The Butterfly Lovers is to Chinese what Romeo and Juliet is to Westerners, an ancient romantic story filled with tragedy. The story relates how Zhu Ying Tai disguises herself as a boy to pursue education at a college where women are forbidden. She befriends then later falls in love with her classmate Liang Shan Bo. But her father forces her to marry a powerful official in order to strengthen the family social position.
The Butterfly Lovers has been adapted countless times in diverse forms: operas, concertos, stage plays and movies (two versions are remarkable, Li Han Hsiang’s The Lover Eterne, 1963, and Tsui Hark’s The Lovers, 1994). Here this historical legend is animated in a rare attempt to modernize the myth and make it accessible to a new generation. With its imaginative design, international production standards and inspired direction, this version could have been a real treat.
Unfortunately, the film suffers from what seems to be two conflicting aims. With an over-abundance of characters, the viewer is confused; at the same time the complex emotions of the original has been reduced to a simple tale of good versus evil. Finally, the pop music soundtrack grates. Considering the merits of the source material, it’s a pity the filmmakers have brought this production down to the level of a Disney production.


(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2005 issue