This was part of a larger project last year where we had to make a website on a particular movie. We chose to do Hero - so we had to make up a 20 page website dedicated to just that. It was actually quite challenging...
Western and Asian Cinema has both been two separate entities for almost a hundred years now, even though they are both basically taking aspects of each others' styles and ideas. While Hollywood cinema has dominated the worldwide market for most of the time, Asian cinema has recently made a surge forward in reaching the global market, with films such as Hero.
Knowing the differences between both Western and Asian cinema and also having knowledge of Chinese culture and values is useful in viewing the film Hero. Hero is a film which can be viewed in a number of different way s - from a Western and Asian perspective. Things such as stereotypes of both cultures in both types of films, and the political and cultural values in both cinema styles highlight the contrast between the two different types of cinema.
The cinematic experience of both the Western and Asian cinema today contains certain dramatic differences in how they are presented, along with the aesthetics of the different styles. While Western cinema dominates most of the world’s movie theatres, particularly American films, Asian cinema has gradually become more influential, especially to their western counterparts. The different film styles used by both film industries show the emergence of new cinematic forces in the world other than America, and highlight the growing support and strength of the Asian film industry. Remakes of many popular Asian films by Hollywood is a testament to this, and show the growing amount of influence Asian cinema is having on the classic Hollywood cinema style.
In a world which is often dominated by western culture and films from the west, recent remakes of Asian films by the west has shown an increased bridging of styles between the two. Hero - a film that was made in China is an example of the popular style which Asian cinemas use – breathtaking landscapes and visuals paired with stunning yet unrealistic fight scenes, which is really an art form in itself. Similarities in style in Hero can be compared to films such as another Asian film, House of Flying Daggers, which also contains visual landscapes and lush colours. Asian films, particularly in China use clever camerawork and symbolic metaphors and artwork to build the film. Many Chinese films also don’t provide a realistic view of the world at all, but at the same time provides a story with seemingly real people. Instead of extensive editing of the film and tricks/stunts, Chinese films rather focus on the use of the camera – making full use of the static, medium and long shots. While in the past, the movie industry in China has been used as a vehicle for propaganda and political messages, even at present the movie industry in China is determined by China’s culture.
It is clear that Asian and western cinema are two totally different styles, but today in a world which is saturated by Hollywood culture, Asian cinema is beginning to influence the powerhouse of cinema, with Hollywood’s borrowing of some of the styles most Asian films use.
“…The recurrent images in film and TV reflect the mass culture that…neither the film nor the television industry has dared to move too far away from..,” (Miller, page 3)
shows how American cinema has not changed much in the past 50 years or more. Hollywood has been increasingly revenue driven since the mid 20th century after the economic slump after World War 2. Today, Hollywood basically represents American culture through films – and this has a global appeal worldwide. While Hollywood is considered a commercial enterprise rather than a national cinema, other cinema industries from various parts of the world are gaining more prominence, including the Chinese film industry.
Classic Hollywood cinema is usually generic in its style, and contains the same basic principles that haven’t changed much in years. This includes similarities in filmic space, audio, and camera shots to produce films with the same style. Today there are mainly 3 types of movies – blockbusters aimed at becoming a franchise, mainstream movies featuring A class stars, and budget independent films. Compared to Western cinema, which thrive on clichés and generic cinematic styles, original Asian cinema provides a much broader and stylized film than the west, and focuses much more on the scenery, landscape, and detail rather than the attention on the person’s face, as is often in western films. In Hero for example, the long shot is used extensively as part of the cinematic style to make the film, whereas in most Hollywood films, the long shot is rarely used. Instead, a close up shot is usually used – detailing a person’s head or actions. Remakes of Asian films is a good example of how Hollywood ‘westernizes’ a film to show to a western audience.
In this sense, most styles are created to suit a particular target audience. In Hero, the target audience is centered mainly in Asia, and it is primarily the Asian film style which plays a major role in how the story is told. The contrasting styles in both Western and Asian cinema are important in defining the story in Hero, as well as shaping the characters towards the audience. It is essentially the film style, and the way the characters are portrayed in the film that tell the story as it is, without the stereotypes of Asians as is seen in western films.