張藝謀《歸來》首次報名金馬獎，暢談中國電影發(fā)展

Zhang Yimou, China's most prolific and internationally acclaimed director, is bringing something new to the country's booming box office with his latest work, 'Coming Home.'

The low-budget period drama, which stars Gong Li and tells the story of a man who reunites with his wife and daughter after years of separation due to the Cultural Revolution, has so far raked in almost 300 million yuan ($48 million), a record for a domestic art-house film.

Previous works by the 62-year-old director-including his 1987 directorial debut 'Red Sorghum,' 'Ju Dou' and 'Raise the Red Lantern'-were influential in shaping the way Westerners looked at old China.

Mr. Zhang also has run afoul of the government. Earlier this year, he was fined $1.2 million for violating China's one-child policy, an event he declined to discuss much.

Days after returning from the Cannes Film Festival, at which 'Coming Home' screened out of competition, Mr. Zhang sat down with China Real Time at his Beijing workshop. He talked about his love for martial arts, the challenge of making art-house films in China and his favorite American TV shows. Edited excerpts:

Why did you choose to produce 'Coming Home' now?

I didn't choose to do it. It happened simply because I got the novel [on which it's based]. China is so hungry for a good screenplay and it's very hard to get a good one. Though getting the novel wasn't planned, making 'Coming Home' happened the way it did because I believe in 'walking with two legs': on the one hand, I make low-budget art-house films like 'Coming Home'; on the other, I will continue to make commercial films like 'Hero' [a 2002 martial arts blockbuster starring Jet Li].

Can the commercial success of 'Coming Home' help revive the local art-house film industry?

Yes. I made this film to test the market. If we fail, we'll just curse a little and forget it, but if it does OK, it will give us confidence. (Watch the trailer on YouTube.)

Why did you decide to make 'Hero'?

I'm actually a big martial arts fan. I started reading martial arts fiction novels during the Cultural Revolution, when they were banned, and I started to practice [martial arts] when I was 17.

So why didn't you start your directorial career with a martial arts film?

When we-the so-called 'fifth generation' of directors-started up, the broader environment was very artistic. So we reflected a lot on history and I put my love for martial arts aside.

Did the success of 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' inspire your martial arts films?

No, I started writing a script for a martial arts film before 'Crouching Tiger.' When 'Crouching Tiger' was released, I actually thought about giving up on the project because I didn't want people to think I was following suit.

Do you want to lead other filmmakers to produce art-house films in China?

I'd like to reverse the trend in this overly commercial environment. People always say the local market needs diversity. I agree that if the market only has commercial films, it isn't healthy. So I made 'Coming Home' in a very uncommercial way.

Your next project is a Hollywood film. Can you tell us more?

It's going to be very challenging for me because it's going to be completely in English. I used to reject this kind of project, but after I made 'The Flowers of War'-which was partially in English-I found the feedback wasn't bad so I changed my mind. But I only take projects that have a China-related story with Chinese elements. Otherwise, I just can't do much with it.

Will the film target local audiences or international audiences?

We'll target global audiences, taking the international market into account, from casting to screenplay. It was very different from 'Coming Home,' and it was the first time I've really thought about the international market.

What will your involvement in this Hollywood project bring to the local market?

Most Chinese directors are like me: We can't speak English. But if I can do a good job, maybe more Western studios will come to look for another 'Li Yimou' or 'Wang Yimou.'

How does working with a Hollywood team differ from working with a local team?

Hollywood people are very professional. Take crew interviews, for example. The candidates are all masters at what they do with perfect resumes. Some of them even flew to us for the interview. I was so surprised. In China, it's very different.

Do you watch American TV series or films?

I watch a lot of them, like '24,' 'Breaking Bad' and 'House of Cards.' I watch all the TV shows that make headlines here, including that Korean TV show, 'My Love From the Star.'

Do you like House of Cards?

Yes. The way Netflix put all the episodes online all together is very interesting.

What's your favorite American TV drama?

The first American drama I liked was Steven Spielberg's 'Band of Brothers.' I watched all the episodes all together.

Do you have a favorite foreign actor?

Once I saw Denzel Washington when I was on a promotional tour for 'House of Flying Daggers.' I asked my translator to help me talk to him.

How do Hollywood films affect the Chinese market?

They're good for the market because these world-class films help improve local audiences' appreciation level. But the bad side is on the taste. [China has] an import quota, and the importers prefer big-budget blockbusters, which makes Chinese audiences picky eaters. I was shocked to find an award-winning art-house film was a total flop in China's theaters.

What do you think is the most urgent problem facing China's film market?

Diversity of taste really matters. If local audiences' tastes aren't diverse, it doesn't matter how hard you try to build things like art-house theaters. A good film should do more than just cater to local audiences; it should also help to shape their tastes.

張藝謀是中國最多產(chǎn)、享譽國際的導演，他的最新作品《歸來》給中國的影院帶來了新的元素。

這部低成本歷史片由鞏俐等主演，講述了一名男子因文化大革命與妻女分離多年后又重聚的故事。迄今為止，電影票房已經(jīng)達到近人民幣3億元，在國產(chǎn)文藝片中創(chuàng)下紀錄高位。

現(xiàn)年62歲的張藝謀之前的導演作品包括：1987年的導演處女作《紅高粱》、《菊豆》、《大紅燈籠高高掛》，這些電影影響了西方人對舊中國的看法。

張藝謀也曾經(jīng)違反政府規(guī)定。今年早些時候，他由于違反中國的獨生子女政策而被罰款120萬美元。他拒絕過多談論這一問題。

《歸來》未能入圍戛納電影節(jié)(Cannes Film Festival)主競賽單元。從戛納電影節(jié)回來幾天后，張藝謀在北京的工作室接受了“中國實時報”(China Real Time)欄目的采訪。他談到了對武術的熱愛，在中國拍攝文藝片的挑戰(zhàn)以及他最喜歡的美國電視節(jié)目。以下是經(jīng)過編輯的訪談內容：

問：現(xiàn)在為什么選擇拍攝《歸來》?

答：我一開始并沒有選想要拍這個，只是碰巧看到了小說。中國特別需要好的電影劇本，但好劇本可遇不可求。盡管拿到這本小說并非計劃之中，但拍《歸 來》是自然而然的事情，因為我相信“兩條腿走路”：一方面拍像《歸來》這樣的低成本文藝片，同時繼續(xù)拍像《英雄》那樣的商業(yè)片。(注：《英雄》是2002 年上映的武俠片，由李連杰主演。)

問：《歸來》在商業(yè)上的成功是否有助于重振國產(chǎn)文藝片市場?

答：是的。我拍這部電影就是為了試探一下市場。如果我們失敗了，罵兩句就算了;但是如果表現(xiàn)還好，就能給我們帶來信心。

問：你當時為什么決定拍《英雄》?

答：實際上我是個武俠迷。文化大革命那會兒我開始看武俠小說，當時屬于禁書，17歲的時候我開始練武。

問：那拍第一部電影的時候為什么不拍武俠片呢?

答：我們這一群“第五代”導演剛剛開始拍片的時候，整個大環(huán)境是文藝片為主。所以我們拍了很多反映歷史的片子，我對武俠的熱愛也放到了一邊。

問：《臥虎藏龍》的成功是否給你拍武俠片帶來了靈感?

答：沒有，在《臥虎藏龍》上映前，我已經(jīng)在寫一部武俠片的劇本。等到《臥虎藏龍》上映，我實際上是想放棄的，因為我不想讓人覺得我在跟風。

問：在拍藝術片方面，你想走在其他導演前頭嗎?

答：我想扭轉電影市場過度商業(yè)化的趨勢。人們總是在說，中國電影市場需要多元化。我同意，如果只有商業(yè)片，市場是不健康的。所以我用完全不考慮商業(yè)的手法拍攝了《歸來》。

問：你的下一部電影是好萊塢電影。能給我們透露更多信息嗎?

答：對我來講，這將是一個很大的挑戰(zhàn)，因為這完全是一部英語電影。過去我拒接這類片子，但是在拍了《金陵十三釵》(部分對白是英語)后，覺得反響還不算太差，所以改變了想法。但是我只接拍有中國元素，與中國有關的電影。不然的話，我實在沒有用武之地。

問：這部電影主要是瞄準國內觀眾還是國際觀眾?

答：我們瞄準的是全球觀眾，從選演員到寫劇本都考慮到了國際市場。這部電影與《歸來》很不一樣，這是我第一次真正把國際市場放在心中。

問：你參與執(zhí)導好萊塢電影對中國電影市場會有什么影響?

答：國內大部分導演和我一樣，不會說英語。但是如果這次我能拍出一部好片子，或許更多的西方電影公司會來中國找“李藝謀”或者“王藝謀”。

問：跟好萊塢的團隊合作與跟本土團隊合作有什么區(qū)別?

答：好萊塢的人都非常專業(yè)。就說工作人員面試吧。候選人都是各自所在領域的大師，有著非常棒的簡歷。一些人甚至乘飛機過來參加面試。我非常吃驚。中國的情況就很不一樣。

問：你看美劇和美國電影嗎?

答：看得很多，比如《24小時》(24)、《絕命毒師》(Breaking Bad)和《紙牌屋》(House of Cards)。國內媒體報道的電視節(jié)目我全都看，包括韓劇《來自星星的你》。

問：你喜歡《紙牌屋》嗎?

答：喜歡。Netflix把整整一季的節(jié)目都放到網(wǎng)上去的做法很有意思。

問：你最喜歡的美劇是什么?

答：我看的第一部美劇是斯皮爾伯格(Steven Spielberg)導演的《兄弟連》(Band of Brothers)。我一次把所有那些集都看完了。

問：你有最喜歡的外國演員嗎?

答：有一次，我在為《十面埋伏》做推廣的時候看到了丹澤爾·華盛頓(Denzel Washington)，我讓我的翻譯幫我跟他說了幾句話。

問：好萊塢電影對中國市場有什么影響?

答：對市場有好處，因為這些世界級電影有助于提高本土觀眾的欣賞水平。但不好的方面在于口味。中國有進口配額，進口單位更喜歡花大錢制作的大片，這讓中國觀眾成了挑剔的食客?？吹揭粋€獲獎文藝片在中國票房慘敗，我感到非常震驚。

問：你認為，中國電影市場面臨的最迫切的問題是什么?

答：多元化的口味真的很重要。如果本土觀眾的口味不夠多元化，不管你花多大力氣打造文藝電影院都沒有用。一部好的電影應該不僅僅是迎合本土觀眾的口味，還要幫助塑造他們的口味。