Beauty at War

Beauty at War
金枝慾孽貳

Beauty at War promo poster
Also known as 'War and Beauty 2'
Genre Period drama
Written by Chow Yuk-ming
Starring Sheren Tang
Ada Choi
Christine Ng
Moses Chan
Kenny Wong
Eddie Kwan
Raymond Cho
Rachel Kan
Opening theme "紅孽" (Red Sin)
by Christine Ng
Ending theme "紫禁飄謠" (Drifting Rumours of the Forbidden City)
by Christine Ng & Moses Chan
Composer(s) Jacky Chan
Country of origin Hong Kong
Original language(s) Cantonese
No. of episodes 30
Production
Executive producer(s) Jonathan Chik
Camera setup Multi camera
Running time 45 minutes (each)
Production company(s) TVB
Release
Original network TVB Jade, HD Jade
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
Original release 22 April – 31 May 2013
Chronology
Preceded by A Great Way to Care II
Followed by A Change of Heart
Related shows War and Beauty (2004)
External links
Website
Beauty at War
Traditional Chinese 金枝慾孽貳
Simplified Chinese 金枝欲孽贰
Literal meaning "Golden Branches Desire War Two"

Beauty at War (Chinese: 金枝慾孽貳), also known as War and Beauty 2, is a Hong Kong television period drama serial produced by Jonathan Chik for TVB. It premiered on TVB Jade in Hong Kong on April 22, 2013. Created by Chik and scriptwriter Chow Yuk-ming, Beauty at War is a sequel to the duo's 2004 award-winning drama serial War and Beauty, which took place in a parallel universe. The events of the first installment are depicted as being the result of rumor-mongering, and are frequently referenced.

Plot

The Consort Dowager Shun, Niohuru Yuen-sau (Christine Ng) bears a grudge against her half-sister Niohuru Yu-yuet, the current Consort Yu (Sheren Tang) because she believed that Consort Yu faked her illness during the selection ceremony so that Yuen-sau would be chosen as a concubine of the ailing Emperor, and when the Emperor dies, Yu-yuet will become the new Emperor's consort, rising in power and status and rendering Yuen-sau's status as a consort obsolete. This presumption, coupled with the intense hatred and bitterness building up in her for years caused Yuen-sau to spread rumors about Yu-yuet being an evil and manipulative person (this is seen in the events of War and Beauty). For many years, Yu-yuet tolerated with Yuen-sau and tried her best to reconcile with her but to no avail until a kunqu troupe whom the much lauded Ko Lau Fei (Moses Chan) is a part of enters the palace that Yu-yuet had the opportunity to reach out to Yuen-sau. Because the harem forbids males from entering, the appearance of Ko Lau Fei intrigued its members including the lonely Yuen-sau and wet nurse Seung-ling (Ada Choi), causing much distraught to Yu-yuet. The two sisters began to plot and scheme against each other, with Yuen-sau wanting to keep Ko Lau Fei in the palace and allying with the lunatic Tung Kat Hoi (Kenny Wong) and Yu-yuet planning to send Ko Lau Fei out of the palace with the help of her trusted maid, Yee-ho (Rachel Kan). However, when Yu-yuet found out that Seung-ling fell in love with Ko Lau Fei, it threaten to thwart her schemes.

Production

Development and casting

In August 2011, TVB announced the development of War and Beauty II, with executive producer Jonathan Chik and executive scriptwriter Chow Yuk-ming returning to produce.[1] Original cast members Sheren Tang, Charmaine Sheh, Moses Chan, and Kenny Wong expressed their interest in returning.[2] Gigi Lai and Bowie Lam, both whom have won TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress and Best Actor for their performances in the original serial, rejected TVB's offer to return.[3] Lai has retired from acting,[4] while Lam chose to film a mainland drama production instead.[3]

In September 2011, Sheh announced her withdrawal from the cast because she was tied to filming Legend of Yuan Empire Founder.[5] However, it was announced in April 2012 that Sheh would return in a guest role. Maggie Cheung Ho-yee, who was slated to return, also withdrew because she already signed a deal to film Nu Xiang (女相). In October 2011, Tang and Chan has signed to return.[6] Ada Choi, who was originally considered for a role in the original serial, was announced to join the cast. In 2002, Choi filmed a promotional trailer for War and Beauty, which was unveiled at TVB's 2003 Sales Presentation. However, due to other filming commitments, she had to withdraw.[7]

In January 2012, Wong was confirmed to return. Christine Ng was cast in a major role,[8] and Alice Chan, was cast to guest star in an episode.[9]

A press conference with the finalized cast was held on 27 February 2012.[10]

Cast and characters

Some character names are in Cantonese romanisation.

Reception

While the original War and Beauty was met with widespread critical acclaim, the public did not respond well to Beauty at War. Many blamed the scripting and slow pace of the story for the failure of the series, making it a disappointment despite generating much hype before its premiere. During its 4th week run, the series only managed to garner a 19-point ratings, marking an all-time low for a big budget TVB production. This has caused cast member Sheren Tang to publicly speak out against the drama's producers and scriptwriters for last minute changes to the scripts and the long hours of filming. Not all reviews were negative, however, as the public had also praised the performance of Ada Choi in episode 19, who portrayed the wet nurse, Seung-ling, where she lamented over the loss of her three children, saying that she deserved to win the Best Actress award at the annual TVB Anniversary Awards.

Viewership ratings

WeekEpisodesDateAverage PointsPeaking Points
101－05April 22–26, 20132526
206－10April 29 - May 3, 20132225
311－15May 6–10, 20132225
416－20May 13–17, 20132124
521－25May 20–24, 20132528
626－30May 27–31, 20132833

See also

References

  1. ↑ "War and Beauty II to hit 2012". Ming Pao via IHKTV (in Chinese). 2011-08-06. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  2. ↑ "Charmaine Sheh to return for War and Beauty II". Oriental Daily via IHKTV (in Chinese). 2011-08-14. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  3. 1 2 "Gallen Lo and Bowie Lam reject 'Lu for King' and 'War and Beauty II' offers". Singtao via IHKTV (in Chinese). 2011-10-09. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  4. ↑ "Ada Choi, Tavia Yeung, and Kate Tsui in talks for War and Beauty II". IHKTV (in Chinese). 2011-09-01. Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  5. ↑ "4 in Love celebrates new year". IHKTV (in Chinese). 2012-01-21. Archived from the original on 2012-01-24. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  6. ↑ "Moses Chan disappointed with original cast leaving". IHKTV (in Chinese). 2011-10-10. Archived from the original on 2011-11-10. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  7. ↑ "Sheren Tang and Ada Choi joins War and Beauty II". IHKTV (in Chinese). 2011-10-11. Archived from the original on 2011-10-12. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  8. ↑ "Christine Ng joins cast of War and Beauty 2". Jayne Stars (in Chinese). 2012-02-15. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  9. ↑ "War and Beauty II storyline revealed". Sudden Weekly via IHKTV (in Chinese). 2012-02-24. Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  10. ↑ "War and Beauty II costume fitting". Oriental Daily via IHKTV (in Chinese). 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2012-02-27.

External links

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