Temptation of a Monk (1993)

Simply Perfect

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Now, Margret Pomenez, one of SBS's movie critics, says that this movie has an unforgettable sex scene. This is a shame because I was expecting something incredibly erotic, and what I got was a monk literally screwing a woman simply because he had not had sex in a long time. What it was was him falling to temptation rather than the beautiful act that occurs between two people in love. I guess that this is the whole point of the movie, and it was at its climax, but there was much more to this movie than a monk succumbing to his lust.Temptation of a Monk is set in 1626 in the Tang Dynasty and is focused on General Shi. He witnesses his emperor overthrown by his brother but is forbidden to seek revenge, so he flees to a monastery with some devoted followers to hide from his enemies. Unfortunately his enemies seem to always find him. The first monastery that he goes to is farcical as his followers, even though they become monks, behave in a very unmonklike manner, while Shi cannot handle being commanded by a boy. After he witnesses the princess and his lover murdered by his enemies, he flees to another monastery high in the mountains were he is cut off from all that is the real world. It is not until a woman who is dying comes to the monastery, and after her life is saved, she decides to stay. Only after Shi succumbs to his lust does he realise that she is in fact his enemy and has led the emperor's soldiers to the monastery.What impressed me about this movie was the beautiful cinematography. The story is hard to follow, and the fact that subtitles are there, the following movie is even harder. Despite that it is a beautifully made movie in which the costumes are beautifully constructed and the scenes marvellously put together. Unlike Pomenaz, I will not praise the sex scene, but rather praise the story of a man trying to flee from his enemies while taking up a lifestyle of abstention, which he is not used to. It is the psychology of Shi that makes this movie great, not the sex that he has with a woman at the end.

In addition to being a superb film--with stunning visuals, an uplifting plot, and superior performances all around--this film also provides audiences with a wonderful window into the history of the development of Chinese Buddhism. The main character's own personal spiritual development actually parallels several centuries of Chinese history--what a subtle genius this director is!! As we follow the General's progress---from a superficial adherence to the rules and forms of Buddhist practice, through his initial explorations of Pure Land doctrine, and finally on to his confrontation with his own inner flaws as he truly embraces Chan's paradoxical koans and teachings---we also follow the forms of traditional Buddhist development from 4th through 9th century China.This is not only a cinematic triumph, it is also a spiritual gift to the rest of us. I use it in all of the Buddhism courses I teach.

Though a little slow at times, Clara Law's Temptation of a Monk is a beautiful and well-acted epic, at times achieving a Kurosawa-esque level of stunning imagery and battle scenes. Joan Chen has two roles, one as a vibrant princess the other as a mysterious assassin. She is very good in both roles. This film is not perfect. The story ultimately doesn't go anywhere, for one. I must recommend it on the basis of its sheer beauty, however. And one battle scene in particular is terrifyingly beautiful. For fans of Kurosawa this is worth seeing. Others might grow restless, though.

Like the Kurosawa film, this one promises more than it delivers. There are a lot of spectacular vistas, but ultimately what is lacking is story or dramatic punch.Perhaps the misleading ad campaign was to blame, and this film improves on second viewing. It would be nice to think so; it has a number of good elements.