original
Chinese title NU QING XIANGZI [Legend of the Ghost Tomb]
also known as CANDLE IN THE TOMB
director:
Lin Xuandi
starring: Li Shenglong
· Zheng Dong
· Lin Fengye
· Cao Weiyu
· Fu
He Angel
· Meng Zhanyi
· Li Gaoji
Gaoshan
Dai and his gang of fortune hunters team up with the ruthlessly brutal,
deranged General Luo Laowei to gain access to a secret tomb from the Yuan
Dynasty. Obviously inspired by other Chinese blockbuster 'tombhunter' hits (ie,TIME
RAIDERS
(Tomb Raiders) and TOMB
MYSTERY), this one has something missing from those actioners:
MONSTERS. Yes, besides the rudimentary conflicts
and betrayals, this epic adventure story adds an amazing collection of
monsters to the supernatural mix.
The characters
are uniformly wonderful, especially the leader of the group Gaoshan Dai
[translates to Parrot Whistle] and bodyguard, his younger sister Shiling-hua.
Also noteworthy, the human villain here, General Luo Laowei (played by
Cao Weiyu), is the embodiment of extreme viciousness seldom seen in Beijing
productions.
It is
odd that films, books and television shows about tomb-plundering have
become so popular in China, given the government’s hardline warning
against the practice [in fact, this movie opens with a statement that
"the Government does not endorse nor sanction tomb hunting; violators
will be arrested"]. This particular project is a theatrical version
of a popular Chinese television series.
A Chinese
production with English and Chinese subtitles; widescreen, (92 min.),
DVD encoded for WORLD FORMAT NTSC, playable on any American machine.
Please note: there is a very small BFI emblem in
the top right of screen
Extras include theatrical trailer.
Graphic
violence and brutality/Adult themes
For Mature Audiences