An orphaned girl, driven by poverty at such a young age, makes a promise with an enchantress. In return for beauty and the admiration of every man, she will never be with the man she loves. This spell cannot be broken unless the impossible happens: snow falling in spring and the dead coming back to life. Now a grown and beautiful princess, she regrets her promise, for all of the men she's loved has always been met with tragedy.
Cinematography
Every frame looks like an exploding jewelry box
Costume
Fabrics that defy physics and good taste simultaneously
Practical Effects
Insane wire-work and battlefield ballets
Director
Chen Kaige
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Chen Kaige's first film after Palme d'Or winner Farewell My Concubine—this became China's most expensive production ever and a notorious box office bomb that nearly bankrupted the studio.
The infamous 'feather fight' scene required 400,000 CGI feathers and took animators months—audiences laughed at the premiere. Chen later admitted the film 'went too far.'
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