.

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-{{trope}}
+{{work}}
 [[File:Flowers_of_Shanghai_2_6327.jpg|frame]]
-''Flowers of Shanghai'' (上海花) is a Taiwanese movie directed by [[Hou Hsiao Hsien]] (who later made ''[[Three Times]]'') and released in 1998. Adapted from a Chinese novel from the turn of the 20th century, it focuses on the lives of several "flowers" (i.e. [[High Class Call Girl|high-class courtesans]]) in the brothels of [[Shanghai]] in the late 19th century.
+'''''Flowers of Shanghai''''' (上海花) is a Taiwanese movie directed by [[Hou Hsiao-Hsien]] (who later made ''[[Three Times]]'') and released in 1998. Adapted from a Chinese novel from the turn of the 20th century, it focuses on the lives of several "flowers" (i.e. [[High-Class Call Girl|high-class courtesans]]) in the brothels of [[Shanghai]] in the late 19th century.
-The movie is mostly non-narrative, consisting of a series of tableaus, with most of what little action takes place remaining off-screen. Similarly, while a fair bit of talking is done, the really important things are never spoken out loud.
+The movie is mostly non-narrative, consisting of a series of tableaux, with most of what little action takes place remaining off-screen. Similarly, while a fair bit of talking is done, the really important things are never spoken out loud.
 The male patrons come to the flower houses for a good time, which involves eating, drinking, being pampered by attentionate courtesans, and of course sex. The girls, meanwhile, vie for their attention, and either attempt to become a given client's favorite in order to be taken up as a second wife, or save money to buy up their own contract. The world they all live in is one of illusion and manipulation.
+{{tropelist}}
------------
-=== Features examples of: ===
 * [[Band of Brothels]]: The courtesans.
 * [[Chinese Dialects and Accents]]: The characters speak in the local Shanghai dialect rather than standard Mandarin.
 * [[Fade to Black]]: Every scene systematically ends that way.
 * [[Gorgeous Period Dress]]
-* [[High Class Call Girl]]: The "flowers" aren't common prostitutes, but expensive courtesans catering to an exclusive clientele of rich and well-connected men.
+* [[High-Class Call Girl]]: The "flowers" aren't common prostitutes, but expensive courtesans catering to an exclusive clientele of rich and well-connected men.
-* [[Hooker With a Heart of Gold]]: Averted. The courtesans are calculating and manipulative, and those who believe in "true love" are chastised by their peers for their gullibility.
+* [[Hooker with a Heart of Gold]]: Averted. The courtesans are calculating and manipulative, and those who believe in "true love" are chastised by their peers for their gullibility.
 {{reflist}}
 [[Category:Films of the 1990s]]
-[[Category:Flowers Of Shanghai]]
+[[Category:Flowers of Shanghai]]
+[[Category:Taiwanese Films]]
+[[Category:Film]]