Temptress Moon

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Temptress Moon

R

Released Oct 5, 1996

2h 7m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

62%

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13 Reviews

73%

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1,000+ Ratings

Zhengda (Zhou Yemang) is the eldest brother of the powerful Pang family. He is married to Xiuyi (Saifei He), smokes opium on a daily basis and orders Xiuyi's young brother, Zhongliang (Leslie Cheung), to live with them as a house servant. After Zhongliang disappears, Zhengda's health declines, and his younger sister, Ruyi (Gong Li), assumes control of the family. Zhongliang, who is now a Shanghai gigolo affiliated with criminals, is forced to reconnect with Ruyi under mysterious circumstances.

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

This one is ravishing to look at, but it is impossible to care deeply about, because Kaige's characters, once we have them straight, are not sympathetic or even very interesting.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Jun 27, 2005

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Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

Quietly affecting.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 13, 2004

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Walter Chaw

Film Freak Central

Rated: 3/5

Jul 20, 2003

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Jeanne Aufmuth

Palo Alto Weekly

Rated: 1.5/4

May 14, 2003

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Philip Martin

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

...a sumptuous, psychologically layered film that rewards patience

Rated: B

Jul 30, 2002

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william d

The acting is good all around, although director Chen uses the annoying technique of having the actors look and speak directly into the camera, often in extreme close-up. However, the acting isn't enough to earn a recommendation for this ponderous and pretentious film.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Erratically brilliant, though I felt the ending lets it down somehow.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

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Audience Member

A sumptuous, psychologically layered film that rewards patience.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

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Audience Member

A sumptuous, psychologically layered film that rewards patience.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Audience Member

A Chinese version of Don Juan, this is a movie worth seeing.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

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Audience Member

It's sweet and sensual and enchanting... But the ending is really weird.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

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Chen Kaige

Director

Leslie Cheung

Yu Zhongliang

Gong Li

Pang Ruyi

Kevin Lin

Pang Duanwu

Saifei He

Yu Xiuyi

Chang Shih

Li Niangjiu

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Synopsis

Zhengda (Zhou Yemang) is the eldest brother of the powerful Pang family. He is married to Xiuyi (Saifei He), smokes opium on a daily basis and orders Xiuyi's young brother, Zhongliang (Leslie Cheung), to live with them as a house servant. After Zhongliang disappears, Zhengda's health declines, and his younger sister, Ruyi (Gong Li), assumes control of the family. Zhongliang, who is now a Shanghai gigolo affiliated with criminals, is forced to reconnect with Ruyi under mysterious circumstances.

Director: Chen Kaige
Producer: Cunlin Tong, Feng Hsu
Screenwriter: Chen Kaige
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Miramax
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 5, 1996, Original
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.1M
Runtime: 2h 7m
Sound Mix: Dolby, Surround