The flowers of War: theme song, highlights & Zhang Yimou's interview

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• published: 28 Dec 2011
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As someone whose life was upended by the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese director Zhang Yimou, 60, has every reason to be wary of politics. His new film, "The Flowers of War," is China's submission for the Academy Award for best foreign-language film and has already picked up a Golden Globe nomination. It deals with one of the most horrific episodes in modern Chinese history: the Nanjing Massacre of December 1937. "The Flowers of War," which stars Christian Bale as an American drifter, was itself thrust into a political controversy after Bale, in China for the film's premiere, was roughed up by plainclothes security officials when he tried to visit a human rights activist. Initial reviews of the film have been mostly negative, but last month, before the controversy, Zhang was in the United States to talk about the movie. He discussed the challenges and process of writing and filming in China with a multinational and multilingual cast. Here are edited excerpts: Q. The Nanjing Massacre has been the subject of numerous books, feature films and documentaries, and is widely taught in Chinese schools. What made you want to address it again? A. I have seen so many television programs and documentary films about the Nanjing massacre, and every single project is so depressing. It's all been very similar to me, so as a director that's a challenge. I became interested: how would you make a movie a different way, under a different light? Q. The closing credits of the film make clear that you obtained official cooperation in the making of "The Flowers of War." Was that difficult, given the fact that so many of your characters are outsiders-- prostitutes, Catholic convent girls, Westerners-- and your treatment of the subject diverges from the Communist Party's line? A. Actually, because all of the locations are owned by the government, you have to have their approval in order to have access. So any Chinese movie will have this kind of support from the government. It is necessary, and there are regulations. The most difficult part is after the movie is made, when you have to get the approval of the government, through censorship. That is more difficult, but it's a procedure you just have to go through. The Chinese government is changing, it's actually less and less strict. But still, it's at a very slow pace and in the end, I had to make some adjustments in terms of editing for this film to get it approved. Q. With many film directors, it takes two or even three years to make a movie. But you make a movie almost every year. How do you manage to be so productive? A. This is based on my lifestyle. First of all, I love to make movies. I don't love doing anything else; on a personal level, I don't have any hobbies or distractions of my own. So I devote 100 percent of my time to filmmaking. Q. What are your personal experiences of the Cultural Revolution? A. I was really just a farmer, like everyone else, feeding the livestock, tilling the land, plowing the fields. It was a very difficult time. All I can remember is that I never felt I had a full stomach. I was always hungry. Q. Are the Oscars important to Chinese audiences and filmmakers? A. For the ordinary folk in China, this is the biggest award, and so the expectation is there. They really want the movie to win. But for me, it's already a big deal that it could even go into the Oscar as a selected film and potentially be nominated. Source: The New York Times theme song http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v;=5mLaKrGHfg0&NR;=1 summing up http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR;=1&v;=aWlIgtk9Ivo highlights 1-7 1"The Flowers of War" Highlights 1 - Longshot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nptv-xDHHbI 2"The Flowers of War"Highlights2 - Last Man Stands http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_cChn0bcOY&feature;=related 3"The Flowers of War"Highlights 3 - Big Bang http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjQjUCwxAfE&feature;=related 4"The Flowers of War" Highlights 4 - Church Top http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HQMgmZydgs&feature;=related 5"The Flowers of War" Highlights 5 - Getaway http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cKeiLTGl00&feature;=related 6"The Flowers of War" Highlights 6 - Broken Colour http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJPQTX6rMHg&feature;=related 7"The Flowers of War" Highlights 7 - Dream or Real " http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzLt7fzsf2g&feature;=related