Jennifer M.

Yoo May 2012 Film & Theater Clashing Swords: The War Between Nationalism and Commercialism in Zhang Yimous Wuxia Films Wuxia, which roughly translates as martial chivalry, is a distinct genre in both Chinese literature and cinema. Typically, the heroes in Chinese wuxia fiction do not serve a lord or wield military power and are often from the lower social classes of ancient Chinese society. Usually they are bound by a code of chivalry that requires them to right wrongs, especially when the helpless or the poor are oppressed and are characterized by a flying fighting style. Along with international successes such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, director Zhang Yimous contributions to the wuxia genre, namely Hero and House of Flying Daggers, have ignited a strong interest worldwide. However, although both films share several similarities in terms of generic elements such as stylistic fighting and movement, Zhang Yimous wuxia films Hero and House of Flying Daggers are very different from each other. This is most likely due to the contrasting objectives regarding each films respective target audience. While Hero projects a clear agenda of nationalism which is seen in not only the political setting but also the cultural richness associated with the warrior characters in the film, House of Flying Daggers aims more toward commercialism and consequently evokes a weaker national sentiment in regards to things such as historical context and overall theme. Despite this, Hero was ultimately the more successful film

both financially and by critics, which it can be argued is due to Zhang Yimous emphasis on nationalism. Aside from the romanticism of the Qin Emperor and the political implications of the crucial phrase tianxia, Zhang Yimou quickly establishes in Hero a connection between highly aestheticized aspects of Chinese culture, such as music and calligraphy, and his warrior characters, the assassins. Throughout the film, traditional Chinese music is utilized in key scenes such as the fight at the calligraphy school, where the sounds of combat make way for musical notes. The association between the warrior and calligraphy is especially apparent, as Nameless shares with the Qin Emperor that the other male assassin, Broken Swords skill as a martial artist is rooted in his calligraphy. While the attack on the calligraphy school is punctuated with traditional music, it is also interwoven with Broken Sword writing Nameless scroll forming a lovely montage scene. At the same time, this particular scene not only illustrates nationalism in the assassins, but also the students of the school itself, exemplified in the Master saying, The Arrows of Qin may be powerfulbut they will never annihilate our words, thereby establishing the cultural strength of words and calligraphy that transcends both the Qin military and political power. In comparison to Hero, which has a strong historical context that is built into the plot of the film, House of Flying Daggers has minimal historical context. Although Zhang Yimou creates a cultural richness through the vibrancy of color in costumes, setting, as well as music in the film, unlike in Hero, the soundtrack lends more of an emotional pulse for the characters rather than a national pathos. This is

especially apparent in scenes such as the bamboo forest fight, which begins with silence; Mei has just left Jin and the lack of any sound shows her isolation from the world but also builds tension as the audience suspects that something is bound to break it soon. The viewer is also compelled to sympathize with Mei, as this abrupt loss of music reflects her emptiness at being separated from Jin. Romance is the plot of the film and love is the justification for the action and violence that occurs, sweeping aside politics. In comparison to the characters found in Hero, the audience is able to relate to the emotional turmoil between Jin, Mei and Leo more than Nameless or Broken Sword. By focusing on the love story, however, House of Flying Daggers seems to neglect the other aspects of the film. In the climax, for example, Zhang Yimou shows soldiers approaching the rebel headquarters, but the outcome of their struggle is never known. Instead the film returns its attention to the lovers tale in the snow. The focus on this romantic aspect makes it seem less like a wuxia film, and more like a medieval romance film with a touch of mystery. Whereas the assassins in Hero strive to serve as agents of history, the characters in House of Flying Daggers operate under personal motivations. There is some romance in Hero, namely the relationship between the two assassins Broken Sword and Flying Snow, but it is not a key focal point in the overall story. Although the action is highly stylized, complete with flying warriors, and the backgrounds of the characters are in keeping with the wuxia tradition in both films, in House of Flying Daggers these wuxia elements seem secondary to the overall story while they are more intrinsic to the plot in Hero.

Even the wuxia stylized fighting speaks more about the characters in Hero than in House of Flying Daggers. Visually, Zhang Yimou makes use of colors in both films to great effect. But in Hero he uses color to not only construct the narrative but to also build a stark contrast between two worlds of the Qin regime and the assassins. This is immediately obvious upon seeing the depth of color lent to their world as opposed to the forbidding and uncompromising black of the Qin. In addition to this, the director presents the Qin to his audience as ruthless, mechanical, precise, robotic and orderly, while the scenes of the assassins, be they imagined or remembered by Nameless and the Qin Emperor, are poetic in movement, vibrant, emotional and wild. And although the Emperor character is depicted and interpreted by critics to be triumphant, throughout the film he is often framed as a diminutive object in his cavernous throne room in comparison to the assassins who fill the screen with wide, flowing, strong movements. Thus the choreography of the action scenes in the wuxia tradition in Hero lend more than just pure visual effect as it does in House of Flying Daggers. Ultimately, Hero was the more successful film with a total worldwide box office gross of nearly $180 million in comparison to approximately $93 million for House of Flying Daggers, despite attempts to make House of Flying Daggers a film that catered to a wider, more international audience. Overall, it is more a showcase of star glamour such as Hong Kong celebrity Andy Lau and Zhang Ziyi from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame, than in Hero. The cast even includes half-Taiwanese, half-Japanese film star Takeshi Kaneshiro, adding racial variety. And although it is

easier to relate to the characters romantic conflict rather than the politically fueled struggle found in Hero, and viewers do not require knowledge of any Chinese history for context, it also commercializes the film. The lack of historical context, for example, de-individualizes the setting; and with the plot being character-centric, the story of House of Flying Daggers could arguably occur in a variety of times or settings. It could even be purely fantastical. The result is that the film, albeit beautiful and exciting, still feels largely unoriginal. But by emphasizing nationalism in Hero, Zhang Yimou gives the film a cultural identity that is undeniably Chinese, thus making it more unique and memorable to viewers.