Zhang Yimou - The Greatest Chinese Director #3 Quiz

Answer: Beijing New Picture Co.

Zhang Weiping, Zhang Yimou's long-time collaborator, founded the Beijing New Picture Co. in 1997. According to Zhang Weiping, this company was launched simply for making Zhang Yimou movies. Zhang Weiping, as the executive producer, financed and promoted all Zhang Yimou's movies from 1997 to 2011. His commerical orientation influnced Zhang Yimou a lot.

Answer: The then minister of culture, Huang Zhen helped him, at the request of one of his friends.

Zhang's entering the Academy was very unusual. In 1978, on a business trip to Beijing, he showed his photography to the Academy and it was spoken highly of. But his age (27 years) far surpassed the age limit (22 years) of the freshman admission. So with the help of a friend, he sent his works to Huang Zhen, the Minister of Culture and asked for help. Huang considered him to be a talented man and recommended him to the Academy strongly.

In this way he was accepted by the Academy. But Zhang suffered much pressure during his college years because of this unusual admission.

While in the sophomore year, some students protested to the administration about Zhang's backdoor admission. He nearly dropped out of school a few times while he was in college.

Answer: the movie "Blood Simple" (1984) by Coen Brothers

In 1987, while Zhang attended the Berlin Film Festival, he saw "Blood Simple" by Coen Brothers. He was attracted by it very much. So, in 2009, he bought the copyright and remade the film, placing the setting in Western China. The movie revolved around an adulterous affair in a tavern.

The host hired an assasin to do away with his unfailthful wife and the shop assistant but finally he himself ended up shot by the always silent assasin. After killing the shop assistant and a few others, the assasin was also killed by the hostess, in an act of despearation.

The movie featured a few Chinese comic elements.

Answer: The Great Conqueror's Concubine (1994)

Few people know Zhang Yimou once worked as a producer. In 1994, he produced "The Great Conqueror's Concubine", partly because of his special relationship with the actress Gong Li. But unlike other Chinese producers, he was not responsible for financing and promoting the film.

He was only planning the overall artistic style of the film. So generally speaking, he was also a director of this film.

Answer: photographer in a factory

Zhang was very good at photography even before being admitted to the Academy of Film, when it re-opened in 1978, as the Cultural Revolution was ending. He was a photographer for seven years in Xianyang No. 8 State Cotton Fabrics Factory. His works impressed people around and some professionals. I did see some of his earlier photographs. Even without good equipment, he still did a good job.

Answer: a classic Chinese drama

The film "Curse of the Golden Flower" was based on "Thunderstorm", a modern Chinese drama by Cao Yu. The original was set in a feudal family in China in the 1920s, but Zhang changed the setting to the imperial court in ancient China. The rich colour and magnificent palace of this film impressed me much. The king deserted his wife but kept their son and then married a princess from a neighbouring kingdom, who was made the queen later.

But the queen committed incest with the king's eldest son, which was absolutely a disgrace to the kingdom.

After learning the queen had been continuously poisoned by the king, the second prince, the queen's own son, rebelled at last on Double Ninth Day.

Answer: Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

Zhang Yimou was a member of CPPCC (Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) for many years. Though it was generally a rubber-stamp organization, he did present some bills there. He never attended the Chinese National Congress.

Answer: The Road Home (1999)

"The Road Home" is my personal favorite. I think it's Zhang's best film by now. It tells a love story between a village girl and a city youth. The village girl fell in love with a young teacher from the city. She made various meals to please him. She wove beautiful fabrics to decorate his classroom.

A red hairpin became their love token. But unexpectedly the teacher was condemned as a rightist and taken back city. The girl, in spite of her illness, decided to go hundreds of miles alone to the city but she fainted on the way.

The teacher went back secretly to see her but was taken back before the dawn. A few years later, they got together at last and lived on happily henceafter.

Answer: The First Emperor

This opera was based on a movie "The Emperor's Shadow" (1995), which was made in China. But personally I don't like the plot very much.
The first emperor forced his boyhood musician friend to compose an anthem for the new empire but he refused. His paralysed, beautiful daughter fell in love with the musician and after making love to him, miraculously stood up. Later she committed suicide since the emperor compelled her to marry a general's son. Finally at the inauguration, the musician revenged the princess, by attacking the emperor but he failed and was killed.

Answer: Nanjing Massacre

"The Flowers of War", an epic war film by Zhang in 2011, was based on a novel by Yan Geling. It told a story from 1937, when Nanjing was occupied by Japanese troops. After the fall of Nanjing, only a Catholic church remained unoccupied. Some girl students of a church school, a few prostitutes from the Qinghuai river, several Chinese soldiers and an American named John (played by Christian Bale) took refuge there.

In order to protect those girl students, the soldiers sacrificed their lives. When Japanese forced the girl students to make a show during their celebration, those prostitutes decided to attend the celebration in place of the students.