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The Promise

by SecretsAdmin   ::   posted on Apr. 18, 2006 - 11:00pm

Next time you have the opportunity to make a bargain with a genie, just say no. And yet, you'll probably say yes, no matter how many fairy tales you've read, because those spell ladies are just so darn persuasive. In this stylized Chinese romance, a poor orphan girl negotiates with a sorceress to become a beautiful princess with whom men fall crazy-stupid in love, but should she ever love them back, they are doomed. Nice deal, kid. Said to be the most expensive Chinese film ever made, this feverish tale from director Chen Kaige (Farewell, My Concubine) presents three different men who fall for the girl's killer charms as she fights to throw off the curse and live happily ever after--looks and princess status intact. Expect the kind of flashy martial arts, exquisitely choreographed battlefield scenes, and gorgeous sets and landscapes that made films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers so wildly popular on this side of the Pacific. 612-825-6006; www.landmarktheatres.com