张艺谋的电影英雄影评

Introduction

Hero is a movie shot by Chinese famous director Zhang Yimao in 2001, which tells a special story of Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin in 227 BC. It interprets the poignant love and hate story, the swords friendship that a gentleman is ready to die for his bosom friends and the Confucianism breadth of view world. Therefore, this movie advocates modern peace spirit, reexamines the historical characters in the view of heroism,and explores different historical value based on the righteousness of Chinese ancient traditional hero. This film costs 30 million US dollars and its investment is the highest in Chinese movies that year. This film opened in Hong Kong in December 2001, which gained $15,471,348 dollars in the first week. HK $26,648,345, the final gross made this movie become one of the top movies in HK in 2002. Finally, its box office reached to RMB 0.25 billion and becomes the first movie to break US$100 million in Chinese history. (W Larson, 2008) It creates numerous historical miracles. After a long delay, this film was released in North American Screens in August 2004 and it topped the North American box office, taking US $18,004,319 ($8,864 per screen) on its opening weekend. As for foreign language film, the final US $53,710,019 box office gross in North America region made this film become one of the highest-grossing movies and martial arts movies in box office history in North America. Its box office reached 177 million dollars globally and such a box office gross was substantial among the pride scores of Hollywood blockbuster. There is no doubt that Hero is the milestone of Chines Blockbusters Era, which has great meaning for the development of this kind of martial arts film combined arts and commerce. It can be seen that it is a culturally specific and technically sophisticated film that appeals to both East and West.

Reasons of Hero’s success

First of all, Chinese culturecontianed in this film attracts audience domestically and

abroad. It combines Zhuangzi’s philosophy: the view on the sword and the world. In this film, sword is the main tool in this film. Wu Ming especially asked Can Jian for this character in State of Zhao. Wu Ming said the character of sword has 19 writings styles. His saying not only represents a few historic details but also reveals the meaning of the world by the calligraphy of sword. The film represents a soul-stirring character –seeking process in Zhao libraries. The swordsmanship can be found in calligraphy and the calligraphy is formed when thousands of arrows were through the hall. Therefore, the realm of sword is also the realm of life. The old man stands still when thousands of swords are through the hall. The old man can also continue to write when Can Jian stretches his hands to pick up the arrow calmly. Although it is seen that Qin’s army attacks Zhao’s army seriously form surface, it contains countless Buddhist allegory and enlightenment inside. All this paves the way for Qin’s world theory. In order to represent the stipulated circumstances, Zhang Yimao let the four Arts of Chinese Scholar, which can represent Chinese culture mostly integrate in the plot development and people’s action. Thus, the film is filled with Chinese culture circumstance. Guqin, chip, calligraphy and the battle formation in this film are harmonious in the context of Zhang Yimao. If Zhang Yimao’s previous films represent some folk culture in wine workshop, dye house, and big red lanterns. Then, the film Hero is to represent Chinese national culture. Therefore, when Qin’s soldiers shout loudly: wind, wind, wind, heavy wind, heavy wind, and heavy wind, no matter Chinese audience or foreign audiences are moved by this national culture.And their moral. Accompanied with Guqin music, the battle between Chang Kong and Wu Ming inherits Chinese paintings’ traditional meaning technique in the shooting by Zhang Yimao. Zhang Yimao abandons the specific 18 Martial Arts and focuses on the extradinary thought. When the scene changes from reality to vision, audience becomes nervous about the battle at the same time. It is a process of turning real into unreal actually and there is no doubt foreign audience will be interested in this Chinese traditional aesthetic angle.

Secondly, this film is a visual feat for audience because it is a combination of color