Empress Wu

Set during the Tang Dynasty in 7th Century China, this sprawling historical biopic recounts the amazing life of Empress Wu Zhao. As a teenage concubine, she bore the late Emperor two sons before being exiled to a Buddhist monastery. New Empress Wang arranges for her return as a concubine to the current Emperor Tang Gao Zhong, hoping the intelligent and literate young woman will be a stabilizing influence, but also secretly conspiring to have her eliminated. Her efforts fail as she is exiled and the concubine is crowned empress. Over the ensuing years, Empress Wu faces usurpers in the form of her sons Crown Prince Hsien and Prince Hsuan, and scheming ministers Pei Yan (Lo Wei) and Lu Bin Wang. She also earns the respect of young poetess Wan Er, daughter of a former enemy who becomes her most trusted aide, whilst governing China with a steady hand. Empress Wu was a prestigious production from Hong Kong’s Shaw Brothers studio and compares favorably with contemporary Hollywood historical epics, with its lush sets and colorful costumes inhabited by a thousand extras.
(Source: The Spinning Image, reviewer Andrew Pragasam)