Overview: 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.

A good deal saucier than the martial arts movies that its producers at Shaw Brothers studio are most famous for, Li Hsang-han’s film is a sensual indulgence, with beautiful design and photography. There’s even a small early appearance from Jackie Chan!

88 Films are proud to present the Blu-ray premier of this sumptuous, decadent delight.

Blu-ray Verdict: Facets Of Love is a bawdy triptych of tales set in and around a Ming Dynasty brothel, where a noted Shaw Brothers director Han Hsiang Li and even a very young Jackie Chan turn their hand to a bizarre erotic anthology that doesn’t quite fully work as an anthology, and even less an erotic venture (in my humble opinion).

The three stories feel random, all be they fundamentally not, each feeling like they just meander, at times, never quite bringing forth the delicious sting in the tail that most horror anthology shorts do (and barely interlinking into any form of cohesive whole).

Tonally, well, ok, sure, it’s all over the place, but that isn’t a bad thing, as it just gives you more to invest in. The first short is the sordid story of how a young family is duped into selling their daughter to the brothel who then proceeds to be beaten when she doesn’t comply with her madam’s wishes.

The second is like the sexual awakening of a young emperor, sneaking out of the palace into the backstreet brothels for his true education, whilst the third tale is actually a borderline musical, one about how the spirits of the now older emperor possess a young solider as he tries to have his way with the most beautiful girl in the brothel, who is saving herself for the actual emperor himself.

There’s ribald humor and comedy slapstick throughout, uncomfortably blended with sexual torture, random melodrama and just plain old gratuitous nudity, but as much as that all might seem boring, somehow this film does encapsulate the viewer’s attention.

Again, not all of it works and while it certainly looks handsome – the brothel set is actually very impressive, as is the amount of flesh on show – its disjointed nature and its lack of any clear directional, linkage themes (or messages, other than seemingly just titillation) renders the whole thing lifeless at times.

In closing, Facets Of Love is not a horrible time sent in front of the TV, but it does meander, but that said, the way it uses the lens distortion at the edges of the screen is beyond brilliant, emphasizing those things at the center instead of changing focus depth.

Special Edition Bonus Features:
High Definition (1080p) Presentation in 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
2.0 LPCM Mandarin Soundtrack with newly translated English Subtitles

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