(Review written after watching the first 20 episodes. Intend to watch the rest.)
China, at the beginning of the 15th century. Having lost both of their parents in a battle, two small sisters from a prominent family get separated. The eldest becomes part of a wandering rebel band which continues to fight the usurper emperor. The youngest finds herself in the imperial palace, where she gets entrusted to an embittered female official who believes in the educative qualities of a good beating. As young women, the lives of both sisters get entangled with those of various members of the imperial family. This is not necessarily a boon, given that the ageing emperor and his three adult sons spend much of their time pitting their wits against each other. And within the feminine universe of the great court ladies all is not peace and harmony either...
"Da ming feng hua" (I hope I'm spelling this right) is a historical drama series of the "intrigue-riddled court" variety. Knowing very little about medieval Chinese history, I'm unable to write anything about its historical accuracy, or possible lack of it. However it does convince as a portrait of a dangerously dysfunctional family living in a hothouse environment which combines high civilization with gruesome barbarity. The characterizations are vivid and there's some good acting going on, with a special mention to the actors playing the emperor, the crown prince and the imperial grandson. The costumes, props and settings are out of this world, creating an immersive picture of a court of unsurpassed wealth and beauty.
"Da ming" is leavened with welcome moments of wit and humor. On the whole the narrative rhythm is slow, which is not necessarily a bad thing given the labyrinthine complexity of the plotting depicted. However, the series does tend to repeat itself, especially when milking the story for emotion. For instance : by now I've watched twenty episodes, and I've seen a LOT of scenes depicting the twisted love-hate relationship between the younger sister and the stern female official ("Auntie") who adopted her. I do hope that the next episodes won't keep revisiting this territory till the cows come home. And how many episodes does one need in order to do justice to even the most complex and absorbing of lives ?
China, at the beginning of the 15th century. Having lost both of their parents in a battle, two small sisters from a prominent family get separated. The eldest becomes part of a wandering rebel band which continues to fight the usurper emperor. The youngest finds herself in the imperial palace, where she gets entrusted to an embittered female official who believes in the educative qualities of a good beating. As young women, the lives of both sisters get entangled with those of various members of the imperial family. This is not necessarily a boon, given that the ageing emperor and his three adult sons spend much of their time pitting their wits against each other. And within the feminine universe of the great court ladies all is not peace and harmony either...
"Da ming feng hua" (I hope I'm spelling this right) is a historical drama series of the "intrigue-riddled court" variety. Knowing very little about medieval Chinese history, I'm unable to write anything about its historical accuracy, or possible lack of it. However it does convince as a portrait of a dangerously dysfunctional family living in a hothouse environment which combines high civilization with gruesome barbarity. The characterizations are vivid and there's some good acting going on, with a special mention to the actors playing the emperor, the crown prince and the imperial grandson. The costumes, props and settings are out of this world, creating an immersive picture of a court of unsurpassed wealth and beauty.
"Da ming" is leavened with welcome moments of wit and humor. On the whole the narrative rhythm is slow, which is not necessarily a bad thing given the labyrinthine complexity of the plotting depicted. However, the series does tend to repeat itself, especially when milking the story for emotion. For instance : by now I've watched twenty episodes, and I've seen a LOT of scenes depicting the twisted love-hate relationship between the younger sister and the stern female official ("Auntie") who adopted her. I do hope that the next episodes won't keep revisiting this territory till the cows come home. And how many episodes does one need in order to do justice to even the most complex and absorbing of lives ?