From the movie Hero, released China, 2002. One of a number of absolutely beautiful Chinese movies in recent years. Quenton Tarantino secured its US release in 2004.
The characters Nameless, portrayed by Jet Li, & Long Sky, portrayed by Donnie Yen, engage in a sword and spear duel in a Weiqi(Go) court in the rain accompanied by Liu Li on a Guiqin, a chinese seven string zither.
Rather than the wu shu(kung fu) I was seeking the zither playing. The treatment of the elements is beautiful and interesting in the scene. Stone(Earth), rain(Water), strings and weapons(Metal), building elements and instrument(Wood) all physically present and evident. The fifth element, Fire is not physically present. It is implied and contained in the combatants and arguably the music.
The music and the water dripping provide an entrancing counterpoint.
Beautifully crafted cinema.
(091510)
10 Comments
alien_conceptThis movie got so panned, and I could never understand why, it's one of my all-time favourites!
quantumushroomEbert liked it.
Fantomas>> ^alien_concept:
This movie got so panned, and I could never understand why, it's one of my all-time favourites!
It was mainly because of it's none too subtle pro one-China/communist message. But nevertheless it is one of the most visually beautiful films ever produced.
steroidgsays...I find it funny that there's no one mention of Zhang Yi Mou in the tags of this video, him being the director and all
. I guess being in Australia, we didn't need Tarantino's support to get a release.
It's good, but hardly the best of Zhang's movies. I find "To live", "Red Sorghum" and "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles" to be his best works.
chicchoreaI was to write this when Zhang's name came up. As for tags, I chose what I thought would be most familiar.
I am unfamiliar with the two films mentioned and look forward to seeing then. He has done some of the most beautiful films. Curse of the Golden Flower and House of Flying Daggers are stunning.
In deference, the director's name is added. Thank you for the input.
steroidgsays...>> ^chicchorea:
I am unfamiliar with the two films mentioned and look forward to seeing then. He has done some of the most beautiful films. Curse of the Golden Flower and House of Flying Daggers are stunning.
If you were looking for things similar to "Curse of the Golden Flower" in the 3 movies I named, then you'll probably be disappointed as they are very different. To me, Zhang Yi Mou is much better at depicting characters than big fighting scenes (though I think his direction of the Beijing Olympic opening was awesome).
"House of the flying dagger" and "Curse of the golden flower" were just too superficial for my taste. Sure they have pretty pictures and actors, but they lack the essence of humanity that's present in his other movies.
Another one of my favorite movies of his: "No one less" is terribly slow and uneventful from the first glance, but at a certain moment in the movie, the viewer couldn't help but to feel the raw emotional connection with one of the main characters, and I literally couldn't hold back my tears. It's the only moment in the movie that makes you feel that way, and it only last a few seconds... but it's all worthy.
chicchoreaI concur with you assessments of the movies I mentioned and welcome your recommendations with great anticipation. In fact, I intend to search out copies this weekend. Thank you again.
>> ^steroidg:
>> ^chicchorea:
I am unfamiliar with the two films mentioned and look forward to seeing then. He has done some of the most beautiful films. Curse of the Golden Flower and House of Flying Daggers are stunning.
If you were looking for things similar to "Curse of the Golden Flower" in the 3 movies I named, then you'll probably be disappointed as they are very different. To me, Zhang Yi Mou is much better at depicting characters than big fighting scenes (though I think his direction of the Beijing Olympic opening was awesome).
"House of the flying dagger" and "Curse of the golden flower" were just too superficial for my taste. Sure they have pretty pictures and actors, but they lack the essence of humanity that's present in his other movies.
Another one of my favorite movies of his: "No one less" is terribly slow and uneventful from the first glance, but at a certain moment in the movie, the viewer couldn't help but to feel the raw emotional connection with one of the main characters, and I literally couldn't hold back my tears. It's the only moment in the movie that makes you feel that way, and it only last a few seconds... but it's all worthy.
jonny*dead
siftbotThis video has been declared non-functional; embed code must be fixed within 2 days or it will be sent to the dead pool - declared dead by jonny.
chicchorea...embed fixed, 022113.
Discuss...
Enable JavaScript to submit a comment.