Empire of Silver reviews
Review by on 28 Sep 2010
EMPIRE OF SILVER tells a compelling story of a young man’s life as he takes over his fathers’ role as a Chinese merchant banker, having to decide whether to follow his stubborn father's way or make his own path in the business. In the beginning the family are shown as strong and working in a loyal team with other bankers; however this is soon shattered when two of the sons become unable to be the heir of the Bank's Empire, so the unfavoured Third Master is the only son left. As the narrative unfolds it seems the Third Master (Aaron Kwok) is not just the warrior the father claims him to be, and that he has a sensitive side as he gives a pendant to a poor working class father and daughter who are starving, showing the divide of wealth and poverty in 1899. The Third Master and his Stepmother have a mystifying relationship from the start. Christina Yao, used subtle intimate flashbacks explaining why they exchange looks of such desire, as they were once in love and further into the film it’s revealed the Stepmother, and once lover of the Third Master, faked her own death in order to be with him again. I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys an understated love story hidden behind the struggle of economic instability.
Rachael Humphrey
Rachael Humphrey
Review by on 24 Sep 2010
Empire of Silver was a lavish, high production value soap opera. Potentially interesting historical themes lost to cheap melodrama
Review by on 22 Sep 2010
EMPIRE OF SILVER rewards patience. The story burns slowly and there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but any investment by the audience is remunerated by a story which perfectly conjures up a mood of social upheaval whilst maintaining a poignant core. The film charts the travails of the third son in a leading Chinese banking family at the end of the nineteenth century, who unexpectedly finds himself in line to take over the business. His opinions differ wildly with those of his father concerning how to balance social responsibility with the family’s interests.
The plot is intricate – but in the relationship between the son and his step-mother the story finds a central point of reference to which viewers can emotionally attach themselves. Aaron Kwok’s performance as the third son is elegant and a development into maturity is captured perfectly. Visually lavish, the direction juxtaposes the mysticism of the Chinese landscape with the banking family’s rigid code – under threat through western influence – and the historical context is indeed important in the narrative’s progression.
Audiences in the West might have a hard time preventing themselves from drawing modern comparisons, but arguably, in drawing attention to how these Chinese bankers were called the Wall Street of their time, director Christina Yao encourages the link. Historical epics which don’t seek to bombard the audience with either battles or bodices are hard to come by, but EMPIRE OF SILVER takes the risk, and the result is a deep and engaging drama.
Oliver Ford
The plot is intricate – but in the relationship between the son and his step-mother the story finds a central point of reference to which viewers can emotionally attach themselves. Aaron Kwok’s performance as the third son is elegant and a development into maturity is captured perfectly. Visually lavish, the direction juxtaposes the mysticism of the Chinese landscape with the banking family’s rigid code – under threat through western influence – and the historical context is indeed important in the narrative’s progression.
Audiences in the West might have a hard time preventing themselves from drawing modern comparisons, but arguably, in drawing attention to how these Chinese bankers were called the Wall Street of their time, director Christina Yao encourages the link. Historical epics which don’t seek to bombard the audience with either battles or bodices are hard to come by, but EMPIRE OF SILVER takes the risk, and the result is a deep and engaging drama.
Oliver Ford
Film details
Empire of Silver
MAIN FEATURES
Director: Christina Yao
Actor: Aaron Kwok
Actor: Hao Lei
Actor: Zhang Tielin
Actor: Aaron Kwok
Actor: Hao Lei
Actor: Zhang Tielin
China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, 2009.
112 mins. Mandarin with English subtitles.
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