(Photos: Scenes from the film by INDOMONIA)
The ancient Chinese Tang Dynasty is filled with unique stories out of the pages of their history. During the period of 670 AD, some facts were mixed with a lot of fiction for the film “Detective Dee and the Phantom Flame”.
This is a beautiful rendition updating an ancient era with excitingly different martial arts scenes to please modern audiences. With a mystery to solve and the exotic backdrop of China, Detective Dee held the audience’s interest.
Wu Zetian entered the Emperors’ palace as a concubine at the age of 14 to later become the first and only female Emperor to rule China as male succession was supposed to be a mandate from heaven. The exception was Empress Cixi during the Quing Dynasty in 1865 but she ruled China as Empress.
This film began in 1687 after Empress Wu climbed to power over the bodies of everyone who stood in her way to marry the Emperor. Now as the Emperor’s widow, Wu was annoyed as she was just about to obtain her goal as Emperor when suddenly men were bursting into flames. Here the myth joined the historic facts.
Wu sought help from Detective Dee whom she had imprisoned years ago after he investigated her. The quirky Detective Dee led the way to seeking the answers. Detective Dee’s character was based on a real person living during the Tang Dynasty. In the film, they mentioned finding forensic evidence centuries before forensic evidence was even discovered. I’m certain the writer was joking.
Winner of Hong Kong Film Awards- Best Director, Best Actress, Best Costumes, Best Production Design, Best Sound Effects, and Best Visual Effects.
I have enjoyed learning the secrets behind the palace walls and experiencing their culture. “Detective Dee and the Phantom Flame” is amusing as an escapist film to become lost in the artistry of their production. I think we will be seeing more of Detective Dee in future films.
Part of the beauty of the film is seeing their culture. The film was shot in China for $13 million, See their website for the latest locations to see “Detective Dee”. http://releasing.indomina.com/detective-dee/
After several trips to China and years of extensive research into ancient China, Sandy Zimmerman wrote the book “China, the Sleeping Dragon- a Travel Guide to China.