Purple Butterfly

Infobox Film
name = Purple Butterfly


caption = Theatrical poster for "Purple Butterfly's" American release
director = Lou Ye
producer = Lou Ye
Wang Wei
Zhu Yongde
writer = Lou Ye
starring = Zhang Ziyi
Liu Ye
Tôru Nakamura
Li Bingbing
music = Jörg Lemberg
cinematography = Wang Yu
editing = Lou Ye
Che Xiaohong
distributor = Palm Pictures
released = Cannes:
May 22, 2003
United States:
November 26, 2004
runtime = 127 min.
language = Mandarin
Japanese
budget =
imdb_id = 0363290
amg_id = 1:288979|

"Purple Butterfly" (zh-cp|c=紫蝴蝶|p=Zǐ Húdié) is a 2003 Chinese film, directed by Lou Ye. It is Lou's third film after "Weekend Lover" and "Suzhou River". It stars Chinese mainland actors, Zhang Ziyi, Liu Ye and Li Bingbing, as well as Japanese actor "Tôru Nakamura". The film premiered on May 23, 2003 at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, and was given a limited release in New York City the following year on November 26, 2004.

The film was only released in one theater in the United States (in New York City) for three weeks where it grossed $17,790. [cite web| publisher = Box Office Mojo | title = Purple Butterfly (2004) |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=purplebutterfly.htm | accessdate = 2007-08-10 ]

Plot

Ding Hui, also called Cynthia, (Zhang Ziyi) and a Japanese student, Itami (Tôru Nakamura) have fallen in love in Japanese controlled Manchukuo prior to the war when Itami is forced to return to Japan.

Years later, in Shanghai, Szeto (Liu Ye) and Tang Yiling (Li Bingbing) have fallen in love. Cynthia has also returned to Shanghai now as a member of Purple Butterfly, a powerful resistance group against the Japanese occupation, led by Xie Ming (Feng Yuanzheng). After a case of mistaken identity and a shootout at a railroad station that leaves Yiling dead, Szeto finds himself an unexpected pawn in the battle between former lovers Cynthia and Itami who has also come to Shanghai, now as a member of the Japanese secret police unit tasked with dismantling Purple Butterfly.

Cast

* Zhang Ziyi as Cynthia/Ding Hui
* Tôru Nakamura as Hidehiko Itami
* Liu Ye as Szeto
* Feng Yuanzheng as Xie Ming
* Li Bingbing as Tang Yiling
* Kin Ei as Yamamoto

Reception

With the success of Lou's previous film, "Suzhou River" (2000), "Purple Butterfly" was an anticipated follow up with a considerably larger budget. The film however did less well with critics than its predecessor. Rotten Tomatoes records a 45% "rotten" rating with a slightly better "Cream of the Crop" rating of 50%. [cite web| publisher = Rotten Tomatoes | title = Purple Butterfly |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/purple_butterfly/ | accessdate = 2007-08-10 ]

Most critics saw the film as technically masterful but a case where style had trumped substance. In particular the film's labyrinthine and difficult to follow plot was pointed to as a major point of complaint.

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0363290|title=Purple Butterfly
*amg title|id=1:288979|title=Purple Butterfly
*rotten-tomatoes|id=Purple_Butterfly
* [http://www.dianying.com/en/title/zhd2003 "Purple Butterfly"] at the Chinese Movie Database
* [http://www.monkeypeaches.com/purplebutterfly.html "Purple Butterly"] at MonkeyPeaches
* [http://www.helloziyi.us/Movies/Purple_Butterfly.htm "Purple Butterly"] at HelloZiyi.us