Asian-film fans familiar with the rise of Hong Kong’s racy Category III-rated films of the 1990s are generally aware of the most notorious of them all: Sex & Zen. Mixing Imperial China costume drama with plenty of uncensored skin, the film was a bawdy hit that found fans around the world and launched multiple unrelated, subpar sequels. It also generated imitators, including this 1994 effort that borrows and improves upon the formula, offering a compelling story, surprisingly effective acting, and gorgeous production design.
Buy Sex and the EmperorThe story is told by Li (Leung Si-Ho), a funny eunuch servant in the Imperial City palace who isn’t actually a eunuch thanks to a favor repaid to his family. He’s a witness to the growing affection between the young virgin Emperor and his favorite servant, Guilian. Forbidden from marriage due to her class, the frustrated pair are soon torn apart, with Guilian being sold to a brothel by a scheming head eunuch and the Emperor plowing his way through every woman in the red-light district in search of her. The tragic love story has a surprising victim, while Li and his evil boss eunuch travel diverging paths of success along the way.
The most surprising thing about this film is the thoroughly compelling story. Setting aside the primary selling point of the ample nudity, the story is so good that the film would function just as well without the skin. That can’t be said for the actual sequels to Sex & Zen, more assortments of scattershot scenes than coherent narratives, making this film feel like the true successor to the throne.
Dollops of comedy keep the tragic love story from weighing down the buoyant film, mostly by Leung’s bug-eyed shenanigans, but also via an unforgettable concubine-training session conducted by a bossy calligrapher with a particular set of brush skills. There’s also a touch of gore here and there, but somehow director Sherman Wong is able to control the tonal shifts without ever letting the film get off track.
While no major stars are involved, the cast members are actually decent actors, especially the comical Leung and the winsome Yvonne Yung as Guilian. Fancy sets and costumes help to give the film a big-budget feel, while Wong keeps his focus firmly on the story in spite of the numerous lovely distractions vying for attention. Viewers attracted to the film for its promise of Cat III bounty will be thoroughly satisfied, but will also find a completely competent and highly entertaining film that stands just fine on its own story merits.
The new 88 Films Blu-ray features a 2K restoration from the original negative, along with the remastered original Cantonese mono soundtrack. The film looks and sounds great, mostly because the source material has surprisingly high production values. Colors are rich and lifelike, grain and flaws are virtually nonexistent, and sound is crisp with no discernible hiss. The alternate audio track features a new commentary by an Asian cinema expert. The principal bonus feature is an excellent discussion by James Mudge about the merits of the film, the rise and decline of the HK Cat III market as a whole, and the careers of the creators and stars. An English title sequence is also included, along with an image gallery and the original HK trailer.
