Facets of Love
When it comes to sexy historical epics, Shaw Brothers could swing with the best of them. In fact, one of the more interesting parts of the boutique video boom is getting to see titles like 1973’s Facets of Love which don’t quite fit into any easily exportable genre. Part softcore, part S & M, part melodrama, part operatic comedy, it’s a film not really meant for anyone outside of Hong Kong to begin with…which makes it so fascinating to watch. What begins as the tragic story of a young woman sold into sexual slavery turns into a breezy anthology film, branching into three separate stories all set in and around the red-light district’s most famous brothel. Stories one and two revolve around a pair of Ming dynasty emperors who visit incognito to fulfill their desires. The first emperor is so enamored of the experience he hires two fellow customers to show him the pleasures hidden in every back alley. But the price to his health winds up costing more than even a member of the ro