House+of+Flying+Daggers


 * PART 1: For this assignment, think about some of the thematic and stylistic motifs that you've seen in the four previous films by the director that you've watched. What do you notice in this film that fits in with this director's body of work?**

The House of Flying Daggers is a film made by Zhang Yi Mou when he was beginning to change his style to direct less controversial films. However, there are still thematic and stylistic motifs common to his other films that are also seen in this film. In House of Flying Daggers, there is a strong female lead, Mei, who knows that it is her duty to follow the rules of the Flying Daggers yet begins to find herself resisting and having opposing thoughts, due to her growing love for Jin. This fits into the theme of the consequences of constrained woman, a theme common to Zhang's other films. Mei is constrained by her loyalty to the House of Flying Daggers, but must realize that what she truly needs is a way to be free and loyal to herself. There is also the thematic element of the secrecy and fatal effects of deception as every main character turns out to be different from what is expected of them. Another theme common to his films that is seen again is the conflicts between two men, with one man, Liu, being portrayed as a father figure to Jin. Liu and Jin begin on the same sides, but this changes when Jin falls in love with Mei and Liu turns out to be an undercover agent for the House of Flying Daggers as well as Mei's previous lover. This also leads to another common theme in Zhang Yi Mou's films, which is the effects of the love that can not be due to situational circumstances or an unequal balance of affection. Jin and Mei can not be together because of their loyalties to opposing sides, while Liu and Mei can no longer be together (despite Liu still loving Mei) since Mei falls in love with Jin. This has devastating effects on all of their lives as they all eventually die and are unable to accomplish what the truly want.

There are also numerous stylistic motifs that are seen in the previous films and this film. He always uses numerous long shots to establish the setting, which is often very intricate and colorful. Whether they are in the bamboo forest or in the flower field, Zhang uses these long shots to show the background. Another cinematic element that he consistently uses is close-ups with the character directly in the center. This is used to draw focus to the character during times of importance or high tension, such as when Mei first encounters Jin. Another stylistic motif used are the intricately choreographed scenes, whether they are fight scenes or scenes in which the characters are being entertained by a large group of performers. Within these scenes and the rest of the film, the detailed and beautiful costumes that are suitable for the time era are also seen. Zhang also uses slow-motion within his fight scenes and allots a large amount of time for every fight scene, with each fight scene having a huge variety of shots edited together. Zhang also has the important non-diegetic traditional soundtrack that plays during important parts of the film, such as when Jin and Mei are forced to leave each other.


 * PART 2: What are some of the most iconic director's choices that you've seen in any of the five films you've watched? What directors choices stood out the most to you? These examples don't necessarily need to be repeated in multiple films, but have helped define the director's image. For example, Kubrick might be known for the iconic scene of Danny riding his bike in one continuous steady-cam shot, or the most famous match cut of all time in // 2001: A Space Odyssey // (which we will talk about later). Both of these examples are inherently 'Kubrick' moments, even though they don't have 'echoes' in his other films. **

__ICONIC CHOICE #1: Color as a symbol / mood setter__ One of Zhang Yi Mou's most prominent choices as a director is his emphasis on color within his films. He uses colors for a variety of purposes, including using them to set the mood of the scene or using them as a symbol within his film.
 * Raise the Red Lantern: The different use of colors with Raise the Red Lantern, particularly the color red. Many scenes were tinged with an entire color so that the mood of the scene was emphasized. For example, in a scene where Yan'er's hopes were dying as the red lanterns burned, the entire scene was tinged blue except for the fire burning the lanterns in order to reflect the loneliness and despair she felt at that moment.
 * Judou: Having the family own a dye factory allowed Zhang to incorporate a large amount of colors. This was Zhang's first film, and in this film, he established his preference for vivid oversaturaed colors.
 * Curse of the Golden Flower: Yellow and red were the most prominent colors within this film and allowed the royalty of the Emperor's family to be highlighted. They also served as other symbols throughout the rest of the film, such as the gold being used for the chrysanthemums to symbolize rebellion and the start of something new.
 * Hero: Since the story arc of the story was complex and strayed from the norm, different colors were used to separate the different parts of the film. Every new and important scene had its own color scheme in order to distinguish itself from the others.
 * House of Flying Daggers: The most prominent color of the film is green, which is ironic considering how bloody and not peaceful the film becomes. The colors within the different scenes emphasize the aesthetically pleasing aspects of the film as well as set the mood for the film.

__ICONIC CHOICE #2: Intricately choreographed fight (wuxia) scenes with slow-motion shots__ Zhang Yi Mou is also known for including incredibly choreographed martial art sequences within his films. Within these sequences, there are close-ups on the character's faces as well as their actions during the most important moments of the sequence. This highlights the intensity of the scene and draws attention to minute details that the audience might otherwise miss.
 * Hero: There are numerous scenes in which different characters fight each other as a result of misunderstanding or as a result of a desire to settle a conflict. For example, in the scene where Nameless fights Broken Sword on the river, Zhang Yi Mou chooses to use close-ups on their faces and their weapons, as well as slow-motion. Close-ups of their swords clashing or their swords dipping into the water highlight the skill of the two warriors while easing the tension of the scene. The scene itself is rather long and every single detail of the choreography is planned.
 * Curse of the Golden Flower: In the scene where Prince Jai takes his Chrysanthemum army and rises up against his father's army is completely epic. The huge amount of people all had to learn the choreography for the scenes, and the largeness of the battle pays off.
 * House of Flying Daggers: A huge chunk of this movie consists of pure fight scenes. Whenever Jin and Mei are attacked by the Government's forces, the scenes are long but the martial arts choreography is amazing. A wide variety of shots is used to portray the scene, such as slow-motion close-ups of knives slicing bamboo.

__ICONIC CHOICE #3: Centered close-ups__ It is usually unusual and not recommended to have characters be directly in the middle of the screen, but Zhang Yi Mou tends to always have the characters in the direct center of the scene during scenes of high emotional intensity. This allows the complete focus to be on the character, and exposes the character so the audience can see him/her in a way that they weren't shown before.
 * Raise the Red Lantern: Songlian is often show through close-ups whenever she is at a moment of high emotional intensity or has come to a new realization. She is centered in the shot and almost seems to be looking directly at the camera. This is notable when the film firsts opens to Songlian bitterly talking to her step-mother, who is off-screen.
 * Hero: When Nameless first approaches Qin Shi Huangdi and is made to seem incredibly small yet commanding against the huge room, he is centered directly in the shot.
 * Curse of the Golden Flower: Phoenix, the female lead of the film, often was shown through centered close-ups during her most emotional moments, such as when she shook and sweated as she tried to get ready before the momentous Chrysanthemum festival.
 * House of Flying Daggers: When Jin first sees Mei, she is centered in the scene. This is particularly useful in emphasizing that she blind due to how exposed she is and how everyone seems to be watching her.

__ICONIC CHOICE #4: Long shots and Panoramic Shots for Setting__ There is a considerable amount of details within Zhang Yi Mou's films, particularly in his film's sets. As a result, he uses long shots as well as panoramic shots in order to showcase all of the details of the scenes, which are often important as an ensemble in revealing details about the characters or the upcoming scenes.
 * Raise the Red Lantern: There is an extremely iconic shot in which Songlian is shown sitting her extremely red room. This long shot shows her beginning her new life and journey as the Fourth Wife.
 * Hero: As mentioned previously, the storyline is interesting in that it continuously switches from one place to another due to the storyline coresponding to Nameless's recounting of his tales. Whenever the scenes change, there is a long shot that introduces the new setting.
 * Curse of the Golden Flower: The palace in all its glory is shown through long shots and panoramic shots, which emphasize its massiveness and the power of the Emperor.
 * House of Flying Daggers: Long shots and panoramic shots are used to show the scenery of the film, such as the bamboo forest and the wild flower field.

__ICONIC MOMENT #1: The wall of arrows at the end of //Hero//__

When Nameless is about to leave the palace after finally understanding the significance of the emperor's choices, the emperor's court changes for the emperor to kill him (due to Nameless's status as an assassin.) Although the king is reluctant to kill Nameless, he has to order his execution in order to maintain order as well as his reputation. With that, a countless number of arrows fly towards Nameless. The massive amount of arrows indicate the sheer force with which the emperor will use in order to accomplish something as well as emphasize how identity-less Nameless truly is.

__ICONIC MOMENT #2: The framing of the identical courtyards in //Raise the Red Lantern//__ The different wives of the Master all have different courtyards, but their courtyards are basically shown to be the exact same courtyard, which represents how the wives are identical in their efforts to please the Master and earn the pleasures that are associated with being his favorite. The courtyard also serves as a trap for the wives so that they are not exposed or aware of what is happening outside of the courtyard. This reduces them into less significant people as they are forced to play petty games and compete for the Master's attention.

__ICONIC MOMENT #3: The martial arts scene on the river in //Hero//__ A huge variety of cinematic elements is used within this scene. There are nondiegetic sounds as well as diegetic sound effects that are crucial to the scene, such as the amplified sound effects of the swords dipping into the water. Zhang also uses long shots and panoramic shots to give a full view of the contrasting imagery of peaceful scenery and fighting men who are disturbing the peace. There are close-ups on the frustrated faces of the men as well as important moments during their fight. The delicate choreography of the fighters as they literally fly across the river also emphasizes the skill of the characters and highlights how important it is to them that the emperor is either killed or not killed.

__ICONIC MOMENT #4: The martial arts fight between Jin & Mei and the Government's soldiers in the bamboo forest in //The// //House of Flying Daggers//__ This incredibly aesthetically pleasing scene is often pictured when people think of House of Flying Daggers. When Jin and Mei are in a bamboo forest, they are ambushed by a huge number of the Government's soldiers. They use elements of their environment in their battle, especially the bamboo, thus endangering the pandas in the process. The choreography of the scene is breathtaking as the soldiers fly from bamboo to bamboo and slide down the narrow plants. Jin and Mei fight to the best of their abilities in the dense bamboo forest until the soldiers overpower them and create a bamboo cage for them. However, this results in the first appearance of the House of Flying Dangers, who hurl daggers at the Government's soldiers. Mei and Jin are thus spared, and the true abilities of the House of Flying Daggers are revealed.

__ICONIC MOMENT #5: The midnight festival in //Curse of the Golden Flower//__ After all the events that occurred that evening, including the deaths of Prince Wan and Prince Yu, the failed upheaval by Prince Jai, and the final revolt by the Empress Phoenix, the remaining family members are all seated around a large table, emphasizing the distance between their family. The emperor has finally won and the rest of the family members are incredibly powerless in that moment. Prince Jai kills himself out of deference to his mother, and Phoenix once again has to drink the poison that her husband slips into her medicine. All of the characters, with the exception of the emperor, are at the lowest points of their lives, and the high tension within this scene is felt through the nondiegetic soundtrack as well as mise-en-scene.