Bao lian deng

This film is lavish and faithful to its original fairy tale source, but it lacks one thin: color. I don't know why, but the DVD is in black and white, when this site states it is a color film. The film is rich in its sets, so color would have given this film a 10. Anyway, this story is about the Goddess of Mount Hua (the beautiful Grace Chang, unusually doing a period piece) and her companion, Lingzhi (the equally beautiful Rong Rong). The goddess is an immortal, but falls in love with a mortal, Liu Yangchang (the very pretty Lucilla You Min). They have a child, Chenxiang (the pretty Jeanette Lin Chui, who starred as Hedy in "Our Sister Hedy"), but the father and child, not being immortal, have to leave. By falling in love with a mortal, the goddess is imprisoned in a mountain. Chenxiang, when he grows up, is told who his real mother is and looks to save her from her imprisonment. Its all about a mother's love. The casting of pretty females in male parts is part of the plan, and I liked the idea. The story is often told in song with a chorus. Its a really nice story and executed extremely well. again, just for its sheer ability to hold my interest and make me feel good, I was ready to give this a 10. Black and white is okay, I'm glad I saw the film. But, color would have clinched it. Still, you'll greatly enjoy this, if you like Chinese fairy tales. Its a very well made film with great performances by very appealing actors (mostly female). I do highly recommend it.