Purple Butterfly

"United by Passion. Divided by Fate."

2003 2h 7m ZH

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 23

WarDramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Ding Hui is a member of Purple Butterfly, a powerful resistance group in Japanese occupied Shanghai. An unexpected encounter reunites her with Itami, an ex-lover and officer with a secret police unit tasked with dismantling Purple Butterfly.

“United by Passion. Divided by Fate.”

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Cast

Zhang Ziyi
Cynthia / Ding Hui
Liu Ye
Szeto
Feng Yuanzheng
Xie Ming
Toru Nakamura
Hidehiko Itami
Li Bingbing
Tang Yiling
Kin Ei
Yamamoto
Leni Lan
Ah Zi
Yao Anlian

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lou Ye
Writers: Lou Ye
Languages: Vietnamese, Mandarin, Japanese
Countries: China, Hong Kong, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 63% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Vietnamese, Mandarin, Japanese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: China, Hong Kong, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lou Ye, shot by Wang Yu. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jörg Lemberg. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lou Ye directs. Wang Yu behind the camera. Jörg Lemberg scores. Lou Ye cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in China, Hong Kong, France. Dialogue in Vietnamese, Mandarin, Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 63% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 23 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Vietnamese, Mandarin, Japanese.
5International production across 3 countries: China, Hong Kong, France.
6Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
7Directed by Lou Ye, shot by Wang Yu. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
8Original score by Jörg Lemberg. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
9Editor Lou Ye shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
10Zhang Ziyi and Liu Ye and Feng Yuanzheng carry the top of the cast.
11Marketing tagline: "United by Passion. Divided by Fate.".
12IMDB entry: tt0363290 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
13Only 23 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.