In anticipation of Jia's new film here are two translated articles, which report of the persistence of his keen humanism and familiar themes of the built environment, haunting and national historiology. Although, changes are afoot...
Original Chinese article at QQ.com (腾讯网). Translation by Mei Ko at 柯鳥, edited by Faster than instant noodles.
From Shuang qiaozhi to Wong nien chan, from Neiu Long Road. to Shungguai Road, Chengdu people called this location as “420 Factory”, which records the memory and cultivates the future of Chengdu city. This space extends its repository of unforgettable city memories and in turn inspires Jia Zhangke in the shooting of his film 24 City. In the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, this film is the sole representative of Chinese cinema to compete for the Palme d'Or Award. Yesterday, Jia Zhangke accepted our request for an exclusive interview, he showed no tiredness even after staying up overnight to finish post-production, and he is still immersed in the excitement of his artistic creation. For the forthcoming May 17th world premiere Cannes, Jia Zhangke maintains his expectations saying, “One factory, one city, one era, and one collective epic for fifty years, we’re ready!"
A conventional yet experimental structure This is a collective epic
In 1955 Jia Zhangke, on behalf of the Beijing Film Academy Youth Experimental Film Group, completed his debut Xiao Shan Going Home, since then Jia has formed his unique film aesthetic. Subsequently, in 24 City he attempts a brand new experimental narratology. Approaching its characters by documentary description, it stylistically resembles Jia’s own favorites in literature: Liezhuan (Memoirs of Assassins) in Shih-ch (Records of the Grand Historian). As the film started, the life stories of leading actresses across three generations intertwining with five narrations of aged factory workers compose a perfect integration of fiction and reality.
According to Jia, he previously spent over a year interviewing more than 100 elderly workers, sorting out thousands of words of interview notes to collate their memories. The elderly workers’ memories are mostly categorized into three women that are, Lv Liping in the 1950s, Joan Chen in the 1970s and a contemporary Zhao Tao. These three characters’ life experiences share highly condensed encapsulations of their eras. “This kind of narration structure is both traditional and experimental, adopting typical environments, typical characters and typical narrative models yet boldly mingles into the memories of five workers. The film of 103 minutes encapsulates one era”.
Jia said, in the original script they previously intended Lv Liping as Zhao Tao’s grandmother; however as the filming went further on, he decided on cutting their relationship in order to represent each individual as independent characters, and to reinforce the grasp of a collective epic.
Lv Liping
Poetess invited as scriptwriter Zhai Yongming mends my deficiencies
24 City marks the first ever co-writing collaboration for Jia, inviting the renowned Chengdu poetess Zhai Yongming as his complement of choice. Jia said, “In terms of female perception and location filming in Chengdu, I particularly appreciated Zhai Yongming to accomplish the localization and feminization of my film. From fictional characters to physical space, I needed her help to mend the gap between imagination and reality, that is, to mend my deficiencies.”
Zhai Yongming is Jia’s favorite poetess and also long time friend. When the premiere of Dong was held in Jia’s hometown, Zhai Yongming made a special trip there showing her loyal support. Jia said, “we work in a very special way; we didn’t write first but instead had a dialogue. In our conversations, we were not talking about the plot but chatting about our feelings toward life. In the end, we completed our script in a joyful and relaxed atmosphere, and it is a sheer pleasure”.
It is reported that the famous Taiwanese musician Lin Qiang is not only in charge of sound track, but also composing the theme song “Where is the future going to”, echoing the movie’s main theme of changing times.
Zhai Yongming
Watching the acting of three legendary actresses I am not a director but a fan
24 City is Jia’s first time to cooperate with numerous professional actors and superstars. Lv Liping plays the female worker in 1950s, who has faith in idealism and self-dedication. Joan Chen plays the “factory beauty” [厂花] across the 1970s to 1980s, who is experienced in relationships and constantly pursues true love. Zhao Tao plays the female worker in a consumer era that holds differing values from that of a dominant patriarchal ideology, differences that ultimately generate misunderstandings and conflicts in the movie.
The three actresses across generations bear distinctive marks of their times, and their coordinating performances with Chen Jianbin overwhelm Jia as well. Jia said, “Maybe you (the audience) would feel they are stars at the beginning; however you will be persuaded otherwise by gradual narrative seduction. This time I don’t feel myself as a director, but a fan. Whenever I watched Lv Liping’s and Joan Chen’s acting from the monitor, I don’t feel myself sitting in the shooting scene, but watching an already-finished film. Apart from this enjoyment, I have so many surprises. Zhao Tao and I have worked together many times before, her previous roles were quite silent, and I required her to manipulate body movement and body language to express the characters; however her role changed this time. What surprised me is how she works and adjusts to this perfectly. There are four climaxes for every individual in the film, whenever I finish shooting those climaxes, those present at the shoot burst into applause. “Whenever I said “Cut!” first come temporary silences but then they are followed by massive applause from a wide group of people from log keepers to stage management. We all feel that we weren’t in a shoot but more like watching a stage play. Their performance delivers an unprecedentedly stage charm for me”.
Jia deliberately highlights the contrast between female figures and factories. Under the rigid and macho industrial environment, the images of three women are rather beautiful and delicate. Jia also hopes that the leading actresses across generations can win the best awards at the Cannes Film Festival.
Joan Chen
Story outline
In the year of 1958, one factory in the Northeast moved toward to southwest. Being the first generation of female workers, Da-li (played by Lv Liping) moves from Shenyang to Chengdu over thousands of miles, distressed by her past. In the year of 1978, Xiao-hwa (Joan Chen), nicknamed as “Standard Parts”, was assigned by Shanghai Aviation School to the factory, is the picture of beauty in eye of every worker. Nana (Zhao Tao) was born in 1982; she sauntered along the fashion city and the old factory.
The stories of the three beauties across generations and life experiences of five narrators compose the history of the state-owned factory. In 2008, the factory moved again to a new industrial region, and the location of the old factory becomes a newly developing building. Bygones become memories, familiar yet alienated. The film combines fictional and real life stories to respectfully consider the lives of ordinary builder workers of those times.
Zhao Tao
From Chengdu to Cannes Jia Zhangke's "A Tale of Two Cities"
Wei Xin Reports.
Chengdu memory
“When I was making this film, I felt myself breathing with Chengdu city, walking harmoniously with the tempo and impulse within the city. After shooting, I felt myself soothed and elated”. Jia cannot help but recall the days living in Chengdu before his departure to the Cannes Film Festival.
Filming 24 City in Chengdu is significant to Jia’s career, his movies proceed from countryside to cities, journey from his “Hometown Trilogy”. From a Still Life to a bigger (The) World. His main characters change from male to female, amateur actors to professionals. Above all, the characters in his movie are altering from edge to mainstream, there is no more misfits like Xiao Wu, instead the worker masses that constituted the era in 24 City. His focus has changed from “recording a changing China” to “seeking lost individual memories”.
Jia Zhangke told our reporters: “This film is not an alteration, but a process that I record change in China as a natural continuation”. Jia said “Actually, we are not adequately equipped in facing our own personal histories because we are used to grand narratives and feel awkward when facing the particularities of private memories. However, during the filming of 24 City, I learned how to use a relaxed attitude to deal with our past. That era deserves our respect, and the film does not mark a “period” to end that era, but to track a collective “on their way” feeling. In the shooting process, the feeling of alienation from the memory of that eras profoundly inspires me, and I deeply wish that I can use this film to convey this warm and transparent sensation”.
Cannes memory
In 1993, while Jia just entered Beijing Film Academy, Chen Kaige's Farewell To My Concubine won the Palme d’Or Award. This is Jia’s very first memory of Cannes, “during that moment, I felt that city is a “Star city”. When it comes to Cannes, I always think of Godard, Truffaut and other active contemporary super directors, I never think that I can even go there.
In 1996, his Xiao Shan Going Home miraculously won the top prize at the Hong Kong Independent Short Film & Video Awards. This award changed the fate of the 26-year-old youth. “For a young man, there are many options at that age. But I found my own route at the moment of receiving the award. Although I won many awards, the very first time is the most impressive and most significant, thus I dedicated that award to my mother.”
Since Xiao Wu at the age of 28, every movie of Jia’s have been invited to Europe’s three main film festival. In 2002, his Unknown Pleasures received Cannes’ Palme d’Or nomination. Last year, he took on the role as jury chairman of Cinéfondation which is dedicated to encouraging new directors. This rare experience brought him a calming and quiet attitude and an unique perspective toward Cannes “For fans, Cannes is full of superstars; for film companies, this is the best film trading market. For me, the city is the pioneer for movies. So to speak, Cannes is very aged, but still has its sharp eye for rooting out the best and most innovative films and directors”.
Bearing others’ expectations to win Palme d’Or Award, Jia himself has a clear view on the subject: “For the Chinese film industry, the Palme d’Or Award is not a panacea. Now we face an even more complicated cultural environment”, Still life “won the Golden Lion Award, and I raised a doubt during the premiere: in the age of worshipping ‘Gold’ ([Zhang Yimou's] Curse of the Golden Flower), who will care about 'Good People' (Still life, Chinese title literally means “Good People of the Three Gorges”). Today my question still stands, I hope 24 City can find me the answer”. Jia also mentioned, after coming back from Cannes, he will start his next film Shuang Xiong Hui, and collaborate with numerous superstars from Hong Kong and Taiwan [ed. Maggie Cheung and Lin Giong]. For him, the theme will be even less familiar and increasingly challenging.
Jia Zhangke
(poster via China Film Journal)
/ / /
From Shuang qiaozhi to Wong nien chan, from Neiu Long Road. to Shungguai Road, Chengdu people called this location as “420 Factory”, which records the memory and cultivates the future of Chengdu city. This space extends its repository of unforgettable city memories and in turn inspires Jia Zhangke in the shooting of his film 24 City. In the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, this film is the sole representative of Chinese cinema to compete for the Palme d'Or Award. Yesterday, Jia Zhangke accepted our request for an exclusive interview, he showed no tiredness even after staying up overnight to finish post-production, and he is still immersed in the excitement of his artistic creation. For the forthcoming May 17th world premiere Cannes, Jia Zhangke maintains his expectations saying, “One factory, one city, one era, and one collective epic for fifty years, we’re ready!"
A conventional yet experimental structure This is a collective epic
In 1955 Jia Zhangke, on behalf of the Beijing Film Academy Youth Experimental Film Group, completed his debut Xiao Shan Going Home, since then Jia has formed his unique film aesthetic. Subsequently, in 24 City he attempts a brand new experimental narratology. Approaching its characters by documentary description, it stylistically resembles Jia’s own favorites in literature: Liezhuan (Memoirs of Assassins) in Shih-ch (Records of the Grand Historian). As the film started, the life stories of leading actresses across three generations intertwining with five narrations of aged factory workers compose a perfect integration of fiction and reality.
According to Jia, he previously spent over a year interviewing more than 100 elderly workers, sorting out thousands of words of interview notes to collate their memories. The elderly workers’ memories are mostly categorized into three women that are, Lv Liping in the 1950s, Joan Chen in the 1970s and a contemporary Zhao Tao. These three characters’ life experiences share highly condensed encapsulations of their eras. “This kind of narration structure is both traditional and experimental, adopting typical environments, typical characters and typical narrative models yet boldly mingles into the memories of five workers. The film of 103 minutes encapsulates one era”.
Jia said, in the original script they previously intended Lv Liping as Zhao Tao’s grandmother; however as the filming went further on, he decided on cutting their relationship in order to represent each individual as independent characters, and to reinforce the grasp of a collective epic.
Lv LipingPoetess invited as scriptwriter Zhai Yongming mends my deficiencies
24 City marks the first ever co-writing collaboration for Jia, inviting the renowned Chengdu poetess Zhai Yongming as his complement of choice. Jia said, “In terms of female perception and location filming in Chengdu, I particularly appreciated Zhai Yongming to accomplish the localization and feminization of my film. From fictional characters to physical space, I needed her help to mend the gap between imagination and reality, that is, to mend my deficiencies.”
Zhai Yongming is Jia’s favorite poetess and also long time friend. When the premiere of Dong was held in Jia’s hometown, Zhai Yongming made a special trip there showing her loyal support. Jia said, “we work in a very special way; we didn’t write first but instead had a dialogue. In our conversations, we were not talking about the plot but chatting about our feelings toward life. In the end, we completed our script in a joyful and relaxed atmosphere, and it is a sheer pleasure”.
It is reported that the famous Taiwanese musician Lin Qiang is not only in charge of sound track, but also composing the theme song “Where is the future going to”, echoing the movie’s main theme of changing times.
Zhai YongmingWatching the acting of three legendary actresses I am not a director but a fan
24 City is Jia’s first time to cooperate with numerous professional actors and superstars. Lv Liping plays the female worker in 1950s, who has faith in idealism and self-dedication. Joan Chen plays the “factory beauty” [厂花] across the 1970s to 1980s, who is experienced in relationships and constantly pursues true love. Zhao Tao plays the female worker in a consumer era that holds differing values from that of a dominant patriarchal ideology, differences that ultimately generate misunderstandings and conflicts in the movie.
The three actresses across generations bear distinctive marks of their times, and their coordinating performances with Chen Jianbin overwhelm Jia as well. Jia said, “Maybe you (the audience) would feel they are stars at the beginning; however you will be persuaded otherwise by gradual narrative seduction. This time I don’t feel myself as a director, but a fan. Whenever I watched Lv Liping’s and Joan Chen’s acting from the monitor, I don’t feel myself sitting in the shooting scene, but watching an already-finished film. Apart from this enjoyment, I have so many surprises. Zhao Tao and I have worked together many times before, her previous roles were quite silent, and I required her to manipulate body movement and body language to express the characters; however her role changed this time. What surprised me is how she works and adjusts to this perfectly. There are four climaxes for every individual in the film, whenever I finish shooting those climaxes, those present at the shoot burst into applause. “Whenever I said “Cut!” first come temporary silences but then they are followed by massive applause from a wide group of people from log keepers to stage management. We all feel that we weren’t in a shoot but more like watching a stage play. Their performance delivers an unprecedentedly stage charm for me”.
Jia deliberately highlights the contrast between female figures and factories. Under the rigid and macho industrial environment, the images of three women are rather beautiful and delicate. Jia also hopes that the leading actresses across generations can win the best awards at the Cannes Film Festival.
Joan ChenStory outline
In the year of 1958, one factory in the Northeast moved toward to southwest. Being the first generation of female workers, Da-li (played by Lv Liping) moves from Shenyang to Chengdu over thousands of miles, distressed by her past. In the year of 1978, Xiao-hwa (Joan Chen), nicknamed as “Standard Parts”, was assigned by Shanghai Aviation School to the factory, is the picture of beauty in eye of every worker. Nana (Zhao Tao) was born in 1982; she sauntered along the fashion city and the old factory.
The stories of the three beauties across generations and life experiences of five narrators compose the history of the state-owned factory. In 2008, the factory moved again to a new industrial region, and the location of the old factory becomes a newly developing building. Bygones become memories, familiar yet alienated. The film combines fictional and real life stories to respectfully consider the lives of ordinary builder workers of those times.
Zhao Tao/ / /
From Chengdu to Cannes Jia Zhangke's "A Tale of Two Cities"
Wei Xin Reports.
Chengdu memory
“When I was making this film, I felt myself breathing with Chengdu city, walking harmoniously with the tempo and impulse within the city. After shooting, I felt myself soothed and elated”. Jia cannot help but recall the days living in Chengdu before his departure to the Cannes Film Festival.
Filming 24 City in Chengdu is significant to Jia’s career, his movies proceed from countryside to cities, journey from his “Hometown Trilogy”. From a Still Life to a bigger (The) World. His main characters change from male to female, amateur actors to professionals. Above all, the characters in his movie are altering from edge to mainstream, there is no more misfits like Xiao Wu, instead the worker masses that constituted the era in 24 City. His focus has changed from “recording a changing China” to “seeking lost individual memories”.
Jia Zhangke told our reporters: “This film is not an alteration, but a process that I record change in China as a natural continuation”. Jia said “Actually, we are not adequately equipped in facing our own personal histories because we are used to grand narratives and feel awkward when facing the particularities of private memories. However, during the filming of 24 City, I learned how to use a relaxed attitude to deal with our past. That era deserves our respect, and the film does not mark a “period” to end that era, but to track a collective “on their way” feeling. In the shooting process, the feeling of alienation from the memory of that eras profoundly inspires me, and I deeply wish that I can use this film to convey this warm and transparent sensation”.
Cannes memory
In 1993, while Jia just entered Beijing Film Academy, Chen Kaige's Farewell To My Concubine won the Palme d’Or Award. This is Jia’s very first memory of Cannes, “during that moment, I felt that city is a “Star city”. When it comes to Cannes, I always think of Godard, Truffaut and other active contemporary super directors, I never think that I can even go there.
In 1996, his Xiao Shan Going Home miraculously won the top prize at the Hong Kong Independent Short Film & Video Awards. This award changed the fate of the 26-year-old youth. “For a young man, there are many options at that age. But I found my own route at the moment of receiving the award. Although I won many awards, the very first time is the most impressive and most significant, thus I dedicated that award to my mother.”
Since Xiao Wu at the age of 28, every movie of Jia’s have been invited to Europe’s three main film festival. In 2002, his Unknown Pleasures received Cannes’ Palme d’Or nomination. Last year, he took on the role as jury chairman of Cinéfondation which is dedicated to encouraging new directors. This rare experience brought him a calming and quiet attitude and an unique perspective toward Cannes “For fans, Cannes is full of superstars; for film companies, this is the best film trading market. For me, the city is the pioneer for movies. So to speak, Cannes is very aged, but still has its sharp eye for rooting out the best and most innovative films and directors”.
Bearing others’ expectations to win Palme d’Or Award, Jia himself has a clear view on the subject: “For the Chinese film industry, the Palme d’Or Award is not a panacea. Now we face an even more complicated cultural environment”, Still life “won the Golden Lion Award, and I raised a doubt during the premiere: in the age of worshipping ‘Gold’ ([Zhang Yimou's] Curse of the Golden Flower), who will care about 'Good People' (Still life, Chinese title literally means “Good People of the Three Gorges”). Today my question still stands, I hope 24 City can find me the answer”. Jia also mentioned, after coming back from Cannes, he will start his next film Shuang Xiong Hui, and collaborate with numerous superstars from Hong Kong and Taiwan [ed. Maggie Cheung and Lin Giong]. For him, the theme will be even less familiar and increasingly challenging.
Jia Zhangke(poster via China Film Journal)
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment