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Ziyi as Princess Bu-yong |
Musa (Wushi in Chinese, meaning Warrior) has officially
premiered on China. Korean male leads Jung Woo-sung and Ju Jin-mo flew over
to do promotion in Beijing and Shanghai: two cities which have already
released Musa (dates 1-04-02 and 1-05-02 respectively). But it wasn't
until 1-10-02 that the movie has been in general release in 8 major Chinese
areas, which includes Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong Province. The date 1-10-02 is
also supposedly when Hero showings will be scaled back, however, several
Chinese theatre owners may be hesistant to do so.
In its own right, Musa has already been a record breaker. Taking 5 years to
make and 7 billion Korean dollars (equivalent to $5.5 million, U.S.), it is
by far the most expensive production in Korea. It made records on its
opening weekend and was declared a qualified success at the Korean box
office (reportedly #3 in the year 2001). The film contains, of course, Zhang
Ziyi -- who was contacted about a role in this movie before the success of
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. In the following article by Jinyang News, Ziyi shares some insights into Korean movies and her character of
Princess Buyong. This interview was conducted by phone, as Ziyi is currently
in Hong Kong shooting 2046.
Sina.com Link: 章子怡谈韩片《武士》：我演得不过瘾 (Source:
Jinyang News Website)
In Ziyi's words, Musa is a typical Korean movie, especially capturing the
spirit of the Korean warrior. The scenes of violence are very gory and
undiscriminating, which is in stark contrast to the style of Ziyi's other
movie, Hero. The difference may be attributed to cultural backgrounds, as
Ziyi remarked that Chinese films take great lengths to avoid the sight of
blood. This is one interesting aspect of the release of Musa in China, and
Ziyi hopes that Chinese youths don't get the wrong impression from the
overbearing violence.
As for the role of Princess Buyong, this was an interesting departure for
Ziyi. Ziyi basically affirms that Princess Buyong is a different character
than Yu Jiaolong (Jen Yu) in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (and not just in fighting
ability, too). While Jiaolong didn't exhibit any change from the start to
finish, Buyong only knew about the high life of the palace. She didn't how
to live, and furthermore, how people were really like. It is through her
experiences does she finally change her outlook.
Contrary to one may think, the hardest scenes to film were not those in the
Ningxia desert. Ziyi states that the time they spent in Liao Ning Xin Cheng
were the most trying (Liao Ning Xin Cheng being the location of the decisive
seashore battle). Because they arrived in that city in the end of Decemeber,
a deathly chill was brought in by the Northwest China winter. Shooting
conditions were also quite poor, thus making it quite hard to film and even
to sleep. The only source of heat seemed to be from making bonfires. During
at least one instance, crew members would sleep by the fire and burn parts
of their costumes.
Ziyi also seems to quite interested in Korean films, instigated in part to a
visit to the Venice Film Festival. She's especially surprised with how broad
Korean films are and cites My Sassy Girl as an example
(translated into Chinese as Wo de Yeman Nuyou, literally
"My Barbaric Girlfriend"). Ziyi remarks that Chinese cinema should
be a little more bold, perhaps having more daring youths in films.
Related Links, Coverage by Sina.com:
Thanks to puubs
for the news update.
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