Reviewed by: Cissi Date: 06/17/2001 Summary: 5/10-Melodramatic Definitely great photography, and beautiful sets. Even the cast generally looked nice. Visuals aside, the melodramatic meter just hit "high". Far too much tears for my liking. The emotional scenes didn't have as much impact as they should have, simply because the film couldn't actually make me care for any of the characters. And since this film has a lot of emotional scenes, it became a study of wretched faces contorted in various ways.

Reviewed by: STSH Date: 01/14/2000 Summary: Lush and sweeping The plot descrip does not even cover half the plot, which is nonetheless fairly easy to follow and, after a slow start, quite gripping despite the lack of real substance. It's a grand sweeping romance using the war as a backdrop, and the photography is outstanding. Without spoiling the plot, Sum does come back for Mui-Yi after the war. She is now married to the Consul, whom Sum's son now calls daddy. Sum wants Mui-Yi to leave with him. Consul begs her to stay. Which way will she go ? This highly emotional scene is the best moment in the movie. Overall : a little too long, and a little slow to start, but well worth watching. Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: jfierro Date: 12/21/1999 With the Japanese Occupation of World War II as a backdrop, Leung Ka-Fai is constantly torn between his duty to China, and his love for singer Anita Mui. While beautifully filmed, this film ultimately tries to cover too much material, and the audience is never really involved. Actually, most of the time, the audience is completely lost. One redeeming feature is the fine performance by the Japanese actor who plays Anita Mui's loyal, kind-hearted admirer.

Reviewed by: hkcinema Date: 12/08/1999 A tragic love story set against the always volatile and oftenviolent backdrop of Shanghai during the Japanese occupation and at the opening of the Pacific Theater of the Second World War. A nightclub singer becomes involved with both a member of the Chinese resistance and an officer of the Japanese army. [Reviewed by Rim Films Catalog]