Interview with
The Great Wallâs
Zhang Yimou
Interview by Riley Shen
Translation by Winnie Chen and Elisabeth Messing
Visionary filmmaker Zhang Yimou sat down with us to talk about his upcoming film, The Great Wall. The director of Hero, House of Flying Daggers, and the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics goes in depth about his experience making his first Hollywood film. See what he had to say below and stay tuned for more updates on The Great Wall before it opens domestically on February 17.
Q: The Great Wall of China has transcended its status as a structural landmark and has become a symbol and point of pride for Chinese culture. What was it like to create a film centered around the iconic structure?
ZY: The Great Wall has come to be an emblem of the Chinese spirit. We sing about the Great Wall in the Chinese national anthem, and when it comes to the story of the Tao Tei (the filmâs monstrous horde based on ancient Chinese folklore), it represents this same cultural spirit in the film. The script began in development about 7 years ago and was an idea I found interesting. Legendary has made many monster films about creatures of all kinds, yet this idea of fighting these monsters on the Great Wall is quite bold. Because of the vivid and innovative imagination, I was attracted to this idea.
In addition to being a symbol of the Chinese spirit, the Great Wall also brings with it a certain energy. This essence becomes the soul of the story itself. The action and battles are not a pointless exercise of meaningless fighting â they are given purpose. They directly contribute to the raison dâetre of the Great Wall â which is to keep the monsters from prevailing over mankind. I think this brings more robust meaning to the whole story.
Q: As a pioneer of modern Chinese cinema, what was it like to work with a large Hollywood studio crew for the first time and what did you learn from this collaboration of East and West?
ZY: In Hollywood, blockbusters like this always have loads and loads of crew members who I think are incredibly good at their craft. They are the very best Iâve seen. Many of these people are focused on their individual crafts, like the cameramen are career cameramen. Itâs difficult work, but they create such beautiful art â itâs very amazing. In Mandarin, we call this the âcraftsman spiritâ â very precise, very brilliant, focusing on one thing consistently for a lifetime. This is the foundation among all professions. Only with this kind of mentality can one make a good film. Otherwise people are just talkers and donât actually get anything done. Filmmaking is a craft that the individual cannot do alone; itâs a big team effort. Even a tiny independent production has at least twenty people â itâs still a team effort. Of course one person could not take on this kind of work on his own. This is where Hollywood crews really excel â their skill levels are extremely high. When we look at the Chinese film industry, it is currently developing rapidly and we should continue to nurture our own elite talent in our industry.
Q: Some of the hallmarks of your films are beautifully choreographed action and intricate set pieces. How did you apply them to The Great Wall?
ZY: The Great Wall is a magical fantasy film with a lean towards realism. No matter how interesting the weapon design is or how interesting the way they fight with each other is, these things are based on scientific principles. The imagination of the story, however, comes through the color, cinematic language, and production design of the picture. One watches camera technique, cinematic visuals, and color, and all these things are deeply rooted in Chinese culture. To give an example, we use five colors to represent the military â we call them the âFive Armiesâ for which each have their own purpose. Their uniforms are different, the symbols on their armor are different, the colors of their armor are also different, and so on and so forth. This is not something I came up with, this is actually ancient Chinese culture. In ancient Chinese culture, we say, âblack is divided into five colorsâ. You see, we use black ink to draw, but there are actually five colors within - there are different layers and colors that lie within the black ink. I look to traditional Chinese culture and draw cultural nourishment to enrich the film. Once you have inherited a culture, you must pass it on to the future. This is how one forges a personal, individual style. This personal style can never be divorced from oneâs roots.
Zhang Yimouâs The Great Wall stars Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, and Jing Tian and opens in China on December 16 soon to be followed by the rest of the world, including a North American release on February 17. Be sure to check back to Backstory for all the latest coverage before release.
Find out more about The Great Wall on Legendaryâs main website.
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