Screening – Flowers of Shanghai

The Smithsonian's Museum of Asian Art presents "Flowers of Shanghai," a film on the complex relationships playing out in brothels in 1890 Shanghai.

To say Flowers of Shanghai was well received by critics is a vast understatement. Phillip Lopate called it "perfect, and one of the most beautiful films ever made"; Chuck Stephens deemed it "one of the greatest films of all time."

In a Shanghai brothel circa 1890, an intimate gambling party is going on—a continuation of last night's events and a preview of tomorrow's. Here, men with money spend time away from arranged marriages, instead fraternizing with women who are expected to love them (for a price). Hou's normally still camera languorously, almost imperceptibly moves as we observe complex relationships that play out in stolen glances and subtle gestures.

Fueled by opium on one side and economic need on the other, love blossoms and withers. Particularly affecting are sad-eyed Tony Leung as Master Wang and Michiko Hada as Crimson, the courtesan from whom he seems to be drifting away. Description by Judy Bloch. (1998, 130 min., 35mm, Shanghainese and Cantonese with English subtitles)

Watch a clip.

Seating for films is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Auditorium doors will open approximately 30 minutes before each show.