The Taiwanese Poster
The International Poster
Spoilers exist in the following text.
The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful has two posters. One is the Taiwanese version while the other is the international poster. The Taiwanese poster is the only poster to display the leading actresses. Both Madame Tang and Tang Chen are seated on the seat of the sofa, only Tang Ning is seated on the arm of the sofa. Tang Chen has her head on Madame Tang's lap while Madame Tang holds onto the girl. Only Tang Ning has no physical contact with them. She appears like an outsider, which is true, considering that at the end of the movie, we see that she is the only one among the Tang family who has humanity left in her. Through the positioning of the leading actresses, this poster effectively conveys the sense of alienation Tang Ning feels from her family. It also serves as a foreshadowing of Tang Ning's relationship with the rest of her family members even before we watch the movie. Furthermore, Madame Tang and Tang Chen are dressed in presentable outfits, that is, outfits they can wear to welcome guests. Only Tang Ning is dressed in sleepwear. This wardrobe choice is fitting of her duty in the family—to sleep with men. Another hint of foreshadowing are the smiles on the characters' faces which is probably in reference to the quote shown on the poster ("the one who laughs till the end is the true winner"). All three of them are smiling yet the smiles in their faces do not seem "sufficient". For instance, they do not show their teeth. Their eyes remain the same. They're just smiling with their lips. Their smiles lack some "genuineness" to them. This could be foreshadowing that none of them managed to become "the true winner" in the end. Tang Ning's smile also happens to be the least like a smile among the three smiles. There is even a hint of sadness in her eyes which the other two lack. The covert sadness displayed in the poster is a symbolic manifestation of the great agony she suffers from in the movie while her smile being the least like a smile among the three is likely a foreshadowing of her fate in the movie. Tang Ning doesn't just fail to laugh till the end (of the movie), she doesn't even make it till the end.
On the other hand, the international poster is an artwork depicting the three main characters. Unlike the local version which has all the characters smiling, none of the faces in this poster have smiles on them. "Love is the most important thing in the world" is the quote on this poster. Tang Ning is in the middle with Madame Tang on her left and Tang Chen on her right. Both Madame Tang and Tang Chen are looking elsewhere, only Tang Ning stares straight ahead. Taking the quote into consideration, this may be a hint that Tang Ning is the solitary one with love in her. She loves her mother enough to live like a prostitute, using her body as a means to her mother's motives. She loves her daughter enough to want to take her daughter together with her during her escape attempt despite the latter being an added risk and an additional baggage. Madame Tang and her granddaughter, on the other hand, either suffer from a lack of love or possess a warped idea of love. Madame Tang manipulates her daughter into being a social escort, schemes so that her daughter can take the rap for her, and even kills her daughter in the end... all for the sake of acquiring power. Tang Chen who usually appears cold and absent to her mother further displays her traits with her reaction upon witnessing her mother's death. She does not cry or even display a semblance of sadness. She only runs out of fear for her own safety. The fact that none of them are smiling probably implies that none of them got the most important thing in the world—love. Even Tang Ning who has love in her did not acquire the love most important to her—love from her family. As usual, this poster appears to serve as a foreshadowing, considering that the assumptions made on the poster seem to prove themselves true as the movie unfolds. The international poster is intertwined with the international title. The three characters mentioned in the international title (The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful) refer to the three female leads in order of seniority and this point is further substantiated by the positioning of the three characters in the poster (from left to right): Madame Tang, Tang Ning, and Tang Chen. The Bold refers to Madame Tang who is bold in her ruthless ways, the Corrupt refers to Tang Ning who indulges in a plethora of vices such a drugs, sex, and alcohol, and the Beautiful refers to the teenage Tang Chen who is at her most beautiful age.
In the domestic poster, neither of the characters are in the center of the photo. It is the Guanyin who is in the center. It is to be reminded that the Chinese title of the movie is loosely translated as Guanyin in Blood (or Bloody Guanyin). Hence, to the local audience, it is made known that the main essence of the movie—and dare I even say—the main character is the Guanyin. On the other hand, both the international poster and title lacks the Guanyin. The Guanyin is an unavoidable concept and motif introduced in the movie, but its significance is only eloquently delivered to the local audience be it in the form of the title or the poster. Perhaps it is because this idea is not one that can be easily comprehended if you’re not Taiwanese. To the international audience, the concept of the Guanyin in the movie may just be a religion and the motif may simply be a sign of foreboding (the owner of the Guanyin always finds himself in hot soup). However, to the eyes of a Taiwanese, one can comprehend the hypocrisy of the Guanyin worshippers and the satire behind the idea of the Guanyin. Therefore, if the Guanyin was introduced as the essence of the movie (by putting it in the center of the poster and naming the title after it) to the international audience, the concept may not be effectively grasped. Love and familial relationship, on the other hand, is a universal concept which makes it the safest bet. Thus, love becomes the concept implied in the international poster and the concept of the Guanyin is—if not omitted—made as subtle as possible.
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