Highly acclaimed at the Cannes Film Festival and nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, this is the fascinating story of the relationship between two male stars of the Peking Opera and the woman who comes between them. The drama spans more than 50 years in recent Chinese history, from the warlord period of the Twenties to the Cultural Revolution via Japanese occupancy during World War Two. Perhaps, because of the sheer scale of the enterprise and sweep of director Chen Kaige's canvas, the central relationship suffers from the stop-start nature of the storytelling. The performances are top drawer, though, if let down by slightly underwritten characters. The technical credits are stunning, with the sumptuous camerawork earning a further Academy Award nomination.

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