Episode 147 - Curse of the Golden Flower *Listener's Choice*

Eye-popping opulence fills every frame of masterful director Zhang Yimou's tragic melodrama.  A Chinese emperor and his wife preside over a dysfunctional royal family that includes incest, poisoning and spontaneous acts of suicide.  Chow-Yun Fat and Gong Li play the esteemed leaders, whose rocky marriage is only the first in a series of grave and unfortunate circumstances.  The costumes are Oscar-nominated, the set design is full of dazzling hyper-real colors, so much so that you wish the self-obsessed players in this tragedy would stop and notice how damn lovely the palace they live in is.  New guest host, Stuart requested this film and joins the discussion, which blossoms like a yellow chrysanthemum, petals unfurling in the sun.  I just made that up! You can download the podcast here by right-clicking on the hypertext link and choosing "save as", or you can use the convenient player attached to this post.