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Cast:
Ti
Lung
Sun
Chien
Jason
Piao Piao
Candy
Wen
Ku
Feng
Lo
Lieh
JoJo
Chan
Chan
Shen
Action:
Dang
Tak Cheung
Director:
Chu
Yuan
Score:
 
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THE
EMPEROR AND HIS BROTHER
AKA:
N/A
Year:
1981 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
The
story of Emperor Chien Lung is a character who I have little
knowledge of, but has formed the foundation for a number of
Shaw Brothers films. 'The Emperor And His Brother' once again
tackles the subject and utilises an all--star cast and a
director, Chu Yuan, who is always at home with convoluted
storylines.
Emperor
Chien Lung (Piao Piao) is a well-educated monarch who, despite
his undoubted intelligence, has little understanding of the
plights of the common people. While he rules the Ching empire,
talk of a rebellion by the undermined Han people is common
among the peasantry. Heading these plans is the fiercely anti-Ching
Hung Hua society whose influence spreads throughout the land
and who look to honourable Chen Chia-Lo (Ti Lung) for
leadership. Calling on his kung fu fraternity, Chen's
first goal is to free two imprisoned 'brothers' who, after
discovering a diabolical secret, are imprisoned by the
government. As Chen is master of the mysterious 'Peacock
Fist', this rescue mission proves to be successful and the
saviour himself learns the incredible secret: Emperor Chien
Lung is not the real son of the former emperor and, to make
matters worse, is actually a Han who had been switched with
the real emperor at birth. The few Chings who are aware of
this secret have done their best to cover it up, but the Hung
Hua society are now focused on exposing the truth and trying
to garner Chien Lung's support for the Hans.
Beginning
with a baffling, character-filled exposition used in order to
fill in the background of the story, 'The Emperor And His
Brother' is hard work for anyone unfamiliar with the original
text and history. Many Hong Kong films draw on the
complex and richly-detailed history of China and often these
themes are unknown to many westerners. Nevertheless, few are
as uninvolving or confusing as this early 80s Shaw Brothers
production is. The opening ten minutes is supposed to help in
this regard, but it merely introduces the intricacies of the
plot and characterisation in a very alienating manner - at
first I thought 'The Emperor And His Brother' was actually a
sequel to a film that had obviously passed me by. Chu Yuan is
not averse to adapting difficult texts; many of the films he
is famed for are based upon the labyrinthine worlds of writer
Gu Long. This is not an example of Chu Yuan at his best
though. Even after the murky plot becomes slightly clearer,
the various squabblings of the band of heroes takes up too
much of the running time.
With
Chu Yuan at the helm and another talented Shaw Brothers' cast
present, it's no surprise that this isn't a total disaster. Ti
Lung is so at home playing the hero in Chu Yuan's films that
he once again commands the role with all of the aplomb that's
expected from such a major star; it's always intriguing to see
how confident an actor Ti Lung became in the late 70s, early
80s. The production also benefits from the director's lush
visions and ornate set designs, something that always becomes
a pleasure to behold in his work. By filling the screen with
such opulence, Chu always manages to create a martial world
quite unique within the genre - 'The Emperor And His Brother'
despite numerous flaws, makes good use of this.
'The
Emperor And His Brother' isn't able to side-step the plot
contrivances as some films do. The action, though enjoyable
when Ti Lung uses his 'Peacock Fist', doesn't stand out from
the crowded market. Despite being made in the early 80s, the
choreography lacks the invention and energy common to this
era. This, for many viewers, may be the main problem that
hinders 'The Emperor And His Brother' and anchors it to a
solid, yet unimpressive three star rating.
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