ZHANG YIMOU: Painting on Film
For many film directors today, it is difficult to create a masterpiece that contains both aesthetically pleasing elements and an intriguing plot. For most directors, it becomes a choice of one over the other, and sadly, the priority usually goes to the plot. Fortunately, one director seems to have perfected the reci
pe for a balance between the two and his name is Zhang Yimou. Zhang Yimou is a Chinese film director who has produced and directed numerous action films that incorporate beauty, love and Chinese tradition into unique masterpieces. In addition to being a talented director, Zhang Yimou has even written some of his own scripts and worked with international stars, such as Zhang Zi Yi and Jet Li. As Chinese action film director, Zhang Yimou has created countless cinematic productions that capture both the beauty and the culture of China using plots laced with elements of action and stories of love.
While each of Zhang Yimou’s films have completely unique plots, they all have similarities in style. One aspect that is intuitively obvious is Zhang Yimou’s stunning use of vivid color in his films. One of the many instances of this can be seen in his movie “Hero”. In one of the scenes, the viewer can see two women dressed in vibrant red from head to foot standing in the middle of a grove of bright yellow trees with leaves falling all around them. The contrast between the costumes and the background provides for quite a dramatic effect. In addition to using color to enhance his films, Zhang Yimou also uses traditional Chinese elements such as elegant costumes and scenic views of China’s many landscapes. His films allow the viewers to experience the winds of a desert, the solitude of a bamboo grove, and the romance of an open field all within the same film. The beauty of the scenery and costumes in all of Zhang Yimou’s movies serve to enrich each script. All of his movies are written in Chinese and are beautifully scripted. Even after being translated to English, the dialogue still retains its eloquence. In combination with the film’s score, the overall effect of the soundtrack is exquisite and adds to the beauty of the film.
In addition to the set-up of Zhang Yimou’s films, the acting and choreography is also stunning. From battle scenes to love scenes, it appears that every move has been carefully calculated. For example, in “The House of Flying daggers” there is a particular fight scene in w
hich the battle looks more like a dance. The soldiers in this scene move in sync with very calculated and graceful gestures. It is also apparent that Zhang Yimou has a very baroque style, seeing as commonly the actors or other subjects are very carefully posed in the center of a shot. This creates a very dramatic and moving atmosphere in many of Zhang Yimou’s works.
Other than the obvious visual beauty of Zhang Yimou’s films, there are also symbolic elements that add to the splendor of his productions. Many of his films contain themes concerning love and destiny. For instance, in his film “The House of Flying Daggers” the central theme surrounds the problem of choosing between one’s love and one’s duty. Most of Zhang Yimou’s themes use twists on traditional Chinese views about ideas such as honor or fate. In addition to adding an aesthetic component to each film, color also plays a symbolic role. A perfect illustration of the symbolism of color in Zhang Yimou’s films is in “Hero”. In this movie, a story is told through many different perspectives and each time the story is told, the colors in the scenery and costumes change color. Each color symbolizes something different and tells the viewer more about the veracity of the various versions of the tale and the ideas of the person telling it. As well as using color to give the viewer a better sense of what is going on in the film, Zhang Yimou also uses music. For example, in “The House of Flying Daggers”, one specific song is played every time the story is dealing with indecision and a different song is played during every romantic scene. Zhang Yimou uses elements like these to evoke the right emotions in his viewers so the story can be experienced in the way that it was intended.
Beneath the visual and symbolic elements of the film, the cinematics of Zhang Yimou’s films are really what tie all of the components together. The various shots and angles he uses in his movies add to the ambience of the scene and create the perfect montage of images to emphasize the mood. Commonly, during Zhang Yimou’s action scenes, the camera angle switches quite often whereas in a romantic scene, the shots are generally longer in duration. This gives the action scenes a faster pace and the romantic scenes a slower one. While these common elements of the filming style create structure, some of the more unique shots provide flavor for the film. One of the unique shots that Zhang Yimou uses is a high angle crane shot rotating around a subject. While this can be seen in many of his movies, one example is in “The House of Flying Daggers” when the two main characters are kissing in a clearing. This special shot allows the viewer to see the passion of the scene and also the beauty of the forest that serves as the background. Another interesting shot that Zhang Yimou uses is a point of view shot that looks through something else, like hanging beads, trees, or a window. This gives the viewer the opportunity to experience
what the character is experiencing. A further shot that can be seen in Zhang Yimou’s movies is a point of view shot that follows a moving object. This can be seen in many of his movies, but one particularly memorable instance of this shot is in “Hero” when the city of Zhao is under siege and the camera seems to follow the arrows as they bombard the city. This sort of shot really adds drama to the movement.
Ranging from the obvious to the most subtle of elements, Zhang Yimou’s films truly capture the wonders of China through stories of love and destiny. While not everything is realistic, the mythical elements of his movies are part of what give them their appeal. Zhang Yimou has definitely perfected the recipe for capturing beauty and portraying it in the most unexpected ways in his films. His films are unique in the aspects of the story, the scenery and the cinematography. Through the creation of his many masterpieces, Zhang Yimou has shown the world that he has mastered the art of paint on film.
pe for a balance between the two and his name is Zhang Yimou. Zhang Yimou is a Chinese film director who has produced and directed numerous action films that incorporate beauty, love and Chinese tradition into unique masterpieces. In addition to being a talented director, Zhang Yimou has even written some of his own scripts and worked with international stars, such as Zhang Zi Yi and Jet Li. As Chinese action film director, Zhang Yimou has created countless cinematic productions that capture both the beauty and the culture of China using plots laced with elements of action and stories of love.While each of Zhang Yimou’s films have completely unique plots, they all have similarities in style. One aspect that is intuitively obvious is Zhang Yimou’s stunning use of vivid color in his films. One of the many instances of this can be seen in his movie “Hero”. In one of the scenes, the viewer can see two women dressed in vibrant red from head to foot standing in the middle of a grove of bright yellow trees with leaves falling all around them. The contrast between the costumes and the background provides for quite a dramatic effect. In addition to using color to enhance his films, Zhang Yimou also uses traditional Chinese elements such as elegant costumes and scenic views of China’s many landscapes. His films allow the viewers to experience the winds of a desert, the solitude of a bamboo grove, and the romance of an open field all within the same film. The beauty of the scenery and costumes in all of Zhang Yimou’s movies serve to enrich each script. All of his movies are written in Chinese and are beautifully scripted. Even after being translated to English, the dialogue still retains its eloquence. In combination with the film’s score, the overall effect of the soundtrack is exquisite and adds to the beauty of the film.
In addition to the set-up of Zhang Yimou’s films, the acting and choreography is also stunning. From battle scenes to love scenes, it appears that every move has been carefully calculated. For example, in “The House of Flying daggers” there is a particular fight scene in w
hich the battle looks more like a dance. The soldiers in this scene move in sync with very calculated and graceful gestures. It is also apparent that Zhang Yimou has a very baroque style, seeing as commonly the actors or other subjects are very carefully posed in the center of a shot. This creates a very dramatic and moving atmosphere in many of Zhang Yimou’s works.Other than the obvious visual beauty of Zhang Yimou’s films, there are also symbolic elements that add to the splendor of his productions. Many of his films contain themes concerning love and destiny. For instance, in his film “The House of Flying Daggers” the central theme surrounds the problem of choosing between one’s love and one’s duty. Most of Zhang Yimou’s themes use twists on traditional Chinese views about ideas such as honor or fate. In addition to adding an aesthetic component to each film, color also plays a symbolic role. A perfect illustration of the symbolism of color in Zhang Yimou’s films is in “Hero”. In this movie, a story is told through many different perspectives and each time the story is told, the colors in the scenery and costumes change color. Each color symbolizes something different and tells the viewer more about the veracity of the various versions of the tale and the ideas of the person telling it. As well as using color to give the viewer a better sense of what is going on in the film, Zhang Yimou also uses music. For example, in “The House of Flying Daggers”, one specific song is played every time the story is dealing with indecision and a different song is played during every romantic scene. Zhang Yimou uses elements like these to evoke the right emotions in his viewers so the story can be experienced in the way that it was intended.
Beneath the visual and symbolic elements of the film, the cinematics of Zhang Yimou’s films are really what tie all of the components together. The various shots and angles he uses in his movies add to the ambience of the scene and create the perfect montage of images to emphasize the mood. Commonly, during Zhang Yimou’s action scenes, the camera angle switches quite often whereas in a romantic scene, the shots are generally longer in duration. This gives the action scenes a faster pace and the romantic scenes a slower one. While these common elements of the filming style create structure, some of the more unique shots provide flavor for the film. One of the unique shots that Zhang Yimou uses is a high angle crane shot rotating around a subject. While this can be seen in many of his movies, one example is in “The House of Flying Daggers” when the two main characters are kissing in a clearing. This special shot allows the viewer to see the passion of the scene and also the beauty of the forest that serves as the background. Another interesting shot that Zhang Yimou uses is a point of view shot that looks through something else, like hanging beads, trees, or a window. This gives the viewer the opportunity to experience
what the character is experiencing. A further shot that can be seen in Zhang Yimou’s movies is a point of view shot that follows a moving object. This can be seen in many of his movies, but one particularly memorable instance of this shot is in “Hero” when the city of Zhao is under siege and the camera seems to follow the arrows as they bombard the city. This sort of shot really adds drama to the movement.Ranging from the obvious to the most subtle of elements, Zhang Yimou’s films truly capture the wonders of China through stories of love and destiny. While not everything is realistic, the mythical elements of his movies are part of what give them their appeal. Zhang Yimou has definitely perfected the recipe for capturing beauty and portraying it in the most unexpected ways in his films. His films are unique in the aspects of the story, the scenery and the cinematography. Through the creation of his many masterpieces, Zhang Yimou has shown the world that he has mastered the art of paint on film.
( Article by Rachael Jander)
CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER (2006)
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (2004)
HERO (2002)
NOT ONE LESS (1999)
ROAD HOME (1999)
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