|
|
Viewed, 2686x, Last Updated
Zhang Yimou is one of the best-known directors of the Chinese Fifth Generation and one of the most influential and widely respected filmmakers working today. Zhang was born in 1950, in the city of Xi'an in Shaanxi Province, to a future in Communist China that seemed unpromising; his father was an officer in Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang Army and one of his brothers was accused of being a spy, while another fled to Taiwan. During the 1950s, his family's background was suspect and during the convulsive tumult of the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, it was criminal. Zhang was pulled out of high school and sent to toil with the peasants. Later, he transferred to a textile factory. While working there, Zhang reportedly sold his own blood to buy his first camera.
In 1976, the Cultural Revolution came to an abrupt end with the death of Mao Zedong. Deng Xiaopeng, his eventual successor, began reopening the many universities that were closed during the final chaotic decade of Mao's reign. In 1978, at the age of 27, Zhang passed the entrance exam for the Beijing Film Academy but was rejected on account of his age. After an appeal to the Ministry of Culture, however, he was enrolled in the B.F.A.'s class of 1982. His classmates included Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang, and Zhang Junzhao, filmmakers who would eventually form the core of the Fifth Generation. Zhang, along with three others from among his cohorts, was assigned to faraway Guangxi Film Studio after graduation, ostensibly to work as director's assistants, but they soon learned that there were no directors to assist. With government permission, they formed the Youth Team and began making their own films. Zhang worked as a cinematographer on a number of significant films, including Zhang Junzhao's groundbreaking One and Eight (1984) and Chen Kaige's masterpiece Yellow Earth (1984), which took the Hong Kong Film Festival by storm and brought worldwide attention to Chinese cinema.
Later, Zhang was transferred to his hometown of Xi'an and served as both cinematographer and lead actor in Wu Tianming's Old Well (1987), which won him a best actor award at the Tokyo International Film Festival. After this initial success, Zhang's fortunes improved significantly when he was permitted to direct his first film, Red Sorghum (1987), which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and achieved critical and commercial success, both internationally and domestically. An earthy account of sex and oppression against the backdrop of Japan's bloody invasion of China, the film seemed to be a conscious repudiation of the contemplative, detached style of Yellow Earth. Red Sorghum crackles with dynamic edits, striking close-ups, and gorgeously photographed images. But Zhang's biggest stroke of luck turned out to be his discovery of a vivacious 21-year-old named Gong Li at the Central Drama Academy in Beijing. Their professional and well-publicized personal relationship would shape Chinese cinema for the better part of a decade. His movies made her an international star and her presence gave his films an exoticism and feminist-edged sex appeal that pulled in audiences.
After the thoroughly forgettable Codename Cougar (1987), Zhang made Ju Dou (1989), which won Best Film at the Chicago Film Festival and garnered an Academy Award nomination. Zhang's first film after the Chinese government's bloody 1989 crackdown at Tianamen Square was a thinly veiled political allegory about a young woman who is forcibly married to an abusive, sexually impotent old man who runs a dye-house. His next film, Raise the Red Lantern (1992), widely considered his finest, also concerned a woman married into a controlling, abusive patriarchal world. Both movies were seen everywhere but China, thanks to government censors. Both were set in the 1920s before the Communists came to power; and both featured sumptuous photography and a formal, controlled style that made heavy use of montage. In each film, Zhang meticulously explored the interiors that these women are forced to inhabit, creating settings that radiated repressed sexuality as much as oppression.
Just as critics seemed to have identified a specific Zhang Yimou style, he released The Story of Qiu Ju (1992), about a pregnant peasant women seeking legal justice after her husband is beaten by a village leader. Instead of rigidly framed images featuring carefully modulated color, this film, set in modern-day Shaanxi province, adopted a gritty quasi-documentary look that used long tracking shots. Although setting a film in contemporary China was a significant political risk, the government approved of The Story of Qiu Ju, largely because it coincided with an anti-corruption campaign. Zhang's previous masterpieces were taken off the blacklist and the director was hailed as a hero. But Zhang's fortunes dissipated after Shanghai Triad (1995). The Chinese government pulled the film from the New York Film Festival after it learned that Gate of Heavenly Peace (1995), a scathing documentary about the Tianamen Square massacre, was also programmed. More distressing was the announcement that Zhang and Gong Li had severed both their personal and professional relationships. He directed Puccini's opera Turandot with an international cast in 1996 and released the comedy Keep Cool in 1997, featuring Jiang Wen, who starred in Red Sorghum. In 1999, though, Zhang caused some controversy at the Cannes Film Festival when he suddenly withdrew his two most recent films from competition. His film Not One Less (1999) won the coveted Golden Lion at the 1999 Venice Film Festival. Zhang's other 1999 effort, the poignant drama The Road Home, also took home numerous film awards including the Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. A touching tale of a city-dwelling young man who returns to his home village for his father's funeral, The Road Home offered the sort of visually sumptuous, character driven drama that fans of his films had come to cherish. Zhang's next film Happy Times lightened the mood a bit with its humorous tale of an ageing bachelor who transforms a schoolbus into a no-tell motel in hopes of gaining the funds to marry his true love, and given the controversy surrounding his subsequent film a little lightening of mood would be much in order.
A historic, period action film dealing with an assassination attempt on the powerful ruler of China's Northern Province, Hero teamed the acclaimed director with such notable onscreen talent as Jet Li, Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung. Of course for Zhang fans it likely goes without saying that the film is undeniably gorgeous thanks cinematographer Christopher Doyle's masterful eye for detail, and the beautiful landscapes combined with remarkable costume detail placed the lavish action epic towards the top of Zhang's cinematic oeuvre. Regardless of the fact that the film was both an Oscar and Golden Globe nominated for Best Foreign Film in addition to sweeping the Hong Kong Film Awards with an impressive seven wins (it was nominated in fourteen categories) and becoming the highest grossing film in Chinese history, American distributors Miramax inexplicably sat on the major release even though the rest of the world had seen the 2002 film by early 2003. By the time Miramax's tentative April 2004 release date rolled around, it would be nearly two-full years since Hero's original 2002 release date in mainland China. As if to add insult to injury, Miramax subsequently announced plans to edit the film for American distribution, which - combined with Miramax's similar treatment of such Asian imports as Shaolin Soccer - resulted in a notable "Appeal to Disney for Respectful Treatment of Asian Films" campaign by concerned online film buffs. Fortunately for Asian cinema fans, the internet can be a remarkable resource for tracking down those hard-to-find foreign films.
Filmography: Autumn Remembrance, Curse of the Golden Flower, Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Riding Alone For Thousands of Miles,
Latest Zhang Yimou News, Opinion & Discussion:
Ang Lee Interview Lust Caution
MoviesOnline sat down recently with Ang Lee, the Academy Award-winning director of "Brokeback Mountain" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" t...
MoviesOnline sat down for an exclusive interview with renowned Asian actor and international superstar Chow Yun-Fat at the Los Angeles pre... Curse of the Golden Flower on DVD March 27th
Curse of the Golden Flower (2006, Achievement in Costume Design) will arrive on DVD & PSP on March 27, 2007. From the director of Hero and Hou... Gong Li Interview, Hannibal Rising
MoviesOnline recently sat down with actress Gong Li at the Los Angeles press day to promote her new film, "Hannibal Rising,” directed by... Gong Li & Zhang Yimou Interview, Curse of the Golden Flower
MoviesOnline recently sat down with actress Gong Li and director Zhang Yimou at the Los Angeles Press Day to promote their new film, "Curse of... Curse of the Golden Flower - Watch the 2nd Trailer
Sony Pictures Classics provided us with the second Trailer for "Curse of the Golden Flower". In the spirit of such landmark Asian films as Akira K... Watch Curse of the Golden Flower Trailer
In the spirit of such landmark Asian films as Akira Kurosawa’s RAN from Japan and Zhang Yimou’s own HERO and HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, CURSE... Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles Trailer
SONY Classics has just sent over the trailer for "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles". The film opens September 1, 2006 in limited release. ... Chow Yun-Fat and Gong Li have an Autumn Remembrance
Variety reports that Chow Yun-Fat ("Hardboiled", "Tiger and Dragon") and Gong Li ("Memoirs of a Geisha") have signed to star in "Autumn Remembrance", ... Tucker holding up Rush Hour 3 and Chan's new project
According to an Interview Chackie Chan did with the Associated Press the 3rd part is stuck in neutral because co-star Chris Tucker is making too many ... John Woo begins Pre-Production on Red Cliff
John Woo made another trip to Beijing for the pre- production of the $50 million-budgeted, historical drama Battle of Red Cliff. During his stay in th... House of Flying Daggers - DVD Artwork
Columbia Tristar has released the artwork (for the standard edition) dvd of Zhang Yimou's critically acclaimed "House of Flying Daggers", starring Zha... Hakeem's Predictions Oscar 2005 Nominations:
The Golden Globes are behind us, and this Tuesday 25th of January we'll have the Oscar nominations. Here are my predictions for tye big categories, ... House of Flying Daggers Nominated for Golden Globe
Zhang Yimous House Of Flying Daggers has been nominated for the Best Foreign Language Award of the Golden Globe 2005. Other pictures nominated in the ... House of Flying Daggers Opens in Canada December 17th!
Our friends at Mongrel Media who distribute for SONY Classics in Canada have reminded us that we can finally see House of Flying Daggers on the big sc... House of Flying Daggers Opens in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal Dec 17th
Chinese beauty Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) stars in House of Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu), a stunning martial arts romance b... Mongrel Media Movie Lineup as of Nov 18th
Mongrel Media is the distributor for Sony Classics, and is the premier movie distributor in Canada. We are pleased to have developed a new working... Zhang Yimou's Next Film Begins Production
Zhang Yimou's next film following Hero and House of Flying Daggers titled Qian Li Zou Dan Ji will begin production this Friday. The film has a bu... Exclusive: House of Flying Daggers Viennale Review!
Yesterday was a wonderful day for me as a movie fan. As part of the Viennale Film Festival, the organizers showed one of the most anticipated movies o... House of Flying Daggers Movie Trailers
Zhang Yimou's next masterpiece following Hero is House of Flying Daggers. He has hailed this movie as "everything I wanted Hero to be and more." Now t... House of flying Daggers director interview
Russ Fischer from Chud.com had the chance for visiting a press conference with Zhang Yimou and Zhang Ziyi (who plays 'Mei' in the movie). ... House of Flying Daggers Movie Clip
"House of Flying Daggers" is set in the year is 859AD as China's once flourishing Tang Dynasty is in decline. Unrest is raging throughout the land, an... House of Flying Daggers: New Teaser Trailers
Sony Classics Emailed me today to let me know that their are some new teaser trailers online for the upcoming release of HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS,... House of Flying Daggers Release Date Set
House of Flying Daggers finally has a solid release date. Right now it is set to be released in New York and Los Angeles on December 3rd, 2004 to be c... House of Flying Daggers Movie Teaser now online
Zhang Yimou's next big film to hit the screen will be House of Flying Daggers. I have heard that this film is everything that Yimou wanted Hero to be ... Hero Movie Review by Luke
Hero. Its amazing how one word can penetrate and find the heart and soul of a film like this. When I first saw the TV spot for this movie I knew I was... House of Flying Daggers
The acclaimed director Zhang Yimou is going to be releasing another film in America on December 10th. That movie is "House of Flying Daggers" starring... Quentin Tarantino Presents Hero
Somehow this film slipped passed my radar. Last night I was watching TV for some reason and the preview for this movie played, I was floored. This loo...
