Zhang yi mou

1. Franqie Chan Jia Yi
2014050035
Film & TV Group 1
Assignment 2 – Zhang Yi Mou
Zhang Yi Mou
Zhang Yi Mou is consider as the best known and most talented film director in China. He born
on 14th November 1951, currently 64 years old. He is the Chinese fifth generation and the most
influential and widely respected filmmakers working today.
His film has been nominated for best foreign film Oscars 3 times – Ju Dou (1990), Raise the Red
Lantern (1991), and Hero (2003) and he also won a Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival
in 1994 for “To Live”. There is a note written by the film critic Kathy Schultz Huffhines – No
other current director is capable of the bold, robust, intoxicating, frightening personal stamp
Zhang Yimou puts on every frame. Give him the weeds that would be anyone else’s sow’s ear
and he’ll turn them into a silk purse. His films features “brilliant colors, deeply felt vision of the
shifting forces or life and death.”
Zhang considered as the bad boy of Chinese film but always work with the blessing of China
government. He always has collaborated with Gong Li in his film which make them went into a
relationship but end when Gong Li left him for a Singapore businessman.
He was born in Beijing and grew up in Shanxi Province. His family was poor because they had
been persecuted as their association with Kuomintang. His father was an accountant and also
who served as an officer in the Nationalist army whereas his uncle run to Taiwan through the
Nationalist. Zhang’s mother said that his clothes he wore in his childhood were torn and patched.
When Zhang was 18, he was sent to the countryside to work in the fields. He said to Michael
Berry (lecturer in University of California) “Most enemies of the people during that time fell into
the category of the “five bad elements.” Well people like me were called the “the worst element.”
In those 10 years, from 1966 until 1976, we lived under the shadow of tragedy and hopelessness”.
Zhang assigned to work as machine technician in 1971. While working, he started to have
interest in photography and art. There was a coworker said “he showed no interest in politics, but
he once said people are shackled by politics”
After that, he earned the money to study in Beijing Film Academy, the only film school in China
that time. During that time, he was 27, he know nothing about film industry and also considered
old to be a filmmaker. He didn’t want to be film maker and he change his course to Xian

2. Physical Education Institute. However, his perspective in film changed after he has watched
Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa. He then managed to graduate from the Beijing Film Academy in
1982. There was a report said that he sold his blood for a long time to earn the money to buy his
first camera. After that, he made himself become a cinematographer very soon by working on the
film Yellow Earth with his film school classmate Chen Kaige. After he started his own film, he
no longer working with him. Ju Dou, a film that explored China’s feudal past, the abuse of
women and conflicts in the lives of Chinese people. His first film was Red Sorghum also about
the past life of Chinese people and here is where Gong Li started her first acting and
collaboration with Zhang.
Most of his film about the life before the Communist era, so his film was many being censors
because mostly portrayed the Chinese as backwards. However, his masterpiece, Red Sorghum
and Raise the Red Lantern have been release in China. While, there were also some films that
didn’t release in China such as To Live as this film is talking about the great leap forward and
also the cultural revolution.
The China government didn’t like what Zhang did in his earlier film as most of them were
showing the dark side of Chinese culture. His works being label as poison to Chinese people and
even sue him of making attacks of the Chinese leadership.
Zhang sent in a fake script of To Live to the censor said that the film was about the bright future
of China and he made the film secretly. He did it because he want to made To Live. However,
the censors find out and banned him from making films with foreign funds for five years. He
would probably cannot continue his film career due to this.
1997, Zhang Yimou was prevented by Chinese authorities to attend the Cannes Film Festival as
they said his film was not ready which was not the case according to Zhang’s agent. The author
of To Live told the New York Times – Zhang cannily altered the story of To Live in order to
make the film version palatable to Chinese Authorities.
Zhang was an artistic advisor to the Communist leadership, promoted China abroad and produce
a short film that manage to help China win the right to the Olympics. He is now a member of the
Chinese People’s Political Consultive Conference, China’s top political advisory body. Chen
Xihe (Professor of film at ShangHai University), said that “the government made him a cultural
hero of China. Why would he continue to make movies that challenge he political system. Jia
ZhangKe, the most vocal critic in China. Jia said that, “since Hero I have not liked his films. Not
because they are kung fu movies -- I like kung fu movies -- but because the film underscores
power, that we should “bow down” before power. For a “harmonious world,” we should give up
individual fights and efforts.” The “authority of power,” the focus of his films, makes me
extremely uncomfortable.” This show that most of the Chinese filmmakers also don’t like what

3. he did. However, he manage to stand on his feet, there was a sentence he said “If you thought
about it, you wouldn’t able to do anything. You have to have your feet on the ground.” This is
what makes his success.
Zhang’s film can be divided into two categories. The first one will be the China’s struggles with
war, poverty and political malfeasance such as – Ju Dou and To Live. Another category will be
martial art thrillers such as – House of Flying Daggers and Hero. Michael Berry said that, “As he
shifted to the martial arts epics, Zhang was criticized as selling out the Chinese government and
pandering to what officials wanted.”
Zhang Yimou went through a lot of hardship on his journey to become a success filmmaker. He
success with the spirit and passionate in film industry. His films win a lot of different awards. Ju
Dou was the first film of him has being nominated for an Academy Award. Meanwhile, Red
Lantern was the second one to be nominated. His first film which is Red Sorghum won the
Golden Bear Award in Berlin. Although his films were not accepted by China, but he managed
to get the attention internationally. Which make him more success and famous.
He always makes different films so that he can let audience meet a new him and say “Oh,
another Zhang Yimou.” He remakes a movie name Blood Simple (a film of UK). He remade it
into a comedy film. The original is a bar owner hires a detective to kill his wife and her lover,
while Zhang make it as a noodle shop owner and also add in some comedy which the noodle
maker dance when making noodle.
This is what I know about him. I know this is not all, but as I read his background, I feel so pity
toward him, but also feel proud of him. He dares to make the film that others directors no. he
didn’t care about censorship, and continue to make his film to tell others about the dark side of
China. He continues his dream without any give up spirit. I feel so inspired by him, I hope I can
be like him, make a film that others don’t dare.