Time- Posted December 12, 2005 at 09:57 PM Report Posted December 12, 2005 at 09:57 PM Hi all. I've seen Hero, the film starring Jet Li. I was impressed by the scenography. There were many parts connected with different colours. Does these colours have got a particular meaning? I know that in Chinese culture the red colour is often used in happy situations, but in the movie it seemed linked to jealousy, war and death... Many thanks in advance. Ciao T Quote
skylee Posted December 12, 2005 at 11:50 PM Report Posted December 12, 2005 at 11:50 PM Previous threads on this film -> Color in Hero Zhang Yimou and over stylised films - Hero, House of Flying Hero good or bad? Quote
semantic nuance Posted December 13, 2005 at 02:04 AM Report Posted December 13, 2005 at 02:04 AM Red color can be a symbol to revenge onself on someone s/he hates by dressing the red outfit to commite suicide, meaning that s/he will not get away with the one s/he hates to her/his guts even after s/he becomes a horrendous ghost. Quote
Time- Posted December 13, 2005 at 07:26 AM Author Report Posted December 13, 2005 at 07:26 AM Many thanks, Semantic Nuance. Considering your name, I suppose that you're very fond of colours... I had a look to the discussions in previous thread, Skylee, but I couldn't find a real explanation of the symbolic meaning of the colours. I saw a lot of people didn't like the film. What a surprise! And what a pity! I suppose it was misunderstood. It was perfectly thought and perfectly realized. Sorry, I couldn't read the article on New York Times because I'm not registered (and I'm not going to...) Ciao. Quote
semantic nuance Posted December 13, 2005 at 09:01 AM Report Posted December 13, 2005 at 09:01 AM eh? why? I don't get it! Quote
Time- Posted December 13, 2005 at 09:16 AM Author Report Posted December 13, 2005 at 09:16 AM Well, nuance is a French word meaning shade, and it is generally related to colours... Quote
laolee Posted December 13, 2005 at 06:23 PM Report Posted December 13, 2005 at 06:23 PM Here's one interpretation: - Zhang Yimou has split the movie into four chapters. Each chapter is symbolized by a specific color. It starts with red, then moves to blue and green before concluding with the Chinese color for mourning -- white. In the film, red represents the narrow-mindedness of different positions, blue shows approval of plans, green represents turmoil and white symoblizes arrival to the same conclusion through different paths. - The color scheme is present in the characters as well. Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk's character is transformed from a beauty in red at the beginning of the film to a grieving woman in white by the end. Dressed in her red costume, Cheung is as beautiful as she was when she played the lover of Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing's Poisonous West in ASHES OF TIME. from: http://www.hkentreview.com/2002/features/hero.html Quote
Time- Posted December 13, 2005 at 06:39 PM Author Report Posted December 13, 2005 at 06:39 PM Many thanks, Laolee. Just what I was looking for! T Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and select your username and password later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.