Reviewed by: johnlewis Date: 11/28/2000 Summary: Absorbing Mandarin tragic classic drama This is some unusually rich and sumptuous film making. The production and artistic value of this movie is quite impressive, comparable to some of the other great films that China has produced during the last two decades. The story is a tragic tale of greed, lust, incest, and love - set in the household of a rich man who has some pretty shocking skeletons lurking in his closets (but which he isn't completely aware of yet). The suspense builds as the revelations unfold about the rich man, his sons, and his servants; and how their lives intertwine and eventually disintigrate around them. Fate plays a heavy hand in this story, as it does in much of China's history and folklore. Overall, the characters make this a truly captivating film, and very entertaining. Makes Peyton place look like Disneyland.