More Than Kung Fu

They typical Shaw Brothers approach to adapting a popular novel or opera for the screen was to assume that the audience already knew the story; this way, the film could skip to the good parts without worrying too much about back story.

When it came to historical dramas, the studio took much the same approach. When telling the story of China’s only female emperor, Shaw assumed that most of the audience would know the rough outline of Wu Zetian’s life. So they can skip or alter most of the historical nuances and jump right to the good stuff.

But really, who wants to hear about musty history when an actress as great as Li Li Hua is giving such a fantastic performance? Not me, that’s for sure. Empress Wu was made when common attitudes about China’s sole Empress were changing. Reviled for years for her violations or Confucian ethics and gender roles, Wu Zetian’s reputation was on the rise in the 60s as Chinese women began to expand beyond traditional roles.

Besides, when your audience is primarily female, as Shaw’s was in the early 60s, do you really want to make a film that vilifies China’s only female ruler?

Empress Wu walks the historical fence, alternately portraying Wu as feminist icon, cruel dictator and wanton hussy. And Li Li Hua moves effortlessly between these extremes, casually beheading a man in one scene and crying over a wayward child in the next.

Of course, to reinforce the story, the film plays fast and loose with historical accuracy, skipping over many of Empress Wu’s harsher actions, inflating the cruelty of her enemies and greatly simplifying the political machinations which allowed her to rule China. Shaw’s changes only soften Wu’s image, making her bitter aspects easier to swallow.

So don’t watch Empress Wu for a history lesson; Shaw Brothers never saw themselves as a didactic film studio. Instead watch it for the grand acting of Li Li Hua and the artistic pageantry of director Li Han-Hsiang.

Empress Wu
Dir: Li Han-Hsiang
Released: June 14, 1963