Pavilion of Women (2001)
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6% of critics liked it
(31 reviews) -
62% of users liked it
(1,138 ratings)
A woman defies convention to find happiness, only to discover the costs are greater than she imagined in this drama based on the novel by Pearl S. Buck. In 1938, with Communist rebels on the rise in China and Imperial Japan intent upon expanding its rule into Manchuria and China, Lord Wu (Shek Sau)… More A woman defies convention to find happiness, only to discover the costs are greater than she imagined in this drama based on the novel by Pearl S. Buck. In 1938, with Communist rebels on the rise in China and Imperial Japan intent upon expanding its rule into Manchuria and China, Lord Wu (Shek Sau) is a feudal leader who rules both his community and his family with an iron fist. But his wife, Madame Wu (Luo Yan), has just turned 40 and has grown weary of her husband's dominance. With her son Fengmo (John Cho) now 18 and engaged to be married, Madame Wu sees her responsibilities to her family all but complete, so in violation of traditional custom, she arranges for Chiuming (Yi Ding), a peasant girl just turned 18, to be brought into the household as Lord Wu's concubine, freeing her from sexual servitude to her husband. However, Chiuming's lack of sexual experience proves problematic for herself as well as Lord Wu, whose erotic tastes run to the unconventional. Meanwhile, Madame Wu makes the acquaintance of Andre (Willem Dafoe), an American missionary and doctor who is helping Fengmo with his studies; Andre is kind, compassionate, and intelligent, and he makes a tremendous impression on Madame Wu, who soon finds herself falling for the mysterious American as circumstances cause both her household and China to explode into chaos. Pavilion of Women was the first co-production between an American studio, Universal Pictures, and Beijing Film Studio of China; the film was shot on location in China, but with a primarily English-speaking cast. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Ho Yim
- Written By
- Paul R. Collins, Ho Yim
- Genres
- Drama, Romance
R,
- In Theaters
- May 4, 2001 Wide
- Studio
- Universal Focus
Critic Reviews
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Robert Koehler, Variety
In many ways, this is the East Asian equivalent of the old Europudding productions, where international players have created something that's more cacaphonous than melodious.
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Kevin Maynard, Mr. Showbiz
The backdrop of exotic pagodas and wartime woe isn't nearly potent enough to buoy the feeble drama that plays out in the foreground.
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Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter
Despite solid performances and handsome production values, the picture ultimately feels like secondhand goods that have been refurbished for North American consumption.
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Mark Jenkins, Washington Post
An instant antique.
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Rita Kempley, Washington Post
Suggests a sudsy version of The King and I without forceful personalities or fancy production numbers.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Willem Dafoe
as Andre
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Yan Luo
as Madame Wu
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Shek Sau
as Mr. Wu
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John Cho
as Fengmo
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Yi Ding (II)
as Chiuming
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Koh Chieng Mun
as Ying
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Anita Loo
as Old Lady
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Amy Hill
as Madame Kang
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Kate McGregor-Stewart
as Sister Shirley
