Yimou Zhang: A Director Between Art and Commerce

Yimou Zhang is a very famous Chinese director. In 2008, he direct the Chinese Olympics opening ceremony and gain significant success.

When he was a just graduate student, he direct a film named "Red Sorghum". "Red Sorghum" is the first feature film direct by him. But it looks very mature and allegorical. "Red Sorghum" gain Golden Bear Award of Berlin Film Festival that year, it's also the first time Chinese director gain international film award.

After that, about 1988, Yimou Zhang began to do some creative work in feature film, Asian people even world loved his film, every Chinese thought he is a genius.

Yimou Zhang haven't think about commerce element in his film until 1996. Before 1996, Zhang's film always very high quality but can not drawed large audiences.

At 1997, he meet a man name Weiping Zhang. This man's surname also is Zhang, Chinese people prefer to call them "Two Zhang". Yimou Zhang can not find investors for his film. Though Weiping Zhang did not know how to make a movie, he still ready to help Yimou Zhang.

They make a film, "Keep Cool". They have a success at the box office.

Audiences find that they began want to watch Yimou Zhang's movie in the cinema, but they didn't really like it.

Why? Why audience didn't like Zhang's movie, they still want to watch it?

I find an interesting thing. Weiping Zhang prefer to choose some classic screenplay which everybody know, and he will find several famous actors to act.

Audience adored these famous actors, and they also want to watch how Yimou Zhang shoot these famous screenplay. However, in the end, they realize they don't like it...

In the next two articles, I will analysis and compare two movies which directed by Zhang, and adapt form two famous screenplays.