chen kaige give u magnificent depth of atmosphere . yes and it a period piece and but chen artistic use of imagery make it something more . the actor often behave like player use the stylized diction and posture and facial expression of peking opera . all the actor in a scene play to the back wall even when address each other . they be like spirit of the past enunciating with powerful clarity a story with urgent meaning for those in the present . combine with close attention to scale and masterful cinematography indoors and out and jing ke ci qin wang be a stunning tale tell with great reverence in it own idiom that captivate completely .