betrothed as a child. Zhou Xun a nightclub girl Chang Shih Li Niangjiu Lin Lian Kun as Pang An Ko Hsiang-ting as Elder Qi Ren Lei as the young Yu Zhongliang Ying Wang as the young Pang Ruyi Lin Ge as the young Pang Duanwu Production Despite its smaller scale story, Temptress Moon proved far more difficult a production than its predecessor, Chen's Farewell My Concubine. Although filming began in 1994, Moon did not wrap until more than a year later in 1995; the film's budget in the intervening time having ballooned to over $7 million (US), over twice as much as Concubine. Other problems arose as well, notably the firing of the original Ruyi, the Taiwanese actress Wang Ching-ying, about halfway through the shoot. The resulting delay lasted five months before filming resumed with Gong Li in the lead role. Reception Unlike the near universal praise for Concubine, Temptress Moon'''s reception abroad was considerably more muted. Critics praised the sumptuous visuals by Australian cinematographer Christopher Doyle, but also cited the confusing plot. Roger Ebert, in a typical review, noted "Temptress Moon is a hard movie to follow--so hard, that at some point you may be tempted to abandon the effort and simply enjoy the elegant visuals..." The New York Times also praised the film's sumptuous production values, but critic Stephen Holden also found the film to lack emotional weight, arguing that Temptress Moon ultimately "has the feel of a chic, kink-ornamented romantic pageant, unfolding at a distance."Temptress Moon holds a 62% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 13 critics. Awards and nominations 1996 Cannes Film Festival - Official selection Hong Kong Film Awards, 1997 Best Actress — Gong Li (nominated) Best Cinematography — Christopher Doyle (nominated) Best Art Direction — Wong Hap-Kwai (nominated) Golden Horse Awards, 1996 Best Actor — Leslie Cheung (nominated) Home media releaseTemptress Moon'' was released on Region 1 DVD in the United States and Canada on July 2, 2002 by Miramax Films through Buena Vista Home Video label. The DVD featured subtitles in English. References External links Temptress Moon at the Chinese Movie Database 1996 films Chinese romantic drama films 1990s Mandarin-language films Films set in Shanghai Films set in the 20th century Films set in 1912 1996 romantic drama films Films directed by Chen Kaige Shanghai Film Studio films Films about opium Triad films Films with screenplays by Wang Anyi 1990s Hong