Zhang Yimou's Heroic Artistic Spirit

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Source: Zhihu.

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First of all, I think there are several points that can be used as the basis for objectively evaluating this film.

First, the concept of "martial arts" is subjective. Today, no one really lives in a world of "martial arts", and no dictionary or textbook gives a standard explanation of the meaning of "martial arts". Therefore, people's understanding of Wushu is based on the information created and indirectly constructed by literature, art, film and television, so this concept and viewpoint of "Wushu" is absolutely subjective. A thousand readers have a thousand Hamlets, and a thousand people have a thousand "martial arts" and a thousand "rivers and lakes". Zhang Yimou filmed his imaginary "martial arts" spirit, so it is normal for some people to applaud and others to criticize.

Second, "Martial Arts" is not the world where Zhang Yimou grew up, nor is it the spirit in his bones. Zhang Yimou is a typical Chinese director. His growing environment, aesthetic taste and artistic concept are very traditional. Chinese-style red and green show the grandeur and pride of a large population, vast land and high loess slopes. Therefore, film themes with traditional culture, local environment, inland flavor and realism, such as Red Sorghum, Chrysanthemum Bean, Red Lantern Hanging High, and Story of Autumn Chrysanthemum, are all things that Zhang Yimou seeks for roots. He has a profound understanding and contains feelings, so he has a good grasp of this kind of film and a profound conception, which has been well received. Compared with a director like Tsui Hark, the martial arts world that Hero wants to express is definitely not Zhang Yimou's home or his specialty, so it is understandable that the film is oily.

Thirdly, Hero is Zhang Yimou's ambitious work. Undeniably, Zhang Yimou's film Hero was influenced by Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and he also wanted to shoot a visual spectacle that opened the eyes of westerners. It is best to win an Oscar when he enters Hollywood. After the new millennium, Zhang Yimou won numerous reputations in China with Red Sorghum, Chrysanthemum Bean, Raise the Red Lantern, The Story of Autumn Chrysanthemum, Living, Shake, Shake to My Grandma's Bridge, including My Mom and Dad, and became the leading director in China. Therefore, it is reasonable to expand his ambitions and conquer foreign markets. This mentality that domestic directors want to be recognized by the international market is even more obvious in later Xiaogang Feng. As a box office director who didn't win the prize, Xiaogang Feng himself admitted that the banquet was his ambition to go abroad in an attempt to win the prize. The most interesting thing is that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero and Banquet have some consistent elements, such as the image of Zhang Ziyi and Tan Dun's movie music (these three movie music completed Tan Dun's own "martial arts trilogy"). So on this basis, we should make it clear that the main purpose of Zhang Yimou's film Hero is to show it to foreigners. He chose a theme road that he was not good at, in order to prove his visual art control. As for the result, let's take a closer look.