MCLC: Zhang Yimou moves forward

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Zhang Yimou moves forward
Source: Sinosphere, NYT (11/20/14)
Despite Setbacks, Filmmaker Zhang Yimou Moves Forward
By AMY QIN and BECKY DAVIS
The director Zhang Yimou on the set of “Coming Home.” Many critics were surprised that Mr. Zhang’s film was bypassed as China’s entry for the Academy Awards in favor of a French-Chinese co-production,”The Nightingale.”Credit Bai Xiaoyan/Sony Picture Classics
Under a sky ablaze with fireworks, more than 600 drummers decked out in brilliant red filled the square between the Water Cube and Bird’s Nest stadiums in Beijing last week to welcome leaders to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting. The spectacle recalled the dazzling opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and no wonder — both were choreographed by the renowned Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou.
The extravaganza came near the end of what has been a year of ups but also downs for Mr. Zhang, who first rose to global fame in the early 1990s with art house favorites such as “Raise the Red Lantern” and “Red Sorghum.” Earlier this year, he was dealt a hefty fine by the authorities for violating family planning policies. Then, last month, his most recent film, the critically acclaimed Cultural Revolution-era drama “Coming Home,” was passed over by Chinese officials for submission to the Oscars in favor of a relatively obscure French-Chinese co-production.
Despite the apparent setbacks, Mr. Zhang appears to be moving forward with his work unfazed. Most recently, details were released about his first co-production, a highly anticipated action blockbuster called “The Great Wall” that has been several years in the making.
At the U.S.-China Film Summit in Los Angeles this month, it was confirmed that the new movie will have a budget of $135 million as well as feature English as its primary language — another first for Mr. Zhang, who doesn’t speak the language.
The film will be produced by Le Vision Pictures, where Mr. Zhang is artistic director, and Legendary East, a Hong Kong-based production outfit set up by the American company Legendary Pictures. Production is scheduled to begin in February and the movie is expected to be released in theaters in 2016.
Set in the 15th century, the film reportedly will explore the mysteries of the Great Wall with science fiction elements. Edward Zwick, who directed “The Last Samurai,” was reportedly set to direct the film in 2012, but later dropped out, because of scheduling and creative issues. It was announced in March that Mr. Zhang would take over the project instead.
Speaking at the Beijing Film Academy in June, Mr. Zhang, who could not be reached for comment for this article, said that he had been approached several times about the project over the years, but had been reluctant to commit himself out of concerns about the film’s budget and storyline, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
“Now the production is big enough and really appealing,” he said. And, importantly for him, he said, “the Chinese elements are leading elements in the film.”
“It’s good for the promotion of Chinese culture,” he added.
But Le Vision’s parent company, LeTV, is grappling with financial problems. After several years of explosive growth, LeTV spiraled downward this year after it was publicly admonished by government regulators in July and then forced to suspend trading of its stock four times, resulting in losses of 10 billion renminbi, or $1.6 billion. Caijing, a respected Chinese business magazine, reported this month that LeTV’s problems appeared to be tied to high-level political struggles.
It is unclear whether LeTV’s troubles will affect Mr. Zhang, who has served as artistic director for Le Vision Pictures since May 2013. Le Vision was the production company behind Mr. Zhang’s “Coming Home,” which was widely expected to be a shoo-in as China’s submission to the Oscars this year.
Instead, it emerged in October that “The Nightingale,” a small-budget film directed by Philippe Muyl, had been chosen to represent the country at the Academy Awards. Even the film’s makers were stunned.
“Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know exactly why they chose our film, but I can certainly say that we were very surprised,” said Steven René, one of the film’s French producers.
China’s Oscar nominees are chosen in an opaque process led by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, China’s top entertainment regulator. It’s not publicly known who sits on the selection committee or what their criteria are. But in the past, the committee has shown a strong preference for a small circle of big-name Chinese directors. Of the 28 films submitted to the Academy for consideration since 1979, 12 were directed either by Mr. Zhang, Feng Xiaogang or Chen Kaige. Works by Mr. Zhang alone have been submitted seven times. Two of his films made the short-list of nominees.
Zhang Yimou’s “Coming Home” features Cheng Daoming, left, and Gong Li in a family drama set against the political turmoil of the Cultural Revolution.Credit Bai Xiaoyan/Sony Picture Classics
Based on that record, most critics had expected officials to choose either “Coming Home,” Diao Yinan’s bleak thriller “Black Coal, Thin Ice” or Peter Chan’s “Dearest,” a child abduction drama. “Nightingale,” about the road trip of an old man and his granddaughter, was screened for just a week in one city before the Oct. 1 nomination deadline and so only barely eligible for consideration by Academy rules.
But in the eyes of the Chinese film critic Raymond Zhou, the surprise selection of “The Nightingale” may be a reflection of a shift in the mindset of the Chinese nominating officials. China has never won in the category, Mr. Zhou pointed out, and in failing to make the nomination list for 10 years in a row, China “kind of lost face.”
“To jump outside the limited coterie of big-name directors and look toward international co-productions is a good thing,” he added. “It indicates a new kind of openness.”
by denton.2 at osu.edu on November 22, 2014
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