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Cultural Review: Viewing Hero

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Cultural Review: Viewing Hero Cultural Review ence, will assiduously avoid any topic or either of these. Its story takes place theme that might offend the values of its against a real historical backdrop (as the 2005 target audience. The theme espoused by director has made a point of emphasizing), Viewing Hero: . 2, Hero is an affront to traditional scholarly but the story itself is fictional. The crux of A Conversation about History, NO thought, as well as to modern human rights the matter is that the attempted assassina- Art and Responsibility mentality; it does not conform to the values tion of the Qin Emperor, which is Hero’s and standards of Chinese or of foreigners. main storyline, does not conform to either BY SHARON HOM AND HU PING If Zhang Yimou failed to consider how emotional or historical reality. Not only is it provocative the theme of Hero would be to not historical, it is actually ahistorical. Sharon Hom: One of China’s “Fifth Genera- the values of others, he was acting in igno- An artistic fiction that counters history tion” filmmakers,1 Zhang Yimou is one of rance. If he knowingly violated these val- typically expresses its creator’s extreme dis- two mainland Chinese directors2 who have ues, this suggests that what he was satisfaction with history, and indicates that RIGHTS FORUM achieved artistic acclaim internationally. producing was not an entertainment film, real events have violated the author’s values His work has been banned, criticized, lion- but a morality play. and standards. When the creator’s dissatis- CHINA ized and debated domestically within Defenders of Hero also say that it is faction with historical reality is so strong that China, most recently following the release merely a commercial film aimed at making he feels that producing a work in confor- 91 of Hero.3 In addition to his international money. This defense can also be asked mance with historical fact or historical sensi- stature, Zhang Yimou has also assumed a right back: “You can make a commercial bilities, even with fictional elements, cannot prominent role in the Chinese film commu- film about almost anything. Why chose fulfill the values he needs to express, he nity.4 Within the context of his entire body Hero? There are many Chinese martial arts feels obliged to depart from historical reality TURES of work to date, and his trajectory as an novels that would make terrific films, and and sensibility to create an ahistorical fic- artist, how are we to evaluate and critically the vast majority would conform entirely to tional work through which his value inclina- view Hero? Who is this “we”? Why and how the values of the mass audience, and tions can be projected. “Revising” history is, are debates about a film or about any work would not contain details so offensive to in effect, using one’s own values to change of art relevant to our work as human rights public sensibilities as those in Hero. The history, and the revised history laid out REGULAR FEA activists? fact that Zhang Yimou chose Hero before us is not history, but the values of the inevitably leads one to suspect that the artist himself. The myth of the assassination director had more in mind than making attempt against the Qin Emperor has been TWO OPENING INTERPRETATIONS: money. The defense might be made that if circulating for more than 2,000 years (from a different story had been chosen, the the Annals of the Warring States to Chen HU PING: AN AHISTORICAL FANTASY authorities would be less tolerant and Kaige’s film The Emperor and the Assassin). would withhold their support and assis- Anyone watches Hero with an understanding Is Hero merely entertainment? tance, and without the support and assis- of the relevant historical facts and a familiar- The film Hero, directed by Zhang Yimou, tance of the authorities, Hero would not be ity with the various depictions of the Qin has attracted censure both inside and out- such an enormous commercial success. If Emperor and his social influence will be side of China. Many people have written that claim is made, it is a tacit confirmation immediately aware of the director’s use of articles criticizing the movie for praising vio- that Zhang Yimou filmed Hero to please the ahistorical fiction in attempting to make the lence and catering to authority. Of course, authorities. past serve the present. there are also those who defend Hero, but what is surprising is that few directly con- On the ahistorical fiction of Hero History must be held in reverence front the criticisms aimed at the film. The historical vision and values espoused History is the religion of the Chinese Instead, they blame Hero’s critics for unrea- by Hero have both been subjected to people. Chinese people lack genuine reli- sonably focusing on the film’s thematic ide- severe criticism. The film’s defenders say gion or a transcendent faith, but they have ology and political inclinations. that the story is fictional, so why should it moral standards and still search for the The film’s defenders make no attempt be taken so literally? meaning of life. What is offered to others to refute criticism of the film’s theme, and That question, too, can be thrown back through religion is offered to Chinese merely respond, “Hero is just an entertain- at the film: It is especially because it is fic- through history. Others rely on religious ment film, why do you keep criticizing its tion that it must be convincingly realistic, teachings; we rely on history. ideology?” otherwise it would betray the director’s cre- Chinese history has at least two special In fact, this question should be turned ative efforts. Generally speaking, there are features: one is an insistence on fact, around and aimed not at critics, but at the three types of historical fiction or historical “Writing the truth, without fear or favor,” the director: “If you’re only producing an enter- films. The first kind, such as Romance of other is its stress on moral judgment, tainment film, why did you choose a script the Three Kingdoms, is a spiced-up version “Offering praise and criticism with in the with a thematic ideology that is bound to of real persons and events. The second context of righteousness.” In China, evil raise such strong feelings of antipathy? It is kind uses fictional characters and events, people do not believe in Hell, so they do not a truism that the average entertainment but conforms to genuine feelings and rea- fear it; what they dread is the judgment of film, in its desire to appeal to a mass audi- son. Hero’s fiction is of a different type than history. For that reason, China’s history has SHARON HOM: The visual beauty of Hero echoes Zhang EMBEDDED SUBVERSION Yimou’s signature use of color palettes to paint his lush cinematic images. Like Red Despite my past interest in the work of Sorghum, Ju Do or Raise the Red Lantern, Zhang Yimou, I was actually not very inter- Hero runs the risk of domesticating the vio- ested in seeing Hero when it was released lence depicted, romanticizing each version in the U.S. But your excellent essay about of the truth, or clothing deadly power with Hero, which first appeared in Beijing awesome beauty. There are the billowing Spring, raised interesting questions for me colors of oceans of silk—deadly red swirls, about the role of art, history, and ethical white swirls wielded by Maggie Cheung—so obligation. Your essay has outlined clearly powerful that she does not even need a the various debates on the film. These sword to stop the rain of steel tipped debates have played out essentially along arrows. There is the last image of the the fault lines of whether it is a Chinese lovers—two white figures, bound in life, apology or defense of fascism or violent bound in death, on a desolate barren plain authoritarianism; whether it is merely of earth. And there is the cavernous hall of Director Zhang Yimou: creative quandary. entertainment, a commercial box office power where the Emperor sits amidst stun- Photo: Reuters movie, beautiful art or a sell-out by Zhang ning columns of green silk filled with dan- Yimou to the Chinese regime. These gerous invisible winds. debates tend to fall into polar arguments The different versions filmed in domi- been obliged to bear the function of moral and positions, taking as their starting point nating tints of red, blue, white and green lit- judgment. the filmmaker’s intent. erally color the truth asserted, signaling the In the post-authoritarian era, rulers have To frame or introduce this exchange on different paths ending in deadly choices. had to use the old methods of weaving and Hero, I want to suggest a few questions and Each time the “story” is retold, or to use constructing their portion of history, while themes about history, interpretation, and political reference, each time the story and at the same time beginning to encourage a the relationship between art and its chal- the characters are rehabilitated, their cynicism toward history, and to the best of lenges for the audience, viewer or reader. “true” natures are flipped, reversed or their ability dissipating the reverence with What is interesting is the possibility of a undermined. But in each version, the char- which Chinese people hold history. Movies subversive reading of Hero, one that may or acters are faced with a choice—a choice such as those released a few years ago may not have been consciously planted in that has momentous consequences.
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