Zhang Yimou

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Zhang.
Zhang Yimou

Zhang Yimou honored at the Hawaii International Film Festival 2005
Chinese name 張藝謀 (Traditional)
Chinese name 张艺谋 (Simplified)
Pinyin Zhāng YìmóuListen) (Mandarin)
Origin China
Born November 14, 1950 (1950-11-14) (age 60)
Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
Occupation Film director, producer, cinematographer and actor
Spouse(s) Hua Xie

Zhang Yimou (born November 14, 1950) is a Chinese film director, producer, writer and actor, and former cinematographer.[1] He is considered one of the Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers, having made his directorial debut in 1987 with Red Sorghum.[2]

One of Zhang's recurrent themes is the resilience of Chinese people in the face of hardship and adversity, a theme which has been explored in such films as, for example, To Live (1994) and Not One Less (1999). His films are particularly noted for their rich use of colour, as can be seen in some of his early films, like Raise the Red Lantern, and in his wuxia films like Hero and House of Flying Daggers.

Contents

Early life

Zhang Yimou was born in Xi'an, the capital city of Shaanxi province, China. Zhang's father, a dermatologist, had been an officer in the Nationalist Kuomintang army under Chiang Kai-shek during the Chinese Civil War and an uncle and an elder brother had followed the Nationalist forces to Taiwan after their 1949 defeat. As a result, Zhang suffered from prejudice in his early life.[3][4]

During the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, Zhang left his school studies and was sent to work, first as a farm labourer, and later at a cotton textile mill in the city of Xianyang.[4][5] During this time he took up painting and amateur still photography.

Early career

When the Beijing Film Academy reopened its doors to new students in 1978 after the Cultural Revolution, Zhang at 27, was over the regulation age for admission, and was without the prerequisite academic qualifications. After a personal appeal to the Ministry of Culture, and showing a portfolio of his personal photographic works, the authorities relented and admitted him into the Department of Cinematography. Zhang graduated with the class of 1982, which also included Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang, and Zhang Junzhao. The class went on to form the core of the Fifth Generation.[4][6][7]

As was the norm, Zhang and his co-graduates were assigned to small inland studios, and as a cinematographer, he began working for the Guangxi Film Studio.[6] Though penciled in to work as director's assistants, they soon learned there was a dearth of directors (owing to the Cultural Revolution), and appealed successfully to make their own films. Zhang's first work, One and Eight (as director of photography), was made in 1984 together with director Zhang Junzhao. Zhang Yimou's input was telling: he shot from obscure angles, and positioned actors and actresses at the side, rather than center, to heighten dramatic effect, using a “unique and emphatic visual style, based on the asymmetrical and unbalanced composition of the shots and the shooting of color stock as though it were black and white".

Zhang's next collaboration, under director and fellow graduate Chen Kaige was to be one of the defining Chinese films of the 1980s: Yellow Earth (1984). The film today is widely considered the inaugural film for the Chinese Fifth Generation directors that were a part of an artistic reemergence in China after the end of the Cultural Revolution.[8]

Along with his work in One and Eight, Zhang's contribution to Yellow Earth signaled a cinematic departure from the propagandist films of the Cultural Revolution.[9] Local critics immediately sat up and took notice of this new cohort of daring artists who were defying conventions of Chinese cinema.

Zhang continued to work with Chen for the latter's next film, The Big Parade (1986). Their collaboration was one of the most fruitful of the Fifth Generation period.

Directorial period

1980s

In 1985, in appreciation of his talent, Fourth Generation director Wu Tianming invited Zhang to Xi'an Film Studio for his upcoming project Old Well. Filming of Old Well was completed in 1986, with Zhang as both cinematographer and actor — a role that won him Best Actor at the Tokyo International Film Festival. In return for his participation in Wu's project, Zhang made Wu promise logistics support for his own first directorial effort, a project that he had envisioned for some time.

In 1987 Zhang embarked on his directorial debut, Red Sorghum, starring Chinese actress Gong Li, handpicked by Zhang, in her first leading role. Released to widespread critical acclaim, Red Sorghum catapulted Zhang into the forefront of the world's art directors, winning him the Golden Bear for Best Picture at the 1988 Berlin Film Festival.[10] Its rich, earthy visual style of narrative storytelling came to be the hallmark of Zhang's early films.

Codename Cougar (or The Puma Action), a minor experiment in the political thriller genre, was released in 1989, featuring Gong Li and eminent Chinese actor Ge You in major roles. However, it garnered less-than-positive reviews at home and Zhang himself later dismissed the film as his worst.[11]

In the same year, Zhang began work on his next project, the period drama Ju Dou. Starring Gong Li as the titular main character, along with Li Baotian in the male leading role, Ju Dou was an early example of Zhang's unique use of colors and lush cinematography and female-centered films. The picture garnered as much critical acclaim in film circles as his Red Sorghum and became China's first entry to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[12]

1990s

Fresh after the success of Ju Dou, Zhang began work on what has been considered by many as his magnum opus, Raise the Red Lantern. Based on novelist Su Tong's book Wives and Concubines, the film depicted the realities of life in a rich family compound during the 1920s. Gong Li was again featured in the leading role, her fourth collaboration with director Zhang. With a unique filmmaking style characterized by highly intense scenes through controlled, formalized color photography, Raise the Red Lantern was Zhang's most personal effort to this point.

The film was released in its home country in 1991 to immediate political controversy, due to officials fearing that the story would be taken as an allegory against Chinese communist authoritarianism. Although the screenplay had been approved by censors prior to shooting, the film itself was initially banned from theatrical release in China.

On the other hand, international reaction to Raise the Red Lantern was almost unanimous acclaim. Film critics such as Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times noted its "voluptuous physical beauty"[13] and sumptuous use of colors. Gong Li's acting was also praised as starkly contrasting with the roles she played in Zhang's earlier films. Raise the Red Lantern was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 1991 Academy Awards, being the second Chinese film to earn this distinction (after Zhang's Ju Dou). It eventually lost out to Gabriele Salvatores's Mediterraneo.

The Story of Qiu Ju (1992) marked a significant change in direction for Zhang. Employing a far lighter tone and generous touches of everyday humor, Zhang used non-professional actors together with his long-time collaborator Gong Li to achieve a neorealist effect in telling a tale of Chinese peasantry waddling through ineffective bureaucracy. It was also released to critical praise, winning the Golden Lion for Best Picture at the 1992 Venice International Film Festival.[14]

Subsequently, Zhang directed To Live, an epic film based on an acclaimed novel by Yu Hua. To Live highlighted the resilience of the ordinary Chinese people, personified by its two leads, amidst three generations of historical upheavals throughout Chinese politics of the 20th century. It was released at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize (the second-highest accolade behind the prestigious Palme d'Or), as well as a Best Actor prize for Ge You.[15]

Having received international recognition for his earlier works, Zhang completed a major phase of his directorial work with the period gangster drama Shanghai Triad. The film, which was released in 1995, featured leading actress Gong Li in her seventh film under Zhang's direction. The two had a romantic as well as professional relationship, but this would end during production of Shanghai Triad.[16] Zhang and Gong would not work together again until 2006's Curse of the Golden Flower.

1997 saw the release of Keep Cool, a small-scale film about life in modern China. After its release, Zhang found a new leading lady in the form of the young actress Zhang Ziyi. His 1999 film The Road Home, featuring Zhang Ziyi in her film debut, is a simple throw-back narrative centering around a love story between the narrator's parents. As in The Story of Qiu Ju, Zhang returned to the neorealist habit of employing non-professional actors and location shooting for the companion piece in Not One Less (1999),[17][18][19] which won him his second Golden Lion prize at Venice.[20]

2000-present

Happy Times, a relatively minor film by Zhang, represented his second foray into modern Chinese city life. A seriocomic drama starring popular Chinese actor Zhao Benshan and actress Dong Jie, it was an official selection for the Berlin International Film Festival in 2002.

Zhang's next major project was the ambitious wuxia drama Hero (2002). The film was a major change in direction for Zhang, as it represented his first foray into epic filmmaking. Boasting an impressive lineup of Asian stars, including Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Zhang Ziyi, and Donnie Yen, Hero introduced a fictional tale revolving around Ying Zheng, the king of the State of Qin (later the first Emperor of China) and his would-be assassins. The film became a huge international hit and, with the intervention of American director Quentin Tarantino, was released in North America two years after its Chinese release after being shelved by American distributor Miramax Films. Hero became one of the few foreign-language films to debut at #1 at the U.S. box office,[21] and was one of the nominees for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2003 Academy Awards.

Zhang followed up the huge success of Hero with another martial arts epic, House of Flying Daggers, in 2004.[22] Set in the Tang Dynasty, it starred Zhang Ziyi, Andy Lau, and Takeshi Kaneshiro as characters caught in a dangerous love triangle. House of Flying Daggers received universal acclaim among critics, who noted the splendid use of color that harked back to some of Zhang's earlier works.[23]

Released in China in 2005, Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles was a return to the more low-key drama that characterized much of Zhang's middle period pieces. The film stars legendary Japanese actor Ken Takakura, who wishes to repair relations with his alienated son, eventually led by circumstance to set out on a journey to China. Zhang had been an admirer of Takakura for over thirty years.[24]

Zhang's most recent film, 2006's Curse of the Golden Flower, saw him reunite with leading actress Gong Li. Taiwanese singer Jay Chou and Hong Kong star Chow Yun-fat also starred in the period epic based on a play by Cao Yu.[25]

Zhang's recent films and his involvement with the 2008 Olympics ceremony has not been without controversy; critics of Zhang claim that his recent works contrary to his earlier films has received approval from the government.[26] However, Zhang in interviews has stated that he is not interested in politics,[26] and it was an honor for him to direct the Olympics opening ceremony because it was "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."[26]

In May 24, 2010, Zhang Yimou was awarded Doctor of Fine Arts by the Yale University, as was described as "a genius with camera and choreography."[27]

Stage direction

Beginning in the 1990s, Zhang Yimou began directing stage productions, as well as continuing his film career. In 1998, Zhang directed an acclaimed version of the music opera, Puccini's Turandot, firstly in Florence and then later at the Forbidden City, Beijing, with Zubin Mehta as conductor.[28] Zhang Yimou reprised his version of Turandot in October 2009 at the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing. He has plans to tour this production in Europe, Asia and Australia in 2010. In 2001, Zhang Yimou adapted his 1991 film Raise the Red Lantern to the stage to direct a ballet version.[29] Zhang Yimou has also co-directed a number of folk musicals under the title "Impression"; all performances are outdoors most performing all year round. These performances include: "Impression, Liu Sanjie" - began August 2003 on the Li River, Guangxi province;[30] "Impression Lijiang" - began June 2006 at the bottom of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang, Yunnan province; "Impression West Lake" - began late 2007 on the West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province; "Impression Hainan" - began late 2009 set in Hainan province; "Impression Dahongpao" set on Mount Wuyi, Fujian province. All five performances are co-directed by Wang Chaoge and Fan Yue.

Zhang also led the production of Tan Dun's opera, The First Emperor, which had its world premiere at the Metropolitan Opera on 21 December 2006.[31]

2008 Beijing Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies

Zhang was chosen to direct the Beijing portion of the closing Ceremonies of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, as well as the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China alongside co-director and choreographer Zhang Jigang.[32] He directed the Closing Ceremony with Zhang Jigang as well.[32]

Zhang was a runner-up for Time Magazine Person of the Year 2008.[33] Steven Spielberg, who withdrew as an adviser to the Olympic ceremonies to pressure China to help with the conflict in Darfur, described Zhang's works in the Olympic ceremony in the Time magazine, stating: "At the heart of Zhang's Olympic ceremonies was the idea that the conflict of man foretells the desire for inner peace. This theme is one he's explored and perfected in his films, whether they are about the lives of humble peasants or exalted royalty. This year he captured this prevalent theme of harmony and peace, which is the spirit of the Olympic Games. In one evening of visual and emotional splendor, he educated, enlightened and entertained us all."[33]

Filmography

As director

Year English Title Chinese Title Notes
1987 Red Sorghum 红高粱 Golden Bear winner in the 1988 Berlin International Film Festival
1988 Codename Cougar 代号美洲虎 (co-director)
1990 Ju Dou 菊豆 (nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards)
1991 Raise the Red Lantern 大红灯笼高高挂 (nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards)
1992 The Story of Qiu Ju 秋菊打官司 Golden Lion winner in the 1992 Venice International Film Festival
1994 To Live 活着 Grand Jury Prize winner in the 1994 Cannes Film Festival
1995 Shanghai Triad 摇啊摇，摇到外婆桥
1995 Zhang Yimou Segment of the anthology film, Lumière and Company
1997 Keep Cool 有話好好說
1999 Not One Less 一个都不能少 Golden Lion winner at the 1999 Venice International Film Festival
1999 The Road Home 我的父亲母亲
2000 Happy Times 幸福時光
2002 Hero 英雄 (nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards)
2004 House of Flying Daggers 十面埋伏
2005 Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles 千里走单骑
2006 Curse of the Golden Flower 满城尽带黄金甲
2007 Movie Night Segment of the anthology film, To Each His Cinema
2009 A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop[34] 三枪拍案惊奇 Entered into the 60th Berlin International Film Festival
2010 The Love of the Hawthorn Tree 山楂树之恋

As cinematographer

Year English Title Chinese Title Notes
1982 Red Elephant 红象
1983 One and Eight 一个和八个
1984 Yellow Earth 黃土地
1986 Old Well 老井
1986 The Big Parade 大阅兵

As actor

Year English Title Chinese Title Role
1986 Old Well 老井 Sun Wangquan
1987 Red Sorghum 红高粱
1989 Fight and Love with a Terracotta Warrior 古今大战秦俑情 Tian Fong
1997 Keep Cool 有话好好说 Junk Peddler

See also

References

  1. ↑ Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" in Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers. Routledge Publishing, p. 412. ISBN 0-4151-8974-8. Google Book Search. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  2. ↑ Jonathan Crow. "Zhang Yimou - Biography". Allmovie. http://www.allmovie.com/artist/zhang-yimou-117624. Retrieved 2009-01-12. 
  3. ↑ Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy: The Genesis of China's Fifth Generation. Ni Zhen, translated by Chris Berry. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2002, pp. 44.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Zhang Yimou". http://www.notablebiographies.com/supp/Supplement-Sp-Z/Zhang-Yimou.html. Retrieved 2010-09-01. 
  5. ↑ Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy: The Genesis of China's Fifth Generation. Ni Zhen, translated by Chris Berry. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2002, pp. 45-6.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Farquhar, Mary (May 2002). "Zhang Yimou". Senses of Cinema. http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/directors/02/zhang.html. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  7. ↑ Crow, Jonathan. "Zhang Yimou". New York Ties. http://movies.nytimes.com/person/117624/Zhang-Yimou/biography. Retrieved 2010-09-01. 
  8. ↑ Zhang Yingjin (2003-10-10). "A Centennial Review of Chinese Cinema". The University of California, San Diego. http://chinesecinema.ucsd.edu/essay_ccwlc.html. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  9. ↑ "A Brief History of Chinese Film". The University of Edinburgh-Cinema China '07. http://www.llc.ed.ac.uk/cinema-china/briefhistory.html. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  10. ↑ "Berlinale - Archive - Annual Archives - 1988 - Prize Winners". Berlin International Film Festival. http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1988/03_preistraeger_1988/03_Preistraeger_1988.html. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  11. ↑ http://www.wzrb.com.cn/node2/node142/userobject8ai220559.html
  12. ↑ Neo, David (September 2003). "Red Sorghum: A Search for Roots". Senses of Cinema. http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/03/28/red_sorghum.html. Retrieved 2008-08-28. 
  13. ↑ Ebert, Roger (1992-03-12). "Raise the Red Lantern :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19920327/REVIEWS/203270303/1023. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  14. ↑ Kleid, Beth (September 14, 1992). "MOVIES." Los Angeles Times, p. 2.
  15. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Awards 1994". Cannes Film Festival. http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/archives/1994/awardCompetition.html. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  16. ↑ Ebert, Roger (1996-02-16). "Shanghai Triad". Chicago Sun Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19960216/REVIEWS/602160304/1023. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  17. ↑ Kraicer, Shelly (2001). "Not One Less". Persimmons 1 (3). http://www.chinesecinemas.org/notoneless.html. Retrieved 9 September 2009. 
  18. ↑ Rea, Steven (24 March 2000). "In a Chinese village, the teacher is 13". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 
  19. ↑ Feinstein, Howard (6 February 2000). "Losing a Muse and Moving On". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/06/movies/losing-a-muse-and-moving-on.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved 9 September 2009. 
  20. ↑ Rooney, David (1999-09-13). "Chinese best at Venice fest". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117755601.html. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  21. ↑ "Kung Fu Power for 'Hero' at Box Office". The New York Times. 2004-08-30. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9401E4DA1F3EF933A0575BC0A9629C8B63. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  22. ↑ Gough, Neil (2004-04-12). "Zhang Yimou Interview". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,501040419-610119,00.html. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  23. ↑ "House of Flying Daggers". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/houseofflyingdaggers. Retrieved 2009-01-14. 
  24. ↑ "Zhang Yimou's new film makes domestic debut". China Daily. 2005-12-18. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-12/18/content_504306.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  25. ↑ Catsoulis, Jeannette (2006-12-21). "Curse of the Golden Flower - Movie - Review". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/2006/12/21/movies/21flow.html. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Barboza, David (2008-08-07). "Gritty Renegade Now Directs China’s Close-Up". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/sports/olympics/08guru.html. Retrieved 2009-01-01. 
  27. ↑ Citations for Recipients of Honorary Degrees at Yale University 2010
  28. ↑ Eckholm, Erik (1998-09-01). "Turandot - Directed by ZHANG Yimou, at the Forbidden City Beijing". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E3DF143FF932A3575AC0A96E958260. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  29. ↑ Director Zhang Yimou Fine Tunes 'Red Lantern' Ballet
  30. ↑ ""Liu Sanjie" performed in natural scenic setting". China Daily. 2003-08-17. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-08/17/content_255620.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  31. ↑ Morris, Lois B. & Lipsyte, Robert (2006-10-01). "The Great Wall Rises (and Falls) at the Met". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/01/arts/music/01lips.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "Zhang Yimou and his five creative generals". Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. http://en.beijing2008.cn/culture/ceremonies/n214143744.shtml. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 "Person Of The Year 2008". Time. 2008-12-17. http://www.time.com/time/specials/2008/personoftheyear/article/0,31682,1861543_1865103_1865107,00.html. 
  34. ↑ Geoffrey Macnab (2010-02-17). "Review of "A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop"". Independent, The (London: Independent, The). http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/a-woman-a-gun-and-a-noodle-shop-film-festival-berlin-1901570.html. Retrieved 20 February 2010. 

Further reading

External links

Films directed by Zhang Yimou
1980s
Red Sorghum (1987) • Codename Cougar (1988)
1990s
Ju Dou (1990) • Raise the Red Lantern (1991) • The Story of Qiu Ju (1992) • To Live (1994) • Shanghai Triad (1995) • Keep Cool (1997) • Not One Less (1999) • The Road Home (1999)
2000s
Happy Times (2000) • Hero (2002) • House of Flying Daggers (2004) • Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005) • Curse of the Golden Flower (2006) • A Simple Noodle Story (2009) The Love of the Hawthorn Tree (2010)
The Fifth Generation
Beijing Film Academy:
Class of 1982
Chen Kaige (director) · Gu Changwei (cinematographer/director) · He Qun (art director/director) · Hou Yong (cinematographer/director) · Hu Mei (director) · Li Shaohong (director) · Liu Miaomiao (director) · Lü Yue (cinematographer/director) · Ning Ying (director) · Peng Xiaolian (director) · Tian Zhuangzhuang (director) · Wu Ziniu (director) · Xia Gang (director) · Xie Xiaojing (director) · Zhang Jianya (director) · Zhang Junzhao (director) · Zhang Yimou (cinematographer/director) · Zhao Fei (cinematographer)
 Chinafilm.svg
Associated Figures
He Ping (director) · Huang Jianxin (director) · Sun Zhou (director) · Zhang Zeming (director) · Zhou Xiaowen (director) · Wu Tianming (producer)
Major Works
Our Corner (1980) · One and Eight (1983) · Yellow Earth (1984) · The Horse Thief (1985) · The Black Cannon Incident (1985) · Red Sorghum (1987) · Evening Bell (1988) · Ju Dou (1990) · Raise the Red Lantern (1991) · Farewell My Concubine (1993) · The Blue Kite (1993) · Ermo (1994)