Facets of Love – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1973
Director: Li Han-hsiang
Writer: Li Han-hsiang
Cast: Lily Ho, Yu Feng, Yueh Hua, Hu Chin, Teresa Ha Ping, Cheng Kang-Yeh, Su Hsiang, Jackie Chan

Release Date: October 28th, 2024 (UK), November 12th, 2024 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 98 Minutes 37 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Mandarin
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £16.99 (UK), $34.95 (USA)

"A costume drama like no other, Facets of Love tells the stories of the Shanghai brothel in the early years of the 20th century: of its devious owners, of the unhappy innocents that have been tricked into toiling there and of the entitled men who visit, the ordinary and the illustrious." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "HD transfer from the original negative".

Facets of Love comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 24.7 GB

Feature: 23.3 GB

The source is in excellent shape; it is one of 88 Films best-looking Shaw Brothers releases. Flesh tones are healthy, colors look correct, black levels are strong, image clarity and compression are solid and there are no issues with digital noise reduction. 

Audio: 3.75/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin with removable English subtitles. Though dialog comes through clearly and everything sounds balanced, there are some sibilance issues.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a stills gallery with music from the film playing in the background, a trailer (1 minute 23 seconds, LPCM stereo Mandarin with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, 4 collector’s art cards (limited to the first pressing), and a slipcase (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

Li Han-hsiang directed Facets of Love. He is also known for Beauty of Beauties, The Golden Lotus, The Enchanting Shadow, The Magnificent Concubine, and Empress Wu Tse-Tien.

A devious brothel owner tricks women into signing contracts that make them her property.

Though the Shaw Brothers are most known for their martial arts films, they made films in every genre. And like most film companies, they adapted with the times, going with whatever trend was popular. In the 1970s, they would venture into the erotica genre as more provocative cinema became the norm. Their film Intimate Confessions Of A Chinese Courtesan set a template that other films followed, and it can be seen as a precursor to films like Sex & Zen and Erotic Ghost Story.

Things get off to a strong start as the opening moments do a superb job laying the foundation for what follows. In these early moments, it explicitly lays out how the brothel procured the women, and failure to submit to their new life carries a specific consequence. That said, the narrative is actually three stories: a character named Da-Qin, who refuses to accept her fate, and two subplots about former emperors who were former clients of the brothel.

All of the performances are very good, especially Yu Feng’s (Delightful Forest) portrayal of Da-Qin. She perfectly captures her character's hopelessness and defiance to the bitter end. The most memorable performance is Lily Ho’s (The Lady Professional) menacing portrayal of Miss Ho, a brothel madame with a sadistic streak. The most notable cast member is Jackie Chan (Drunken Master) in the early role as a waiter.

Though sex is the main element that runs throughout Facets of Love, it does not shy away from brutal moments of torture. Some of the things done to characters include viciously whipping them and putting a hot iron on their flesh. That said, there is an ample amount of nudity, and the moments of erotica are all well done.

One area where Facets of Love does not come out unscathed would be its narrative structure. Despite being joined thematically, the two later stories have a lighter tone than Da-Qin's story, which is bleak. That said, the moments with Da-Qin drive the narrative, while the other stories tend to drag.

Facets of Love gets a strong audio/video presentation from 88 Films, recommended despite its lack of contextual extras.

Written by Michael Den Boer