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"There's a danger in loving somebody too much..." *
Rouge starred the beautiful duo of Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung. And that could be my review in a nutshell. Forget plot and cinematography, just focus on these two being in each other’s orbit. But there was more to this film so I will soldier on…
Fleur, a high-priced courtesan, and Chen Chen Ping aka #12, fall in love. Despite their devotion, his wealthy family opposes the marriage. He’s already betrothed to his cousin. When the future appears bleak the two decide to commit suicide together. After Fleur waits in the afterlife for 50 years, she fears Chen has become lost and returns to the land of the living to find him. She enlists the help of Ting and Chu who work for a newspaper. The modern couple uses their journalistic abilities to help Fleur discover where Chen might be.
Rouge was already going to be a melancholy film for me knowing the two stars died young. That knowledge made certain scenes even sadder. Mui and Cheung brought the heartbreak couple to life and afterlife. Anita Mui was mesmerizing as the woman who had waited for her lover for 50 years, fearing he’d become lost somewhere. Alex Man and Emily Chu didn’t have the same charisma as the aforementioned couple but still made the most of their roles as helpers and comedy relief to a very heavy story. Unlike the life or death 1930’s couple Ting and Chu weren’t in a rush to marry. Chu also had the choice to work at a job she wanted.
The past was shown painted with a palette of rich, vibrant colors and filled with passion. The present was drenched in blue and gray where characters were more subdued. While there was definitely a nostalgic view of the past, it wasn’t through rose-colored glasses. Fleur had been sold into prostitution at the age of 16 and had very little agency over her own life. Even if she could have freed herself, there were few options for women at the time. In 1987 the place where her brothel stood was now a kindergarten as Hong Kong continued to evolve and change through the years. Chen may have been great at grand romantic gestures, but he was also weak and neither a great businessman nor actor. The film vacillated between declaring a lovers’ suicide pact as grand passion or unnecessarily tragic.
Rouge was an elegantly shot film for 1987. Stanley Kwan effectively showed how Hong Kong and values had changed over time. I appreciated that Ting had the insight to declare that life was precious and no one should have to die for their love. Unlike other films with specters in them from this era, Fleur’s ghost didn’t do anything horribly ghoulish, what she did was even harder to watch. The ethereal beauty was a devoted woman and spirit who had longingly waited for her lover who might never come back to her.
24 October 2026
Trigger warnings: Drug use. Suicide. Sexual activity though no bits and pieces were showing.
Everybody's Kung Fu Fighting Note: A kung fu movie was shown being filmed with Lau Kar Wing (Legendary Weapons of China) as the director and Kara Hui (My Young Auntie!) as an actress playing a ghost. There was a nice juxtaposition of Fleur in the foreground with Hui floating on wires in the background. And finally, Jackie Chan was the real life producer of Rouge.
*Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough (1992) by Patti Symth
Fleur, a high-priced courtesan, and Chen Chen Ping aka #12, fall in love. Despite their devotion, his wealthy family opposes the marriage. He’s already betrothed to his cousin. When the future appears bleak the two decide to commit suicide together. After Fleur waits in the afterlife for 50 years, she fears Chen has become lost and returns to the land of the living to find him. She enlists the help of Ting and Chu who work for a newspaper. The modern couple uses their journalistic abilities to help Fleur discover where Chen might be.
Rouge was already going to be a melancholy film for me knowing the two stars died young. That knowledge made certain scenes even sadder. Mui and Cheung brought the heartbreak couple to life and afterlife. Anita Mui was mesmerizing as the woman who had waited for her lover for 50 years, fearing he’d become lost somewhere. Alex Man and Emily Chu didn’t have the same charisma as the aforementioned couple but still made the most of their roles as helpers and comedy relief to a very heavy story. Unlike the life or death 1930’s couple Ting and Chu weren’t in a rush to marry. Chu also had the choice to work at a job she wanted.
The past was shown painted with a palette of rich, vibrant colors and filled with passion. The present was drenched in blue and gray where characters were more subdued. While there was definitely a nostalgic view of the past, it wasn’t through rose-colored glasses. Fleur had been sold into prostitution at the age of 16 and had very little agency over her own life. Even if she could have freed herself, there were few options for women at the time. In 1987 the place where her brothel stood was now a kindergarten as Hong Kong continued to evolve and change through the years. Chen may have been great at grand romantic gestures, but he was also weak and neither a great businessman nor actor. The film vacillated between declaring a lovers’ suicide pact as grand passion or unnecessarily tragic.
Rouge was an elegantly shot film for 1987. Stanley Kwan effectively showed how Hong Kong and values had changed over time. I appreciated that Ting had the insight to declare that life was precious and no one should have to die for their love. Unlike other films with specters in them from this era, Fleur’s ghost didn’t do anything horribly ghoulish, what she did was even harder to watch. The ethereal beauty was a devoted woman and spirit who had longingly waited for her lover who might never come back to her.
24 October 2026
Trigger warnings: Drug use. Suicide. Sexual activity though no bits and pieces were showing.
Everybody's Kung Fu Fighting Note: A kung fu movie was shown being filmed with Lau Kar Wing (Legendary Weapons of China) as the director and Kara Hui (My Young Auntie!) as an actress playing a ghost. There was a nice juxtaposition of Fleur in the foreground with Hui floating on wires in the background. And finally, Jackie Chan was the real life producer of Rouge.
*Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough (1992) by Patti Symth
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