Career, Socio-Cultural Content and the Major Works of Zhang Yimou - Case Study Example

Film director: Zhang Yimou Name Institution Date Introduction In Asia, the film industry has been experiencing a lot of growth and development. China is known for producing a high number of movies that have caught the attention of the world. Several film directors have also emerged from China and have been responsible for directing and making the movies. One such notable film directors is Zhang Yimou who was born in 1951 (Law & Du, 2015).He is considered as a fifth generation Chinese Film Maker. He has also won various awards in China as well as internationally for the high quality movies. A part from directing movies, he has also been responsible for directing international events such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Most of his films highlight the resilient nature of the Chinese people. He has also been responsible for directing a number of historical drama films. He has been able to achieve a lot of success despite the difficulties that he faced during his early life. As a result of his achievements, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate Degree from Boston as well as Harvard University (Law & Du, 2015). Apart from being a director he is also an actor and a cinematographer. The paper discusses the career, socio-cultural content and the major works of Zhang Yimou. Discussion Career Zhang started his career after being admitted to Beijing Film Academy in 1978 at the age of 27. He had difficulties in joining the academy since he was past the admission age. However, he was able to launch a personal appeal to the Ministry of culture and he was admitted reluctantly to the faculty of Cinematography (McGrath, 2013). He graduated in 1982 alongside other students who played an essential role in form the fifth generation of film directors in China. After the graduation, he was assigned to a small regional film studio together with his fellow graduates. After the Cultural Revolution in China, there was a lot opportunities for the film directors. They were also permitted to make their own films at the time. Zhang took the opportunity and his first movie where he worked as a director of photography was One and Eight. He also worked as photography director in another film named Yellow Earth in 1984.The two films that he directed were quite successful at Hong Kong Film Festival. The Yellow earth was considered an inaugural film of the fifth generation directors. It is at this point that the career of Zhang started experiencing an upward trend. However, in 185, he to a leading role as an actor and cinematographer in the film Old Well (Cai, 2015).The film was released in 1987 and he was able to win the best Actor Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival. After the film his popularity increased and he started taking the role of a director. In 1987, he directed the film Red Sorghum which was quite successful. The film also had positive impacts on his career as he won the first award as a director in 1988. However, he suffered a setback in 1989 after he directed a thriller movie by the name Puma Action (Evans, 2014). The film was not able to gather much positive reviews in China. Zhang himself admitted that the film as one of his worst. However during the same year, he directed a drama named Ju Dou. The film was quite successful and it was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign language film. This was an indication that he had already become an expert in his work. As a result of his expertise, he was selected as a member of the jury at the 16th Moscow International Film Festival in 1989. In the 1990s his works continued with the success. One of the film named Raise the Red Lantern received unanimous international acclamation for best use of colour and physical beauty. This was also the second film to be nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film Category. His films at some point attracted some controversies in China. To live is one of the films that was banned in China in 1994 (McGrath, 2013). However, it was released in Cannes Film Festival and it won the Grand Jury prize. The film was considered critical to some of the policies of the Chinese communist government. Throughout the 1990s, he was actively involved in directing several movies that ended up winning awards at different festivals. At the starts of the 21st century, he had already become one of the most successful film directors in China with an international recognition. In 2000, he directed a minor film that mainly involved the popular Chinese actors. The film was a success and it was selected for the Berlin International Film Festival. Hero which was a movie that was released in China in 2002 was a huge success (McGrath, 2013). It became popular in most parts of the world including the United States of America where it topped the US box office. It was also nominated for the in the category of the best Foreign language in the 2003 Academy Awards. His success to continue to grow after the release of a martial arts film named House of Flying Daggers in 2004. In 2008 he was involved in directing the Beijing Olympics. This generated some controversies since the project was approved by the Chinese Government that he had been critical of. His role in directing the Olympics saw him wining a Peabody award for creating unforgettable celebration that featured thousands of casts. In 2011 he directed a film The Flowers of War which had a budget of $ 90.2 million (Cai, 2015). The film was considered as his most expensive due to the huge budget. Zhang has also been involved in directing stage productions which has also played an important role in increasing his popularity. As a director, he continues to achieve great success in his works. Social and cultural context The works of Zhang mainly involves the social and cultural aspects that affect the embers of the society. Most of the films that he directed highlight the life of the common Chinese people. To live is one of the movies that played an essential role in term of highlighting the resilience of the ordinary Chinese people. This was made possible through the characters in the movie. Various aspects of the Chinese society which includes the policies have been highlighted in the movies (Evans, 2014). This therefore makes it possible for the audience to understand the daily lives of the common Chinese citizens. The movie appears that Zhang is critical of some of the communist policies spearheaded by the government. It is for this reason that the movie to live was banned in China. The cultural context in the movies directed by Zhang also highlights some of the important aspects of the Chinese Culture. The use of different colours is a unique characteristic of the films directed by Zhang. It uniqueness highlights how colours are used in the Chinese culture. The involvement of the unique aspects of the Chinese culture makes it possible for the audience to understand it. The movies indicate that Zhang is proud of most aspects of the Chinese culture. However, he appears to be critical of some aspects of culture as well as policies by the government (McGrath, 2013). Judging from the social and cultural aspects of the movies, the society in China is quite different from the western world. The social issues such as love and family have also been strongly highlighted in some of the movies that have been directed by Zhang. The Road home is one of the movies that have highlighted the aspects of love (Cai, 2015). It indicates how the Chinese people relate with each other and to those that they are in love with. Martial arts form an important cultural aspect of the Chinese people. Most of the movies that have been directed by Zhang have scenes of martial arts. This includes the movies such as Hero and the House of flying daggers. The martial arts which is used for self defense forma an important aspect in the Chinese culture (Stewart, 2015). This has seen most of the people taking up the training from an early age. Music is an important aspect in the social lives of the people of China. The use of music plays an important role in expressing the Chinese culture in the films directed by Zhang. He was also responsible for directing various music shows during on stage direction. Zhang was involved in directing a number of outdoor folk music including one titled Impression. The Chinese folk songs mainly represents the traditions of the people. This is an indication that the context of films and movies directed by Zhang mainly revolves around the social and cultural aspects of the Chinese people. The use of the Chinese Language in most of the films also indicates that the context revolves around the social and cultural aspects. Major works and themes The major works and themes that were directed by Zhang led to the wining of an award both locally and internationally. It is also through the major works and themes that his popularity in the industry increased. One of his major works was the Red Sorghum which was submitted for the Academy Award. This was his major works that also contributed to his popularity in the industry. Another film, Ju Dou which was also submitted for the Academy Award was his major work. Most of the major works utilized the Chinese language and hence the nominations and awards as best film in foreign language. The other major works includes the movie Hero and the Flying Daggers (Stewart, 2015). As an actor he was also able to win various awards at the local as well as international level. Most of his films were featured BAFTA Best Film not in the English language. Zhang has been a director for about 30 years and is considered as one of the most decorated film director in the industry. Throughout his career he has been able to direct films that became popular in most parts of the world. The recurrent theme of resilience of the Chinese people is common in his major works. The rich use of colour is also commonly associated with the major works. It is as a result of his accomplishment as well as popularity that he was invited to host major international events such the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and Athens Olympics in 2004 (McGrath, 2013). Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the Zhang is one of the most popular and successful Chinese film directors. This can be attributed to his major accomplishment in over 30 years working in the industry. It is evident that his career started after joining Beijing Film Academy. The Cultural Revolution that was taking place at the time also played an essential role in creating opportunities for the film directors in China. It is evident that he was able to receive various awards locally and internationally due to his high quality works. Zhang made great contributions towards the growth and development of the industry in China. It is evident that most of his films had a common theme that reflected the lives of the common Chinese people. The social as well as the cultural aspects of the Chinese people are reflected in his film. It is however evident that some aspects of the provoked the authorities in China leading for one of the filmed to be banned. References Law, W. W., & Du, J. (2015). Media Reviews Not One Less directed by Zhang Yimou. Guangxi Film Studio, 1999. 106 minutes. Comparative Education Review, 59(1). Stewart, J. A., (2015).Seeking the Elder Hero in Zhang Yimou’s Film, Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles. Jung Journal, 9(3), 31-43. McGrath, J. (2013). Heroic Human Pixels: Mass Ornaments and Digital Multitudes in Zhang Yimou’s spectacles. Modern Chinese Literature and Culture, 25(2), 51-79. Cai, S. (2015). Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home: a depoliticized melodrama adapted from a scar literature novel. New Review of Film and Television studies, 13(30), 275-291. Evans, J. (2014). Zhang Yimou’s Blood Sample: Cannibalism, remaking and translation in world cinema. Journal of Adaptation in Film & Performance, 7(3), 283-297. Read More