| Subject: The Real Heroes (The Star, Section Two - 3 Oct 2003) Malaysia |
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彫塭
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Date Posted: 20:01:05 10/06/03 Mon
China's acclaimed director He Ping talks to MICHAEL CHEANG about his biggest and most ambitious film, [Warriors of Heaven and Earth], which explores the hero theme with realism.
For all the wonder and fantasy in recent Chinese epics such as [Hero] and [Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon] (CTHD), these films seemed to lack realism, focusing instead on themes and concepts that were more artistic than believable. However, acclaimed director He Ping's latest epic, [Warriors of Heaven and Earth], differs from the two movies in that a shot of realism and authenticity is injected into its proceedings, delivering a more believable historical Chinese epic.
Talking to He Ping during the movie premiere in Beijing recently, one begins to understand just how far [Warriors] differs from [Hero] and [CTHD]. Most well-known for his critically acclaimed works such as [Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker], [Swordsman in Double Flag Town] and [Sun Valley], He Ping also pioneered a whole new genre known as the "Chinese Western". Nevertheless, [Warriors] is still by far the director's biggest and most ambitious project.
Set in the Tang Dynasty, [Warriors] weaves a heroic tale of battle, honour and comradeship. It focuses on two "heroes", played by Chinese actor Jiang Wen and Japanese actor Nakai Kiichi. Jiang plays Lieutenant Li, a defected soldier and fugitive, whose only crime was refusing to obey orders to murder a group of innocent women and children.
Kiichi plays Lai Xi, a Japanese warrior loyal to the emperor, who is given the task to bring Li in, dead or alive. At the same time, there is a caravan of camels transporting a sacred Buddhist relic that is sought after by a band of bandits led by the sinister Master An (Wang Xueqi). One thing leads to another and Li and Lai Xi end up working together to protect the caravan against the bandits. The movie also stars Chinese actress Vicki Zhao Wei, and features music by Oscar-nominated Indian composer, A.R. Rahman.
The concept of heroes
Although the movie is about heroes, He Ping said that the concept of a "hero" in the movie is different from other films. "The movie's (Chinese) tagline says it all - 'Time and circumstances create heroes'. No one is born a hero and no one becomes a hero on purpose.
"Those that go around wanting to be heroes almost never become one. It is only when circumstances force them into it that they have to become heroes. For example, a man may be peace-loving, but when fate requires him to fight for a cause or to fight to the death for the sake of others, then he has no choice but to accept fate.
"Also, a hero does not just think about himself, but about others as well.
"Another thing I would like to emphasise is that during the Tang dynasty, a verbal agreement was a matter of honour. One had to stay true to what one has said or promised. In the past, Chinese culture was such that people would be willing to face death just to fulfil a promise, which is what some of the characters in the movie go through."
Because the film deals with the theme of "heores", [Warriors] has been compared to last year's Zhang Yimou-directed [Hero]. Nevertheless, He Ping is unfazed by the comparisons. "I think comparisons are inevitable. Every filmmaker hopes to make the better film, and I tried to do just that. Whether it is better than other films, it is up to the audience to determine for themselves. Personally, I would rather compare this film with my previous works, not with other people's work, to see whether I have made progress."
Realistic portrayal
All the same, unlike [Hero], which has a more artistic take on Chinese martial arts and war, [Warrior] has a more realistic feel to it. Thus, instead of graceful, ballet-like martial arts duels with gravity defying matial arts moves, we get brutal and cold-blooded battles where each encounter is a survival of the fittest. The characters are ordinary men and women bonded by circumstances that require them to become heroes.
"Previous films that tried to show Chinese historical wars and battles were never filmed well because the filmmakers never understood what exactly is war," He Ping lamented. "These days, the young generation tends to think of Chinese historical wars and battles as those shown in fantasy-based martial arts stories. I want the youth to understand that the real wars of the past were a lot more violent, where there is a very fine line between life and death."
Many of [Warrior]'s fight scenes had the actors fighting on horsebacks, which He Ping said were very difficult to shoot. "Filming those scenes was difficult because it was not just the actors we had to concentrate on, but also the well-being of the horses, in addition to the other aspects of the shoot. All things considered, I am glad there had been no accidents."
What makes the film unique is that none of the actors involved were action stars. [Warriors] features actors who are better known for their serious acting roles than action flicks, such as Jiang ([Red Sorghum] and [Green Tea]), Kiichi (also known as the 'Chow Yun-Fat of Japan'), and Wang Xueqi ([In The Heat of the Sun] and [Sun Valley])
He Ping said: "In this film, I didn't use any action stars because I preferred actors who can act rather than just good at fighting or doing stunts. International actors such as Harrison Ford rely on their ability to act more than anything else. They can act in action films as well as in dramas or artistic films. So why can't Asian actors be like that? We tend to think that once an actor acts in an action film, it means he will only be good for action films."
Trainin the actors
Since the actors were not "action stars", they had to undergo vigorous training to prepare for the action scenes. "We were preparing for the film 90 days before the actual shooting. The actors were trained in horse-riding as well as the proper action manoeuvres. They also had to work on their fitness because the action scenes require them to have adequate fitness and stamina."
Furthermore, because the main theme of the story is about a band of close friends, the chemistry and coordination between the actors had to be perfect. We had to build rapport and understanding among the actors to make the relationship believable."
Remarkably, before the cameras roll, the actors hardly knew one another. However, on the set they were all living together, eating meals together, which helped build a very close relationship. Even though they were not involved in shooting the scenes, they were still on set observing the proceedings. For example, Wang was on the set for 45 days before he began shooting his first scene, while Zhao was there for 11 days before her first shoot.
[Warriors] has been selected to represent China in the Best Foreign Film category at next year's Academy Awards. When asked which aspect of the film he felt would warrant the award, he said: "I feel the film succeeds because it focuses on a theme that everyone can relate to and understand. Although the characters have different backgrounds, they face all the obstacles together and sacrifice for a common cause.
"Ultimately, [Warriors] is not a movie about heroes, but about dreams and ideals, as well as hope."
--[Warriors of Heaven and Earth] opens in local cinemas on Oct 9.
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