Faithless
08-15-2004, 01:23 AM
Takeshi KANESHIRO Jin
Andy LAU Leo
ZHANG Ziyi Mei
SONG Dandan Yee
Synopsis from Cannes (http://www.festival-cannes.fr/films/fiche_film.php?langue=6002&id_film=4200080)
The year is 859AD and China's once flourishing Tang Dynasty is in decline. Unrest is raging throughout the land, and the corrupt government is locked in battle with rebel armies that are forming in protest. The largest, and most prestigious of these is the 'House of Flying Daggers', which is growing ever more powerful under a mysterious new leader. Two local captains, Leo and Jin are ordered to capture the new leader and the two hatch an elaborate plan. Captain Jin will pretend to be a lone warrior called Wind and rescue the beautiful, blind revolutionary Mei, from prison, earning her trust and escorting her to the secret headquarters of the House of Flying Daggers. The plan works, but to their surprise, Jin and Mei fall deeply in love on their long journey to the House. Danger lurks in the forest surrounding them, and the wind is still, as if sensing the tension in the air. What lies ahead for Jin and Mei, these star-crossed lovers? If this is true love, then why are there plots in their heads...and secrets in their hearts?
.
Star power in the House (http://www.star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2004/7/30/movies/8533813&sec=movies)
Zhang Yimou and his superstar cast share their thoughts on House of Flying Daggers. THAM AI MEI runs out of tape recording the praises the acclaimed Chinese director and his actors heap on each other.
THERE is definitely an aura about Zhang Yimou. Of average build and unassuming, the director nevertheless has a way of appearing larger than life. He speaks calmly and thoughtfully, and is prone to using lyrical phrases that are rather hard to comprehend unless one is familiar with Chinese literature.
“The Chinese movie industry isn’t doing too well,” he said in his deep voice and heavy Beijing accent, with a slight frown. “That’s why we have to make more commercial films that are bigger in magnitude and presence in order to boost the industry. I think it’s a good thing as long as you don’t try to fool or short-change your audience,” he continued as if defending his own integrity.
For serious mass appeal, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Zhang’s muse, Zhang Ziyi, were handpicked for the movie. So do the stars live up to the hype that surrounds them?
“They are really good. I am not just being diplomatic,” Zhang said with a grin. “One only has to watch the movie to know that they indeed worked hard at their respective roles, especially in the action scenes.”
The master filmmaker, known for his sensitive portrayal of characters in his films, has a formula for success. He disclosed: ”I am very aware of the actors’ moods and state of mind in every scene we shoot. I discuss every sequence with them, we have a camaraderie.”
Not one to shy away from erotic films (remember Ju Dou?), Zhang tried to minimise the love scenes in HOFD. He reasoned: ”If you have too many of these scenes the actors will become numb. Also, it had started to snow in Ukraine so the ground had become frozen. Can you imagine the poor actors who have to take off their clothes to roll in the snow?”
If you have been following Zhang’s films, you would notice that his lead characters are mostly women, and very strong-willed ones at that. It is no wonder that Zhang has been labelled a “feministic” director who speaks out on behalf of Asian women. He, however, brushed aside this label: “My voice does not carry so much weight that I can speak on behalf of Chinese women. A film is a film and I like strong characters. It doesn’t matter whether you are man or woman.”
While Hero was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film in the 2003 Academy Awards, Zhang is not overly concerned about living up to that standard with HOFD.
“However, I would be honoured if I were to win an Oscar,” he admitted with a guffaw. “No matter how you look at it, the American film industry has the commercial draw. I think Chinese directors in general would not hesitate to accept the award should it be given to them. We are not at that level whereby we think any award is beneath us,” he reasoned.
“I am not a genius, because I have made several bad films. But I am China’s most hardworking director. I don’t complain about the difficulties I face because this job is my passion, thus suffering is necessary. I think one should never place too much importance on oneself, it is better to be ordinary,” Zhang mused.
Andy Lau
Looking slightly tired and thinner than I expected, Lau was nevertheless accommodating.
Zhang Yimou: 'I would be honoured if I were to win an Oscar.'
“Even though this is the first time I’m working with director Zhang, I feel like I am working with not just a friend, but an old friend,” he said in Mandarin.
“With other new directors I tend to be more reserved with my opinions, but with Zhang, I can tell him anything. We discuss almost everything and so every step was very clear cut. With that, the work became easy,” said the Asian superstar.
Clearly awed and respectful of Zhang, Lau confessed that he had learnt a lot of important things from the director.
“From him, I learnt how to be calm at all times. There was a scene in which I was supposed to act like I was talking to Ziyi, but it was actually director Zhang whom I was talking to,” he recalled. “I told him to go away because he looked so serious that I broke out laughing every time.”
Lau is uncertain how Zhang feels about his performance.
“He has never really commented on my performance on the set. What we did a lot was think about things like, ‘Why is the mountain in the background?’ or ‘How will a particular prop look onscreen?’ He was very certain about how a particular shoot would turn out,” Lau explained, clearly impressed by Zhang’s genius.
While he is an accomplished wuxia (martial arts) actor himself, Lau was nevertheless concerned about the action scenes.
“I was confident that she was quite good at action scenes,” he said pointing to the picture of Ziyi on a poster. “The one I was worried about was him,” he said with a grin while pointing to Kaneshiro. “We had to fight each other using real swords. What if the whole thing turns out to be a mess? But when I saw him practising and training with swords, I thought to myself that he could probably fight better than me. He spent about two months training with swords and horse-riding. I was very relieved,” Lau confessed.
Being a bona fide superstar, did it irk him to play a supporting role?
“I felt that it was a good start to working with director Zhang. As long as you prove yourself useful in a film, there will always be further opportunities.”
Takeshi Kaneshiro
All the journalists were fidgety before the interview with Kaneshiro. For one, he is reputed to be rather difficult and prone to mood swings. For another, he is one of the most elusive and good-looking actors in the Asian movie industry. Imagine our surprise when we walked into the room where he was seated to see a smiling Kaneshiro, all ready to be ogled at and verbally prodded.
Deeply tanned and oozing charm, Kaneshiro good-naturedly confided: ”I was very apprehensive that HOFD was a Chinese period movie. I wasn’t sure I could pull it off because it was my first period film. I had to ask many questions, and director Zhang was encouraging and supportive.”
He continued in fluent Mandarin: “To me, the thought of working with such a talented director was a challenge in itself, as well as the script and storyline. I don’t really know how was my performance, you would have to ask the director yourself.”
Having worked with elite directors like Wong Kar Wai, Johnnie To and now Zhang, Kaneshiro is thankful for the opportunities. He admitted that his passion for acting has been heavily influenced by the three maestros.
“The impact that Kar Wai had on me was astonishing. When working with him I developed a great love for acting. There is a lot of artistic freedom with him because that is the way he directs.
“I find To very progressive. He is always trying out new things and comes across as being more than a director.
“Director Zhang is really amazing in the way he handles an army of crew and actors. The result is always extraordinary,” enthused the actor.
Kaneshiro’s scores of female fans may just swoon at his following statement.
“In the movie, I fall in love with the last person I should fall in love with. If this happened in real life, it is quite likely I will do as my character does in the movie – sacrifice everything in order to be with my true love. However, I still haven’t found anyone who would make me want to do that.”
The Japanese-Taiwanese star comes across as being very much like his character (Jin/Wind) in HOFD. Apparently, he doesn’t like planning his life too much.
He said breezily: “In this industry, it is not really up to me whether I would want to continue to further my career as it’s beyond my control. To me, everything is about fate and timing. I did not think that I have to work with Zhang Yimou when I hit 30. When I am given the chance, I will pursue it. Sometimes you cannot force things to happen.”
Zhang Ziyi
“I think Zhang Yimou is getting younger with each movie,” declared the fresh-faced Chinese beauty who plays the lead female role in HOFD.
“He is becoming increasingly spirited and I think most people would agree that they feel this amazing liveliness in him,” enthused Ziyi in her soft, pleasingly girly voice. Her hands gestured frequently and gracefully, hinting at her background as a trained dancer and gymnast. (Ziyi joined a secondary school affiliated with the prestigious Beijing College of Dance at age 11).
In the movie, Ziyi plays a blind girl and thus there were tonnes of homework and research to be done when preparing for her role. In fact, she stayed with a blind girl for two months prior to filming.
“There is a scene in which I chanced upon a sea of blooming flowers, so I brought this blind girl to a park. I wanted to see her reaction when she reached the bed of flowers,” she explained.
For her, playing the blind heroine in the film opened up a totally new world. She described: “I think when you’re blind, you will find that you are more aware of your senses and surroundings. Your world becomes more enclosed and even time seems to slow down a bit. For a blind person, he has to feel the air and listen to his surroundings before moving a step.
“I found myself focussing more on my inner-self, and I was able to experience and describe certain emotions more profoundly.”
No stranger to working with superstar actors, Ziyi has this to say about her two gorgeous co-stars: “I actually have an autographed picture of Andy Lau! I think a friend gave it to me when I was younger. To me, Andy has always been a superstar.
“The thing about working with great actors, as I found out while working with Tony Leung (Chiu Wai) in 2046, is that you find yourself getting unexpected results. It is the same with Andy.
“With Takeshi, he came across as very serious but yet humorous. I didn’t dare get too close to him because he has a lot of female fans.”
With Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the young actress had a difficult time with the action scenes.
She recalled: “At that time, I went home crying every day because I didn’t know what to expect the next day. I gritted my teeth and made sure I played my character well in order not to disappoint Ang Lee (the director).
“This time, the difficulties I faced were totally different because the mental state I was in at that time was different.”
Every year, Ziyi only works on two or three films at the most.
“It is because I feel exhausted after filming every time. I cry, laugh and maybe even die with my characters. That is why each film is very dear to me. I have very high hopes for my films because of the sweat, blood and tears that I have invested in them,” declared Ziyi.
Andy LAU Leo
ZHANG Ziyi Mei
SONG Dandan Yee
Synopsis from Cannes (http://www.festival-cannes.fr/films/fiche_film.php?langue=6002&id_film=4200080)
The year is 859AD and China's once flourishing Tang Dynasty is in decline. Unrest is raging throughout the land, and the corrupt government is locked in battle with rebel armies that are forming in protest. The largest, and most prestigious of these is the 'House of Flying Daggers', which is growing ever more powerful under a mysterious new leader. Two local captains, Leo and Jin are ordered to capture the new leader and the two hatch an elaborate plan. Captain Jin will pretend to be a lone warrior called Wind and rescue the beautiful, blind revolutionary Mei, from prison, earning her trust and escorting her to the secret headquarters of the House of Flying Daggers. The plan works, but to their surprise, Jin and Mei fall deeply in love on their long journey to the House. Danger lurks in the forest surrounding them, and the wind is still, as if sensing the tension in the air. What lies ahead for Jin and Mei, these star-crossed lovers? If this is true love, then why are there plots in their heads...and secrets in their hearts?
.
Star power in the House (http://www.star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2004/7/30/movies/8533813&sec=movies)
Zhang Yimou and his superstar cast share their thoughts on House of Flying Daggers. THAM AI MEI runs out of tape recording the praises the acclaimed Chinese director and his actors heap on each other.
THERE is definitely an aura about Zhang Yimou. Of average build and unassuming, the director nevertheless has a way of appearing larger than life. He speaks calmly and thoughtfully, and is prone to using lyrical phrases that are rather hard to comprehend unless one is familiar with Chinese literature.
“The Chinese movie industry isn’t doing too well,” he said in his deep voice and heavy Beijing accent, with a slight frown. “That’s why we have to make more commercial films that are bigger in magnitude and presence in order to boost the industry. I think it’s a good thing as long as you don’t try to fool or short-change your audience,” he continued as if defending his own integrity.
For serious mass appeal, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Zhang’s muse, Zhang Ziyi, were handpicked for the movie. So do the stars live up to the hype that surrounds them?
“They are really good. I am not just being diplomatic,” Zhang said with a grin. “One only has to watch the movie to know that they indeed worked hard at their respective roles, especially in the action scenes.”
The master filmmaker, known for his sensitive portrayal of characters in his films, has a formula for success. He disclosed: ”I am very aware of the actors’ moods and state of mind in every scene we shoot. I discuss every sequence with them, we have a camaraderie.”
Not one to shy away from erotic films (remember Ju Dou?), Zhang tried to minimise the love scenes in HOFD. He reasoned: ”If you have too many of these scenes the actors will become numb. Also, it had started to snow in Ukraine so the ground had become frozen. Can you imagine the poor actors who have to take off their clothes to roll in the snow?”
If you have been following Zhang’s films, you would notice that his lead characters are mostly women, and very strong-willed ones at that. It is no wonder that Zhang has been labelled a “feministic” director who speaks out on behalf of Asian women. He, however, brushed aside this label: “My voice does not carry so much weight that I can speak on behalf of Chinese women. A film is a film and I like strong characters. It doesn’t matter whether you are man or woman.”
While Hero was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film in the 2003 Academy Awards, Zhang is not overly concerned about living up to that standard with HOFD.
“However, I would be honoured if I were to win an Oscar,” he admitted with a guffaw. “No matter how you look at it, the American film industry has the commercial draw. I think Chinese directors in general would not hesitate to accept the award should it be given to them. We are not at that level whereby we think any award is beneath us,” he reasoned.
“I am not a genius, because I have made several bad films. But I am China’s most hardworking director. I don’t complain about the difficulties I face because this job is my passion, thus suffering is necessary. I think one should never place too much importance on oneself, it is better to be ordinary,” Zhang mused.
Andy Lau
Looking slightly tired and thinner than I expected, Lau was nevertheless accommodating.
Zhang Yimou: 'I would be honoured if I were to win an Oscar.'
“Even though this is the first time I’m working with director Zhang, I feel like I am working with not just a friend, but an old friend,” he said in Mandarin.
“With other new directors I tend to be more reserved with my opinions, but with Zhang, I can tell him anything. We discuss almost everything and so every step was very clear cut. With that, the work became easy,” said the Asian superstar.
Clearly awed and respectful of Zhang, Lau confessed that he had learnt a lot of important things from the director.
“From him, I learnt how to be calm at all times. There was a scene in which I was supposed to act like I was talking to Ziyi, but it was actually director Zhang whom I was talking to,” he recalled. “I told him to go away because he looked so serious that I broke out laughing every time.”
Lau is uncertain how Zhang feels about his performance.
“He has never really commented on my performance on the set. What we did a lot was think about things like, ‘Why is the mountain in the background?’ or ‘How will a particular prop look onscreen?’ He was very certain about how a particular shoot would turn out,” Lau explained, clearly impressed by Zhang’s genius.
While he is an accomplished wuxia (martial arts) actor himself, Lau was nevertheless concerned about the action scenes.
“I was confident that she was quite good at action scenes,” he said pointing to the picture of Ziyi on a poster. “The one I was worried about was him,” he said with a grin while pointing to Kaneshiro. “We had to fight each other using real swords. What if the whole thing turns out to be a mess? But when I saw him practising and training with swords, I thought to myself that he could probably fight better than me. He spent about two months training with swords and horse-riding. I was very relieved,” Lau confessed.
Being a bona fide superstar, did it irk him to play a supporting role?
“I felt that it was a good start to working with director Zhang. As long as you prove yourself useful in a film, there will always be further opportunities.”
Takeshi Kaneshiro
All the journalists were fidgety before the interview with Kaneshiro. For one, he is reputed to be rather difficult and prone to mood swings. For another, he is one of the most elusive and good-looking actors in the Asian movie industry. Imagine our surprise when we walked into the room where he was seated to see a smiling Kaneshiro, all ready to be ogled at and verbally prodded.
Deeply tanned and oozing charm, Kaneshiro good-naturedly confided: ”I was very apprehensive that HOFD was a Chinese period movie. I wasn’t sure I could pull it off because it was my first period film. I had to ask many questions, and director Zhang was encouraging and supportive.”
He continued in fluent Mandarin: “To me, the thought of working with such a talented director was a challenge in itself, as well as the script and storyline. I don’t really know how was my performance, you would have to ask the director yourself.”
Having worked with elite directors like Wong Kar Wai, Johnnie To and now Zhang, Kaneshiro is thankful for the opportunities. He admitted that his passion for acting has been heavily influenced by the three maestros.
“The impact that Kar Wai had on me was astonishing. When working with him I developed a great love for acting. There is a lot of artistic freedom with him because that is the way he directs.
“I find To very progressive. He is always trying out new things and comes across as being more than a director.
“Director Zhang is really amazing in the way he handles an army of crew and actors. The result is always extraordinary,” enthused the actor.
Kaneshiro’s scores of female fans may just swoon at his following statement.
“In the movie, I fall in love with the last person I should fall in love with. If this happened in real life, it is quite likely I will do as my character does in the movie – sacrifice everything in order to be with my true love. However, I still haven’t found anyone who would make me want to do that.”
The Japanese-Taiwanese star comes across as being very much like his character (Jin/Wind) in HOFD. Apparently, he doesn’t like planning his life too much.
He said breezily: “In this industry, it is not really up to me whether I would want to continue to further my career as it’s beyond my control. To me, everything is about fate and timing. I did not think that I have to work with Zhang Yimou when I hit 30. When I am given the chance, I will pursue it. Sometimes you cannot force things to happen.”
Zhang Ziyi
“I think Zhang Yimou is getting younger with each movie,” declared the fresh-faced Chinese beauty who plays the lead female role in HOFD.
“He is becoming increasingly spirited and I think most people would agree that they feel this amazing liveliness in him,” enthused Ziyi in her soft, pleasingly girly voice. Her hands gestured frequently and gracefully, hinting at her background as a trained dancer and gymnast. (Ziyi joined a secondary school affiliated with the prestigious Beijing College of Dance at age 11).
In the movie, Ziyi plays a blind girl and thus there were tonnes of homework and research to be done when preparing for her role. In fact, she stayed with a blind girl for two months prior to filming.
“There is a scene in which I chanced upon a sea of blooming flowers, so I brought this blind girl to a park. I wanted to see her reaction when she reached the bed of flowers,” she explained.
For her, playing the blind heroine in the film opened up a totally new world. She described: “I think when you’re blind, you will find that you are more aware of your senses and surroundings. Your world becomes more enclosed and even time seems to slow down a bit. For a blind person, he has to feel the air and listen to his surroundings before moving a step.
“I found myself focussing more on my inner-self, and I was able to experience and describe certain emotions more profoundly.”
No stranger to working with superstar actors, Ziyi has this to say about her two gorgeous co-stars: “I actually have an autographed picture of Andy Lau! I think a friend gave it to me when I was younger. To me, Andy has always been a superstar.
“The thing about working with great actors, as I found out while working with Tony Leung (Chiu Wai) in 2046, is that you find yourself getting unexpected results. It is the same with Andy.
“With Takeshi, he came across as very serious but yet humorous. I didn’t dare get too close to him because he has a lot of female fans.”
With Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the young actress had a difficult time with the action scenes.
She recalled: “At that time, I went home crying every day because I didn’t know what to expect the next day. I gritted my teeth and made sure I played my character well in order not to disappoint Ang Lee (the director).
“This time, the difficulties I faced were totally different because the mental state I was in at that time was different.”
Every year, Ziyi only works on two or three films at the most.
“It is because I feel exhausted after filming every time. I cry, laugh and maybe even die with my characters. That is why each film is very dear to me. I have very high hopes for my films because of the sweat, blood and tears that I have invested in them,” declared Ziyi.