From "the Female Director" to Martial Arts Master: Zhang Yimou

House of Flying Daggers ready to take over big screens by holidays and, many say, an Oscar

By Lynda Lin, Pacific Citizen

Zhang Yimou has a way with women.   Of course, the 53-year-old Chinese director favors beautiful women, but the kind of beautiful women with innocence that is almost canceled out by smoldering sensuality. He picks his muses carefully and then has an extended love affair with his muses by framing them exquisitely in all his films.

He immortalized Gong Li’s pout to critical acclaim in “Raise the Red Lantern” and plucked a then unknown Zhang Ziyi out of a Chinese drama school to star in “The Road Home.” Ziyi, later moved on to star in Ang Lee’s groundbreaking “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

Perhaps, that is why Yimou is known as the “female director.”

But in the United States, thanks to the friendly persuasion of fan Quentin Tarantino, Yimou may best be known as the skillful director of this summer break-through film, “Hero,” starring international superstars like Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung and, of course, Ziyi.

The story about an invincible warrior’s (Jet Li) attempt to assassinate a war-monger emperor, became a smash hit in its native China in 2002 and then subsequently in the United States when released by Miramax two years later.

Now, Yimou is not only a woman’s man, but also Hollywood’s latest darling director. In December, his second heart-pounding kung fu action film, “House of Flying Daggers” — which he wrote, directed and produced — is set to take over nationwide big screens just in time for the holidays, and as some film critics are predicting, set to capture an Oscar statuette.

But after spending some time speaking with the director (through a translator), you get the feeling that all this hoopla is the last thing on his list of priorities.

Yimou is part of China’s famed “Fifth Generation” filmmakers, which included Chen Kaige and Zhang Junzhao, who began putting Chinese films on the world map after the Cultural Revolution. His 1994 film “To Live” starring Li was banned in China for its unflattering Communist portrayal.

“Twenty years ago, the environment of creation in China was different because we barely thought about making commercial films,” said the director who reportedly sold his own blood to finance his first film. “In my opinion, the 1980s in China was a very durable time because people just made pure art.”

“Almost every director in China now thinks about the marketing, the competition and the huge pressure of Hollywood films. So it’s really complicated for people who make films,” he laments.

At the Los Angeles press junket for “House of Flying Daggers,” Yimou finds his seat without cracking a smile. His hair is shorn short revealing startling curves punctuated with an occasional furrow while he explains the method behind his art. And like every thing else he does, Yimou picks his words deliberately.

Returning to the discussion on his affinity to film women, he says: “I’m always interested in female stories. Maybe it’s because it’s very easy for me to capture female depression and how they fight adversity.”

In “House of Flying Daggers,” Yimou again relies on Ziyi to play Mei, a blind dancer who is irresistible, but as dangerous to undo as a Pandora’s box. She becomes embroiled in a love affair between Japanese/Taiwanese star Takeshi Kaneshiro and Hong Kong pop idol Andy Lau. But their love story will be a byproduct for American moviegoers, who will more than likely flock to theaters to watch the breathtaking action sequences than watch Ziyi and Kaneshiro tussle like awkward lovers in a field of grass.

But Yimou insists that the love story is the main attraction.

“The scripts for ‘Hero’ and ‘House of Flying Daggers’ were written at the same time and address the same theme about sacrifice, but in different ways. For ‘Hero,’ it was a classical way — people’s belief of sacrificing the individual for the bigger picture. For ‘House of Flying Dagger’ there’s an emphasis on individual sacrifice for love,” he said.

And because love makes everything grand, the action, special effects and scale of “House of Flying Daggers” is bigger and better. The production design and choice of color in “Hero,” which made each shot look like artwork, is echoed in this film only with more earth tones.

Yimou says part of his filming technique is to surround himself with a talented crew.

“During the action scenes, I’m more of an assistant director … I just sit in front of the monitor and allow the stunt director to work,” he said.

The director is now busy getting ready to shoot his latest film next month, which will be a story about his original love — ordinary people living ordinary lives. He’s mum about who is cast, but emphasizes one thing:

“No more fighting.”

‘House of Flying Daggers’ opens Dec. 3.