Page 31 - Fujifilm Exposure_29 Trial & Retribution_ok

“All film is an encounter, whether it’s with the money that you need to make the film, or with the aesthetics that develop as the film is being made, or with the physicality of the actors involved.”
or with the aesthetics that develop as the film is being made, or with the physicality of the actors involved.
“For example, most of Hero was shot at an altitude of 3000 metres, which means that you’re breathing heavily just by doing a simple task. So all those things inform the film as much as so-called aesthetic questions.”
Pressed to pick a favourite sequence amongst the many stunning set pieces in Hero, Doyle thinks for a moment. This is after all a film which marshals thousands of extras, con-
trasting epic scale with intimate reflec- tion, the story of an itinerant warrior who wins the trust of a tyrannical king only to reveal himself as an assassin.
Events are recounted, differently by the assassin and the king, which allows for a beautiful colour palette in each ver- sion, while the balletic martial artistry of Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung and Ziyi Zhang is further enhanced by Crouching Tiger style stunts.
“The forest sequence is quite spec- tacular,” Doyle adds, with some under- statement as he refers to a battle
fought out against an autumnal bliz- zard of leaves.
“I’m proud that we all survived it. But nothing in particular stands out, I think even we were shocked that it all worked out as it did. There are times when it’s obviously not real but the integrity of the image and the conceit of the idea are strong enough to carry you through any hesitation.
“I mean how can you make a film in black & white? That’s not real in most peoples’ perception, but if you make it well enough, if the first 20 sec-
onds is concrete enough, it establishes its own reality. That, for me, is the pleasure of cinema.” ■ ANWAR BRETT
Hero, now on general release, was partially originated on 35mm Fujicolor Motion Picture Negative; 2046, scheduled for early next year, was originated on 35mm Fujicolor F-250D 8552 Motion Picture Negative
Photo main and above right: Scenes from Zhang Yimou’s Hero starring Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung and Ziyi Zhang Above l-r: Scenes from Wong Kar-wai’s 2046
Fuji Motion Picture And Professional Video • Exposure • 29