Hero (英雄 Yingxiong)

Director: Zhang Yimou

Screenplay: Zhang Yimou, Li Feng

Producer: Bill Kong

Cinematographer: Chris Doyle

Action Director: Ching Siu Tung

Music: Tan Dun

Cast: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi, Chen Daoming, Donnie Yen

Studio: Beijing New Picture Film Company/Edko Films/Elite Films, 2002

Description: color; sound; 93 minutes. Winner of severn prizes at the 2002 Hong Kong Film Festival, nominee for Best Foreign Film at the 2002 Golden Globe Award and the 2002 Academy Award.

Synopsis:

Hero is two-time Academy Award nominee Zhang Yimou's directorial attempt at exploring the concept of a Chinese hero. During the peak of their Warring States period, China was divided into seven kingdoms all fighting for supremacy. Most determined to dominate China was the kingdom of Qin, whose king (Chen Daoming) was wholly obsessed with becoming the first emperor of China. Though he was an assassination target for many, none of his would-be killers inspired as much fear as the legendary assassins Broken Sword (Tony Leung), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), and Sky (Donnie Yen). In hopes of thwarting his death, the king has promised endless wealth and power to anyone who defeats his would-be murderers. No results come until ten years later, when a man called Nameless (Jet Li) brings the weapons of the three assassins to the Qin king's palace. Nameless claims to be an expert swordsman who had defeated Sky and destroyed the famed duo of Flying Snow and Broken Sword by using their love for one another against them. Once Nameless comes face to face with the king, however, it looks as if the situation is more complicated than he had thought. Also featured in Hero is actress Zhang Ziyi (The Road Home, Crouching Tiger, Hiden Dragon) as Broken Sword's devoted servant, Moon. (Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide)

About the director:

Zhang Yimou (1950-) is a native of Xi'an in Shaanxi Province. During his youth, his family suffered derision and exclusion because of their association with the Guomindang (Nationalist) Army. He abandoned school and worked as a laborer on a farm, and then in a textile mill. After the Cultural Revolution, he became a photographer and who was admitted to the cinematography department at Beijing Film Academy (BFA) in 1978 after a persistent appeal to the Minister of Culture. After graduation in 1982, Zhang was assigned to the Guangxi Film Studio in Southern China where he worked as a cinematographer, and it was there where he started collaborating with his former classmates Zhang Junzhao and Chen Kaige and served as the cinematographer of Zhang Junzhao's groundbreaking One and Eight (1984) and Chen's Yellow Earth (1984). Later, he was transferred to Xi'an Film Studio and served as both cinematographer and leading actor in Wu Tianming's Old Well (1987), which won him a best actor award at the Tokyo International Film Festival. He was permitted to make his directorial debut--Red Sorghum--in the same year and won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. He then started his career as a film director and made a series of internationally acclaimed films, including Ju Dou (1989), which won Best Film at the Chicago Film Festival and garnered an Academy Award nomination, Raise the Red Lantern (1992), The Story of Qiu Ju (1992), Not One Less (1999), whihc won the coveted Golden Lion at the 1999 Venice Film Festival. Previously being considered as an essential arthouse director, however, Zhang turned to more market-oriented big-budget commercial productions in the 21st century, presenting to the world theater with two martial arts blockbusters, Hero (2002) and House of Flying Dagger (2004).

Click here and here to read more about Zhang Yimou and his works.

About the cinematographer:

Chris Doyle was born in the suburbs of Sydney and began travelling the world as a merchant seaman in his late teens. He did various exotic jobs in far-flung countries and somewhere along the way took a degree in art history at the University of Maryland. He got into still and movie photography by accident, as a side-effect of his involvement with avant-garde theatre and dance troupes in Taipei in the late 1970s; the first feature he shot was Edward Yang's debut, That Day, On the Beach. A brief stay in France led to work on Claire Devers's film Noir et Blanc, but most of the films he has shot have been Chinese. He normally operates his camera himself. Asides from Wong Kar-Wai, he has worked with Stanley Kwan, Chen Kaige, Patrick Tam, Shu Kei and Stan Lai, among others. He has recently worked with Park Ki-Yong in Korea, and has a directorial project of his own in development with a Japanese producer.

Alongside his cinematography, he is a prolific still photographer and collagist and an increasingly prolific writer. Several books of his photos and essays have already appeared in Chinese and Japanese, and more are on the way. (Tony Rayns)

About the stars:

Jet Li/Li Lianjie (1963-):

Following closely on Jackie Chan's well-calloused heels as one of the most dazzling physical performers of the silver screen, Jet Li's lightning-fast moves, friendly sense of humor, and genuine concern for his fans have endeared him to a generation of international action-film lovers as one of the most respected figures in martial arts cinema.

Jet Li started training at the Beijing wushu academy at age eight (wushu is China's national sport, largely a performance version of various martial art styles), and won five gold medals in the Chinese championships, his first when he was only 11. In his teens, he was already a national coach, and before he was 20, he had starred in his first movie: ShaoLin si (1979) (Shaolin Temple), which started the 1980s Kung-Fu boom in mainland China. He relocated to Hong Kong, where he was the biggest star of the early 1990s Kung-Fu boom as well. Though he took an unsuccessful attempt at directing a few short years later with Born to Defend (1986), his acting career continued to accelerate at high speed with such hits as the Once Upon a Time in China and the Fong Sai-Yuk series in the early '90s. Rising to remarkable celebrity status due to his charm and unmatchable moves, Li gained fans in both the young and old and continued to thrill Eastern moviegoers in increasingly awe-inspiring ways. A crossover to American films began with his role as the villain in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) (a role originally offered to Chan but turned down due to his inclination never to play the bad guy), and continued with more likable roles in Romeo Must Die and Kiss of the Dragon (2000 and 2001 respectively). Li caused something of a sensation with the release of Kiss of the Dragon when he made a special plea to parents not to bring their children to the film due to the unusually (for Li) adult-oriented violence of the film. A request virtually unheard of in the Hollywood system, Li promised parents that they would soon be able to share his high-kicking escapades with their children with the decidedly more family friendly The One a few short months later. Soon after joining an impressive Chinese cast for Hero in 2002, Li would return to stateside screens alongside DMX in Cradle to the Grave (2003), a remake of the classic Fritz Lang film M (1931). (various sources, including Jet Li's mini biography at IMDB, and a long biography written by Jason Buchanan for All Movie Guide.)

Tony Leung Chiu-Wai/Liang Chaowei (1962-):

Tony Leung was born in Hong Kong and grew up in a single-parent family. After passing the training courses at the TVB in 1982, he began his screen career by hosting a children's program at the TVB, then established his stardom by comic style performance in several popular television series. After he became famous, he appreared in many popular films, most notably in John Woo's Bullet in the Head (1990) and Hard-Boiled (1992). His versatile performing talents were better demonstrated in a series of aeteur films made by Stanley Kwan, Hou Hsiou-Hsien, Wong Kar-Wai, Tran An Hung, and Zhang Yimou in films like Love Unto Waste (Stanley Kwan, 1986), City of Sadness (Hou Hsiou-Hsien, 1989), Chungking Express (Wong Kar-Wai, 1994), Ashes of Time (Wong Kar-Wai, 1994), Happy Together (Wong Kar-Wai, 1997), Cyclo (Tran An Hung, 1995), In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-Wai, 2000), and Hero (Zhang Yimou, 2002), etc. He had won many awards, including the prestigious Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000 for his performance in Wong's In the Mood for Love. Tony Leung is arguably the most sought film actor in East Asia. In addition to being an outstanding acctor, Leung is also a singer.

Maggie Cheung/Zhang Manyu (1964-):

One of Hong Kong's most respected and best-liked actresses, Maggie Cheung has done it all. Cheung's versatility as an action star, talented comedienne, and dramatic actress has allowed her to transcend the Hong Kong film industry to become a vibrant figure in international cinema.

Born in Hong Kong on September 20, 1964, Cheung moved to England with her family at the age of eight. She remained in England until she finished her secondary school education. Upon returning to Hong Kong, she began a modeling career, which led to TV commercials and the title of first runner-up for Miss Hong Kong 1983. The following year, she broke into film, doing a number of vapid comedies with titles like Prince Charming, The Frog Prince, Happy Ghost 3, Happy Fat New Year, and Love Hungry Suicide Squad. She got her big break in 1985, when she was cast opposite legendary action star Jackie Chan in Police Story. The film's success gave her greater exposure, but it also resulted in her being typed in comic or damsel-in-distress roles.

Cheung got her next big break, and her chance to prove herself as a dramatic actress, when Wong Kar-Wai cast her in his 1988 crime drama As Tears Go By. Although she continued to do comedies and put-upon-woman roles (starring in the Police Story sequels and appearing in the Chow Yun-Fat action flick A Better Tomorrow 3), she also sought out more challenging work. She earned strong notices for her work in such films as the family conflict drama Song of the Exile (1990) and Wong Kar-Wai's 1991 period drama Days of Being Wild. In 1992, Cheung won some of the greatest acclaim of her career for her work in The Actress [webmaster notes: i.e Central Stage/Ruan Lingyu, Stanley Kwan's docudrama about a silent film icon. That same year, Cheung further proved her versatility with starring roles in three more action films, Twin Dragons with Jackie Chan; the third installment of the Police Story trilogy; and The Heroic Trio, in which she and fellow action stars Michelle Yeoh and Anita Mui were cast as comic book superwomen.

Following another collaboration with Wong on Ashes of Time, a 1994 period drama, Cheung broke through to an international audience in Irma Vep (1996). The popular film, directed by Olivier Assayas (whom Cheung married in 1998), featured Cheung as herself, an actress caught up in the chaos surrounding a filmmaker's attempts to make a tribute to Louis Feuillade's classic serial Les Vampires. Spending much of the film clad in an extremely flattering cat suit, Cheung endeared herself to international critics and audiences alike. The following year, she made her first English-language film, starring alongside Jeremy Irons and Gong Li in Wayne Wang's Chinese Box. Cast as a mysterious young woman named Jean, Cheung held her own against the more internationally well-established Irons and Gong. That same year, she won further acclaim for her work in the romantic comedy Comrades, Almost a Love Story, in which she played one of a pair of lovers kept apart for ten years by fate and circumstance. (Rebecca Flint, All Movie Guide.)

Zhang Ziyi (1979-):

An actress of almost eerie, otherworldly beauty and simmering intensity, Zhang Ziyi burst onto the international film scene with her role as the governor's daughter in Ang Lee's acclaimed martial arts adventure Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Stunningly convincing despite her lack of martial arts skills, Ziyi's dramatic talents were equally impressive, and she was soon cast in such highly-regarded films as Zhang Yimou's Hero and big-budget stateside efforts as Rush Hour 2. Born in Beijing to a working-class family that included her economist father, kindergarten teacher mother, and an older brother, Ziyi found creative outlets early with dancing and gymnastics. At the age of 11, she was accepted into a secondary school affiliated with the acclaimed Beijing Dancing College. Though her skills earned Ziyi numerous awards there, she soon became frustrated with the pressures of school and began seeking other creative outlets. At 15, she enrolled in Beijing's Central Drama Academy, where she finally seemed to find her niche. Fate sealed the deal when the aspiring actress auditioned for a role in a shampoo commercial directed by acclaimed filmmaker Zhang Yimou, and after working with her, the veteran director thought her ideal for the lead in his upcoming movie The Road Home (2000). Cast as a young girl who falls in love with an older teacher, the film won international praise, in addition to numerous awards.

If The Road Home had been her breakthrough, her next film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, brought her even more exposure and fame. With few martial arts skills, Ziyi utilized her dancing to perfect the moves needed for the physically challenging role. Though the actress began learning English in hopes of breaking into the Hollywood scene, her first major role in the West, ironically, found her speaking her native Chinese (which was subtitled in English). Parts in such high-profile Chinese features as Zu Warriors and Musa (both 2001) followed, and, in 2002, Ziyi once again stepped before the camera for Yimou in the visually dazzling, historical martial arts drama Hero. In addition to earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Ziyi was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards. In 2003, she took the lead for the political drama Purple Butterfly. Later that year, she accepted a supporting role in the popular action comedy sequel My Wife Is a Gangster 2. The actress appeared in no less than three films in 2004, including Wong Kar-Wai's romantic sci-fi drama 2046. In addition to her film work, Ziyi has been the spokeswoman for numerous products, including Tag Heuer, Maybelline, and Visa. (Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide.)

Questions to ponder: These are a few questions suggested for you to think about while reading the assigned articles and watching the film. Please jot down ideas and notes on details or scenes you think are relevant for class discussion. 1. Does Hero fit the genre of martial arts or historical film neatly? Why or why not? 2. The assassination of China's first emperor-to-be, the Qin king Ying Zheng, as an attempt to prevent his conquerring of surrounding kingdoms and unifying China, has been represented in many fictional films with various approaches (e.g. Zhou Xiaowen's The Emperor's Shadow [Qin song, 1996], Chen Kaige's The Emperor and the Assassin [Jing Ke ci Qin Wang, 1998],etc.). What kind of thematic messages does this film offer to you? Who is the hero? What makes him a hero? 3. How is the film structured? Who gets to tell which stories? What is the signficance of the color schemes in relation to the narrative in the film? What kind of symbolic meaning or visual effects do they deliver? 4. How do you understand the "new alliance of art, capital and politics" (Yingjin Zhang) as you see in the production and reception of Hero?

Relevant readings:

Web Sources:

A Brief Historical Tour of the HK Martial Arts Film

Making of a Hero. TIME Asia.

Hero (official website)