Zhang yimou, the preeminent filmmaker of china, was one of the more recent artists to seize this opportunity when he made hero ying xiong, 2002. At that time zhang yimou, another director, was my cameraman. It is little exaggeration to suggest that zhang yimou has been chinas most popular, and most written about, filmmaker see bristow, also see lu, zhang 412. Music from the films of zhang yimou by christopher coleman. The fight scenes are highly choreographed and excessively stylized a practice commonly referred to as wirefu, and this gives them a mythical quality that indicates they may.
Zhang yimou associates the colorcoding of each of the stories red, blue, green, white with the phenomenon of emotion. I first saw the qin army in hero as a faceless fascist war machine, ruthless in its discipline, its mandated unanimity, and its disregard for human life. Zhang yimou is an internationally acclaimed director working in the peoples republic of china. At that time, it was the most expensive project and one of highestgrossing motion pictures. Hero before viewing it is likely that most members of a uk audience will have only heard of one of these three people.
Zhangs films continued to garner critical acclaim for the next several years, including major awards at the venice film festival, sundance, and the berlin film festival. Zhang yimous hero is beautiful and beguiling, a martial arts extravaganza defining the styles and lives of its fighters within chinese tradition. Hero 2004 in this visually arresting martial arts epic set in ancient china, an unnamed fighter jet li is being honored for defeating three of the kings most dangerous enemies. Twenty years after graduating from the beijing film academy, zhang directed hero and realized a longtime ambition to make a film in the wuxia genre cardullo 4. Zhang yimou who has always used the traditional chinese ordering that places the family name first, then the given name was born in xian, in chinas shaanxi province, on november 14, 1950, shortly after the defeat of chinas nationalist government by the communist armies of mao tsetung.
It is also, like rashomon, a mystery told from more than one point of view. Starring jet li as the nameless protagonist, the film is based on the story of jing kes assassination attempt on the king of qin in 227 bc hero was first released in china on 24 october 2002. Indeterminacy of hero vivian lee, city university of hong kong, hong kong introduction when zhang yimou s hero came out in 2003, it was received with much skepticism and was criticized for its sympathetic portrait of the king of qin, his empirebuilding conquests and despotism in thirdcentury bc china. Utilizing color like a penandink zhang yimou of the films hero and. His notable movies included red sorghum, ju dou, hero, and house of flying daggers. The movie opens, like many folk legends, with a storyteller before the throne of an imperious ruler, counting. Upgrade to a letterboxd pro account to add your favorite services to this listincluding any service and country pair listed on justwatchand to enable oneclick filtering by all your favorites. Damon, the star of yimous fantasy monster movie, has long wanted to. He is a director and writer, known for ying xiong 2002, house of.
Apparently some of the first japanese films allowed into china after the culural revolution were yoji yamada ones starring takakura. Zhang yimous actionfantasy shadow sets gorgeous action in a. At that time, it was the most expensive project and one of highestgrossing motion pictures in china. Ancient china and the qin empire is out to conquer the six kingdoms. He graduated in the fifth class of the beijing film. Rent yimou zhang movies and tv shows on dvd and bluray.
Home 1999, hero 2002 and house of flying daggers 2004 yuan lei. Hero is a 2002 chinese wuxia film directed by zhang yimou. His last film, hero, broke boxoffice records around the world and his latest, house of flying daggers, also looks set to be a major crossover hit. In addition, the tianxia perspective helps zhang to revisualize the narrative space of martial arts films in ways different from the spatial production of conventional. During the peak of their warring states period, china was divided into seven kingdoms all fighting for supremacy. When zhang yimous hero was first released in china in 2002, even though the dazzling beauty of its martialarts scenes did create a sensation, many viewers were angered by what they believed to be the films political standa justification of despotism in the history of china. Hero is twotime academy award nominee zhang yimou s directorial attempt at exploring the concept of a chinese hero. One of the famed fifthgeneration directors of chinas growing film history, director zhang yimou has. Zhang yimou s relationship to the filmmaking of kurosawa akira is an intriguing one, and especially with regard to the chinese directors controversial film yingxiong hero 2002, a film whose treatment of authoritarianism has fuelled debate and divided its critics since it was first released. He tends to favor stories set in ruralhistorical china, often with an emphasis on the dark side of the setting, and also has a very strong visual style. Dramas of desire and the power of the image zhang yimou is now the chinese filmmaker whose work is most widely known in the west, and he has clone more than any other director to give modern chinese cinema an international profile. Zhang yimous relationship to the filmmaking of kurosawa akira is an intriguing one, and especially with regard to the chinese directors controversial film yingxionghero 2002, a film whose treatment of authoritarianism has fuelled debate and divided its critics since it was first released.
May 22, 20 yimou zhangs hero 2002 uses a combination of miseenscene elements to present the storys thematic elements throughout each individual scene. With its uniqueness and shadings, its inability to be contained by context, the experiences of color and emotions are equally sublime. The first martial arts film by the renowned chinese arthouse. Hero was first released in china on 24 october 2002. A defense officer, nameless, was summoned by the king of qin regarding his success of terminating three warriors. Zhangs father, zhang bingjun, a dermatologist, had been an officer in the national revolutionary army under chiang kaishek during the chinese civil war. Zhang yimou great director profile senses of cinema. Hero 2002 yi mou zhang synopsis, characteristics, moods. Hero is twotime academy award nominee zhang yimous directorial attempt at exploring the concept of a chinese hero. I love cthd and without that film we would not get to see greatness that is hero. Zhang yimous 10 best movies hollywood reporter at the premiere of the great wall. Her mother wanted ziyi to become stronger physically because she was too thin. Zhang yimous relationship to the filmmaking of kurosawa akira is an. A poet of the small gesture, zhang yimou moves on from his sliceoflife dramas not one less and happy times to the more broad, operatic strokes of hero and the house of flying daggers.
Behind it all was the creative genius of chinese film director zhang yimou. Dec 16, 2004 his last film, hero, broke boxoffice records around the world and his latest, house of flying daggers, also looks set to be a major crossover hit. There are three family members in her family, mother, father and an elder brother. He tends to favor stories set in ruralhistorical china, often with an emphasis on the dark side of the setting, and also. In particular, her insight into the chinese folkloric wu xia or chivalrousswordsman fiction presents a fertile angle for criticism of this genre within the poetic as opposed to sensationalistic aspect of heros. Aug 26, 2004 zhang yimou s hero is beautiful and beguiling, a martial arts extravaganza defining the styles and lives of its fighters within chinese tradition. Pdf zhang yimou hero class handout charles hayford. One of the famed fifthgeneration directors of chinas growing film history, director zhang yimou has been delighting audiences for over twenty years. Ju dou 1989, raise the red lantern dahong denglong gaogao gua, 1991, and to live huozhe, 1994 in. Zhang yimou celebrity profile check out the latest zhang yimou photo gallery, biography, pics, pictures, interviews, news, forums and blogs at rotten tomatoes.
Starring jet li as the nameless protagonist, the film is based on the story of jing ke s assassination attempt on the king of qin in 227 bc. Hero is a historical wuxia, or a kingfu period piece, but the battles between warriors stand in for a more important battle happening beneath the surface of the film. Most determined to dominate china was the kingdom of qin. If lush cinematography and balletic violence were sufficient substitutes for plot and characterization, zhang yimous hero would be a perfect. It is also more sentimental than average for zhang yimou possibly because it is a homage to its japanese star ken takakura, an idol to zy in his younger days and to the sort of films kt starred in. Reclaiming the martial arts film for all under heaven feng lan few films have relied so heavily on the visual inscription of a single term for dramatic appeal and ideological persuasion as zhang yimous yingxiong hero, 2002. His films have won many of the most prestigious awards at the. Add to that list zhang yimous shadow, a historical fantasydrama that. Some have criticized chens the promise as well as zhang yimous hero and house of flying. Zhang was born zhang yimou in xian, the capital of shaanxi province.
If lush cinematography and balletic violence were sufficient substitutes for plot and characterization, zhang yimous hero would be a perfect movie. Hero, kurosawa and a cinema of the senses screen oxford. Behind the camera, zhang yimou is a household name in china, and has been building a popular following in recent years by abandoning controversial art films unappreciated in china by official censors and mainstream audiences e. Zhang yimou, chinese film director who, as a leading member of chinas fifth generation, is known for films that explore sexual repression and political oppression.
He is counted amongst the fifth generation of chinese filmmakers, having made his directorial debut in 1987 with red sorghum. Nameless explains that he can use this technique to kill the king, but to get close enough he must present snows and swords weapons to the king. Hero by zhang yimou jet li, tony leung chiuwai, maggie. He graduated in the fifth class of the beijing film academy in 1982, along with classmates such as chen kaige and tian zhuangzhuang.
Zhang yimou biography life, family, name, story, history. The sumptuousness recalls zhangs radical early melodramas red sorghum and ju dou, not to mention his origins as a cinematographer, but hes a very different director these days. Zhang ziyi is arguably chinas most famous female celebrity, being ranked. Drawing from the depths of the cultural heritage and ingenuity of the chinese people, showcasing ancient chinese inventions paper, printing, gunpowder, ceramics and the compass that have shaped civilization and channeling the sensibility and spirit that unite. He is a director and writer, known for ying xiong 2002, house of flying daggers 2004 and curse of the golden flower 2006. Music from the films of zhang yimou a tracksounds special. He has been married to ting chen since december 2011. Zhangs utilization of tianxia allows him to rehistoricize the wuxia discourse and recreate the wuxia characters as a sort of culture heroes rather than sheer warriors. With jet li, tony chiuwai leung, maggie cheung, ziyi zhang. Ziyi zhang is one of the most popular movie stars in hollywood. Rent yimou zhang movies and tv shows on dvd and bluray dvd. Zhang yimou, 1951 is one of the leading lights of chinese film and is often considered one of the greatest living chinese directors.
512 938 137 164 367 1049 1036 104 1089 855 159 1131 709 210 774 642 893 1411 1432 248 732 1246 513 1275 425 1120 448 749 1003 1025 320 172 1416 930 898 194 1308 437 579