“Beauty At War” is a Love Letter to Fans
Palace drama Beauty at War <金枝慾孽(貳)> will finally premiere next Monday, April 22! The sequel to 2004’s critically successful War and Beauty <金枝慾孽> sees the return of Sheren Tang (鄧萃雯) as Consort Yu, and will introduce a cast of new characters to spin a brand new tale of the Qing Dynasty imperial harem.
Although Consort Yu re-appears in the sequel, she will be portrayed differently than in the first series. In Beauty At War, Consort Yu and Consort Dowager Shun (Christine Ng 伍詠薇) are blood sisters who entered the palace at the same time. Yu fell ill prior to consort selection and as a result, Shun was chosen instead. Unfortunately for Consort Shun, the emperor soon passed away, leaving her a widow. After the new emperor took his throne, he welcomed Yu into his harem and granted her a blessed life.
Shun becomes angry when she heard the news, and believes Yu had faked her illness to escape a lesser fate. Filled with hatred, Shun takes her revenge by spreading many false rumors about her sister.
From Shun’s many rumors came the story of War and Beauty. It was recently revealed that the events in War and Beauty actually took place inside a parallel universe fabricated entirely by Shun. The current series will take place in the true reality, and viewers will be able to discover what really happened outside of Shun’s delusions.
Beauty at War will also emphasize the many complex romantic relationships between its characters. Moses Chan (陳豪) plays Ko Lau Fei (高流斐), a celebrated Kunqu Opera master who enters the Forbidden City to perform for the court. There he becomes the darling of the imperial harem and was soon caught in a love triangle with Consort Yu and her wet nurse Sheung Ling (湘菱), played by popular actress Ada Choi (蔡少芬).
The long-awaited sequel will be the final TVB production from acclaimed producer Jonathan Chik (戚其義) and scriptwriter Chow Yuk Ming (周旭明). In an interview, Chow Yuk Ming described Beauty at War as a love letter to fans of the first series. He believes that while first-time viewers may find the sequel typical, existing fans will likely discover something special. Chow added that Beauty at War will not follow the recent trend of dramatic harem politics, but will instead focus on loneliness and the human condition.
“Beauty at War” Trailer
[vsw id=”eNit4ad0OZ0″ source=”youtube” width=”500″ height=”375″ autoplay=”no”]
Source: Ming Pao
This article is written by Katrine for JayneStars.com.
O hell no! They did not just turn the story of War & Beauty, the best series ever, into a “parallel universe” that is “fabricated”. Why are they trying to ruin a good thing? Just leave it as it is. This sequel will never be anything near the original.
“From Shun’s many rumors came the story of War and Beauty. It was recently revealed that the events in War and Beauty actually took place inside a parallel universe fabricated entirely by Shun. The current series will take place in the true reality, and viewers will be able to discover what really happened outside of Shun’s delusions.”
WHAT?
The dialogue is meant to be eloquent, but Moses Chan’s poetry spouting made me laugh out loud, as it was recited with such little feeling.
And Moses looks terrible in his opera costumes and in full garish make-up. shudder! Compare his look to Leslie gor gor’s.
I want to see his acting first before I comment, but I don’t have high expectations from him in this type of role, nor from Kwan Lai Kit. Moreover, it is very hard to learn Kunqu Opera in such a short period of time.
I can’t wait! I like the story line, let us see! 🙂
I don’t know if I like the storyline, but I look forward to watching it because of the acting of so many good artistes.
Storyline sounds messy! Don’t like!
looking forward to watch this drama…
I look forward to watching “Beauty at War”, but I do have some reservations that it will be as good as “War and Beauty”. It is a totally different storyline, different approach, and is more about a few people rather than many people in the palace.
I really enjoyed watching “War and Beauty”, in particular Sheren Tang. I hope she will do well in this sequel.
I hope “Beauty at War” will bring TVB good viewership ratings. Most of their recent drama series had very low viewership ratings, and they need something to boost their morale so that they can face the competitions of having 2 new free TV stations.
The story line sounds kinda silly… and aren’t the actresses too old to be playing young concubines…. like way too old
If TVB wanted to film a sequel having the same artistes, they had no choice. They should not have waited for 9 years to film a sequel. Every artiste has already aged 9 years since 2004.
I just hope that their good acting will make up their age difference.
Uh, you can speak the same with the cast in Triumph in the Skies II . :3
i just feel that you’re too picky:3
Who is “U”? Me or someone else? Your message is just posted below mine. Ha ha ……
generally speaking, the people here who comments, we pick on their ages, the matching between actors/actresses, etc.
which is ironic since i’m doing the same *facepalm*
It is surely a fact and obstacle to convince the audience that these actresses are under 20 years old. Simple …… could you convince yourself that Wayne Lai (portraying Li Lin Ying) in “The Confidant” was only 16 years old? I couldn’t myself.
“It is surely a fact and obstacle to convince the audience that these actresses are under 20 years old. Simple …”
Uh.. when was there a law that said that actresses need to match the age of who they are acting? Who ever said that acting someone REQUIRES that person to have that same age? That’s ridiculous. That’s the WHOLE POINT of ACTING. being someone who you are not and portraying that person as realistic..
You can do that for all dramas, all characters. my goodness. c:
But like I said, you guys nitpick the smallest details ever and then make a big fuss over it. Like seriously. And when you do that, you miss the biggest picture or what the producer/director is trying to portray in the series. o.O
Sorry. I don’t quite agree with you. Since the storyline is fake in a drama series, and everything else is fake, artistes would need a good packaging and acting to convince their audience about their characters. Age is not the # 1 factor, it can make it up by the acting of a good actor. However, if the artiste is no good, and his/her age is very different from the character’s age, it will, therefore, be very unconvincing.
I think the idea of “if the artiste is no good, and his/her age is very different from the character’s age, it will, therefore, be very unconvincing.” can work both ways. A actor having the same age as their character and their acting may not necessarily be be convincing either for the audience.
But for me, looking at the big picture of the drama and what the producer/director is trying to say is more important and crucial.
Unfortunately TVB do not have any really good and young artistes, i.e. under 30, to handle their drama series, and they cannot make the ages of the characters in their drama series all over 30. In that case, they have to cast their 30 – 40+ year-old artistes to act young-aged characters.
TVB have to train more young artistes to act well.
I also agree with you that “actors having the same age as their characters and their acting may not necessarily be convincing either for the audience.” if their acting is no good. However, an artiste with good acting can mend the gap and make it less noticeable.
I dont know about that, Sandcherry.
But maybe that’s why TVB is putting young artists with older ones. The younger ones can learn from their seniors..
However, an artiste with good acting can mend the gap and make it less noticeable.
^ well I don’t know, I don’t really pay attention to the age gap between the actual actor and the character’s age. It just isn’t my thing c: But I agree that an artiste with good acting can mend the gap and make it less noticeable 🙂
@ Anon
TITS2 is different. It takes place n years after Triumph TITS1. So, the cast getting older is logical. An older Ron Ng is playing an older Issac. Very appropriate. Plus, you can be air-hostesses and pilots even when you are 30s and 40s.
BAW is different. WAB is a parallel universe of BAW. BAW is not n years in the future like TITS2. Furthermore, Jen was concern about old actresses playing young concubines.
Maybe in western airlines.
You hardly see flight attendants being 30-40s in asian airlines, esp. singaporean airlines.
@ Bubblez
“Who ever said that acting someone REQUIRES that person to have that same age? “
No, acting someone does not requires that person to have the same age. But, the actor should look the age of the character to be convincing.
That’s why Chik Kei Yi chose another set of actors to play the younger self of the main characters instead of letting Bowie, Moses, Charmaine, Kenny played those parts too.
Oscar Leung was 29 when he played a secondary school student in ‘Your Class or Mine’. But, he looks the part. So, he’s convincing.
Raymond Cho is 50 years old, but, he can still pass for someone in his 30s. So, he also can play a 30+ year old character.
Agree with Kidd re “TITS 2”. No problems with the characters being aged a bit. After all, Ron Ng and Kenneth are now pilots instead of student pilots.
In American and Canadian airlines, flight attendants (both male and female) can be as old as 55+, but I know it does not happen in Asian airlines. All their flight attendants (especially female) are under 35 years old. Asian people are lucky to have young and pretty female flight attendants. The ones in North America are old and not pretty. Very hard to find young and pretty ones.
@Kidd:
“But, the actor should look the age of the character to be convincing.”
That’a standard/guideline set by people. There are people who pay real close attention to these details. But as for me, I do not look at the age difference. When I am watching drama, I tend to look at the whole picture (the whole scenario) or what the producer is trying to say because I know that the artiste is acting their role and it’s fake. o.O
In American and Canadian airlines, flight attendants (both male and female) can be as old as 55+, but I know it does not happen in Asian airlines. All their flight attendants (especially female) are under 35 years old. Asian people are lucky to have young and pretty female flight attendants. The ones in North America are old and not pretty. Very hard to find young and pretty ones.
^ thanks for restating what I am saying. It was greatly appreciated. :3
@ Bubblez
“That’a standard/guideline set by people. There are people who pay real close attention to these details.”
Yes, there are people who do so.
You like to look at the whole picture, study the message the producer/director/actors want to convey and don’t mind the unconvincing look. But, it doesn’t mean people who like to be convinced visually are ridiculous (Your word: “Who ever said that acting someone REQUIRES that person to have that same age? That’s ridiculous.” ).
It’s just different expectation/standard.
Wanting an actress to look 20+ when playing a 20+ character is not ridiculous.
@Kidd & other people: My very first comment regarding the whole ridiculous thing was not well thought out. Hence when I realized that it was posted, I freaked out because I was still tweaking it and it was a comment that was not supposed to be posted. I posted it by accident. c: Thus, I apologized. My words (which was right underneath that post) were “^ kindly ignore that. I had a bad night. c: whoops=_=” followed by “And I’m sorry c: That wasn’t suppose to be posted=_= I WASNT PLANNING IN PUBLISHING THAT. SO SORRY!”.
If you have read those two following posts, you may have recognized that very first post of mine was a post that was not planned to be published.. c
So once again and rather you believe me or not, I apologize for it. I had refreshed and accidentally press “sumbit comment”. Originally, I was going to finish what I have to say, delete that line, tweak it and then post it. I also told you guys to ignore that post since it was not well thought out or well written. There were major errors with it.
submit*
Surely it flies in the face of logic to have a 40 year old playing a 16 year old? Unless it is to chart the 16 to 50 year old, then perhaps it is possible. Goes for both male and female characters.
“Surely it flies in the face of logic to have a 40 year old playing a 16 year old? Unless it is to chart the 16 to 50 year old, then perhaps it is possible. Goes for both male and female characters.”
^ @Funn: That would depend on how the actor/actress portray that role. Yes, I admit that it’s weird but like Sandcherry said, if that person have good acting, they can mend the gap.
Furthermore, I apologized several times for that post. If you want to continue and nitpick that post (which is filled with many errors), be my guest but I won’t respond to it. I am not trying to “excuse” myself from it nor running away from the responsibility. But I already explained that that post was a post that was not supposed to be posted in the first place.
^ kindly ignore that. I had a bad night. c: whoops=_=
And I’m sorry c: That wasn’t suppose to be posted=_= I WASNT PLANNING IN PUBLISHING THAT. SO SORRY!
@ Jen
Maybe Sheren Tang and Christine Ng won’t be playing young concubines but middle age ones.
But, I also feel that the palace should have more young concubines.
Frankly most are dead by these actresses real age or at least the emperor is dead. I am kinda burn out over Qing dynasties. No other dynasties? Since different characters, might as well change the time period.
Love letter? How can this be love letter to fans when character changed, actors changed, etc? No no, it is a seduction by someone new to illicit a new love affair.
I am looking forward to seeing this drama!
it sounds interesting (:
I only watched some dramas that were aired this year.. I haven’t watched Bullet Brain, , The Day of Days and Inbound troubles xD
sigh… not again ching dynasty concubines/eunuchs please,its too much now,and guess what the plot is? yes fighting for power between the concubines and trying to kill each other,lame.
What else would you like to watch then? Fighting for estate, family issues, police/drug, romance, or silly and stupid comedies (like Fook Luk Sau)?
TVB needs to film a variety of drama series to suit their audience. Personally I like watching Ching Dynasty drama series if they have a good storyline and good acting.
i would like to see more good wuxia series and more series that are based on the current situation in the hk society, like inbound troubles,and moreover tvb should find a new tony leung and gigi lai.
I don’t mind the Qing Dynasty either, but China has such a loonnngggg history – why not focus on other periods?
I personally like dramas based on folklore and mythology. I also like the direction TVB is heading in with dramas like When Heaven Burns and Master of Play (even though I absolutely HATED those series, because of the poor execution). I do enjoy slower-paced stuff – one of my favourite films is Eureka by Shinji Aoyama – but perhaps these dramas retain too much of a “TVB flavour” and feels like it’s pushing too hard to be all arty.
Argh, I hope HKTV get their licence soon.
I heard that TVB has stopped filming good wuxia series due to the following reasons:
1) Big budget
2) No good wuxi director who can direct wuxi in a drama series in TVB
3) No good wuxi artistes who can do good wuxi
Moreover, most of the good wuxi stories were written by Kam Yung and Koo Lung. There are too many artistes and scenes (all over China) involved in their stories. Due to the current budget cut in TVB, we probably won’t be able to watch any good wuxi series. Copyright is another big issue, especially on Koo Lung’s wuxi stories.
I think the budget for filming “Beauty at War” was much much smaller than the one in “War and Beauty”.
TVB is filming wuxia drama again (yay!), but, it’s an original story, not, at adaptation.
As long as it’s wuxia, I’m happy. I miss TVB’s wuxia series.
Kidd, which series? The title? Not that one with the god awful hairstyles?
@ Funn
Yes, that series with the god awful hairstyles. The title is ‘Cold Mountain, Hidden Dragon’.
This article said Selena Li is going to film this series. So, confirm it’ll be filmed.
http://www.jaynestars.com/tv-dramas/selena-li-to-film-cold-mountain-hidden-dragon/
Me too. I also miss wuxia from TVB. But I wonder if they can create and write their own if it is not an adaption from a famous novel???
Looking forward to it.
But why is the wet nurse dressed so elaborately? Aren’t they just maids?
Looks like a show which will attract mostly female viewers.
A “wet nurse” is a woman who breast-feeds the new-born babies in a palace, and the babies are usually heirs of the royal family.
Still, the wet nurses or nanny in previous dramas (no less, more elderly too) didn’t wear so elaborately as Ada.
Don’t know then. Will have to find out more in “Beauty at War”.
In fact, I would call it “nanny”. Perhaps “wet nurse” is more official in ancient time.
Perhaps when you are a wet nurse to a favoured concubine or a concubine of a high rank (sayyyy pin, fei, gui fei, huang gui fei), surely you will get bigger budget and better wardrobe?
Wow, the final product actually stick to the concept presented in the sale presentation. In the sale presentation, what happened in WAB is only a story told buy Moses to a concubine. In the final product, the event in WAB is still a story, not reality. That’s good because that the most interesting part of the sale presentation to me.
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who found that interesting… hehe.
Can’t wait to watch this! 😀
Watching the trailer gave me Goosebumps (in a good way). Geez, I dont know why you guys were fussing over details like age. I would prefer good performances over looking the part in terms of age any day.
Me too, 939393.
I rather see good performances
It’s only Sandcherry, Bubblez, Kidd and Funn arguing over it. But it appears that Bubblez is similar to you who doesn’t fuss over details. Bubblez has already apologized for that post of hers. It’s just Funn and Kidd and some other people who isn’t willing to let it go.
Sorry, there are people who do have very high expectations on TVB drama series and acting, and I happen to be one of them. I have watched TVB drama series since its establishment in 1967!
@Sandcherry: I disagree with you. Just because people like 939393, Bubblez or other people does not fuss over details such as age does not mean that they don’t have “very high expectations on TVB drama series and acting”. Expectations such as these vary from person to person. What may seem to be very good acting to you may not be great to another person.
Saying that you have “watched TVB series since its establishment in 1967” does not prove anything at all. It just shows that you’re really loyal to TVB, nothing more, nothing less.
I never really had an issue with the whole character age vs actor age thing. The ONE time where it did happen was when Lawrence Ng was cast as the main guy in Heavenly Sword Dragon Sabre 2000. But that was because I am familiar with the novel, and other adaptations. However, I did enjoy his performance even though his face/age didn’t quite suit the youthful image. Lol.
In my opinion, ideologies such as neo-liberalism has played a role in the production of TVB series and current movies. Back in the 1960s, it was quality over quantity. Producers cared way more about if their audience views, not so much about money factor. In today’s culture, profit is now the most important thing when it comes to making these dramas and current movies.
I feel that this is apparent in TVB series and many dramas.
Money is the big picture for production companies now. But the tiny pests within the companies are also causing issues. People are power hungry. No one wants to stop from climbing the ladder. They want to keep going. TVB is a classic example. The favoritism the higher ups are playing which causes the more potentially gifted artists to be pushed back.
I think executives in these production companies also have a lot to do with this. This is apparent with TVB executives (well that is, if the HK media is reporting to be true). But then again, this whole world is driven by favoritism and judging people. Everyone only wants to be the “best”, the one to be hired which is a huge problem because some people are educated but just couldn’t find opportunities. In the case of TVB, I definetely agree with you, Crystal.
Don’t forget, there are too many IDOL fans these days. All they like is to watch their idols acting. They don’t know and don’t care what good acting is.
It does not mean that I am a loyal TVB fan. I just have watched many of their good and bad drama series, as well as good and bad artistes, over those years and I can compare the qualities of their drama series easily.
I agree with Bubblez and Crystal.
@Sandcherry: “Don’t forget, there are too many IDOL fans these days. All they like is to watch their idols acting. They don’t know and don’t care what good acting is.
It does not mean that I am a loyal TVB fan. I just have watched many of their good and bad drama series, as well as good and bad artistes, over those years and I can compare the qualities of their drama series easily.”
^ That is a stereotype. It is a huge “diss” to the younger generation. I am a huge fan of Raymond Lam, Charmaine Sheh, Linda Chung, Fala Chen. Just because I am a fan of theirs or an “idol fan” does not mean I do not know and do not care what good acting is. Good acting is also an issue because what may seem to be good acting to you may not necessary mean it’s good for other people.
Furthermore, how can you compare these tvb series when they are produced by different people? People have different values and expectations. and like I said, “Saying that you have “watched TVB series since its establishment in 1967″ does not prove anything at all.” And you are just a long-time supporter of TVB. The ideologies in today’s world and time periods had also changed, sandcherry, which will result in the qualities of these dramas.
“It does not mean that I am a loyal TVB fan. I just have watched many of their good and bad drama series, as well as good and bad artistes, over those years and I can compare the qualities of their drama series easily.”
Definition of fan: A person who has a strong interest in or admiration for a particular sport, art or entertainment form, or famous person.
You are considered to be a fan because you showed interest in tvb dramas. And the fact that you have seen these dramas and that you have very high expectations since the start of TVB proves so.
There is no point to argue with you youngsters. We do have a generation gap in everything for sure.
Just enjoy the types of drama series that you want to watch.
“There is no point to argue with you youngsters. We do have a generation gap in everything for sure.”
^ oh? aren’t you making assumptions that we are “young”? Or are you backing away because some of us has made very strong points?
“There is no point to argue with you youngsters. We do have a generation gap in everything for sure.”
That may be true to a certain extent. However, I feel that you are underestimating today’s younger generation. Just because we may all be young does not mean we cannot differentiate good acting and poor acting. Stop thinking that you are the only one who can separate the two. Just because you watched TVB series (all the way back until the start of TVB) does not mean that you know it all. T_T
Woah. Lol. No need to bring in the age factor, though I assure you, I am not young. Maybe younger than you, but definitely still not young in the likes of late teens or early 20s. I wish.
Anyways, everyone is bound to have different views on this. I, too, have seen various productions by TVB early 80s, 90s well into the new century. But the truth is the quality has went down and it isn’t entirely the actors/actresses fault. I mean, different producers, new tactics with marketing and managing and such contributes to the downhill of new series. It’s a process. It happens. Now, when it’ll turn around and all…well, time will tell.
And with idol fans, I honestly don’t think all the fans of these so called idols are THAT bad. I mean, Tavia, Kenneth, Bosco, Ron and Raymond (just naming a few ‘idols’), they became idols like on average 6-7 years since their entry to the industry. I honestly don’t know if they fit the typical ‘idol’ image. Cause surely they picked up a stable fan base before they reached that ‘idol’ status. And since reaching that ‘idol’ status, they accumulated more fans. The point is, surely, the fans they picked up were not ‘idolizing’ over them. There was something about them that got them fans.
I am not backing out, but I know most of the readers here are young. Your so-called “strong” points are only strong among you people, not me.
My perception of good drama series and acting is very different from some one who is young. I have watched too many old and classic drama series and good acting of veterans, and I usually like to compare the new drama series and acting with the old ones.
You guys have watched drama series acted by those new top fadans (such as Linda Chung, Myolie Wu, Tavia Yeung, Kate Tsui and Fala Chen) and you enjoy and adore them. If you ask me honestly, I have to say that these new top fadans are terrible actresses. They don’t even know how to act well. Some people even love the acting of Christine Kuo and Rebecca Zhu. What can I say?
Moreover, acting is very subjective. There is no point to argue. Every one has different tastes, and we only voice our opinions here. I don’t plan to argue with anyone here.
This makes a case of group identity. I am being identified right now. Or am I?
And I never tried to make people agree with me. I just voiced my personal opinions, and none of you have to agree with me.
Crystal:
It is nice to be called young. Don’t feel bad.
I have no problems with idol fans as long as they don’t think their idols are “supernatural” and can act anything!
That was really well said, Crystal 🙂
As for me, although I said that I was a fan of Raymond Lam, there was a time when I disliked him. I felt that he was really fake and just wasn’t him in general. It was only these couple of months where I started liking him again because I started seeing the things that made me like him.
@Sandcherry: I don’t necessarily agree with you. Yes, I admit that I have generally watched dramas with Linda Chung, Tavia Yeung and Fala Chen. Also, there were veteran artistes witht them. However, there were some dramas I didn’t like. The acting done by these fadans may not be the best but I think sometimes, you have to go past the bad, mediocre acting in order to see the whole picture or the purpose of that specific drama. I am not saying that acting skills is not important. It is important on some extent but if someone is too judgmental/picky, they may not see why an actress or producer will do such a thing. For example, I was never fond of Miley Cyrus’s singing nor Rebecca Black’s singing. However, there are some good songs with very good lyrics. Ex: My moment (which is talking about not giving up and ignoring what people say to continue), The Climb (same thing). These singers are horrible but their songs are meaningful are really inspiring. I feel that it is important on some extent to use different angles or perspectives to see the same thing.
As for Tavia Yeung, I feel that out of these fadans, I do believe that she is a good actress because she did went to an acting class and graduated from it. She has been in this industry for so long and I feel like it was only during the late 2000s where she was starting to get promoted. I cannot say for other fadans, but out of the top fadans, I am mostly fond of Linda Chung (since she’s from my hometown) and Tavia Yeung. However, I do miss the acting of the fadans from the late 1990s and 2000s (eg. Kenix Kwok, Maggie Cheung, Margaret Cheung, Sherming Yiu, Annie Man, Bobo Chan, etc.)
*continued*
I feel it’s still quite early to judge Rebecca Zhu. She only appeared in one drama so far! Only time will tell if she’s a good actress.
And as for Christine Kuo, Grace Wong, Oceane Zhu, Aimee Chan.. I only like Oceane Zhu. She has a very natural acting and I honestly don’t mind her accent! :3
Sandcherry:
Thank you. I feel a tiny bit better about my age. 🙂
Bubblez:
It is good to have youth who can see the positive! I like that. Lol. No homo. No really, youth these days at the clinic, always about suicide, always about unfairness, always the world against them. Sigh.
In a drama series, I always place “Script” No. 1, Acting # 2, Artistes # 3. A good script can help an artiste excel in his/her acting which will then make his/her character real, interesting and entertaining. Good acting of an artiste can also make a boring and simple script real and lively. A typical example is the movie “A Simple Life” (or “Tou Gei” in Chinese), which made Deanne Ip win the Best Actress Award in Canne’s Film Festival 2 or 3 years ago. However, if there is no good script or good acting in a drama series, it will be a very boring drama series to me.
I heard the same facts from Louise Lee Sze Kee some time ago in a talk show.
@ Anon
“Bubblez has already apologized for that post of hers. It’s just Funn and Kidd and some other people who isn’t willing to let it go.”
Please note that I did not see that apology note when I replied to Bubblez. There were so many posts down the line separating the apology note and the original post.
@Crystal: Thank you, but I do have my moments when I feel like the world is against me and when I want to run away or suicide. But there were people in my life who I know will be deeply disappointed if I did such a thing! (:
@Sandcherry: For me, when I watch a drama, I believe that a balanced cast with fair acting skills, interesting plot or “purpose” is quite important 🙂 I believe that a good cast with good chemstry, good script and of course fair acting is important.
@Kidd: It’s okay. I hoped I had made myself clear enough with that post c:
Whoops, looks like I repeated myself c: *facepalm*
Bubblez
There is no need to apologize. You did not owe us any apologies. This is a website where we can all voice our personal opinions – whether they are good or bad – about drama series, acting, and artistes. As long as you are not rude and not yelling at others, everyone has the right to post his/her subjective opinions.
@Sandcherry: Thanks for being considerate. However, that post of mine was very irresponsible and wasn’t a complete thought.
Bubblez
You are a very nice and polite person. Not many youngsters are like you.
I am a huge Sheren Tang fan, and WAB is one of my top hong kong drama. the storyline is different. Since in the first one, already exploited the inner haream disputes among concubines. This one attempts to tell a more in depth story of those ones that stayed longer. And of course like most people i would really love if there were more fandans and siu sangs in this one like the last one. But i know that Sheren, Ada and Christine can pull it off.
I only became Sheren Tang’s fan after watching her as Yu Fei in “War & Beauty”. I was very impressed by her acting in WAB. Ever since I tried to watch most of her drama series. I hope she will impress me again greatly in the forthcoming “Beauty at War”.
As a matter of fact, I never liked her when she was young in the 80s. Her acting was quite weak as Chau Chi-Yeuk in “New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre”.
I have always liked Sheren Tang, even during the ’80s. I thought she was much better than Kitty Lai or Tony Leung’s ex-gf (the one played his wife in the police story). But I do I agreed that Sheren Tang was at her best as Yu Fei. I was so mesmerized by her portrayal.
I never thought highly of Kitty Lai’s acting (Lai Mei Han). I remembered when I watched Sheren as Chau Chi-Yeuk in “New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre”, I thought she acted badly vs. Chiu Nga Chi. I changed my mind gradually after watching her in “Loving You 1 and 2”, then I was impressed by her Yu Fei in “War & Beauty” and the Cheng Gou Mui in “No Regrets”. She did well as Sze Ni Ni in “Rosy Business”, but not amazing. She also did well in some other drama series, such “La Femme Desperado”, “Country Spirit”; “Your Class of Mine”, ATV’s “The Good Old Days”; “I Have a Date with Spring”, etc. I also liked her drama series, co-acted with Teresa Mo, a TVB production, but I cannot remember the name of the series. She acted as a strong woman and a mistress of Teresa’s husband.
woww… you remembered all the series’ names; that’s really impressive. I have never seen Chiu Nga Chi’s version of CCY. Love the actress, but I would have thought, she wouldn’t fit the role since gentle to play a wicked character. As for Sheren, I remembered liking the two ATV series, TGOD and IHADWS. I agreed that she’s better as Cheng Gou Mui, but I like Sze Ni Ni’s character more. I also like the plot of Rosy Business more than No Regrets. There were too many similaries between the two series that kinka killed No Regrets for me.
lingling
No, I don’t remember all those names in English. I always called them by their Chinese names until I visited this website and other forums. I cannot type Chinese and have to write everything in English, I started to learn the English names of the drama series. I did a search on Google on Sheren Tang, and copied the names of her drama series that I liked.
In terms of acting, Sheren acted better as Cheng Gou Mui in “No Regrets” though she was awarded TV Queen in both. But I still think Sheren’s very best drama series was “War & Beauty” as she outshone all the other veterans (Gigi Lai, Maggie Cheung Ho Yee and Charmaine Sheh). It was not an easy job to be outstanding among all the other good actresses.
I never liked Sheren or her character in War & Beauty although she acted well. To me it was always maggie cheung before the story went stupid.
This is totally unnecessary.
From Shun’s many rumors came the story of War and Beauty. It was recently revealed that the events in War and Beauty actually took place inside a parallel universe fabricated entirely by Shun. The current series will take place in the true reality, and viewers will be able to discover what really happened outside of Shun’s delusions.
Can someone explain the above to me? I don’t understand the para. Maybe Katrine who wrote the article. Thanks.
I can’t see how parallel can be in the same line as fabricated since if you’re parallel you can’t be fabricated. Makes no sense. But I think what the para mean is War & Beauty took us viewers for a ride and that it does not exist except in the imagination of Shun who I believe wasn’t even in that original series? And so this new one is the real deal, the Sheren Teng you see is the real Yu Fei.
If true what a sell out.
Huh? Ok. Guess I have to watch it to understand the twist. Thanks.
why was my comment deleted -.-
Sounds like a dud to me.
Just saw the poster. Every actor in that poster is 40 and above. The ages really show.
Of course, it shows if the artistes are supposed to be in their early 20s or even younger.
Well, if Wayne could act a 16-year-old eunuch in “The Confidant” and people accepted him well, the artistes in “Beauty at War” shouldn’t have any problems. It is just too sad that TVB does not have any good and young artistes for their drama series.
Funn,
“Beauty at War” is about loneliness and the human condition, so perhaps the characters’ advanced age reflect their sentiments.
I am not sure what are their ages in the series.
As for The Confidant, were we ever told how old Wayne was? Since the entire series threw away the thing called history integrity, Wayne could have been any age.
That is why Ada Choi did well in Empresses In The Palace. She was playing her age and even older.
And the whole thing about loneliness and human condition, it can be any age. In the palace where a concubine can’t even see the emperor, it can be of any age. I think Empresses In The Palace told that aspect very well.
From synopsis, I don;t even think TVB bothers with the ranks as well.
Actors playing above age is long held tradition. Tony Leung Chiu Wai was 12-13 yr old Wei Xiao Bao who got dragged to the palace – at mid 20’s.
Louis Koo was Yang Guo from age 15 – 40 in the 90’s version of ROCH.
Damian Lau (51) and Michelle Yim (45) played early twenties parents of Zhang Wuji who was played by (cough) Lawrence Ng (36). I think ZWJ ended the story even younger than age 25 character age.
That is because they were not following the books. They adjusted the ages.
Ages of the lead characters in “Beauty at War”:
Portrayed by:
Sheren Tang – 鈕祜祿如玥 – 35
Moses Chan – 高流斐 – 35
Ada Choi – 布雅穆齊湘菱 – 33
Kenny Wong – 佟吉海 – 30
Christine Ng – 鈕祜錄宛琇 – 34
Eddie Kwan – 雲秋玹 – 33
Therefore, none of them portrays really young characters.
And these women are fighting for affections of the emperor? Isn’t that a bit too far fetched at these age? So it must be fighting to stay in power but no indication of their ranks. If all of them are of mid to high rank, then it is believable. If they’re all low ranking, I am sorry to say such ages does not compute with the idea of low rank and rise to power. The actors are still too old for their respective roles but make up can help that.
Moses Chan is.
He is almost 10 years older than his character.