July 2008
Excerpts from a telephone interview with Michael Berry, an associate professor of
contemporary Chinese cultural studies, at the University of California at Santa
Barbara.
Zhang Yimou? Clearly, he's China's highest profile director. But he's not only a film
director, he's a cultural superstar. That's made him more than just a director.
I first met him around 1999. I've been his interpreter for most of his trips to the US.
Various publicity agencies hired me. And as a graduate student (at Columbia
University) I worked as an interpreter for him.
He's gone through several phases in his career. Before working as a director, he was a
cinematographer. And he was known for bringing very powerful visuals, a new visual
language, to Chinese cinema.
He worked on "Yellow Earth" and "One and Eight." He had an enormous impact on
Chinese film through these works. These are the cornerstone of the film revolution of
China. And even back then you could see the makings of his work. He'd experiment
with these horizon lines, a lot or a little of the earth's horizon.
The subject matter of those early films was dealing with subjects in a different way.
In the social realism that came before him you only had a canon where there were
only dark elements and white elements – you can know who is your friend and who is
your enemy. There was really no middle ground.
In Zhang's early films we started to get more complicated characters, with divisions.
There were peasants, hard working peasants. All of them had this dark element to
them. Some people criticized them as having an Orientalist view, exotic aspects of
traditional China that could appeal to Western audiences. But he (Zhang Yimou) has
continually refuted this idea.
He had a very dark view of China. You couldn't set the films in contemporary China
(less they become obvious critiques of the ruling Communist Party, and then risk
being censored). Still, a lot of people read them as allegorical, borrowing from the
past to satirize the present.
Zhang Yimou has talked repeatedly about his desire to do a Cultural Revolution film.
He did "To Live" in 1994. That's the one film that's still relatively unavailable in
China. . Others were banned but then distributed years later (after the bans were
lifted). (People wonder) How many of the films are allegorical representations of the
Cultural Revolution.
There was a definitive change (in the types of films he made) after "To Live." He
went from being this renegade, making films that were banned and an eyesore for the
Chinese government, to kind of being the pet of the government in some people's
eyes. It's almost a complete turnaround from his early days.
(But he has a variety of styles he's experimented with.) Documentaryesque, gritty, the
use of concealed cameras and non-professional actors (as in "The Story of Qiu Ju")
(Then a series of lighter films, such as "Not One Less" and "The Road Home")
These are almost kind of feel good films. Critics then accused him of pandering not to
Westerners but pandering to the Chinese government.
Frankly, I'm most moved by his intimate films, like "Riding Alone for a Thousand
Miles." These are well made films. They have a powerful resonance. I think that's
where he's most in his element.
(Then he began making big budget, martial arts films). People are wondering why
did he make martial arts films. Some think he's selling out. One thing he told me is
that Hollywood was taking a huge share of the Chinese box office. He knew only a
very small number of Chinese filmmakers who had the ability to make Hollywood
style blockbusters and could compete with the Hollywood model. He felt this kind of
responsibility to help get the Chinese audience back into Chinese theatres to see
Chinese films.
(It's known that he's an incredibly hard worker.) He's one of the hardest working
filmmakers I've ever met. In 2005, he came to the U.S. and during that time he
brought along his film editor. And he had a full schedule -- non stop interviews, then
question and answer periods, award ceremonies. I remember we were in the car and
the producer said: 'Do you want to go to these parties?' Everyone important in the
industry will be there?' And he said, 'I'd rather go back to the hotel and edit my films.'
And he did that for three days, staying up all night.
He once said: 'People can criticize me for pandering to this or that, but they can't say I
don't love film.'
In China, he's a real cultural icon. He does these multimedia extravaganzas. He's
doing "First Emperor" (directing the opera; Tan Dun, the Chinese-born composer has
created the music). There are government-sponsored works; a ballet version of (his
film) "Raise the Red Lantern." He's a cultural superhero of sorts
(Everyone wants to use his name) It's almost like a product endorsement. He's sort of
like a cultural mogul. He's a sort of cultural mogul
(His big budget movies have been released with) books, comic books, dolls, etc.
At one opening there was a huge jet they rented. There was a huge concert for "House
of Flying Daggers." You know, this is the 30th anniversary of the opening up and
reform movement in China. China has seen this incredible revolution.
The government has changed dramatically. Artists who were once at the cutting edge
are now more enveloped into the mainstream. It's not unusual for artists to start out
offending and then they become the establishment. That's part of the trajectory Zhang
Yimou has followed. And the establishment has also been transformed during that
time. And they (the Chinese government) have recognized the awards he's gotten.
Maybe there's a recognition that it's better to embrace him.
His films have become emblematic of an imagined China. And maybe he realized it
was better for him not to be the eternal rebel.