Guest Blogger: Sarah O.

No One Does Color and Spectacle Like Director Zhang Yimou

No, really. There is a reason that the film industry chose to film in color once the technology became available. It not only makes the images we see more realistic, it offers the film crew limitless opportunities to paint a scene and make life seem extraordinarily beautiful through use of color in the costumes, setting, and the way light is used to brighten or darken a scene. If any director is a painter, it is Zhang. He makes fight scenes play like ballet, the world seem fantastical, and his leading women shine. Mentor Public Library has recently acquired a few of the masterful director’s movies: The Curse of the Golden Flower, House of Flying Daggers, Hero, Raise the Red Lantern, Story of Qiu Ju, Ju Dou, and Red Sorghum.

You might be familiar with Zhang Yimou and not even know it. He developed and directed the Beijing Olympics’ Opening and Closing Ceremonies and was short listed for Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2008. The Olympics gave Zhang a world stage in which to display his talent, but he has a number of films to his name – each one a meticulous study in light, color and spectacle. See the images above: the lady in green is from the opening ceremonies, the other is Ziyi Zhang from House of Flying Daggers.

Films are images; they are not written words. The audience sees the action as opposed to imagining it. The director does the imagining for us, and Zhang dreams in color. Zhang crosses language barriers, by acting as artist with his stunning frame compositions. He makes film a truly universal medium that anyone anywhere can enjoy – even with the subtitles turned off. Hero is a perfect example. It has it all: action, romance, adventure and Jet Li. There are no guns, just good old-fashioned sword play, which is not limited to men. You see, women can fight too – just more gracefully. The most beautiful scene in the movie is between Maggie Cheung and Ziyi Zhang, both clad in red, fighting against a backdrop of the yellowest autumn leaves you’ve never seen. It is an unforgettable scene that will appeal to almost everybody. Hero combines the graceful fight sequences of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with Zhang’s painterly style.

Speaking of Strong Women…
You can’t talk about Zhang’s body of work without Gong Li’s name coming up, as she appears in practically everything he did, and does. An actor-director pairing of this caliber is rare, and therefore valuable. Look at Johnny Depp & Tim Burton; Martin Scorsese & Robert DeNiro; Jason Statham & Guy Ritchie. I don’t know all that much about their personal relationships, but the personal connection between these pairs is palpable on the screen. They know what each is capable of, and can draw on that knowledge to bring out strong performances. It is this way with Zhang and Gong.

It is atypical to find a director that is so dedicated to strong women characters. This is most often seen in Gong Li. Her appeal is easy to see, as she plays repressed women, looking for ways out of her current situation. This usually ends in tragedy, and is sometimes painful to watch, but you honestly can’t look away. She will break your heart slowly and deliberately. She reminds me of Kate Winslet in that she takes on these challenging roles. It takes a good bit of bravery to be brutalized and tormented, with no happy ending in sight; yet she does it again and again.

The women she portrays are strong – these characters do not follow the predestined path of a male-dominated society. In fact, she causes a stir within the hierarchy. In Raise the Red Lantern, she plays a woman who is basically sold off by her family to a wealthy man. He already has three other wives, and they all vie for his attention. The women resort to back-stabbing and under-handed tricks in order to gain his favor. What makes this film so surreal is that the viewer is given no sense of time or place. It is set in a fortress of some sort, and time ticks by with the passing of the seasons, although the weather never seems to be pleasant. It could be taking place at any time, any year, as the characters are locked inside this large enclosure of stone, with no hope of escape.

Golden, but not Quite
For those of you that enjoy a Shakespearian yarn, try Curse of the Golden Flower, one of Zhang’s newer works. It stars Gong Li and Chow Yun Fat, a husband and wife team that are constantly conniving and plotting for ultimate ruling power over their kingdom. One example is the systematic poisoning of the Empress (Gong) by the Emperor (Chow). Even when she catches on to his scheme, she is forced to drink the “medicinal” brew, as the Emperor holds supreme power. It has fight scenes, an epic story, and costumes that cannot be rivaled. It was nominated in 2007 for an Oscar in the Costume category. I see that Marie Antoinette won that year, so it leads me to suspect that the voters did not watch Zhang’s offering. The costuming is rich and luxuriant, and it somehow stands apart from the opulent and colorful surroundings. We’ve seen French period costuming, but I guarantee you’ve never seen anything quite as beautiful as this, or on this scale. Take the time to watch the Secrets Within featurette on the DVD, where you’ll learn about the stories background, and that some of the costumes weighed up to 60 pounds.

Test those Digital Sets
For those of you who have analog sets, these films are perfect – they’ll make you think you’re watching HD; and those of you who have HDTVs, prepare to be amazed by the color and artistry of Zhang Yimou’s films. This is the kind of experience HD is meant for.


Having a surplus of blogs is great; tune in tomorrow when I'll be back with a new book review!