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2004 News Archive
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Entertainment Weekly has named their 12 Entertainers of the Year, and Ziyi Zhang is on the list at #12. The article is a bit empty, but there is a nice picture and it's good publicity for Z.
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Five major critics have put House of Flying Daggers at #1 on their top ten lists for 2004: Richard Corliss (Time), Peter Keough (Time), Charles Taylor (Salon), Nick Schager (Slant), and Jamie Bernard (NY Post).
12/28/04
New Gallery: Wallpapers
Since Wangerlai has made so many beautful wallpapers, I wanted to make a new gallery featuring them. Some samples:
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12/28/04
Ziyi Zhang News 12/22
Asience has released their fifth "Asian Beauty" commercial starring Ziyi Zhang. As always, it's theme is promoting strength and confidence among Asian women of all nationalities. You can download it below.
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Here are the previous four, if you haven't seen them. Each is a 1.5 MB swf flash file, they take a few seconds to load.
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House of Flying Daggers has recieved three nominations from the London Film Critics circle, for Film of the Year, Foreign Film of the Year, and Director of the Year. Richard Roeper named it "Most Beautiful Movie of the Year" and put it at #5 on his year's top ten list.
More Cuts in House of Flying Daggers (Spoilers)
Bangkok Bobby noticed two more cuts in the US release of House of Flying Daggers. The first is when Jin finds Mei in the field after she has been hit with the dagger. In the US release, Leo attacks him immediately from behind. But in the original version, Jin holds Mei in his arms and she whispers to him "Look behind you." and then Leo strikes. It's about a 30 second cut. The second change is after Mei throws the dagger. When the camera comes back to her, there should be blood gushing out of her wound, but in the US release the blood was removed. These cuts were not made in the French or Canadian releases, according to Delphine and MonkeyPeaches respectively.
Here are videos of both missing scenes and a picture of the missing blood.
Missing Scene #1 - During the fight in the field of wild flowers, Jin slits the throat of a government soldier. |
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Missing Scene #2 - This is when Jin finds Mei in the field, after she has been hit with the dagger. Jin holds her in his arms and she whispers to him "Look behind you", then Leo strikes. It's about a 30 second deletion. |
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| Missing Blood - When the camera comes back to Mei after she has thrown the dagger, blood is streaming from her wound. Click on the thumbnail for a larger picture. |
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Thanks to MonkeyPeaches for bringing this to the attention of a wider audience.
12/21/04
Ziyi Zhang News 12/19
There are some fan reviews of House of Flying Daggers in this forum thread, feel free to add your own. I noticed one violent scene was cut out, it's when Jin slits the throat of a government soldier while fighting in the field. I made a video (4 MB) of it so you can see what was missing.
Fiziyi finds us these lovely pictures
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Delphine has translated an interview Ziyi Zhang gave in Cannes for Purple Butterfly, watch the video with translation on this page.
Thanks to Philip of Digital Monster Island for sending in this article that appeared in USA Weekend magazine.
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12/19/04
House of Flying Daggers Expanded Release
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House of Flying Daggers opens in 100 more theaters today. It has continued to win awards, including three from the Boston Film Critics circle for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director, and Best Cinematography. The Washington Post today has one of the most flattering reviews yet, critic Stephen Hunter loves Ziyi Zhang:
You can find showtimes at Yahoo Movies, or see a complete list of theaters. |
12/17/04
Ziyi Zhang News 12/17
New forum member Wangerlai has made 24 beautiful new wallpapers, here are a few of my favs.
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There is a new on the set report for Memoirs of a Geisha detailing the filming of the Sumo wrestling scene. Ziyi has also been busy giving interviews and there are two for us today. She is in the Times of London for the third time in as many months, the most interesting quote is here where she rips the Hong Kong press
Ziyi Zhang: “My life is my life. Things I feel like sharing, I will share, but the rest I can keep personal. If they ask personal questions and I keep a cold front, and don’t tell them anything, the next day they will say, ‘She is so arrogant’, or ‘bitchy’, or whatever. Then maybe I think, next time I will try to be nice. So, the next time I am friendly, and they say, ‘She had this silly smile.’ You just can’t win. Either way, they are going to make up their stories. Another thing is that, in Hong Kong, they are very snobbish. Hong Kong people often have this derogatory view of mainlanders: ‘How can you be an international movie star? You are only from China.’ For them, China is like the countryside.”
She is on the cover of NOW Toronto and the associated story begins:
In the future, we will worship Zhang Ziyi. As Western industries brace for the onslaught of Chinese capital, so Western pop culture must bow to the face of Chinese stardom. Right now that face is the shape of a clean, rounded V, with two dark discs for eyes and a ferocious lower lip....
The fact is, Zhang Ziyi has no American peer. She's brilliant at the wire-fu gymnastics of her big international hits but equally at home in lush, arty dramas like Wong Kar Wai's upcoming 2046. Right now she's shooting the adaptation of Arthur Golden's Memoirs Of A Geisha. It's director Rob Marshall's follow-up to Chicago, and a project Steven Spielberg nurtured for years. Zhang admits she finds it "very difficult" playing the lead role in English, with a Japanese accent.
Such is the price of ruling the planet. But Zhang Ziyi appears to put diligence ahead of star perks.
Finally, a bunch of news sites including Variety and Comingsoon are still reporting that Z will be in My Wife is a Gangster 3. This is just a rumor and NOT confirmed.
12/17/04
Ziyi Zhang News 12/14
[Correction] According to a news report in the Korea Times, Ziyi Zhang has been cast in a major role for My Wife is a Gangster 3, latest sequel in the popular Korean action-comedy series. While the Korea Times is a reputable newspaper, I have heard this report is NOT TRUE and any involvement with the project is still only a rumor. Unfotunately, this would not be the first time a production company leaks rumors about casting a high profile star simply to bring more attention to their project.
In real news, this would be a darn nice city to live in
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12/14/04
Ziyi Zhang News 12/13
First up, lets thank Shadow for getting these stunning, high-quality versions of the pictures from the recent interview with the Orange County Register.
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Ziyi Zhang is the spokesperson for Cotton Harbor Towers, an upscale Japanese residential complex. They have made a few nice promotional pictures with her, as well as a flash commercial (2 MB).
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I recently added a list of all her promotional work to the biography page, with links to related pictures, commercials, and websites. Go check it out.
12/13/04
House of Flying Daggers News
House of Flying Daggers was named Best Foreign Film by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association this weekend. It also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Ziyi Zhang's new film will be opening in about hundred more theaters on December 17th, they are listed here. The Hollywood Reporter says that distributor Sony Pictures Classics has its eyes on the Oscars:
"We're pushing everything for 'House of Flying Daggers,' from best picture to director and actress," SPC co-president Michael Barker says. "We think Zhang Ziyi has been athletic before, but in this performance she's really in a major dramatic role -- and she's really fantastic."
Chinese news service Xinhua reports that Ziyi has been invited to attend the Oscars, and she will also be attending the Golden Globe Awards on February 15th. This has forced a delay in the Chinese release of Jasmine Women, which is now planned for release on March 1st, 2005. There's an Oscar-related discussion thread in the forum.
12/13/04
Ziyi Zhang News 12/10
A couple of good interviews have come out in the past few days. The first is from the Orange County Register: Taking a Stab at Stardom
Sitting in a booth in a fashionable Beverly Hills restaurant, giddy from a combination of excitement and lack of sleep, Ziyi Zhang can barely contain her enthusiasm.
It's been four months since she's seen her family, but she has been way too busy to think about being homesick. When she's not working up to 15 hours a day in her first starring role in an American film Memoirs of a Geisha, directed by Chicago's Rob Marshall and scheduled for a Christmas 2005 release), or promoting her new Chinese film (House of Flying Daggers now opening in theaters), she's tooling around L.A. in her new Lexus, with the sounds of Usher and Eminem blaring from the CD player
"I'm so tired. I haven't had a day off in weeks. But I'm having so much fun...I love the freedom I have in America," Ziyi Zhang says with the gush of a new arrival. "I love the freedom to walk around and not be recognized.
"I never dreamed of working in Hollywood movies because Hollywood seemed so far away," she added. "But now that I'm here, I like it, and I want to stay."
Next up is IGN with their Zhang Ziyi Interview
"I'm not as prolific as some other Chinese actors," Zhang Ziyi says. "I wait a lot longer for a role and go through a huge amount of screenplays to really find the right role. But once I find one and take a role, I put everything into it a hundred percent because that's all I have. When I'm on that role, that's really all that exists. The whole world is that part, is that role, when I'm doing it."
"What's most important is finding good strong roles that I can really devote myself to and pour all of my creative energy into."
"The main point for me is to make good quality films that resonate with audiences and touch people and kind of win them over. That's really all about the films and not about whether you're in Hollywood or not."
12/10/04
Ziyi Zhang Pictures 12/08
A few scans I made from Giant, Interview, and Arena magazines. Here is the article from Interview Magazine: page1, page 2.
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Here is an excerpt from Time Magazine's review of House of Flying Daggers:
The cast list is like a convocation of the Three Chinas: Taiwan's Kaneshiro, Hong Kong's Lau and the mainland's Zhang Ziyi. All are terrific, but the lady shines brightest. Fierce in a battle with eight soldiers, coquettish as she bathes before the enrapt Jin, Zhang Ziyi is charisma incarnate. She is already nearing American stardom, playing the lead in Memoirs of a Geisha. You can bet she will reveal a new kind of star quality, even as the dazzling Daggers shows Hollywood how to make an action film with depth and pizazz.
12/08/04
Ziyi Zhang's First Video Interview in English
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Today was supposed to Purple Butterfly day (see below), but then this great 5 minute interview with Ziyi comes along. It was actually filmed a few months ago. The questions are mostly about House of Flying Daggers, and her answers, except for the first one, are all in English :)
Ziyi Zhang Interview - 21 Mb wmv
Update: Some pictures from her Thanksgiving dinner.
11/26/04
Ziyi Zhang in Princess Raccoon
Princess Raccoon will be the English title of the Japanese film Operetta Tanuki Goten, a comic musical love-story that Ziyi Zhang made earlier this year. She plays a raccoon spirit princess who falls in love with a human prince played by Jo Odagiri. The film will be released in Japan in May of 2005. A trailer has just been released for it, which you can download here. There are more pictures on the Tanuki Goten page. Thanks to Hiro of Ziyifan.com for the new pics.
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12/08/04
Memoirs of a Geisha Photos
The first pictures of the actors in costume come from Blackfilm.com, which also has an interview with Ziyi Zhang about House of Flying Daggers. The first picture shows Ziyi Zhang with Ken Watanabe as the Chairman, and the third is Gong Li as Hatsumomo with a young girl playing either little Chiyo or Pumpkin. For more information about the movie, see our Memoirs of a Geisha page.
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12/03/04
Article: "Glamour Lives, in Chinese Films"
The New York Times has another good article on Chinese film titled "Glamour Lives, in Chinese Films." This continues their exploration of sexuality in Chinese film, following up on the earlier artcle "Steamy Times Come to Chinese Films." It focuses mostly on the films Zhang Yimou and Wong Kar Wai, but discusses several others as well. I am happy to see this appreciation of Chinese film in the mainstream media. It's my belief that Chinese directors strive towards pure beauty in a way that Western directors no longer do, and that Chinese cinema's glamour and powerfully subtle sexuality are natural byproducts of this. An excerpt from the new piece:
Once upon a time in Hollywood, the stars shone with a radiant glamour; in Chinese film they still do. In movies from Beijing to Hong Kong, actresses like Zhang Ziyi and actors like Tony Leung Chiu-wai fill the screen with heart-skipping beauty and charm. In May at the Cannes Film Festival, audiences swooned for Wong Kar-wai's romantic drama "2046" and Zhang Yimou's latest swordsman epic, "House of Flying Daggers." Although they couldn't be more different in story, sensibility and visual pleasures, what the films share in addition to Ms. Ziyi Zhang is an extraordinary glamour born from the tension between release and repression....In Mr. Wong's films, especially those set in the 1960's, glamour exalts the characters; it's what makes their everyday reality transcendent. Yet while glamour is a construction for these filmmakers, it's also sincere; there's nothing ironic about the downcast eyes and yearning mouths they immortalize.
12/04/04
House of Flying Daggers Released
Ziyi Zhang's next martial arts movie, House of Flying Daggers, was released today in exactly 16 theatres in New York and Los Angeles. A wider release is planned for December 17th. From IMDb are showtimes for New York and showtimes for LA For more information about the movie, see our House of Flying Daggers page.
12/03/04
Purple Butterfly on DVD and more release dates
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The Purple Butterfly DVD will be available on February 15, and it is already listed at Amazon. A few more week-long theatre showings have been arranged:
Friday, January 07 - Seattle, WA - Grand Illusion
Friday, February 18 - Portland, OR - Clinton Street Theater
Mid-February - Chicago, IL - Gene Siskel Film Center
There is also a larger size scan of the Purple Butterfly poster, click the image at right.
12/03/04
Ziyi Zhang News 11/29/04
A couple of news articles today. The New York Daily News has a good article about Ziyi Zhang and director Zhang Yimou, The Minx and the Master. Some quotes:
Zhang Yimou: "The more developed society becomes and the more industrialized it becomes, the more people long for these types of characters... Amid the social pressures that we are living under, there is less and less freedom and more and more rules to abide by. We increasingly crave that carefree world that is represented by these martial arts heroes."
Zhang Ziyi: "In China, a lot of fans are girls. For me, that is quite a surprise," she says. "All of the guys will come to you and say, 'Oh, you're sexy, you're pretty.' But actually, when we walk on the red carpet, it is really all girls screaming.
"I think every girl has a dream to be somebody," she continues. "And girls dream that they can do the same thing that I did onscreen."
The New York Times has an article on sexuality in Chinese film, Steamy Times Come to Chinese Films. It uses House of Flying Daggers as an example of changing, more liberated attitudes towards sexuality in a still conservative country.
Early in Zhang Yimou's "House of Flying Daggers," the hero, Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro), unsheathes a sword to slice the buttons off a showgirl's robe. This scandalizes onlookers despite the setting - a brothel. Later, the drunken Jin pulls the dancer to the ground, flips her over and tears her dress.
The scene is tame by Western standards; not much is revealed beyond shoulders and prettily disheveled hair. Still, Jin's display of lust is an expression of a significant, if subtle change that is starting to brew in Chinese film: "Daggers," which is being released on Dec. 3 by Sony Pictures Classics, may be the first large-scale mainland Chinese movie to assert a frank, liberated approach to sex. And the Chinese government had no objections.
Finally, Japanese fan Pickle made a video of Max Illusion Night, where cosmetics company Asience projected Ziyi Zhang's image onto the side of a hotel. He put the video up on his messageboard, so go there for the link.
Purple Butterfly Released - Clips and Reviews
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Purple Butterfly, the 1930's historical drama in whch Ziyi Zhang plays a woman who must seduce and betray a former lover who works for Japanese intelligence, opens today in New York City. If you live in or near New York you can find showtimes listed here, it will be playing Cinema Village on 22 East 12th Street all week. It was reviewed in the New York Times, and they also have a brief video review. An excerpt:
Ms. Ziyi Zhang, having proved herself as a glorious action heroine, most recently in Zhang Yimou's "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers," now steps gracefully into a new genre, evoking the hard, enigmatic elegance of a 1940's screen heroine..."Purple Butterfly" unfolds, in a series of rapid cuts and gorgeous compositions, at the intersection of politics and romance.
While short, it is the best review I've read so far, even though he he confuses Cynthia with Yiling when he says she is a switchboard operator.
There is also an old review from Variety, and I wrote my own short review when I made my fansub of the film several months ago, along with an Introduction/Trailer (11 MB). And of course you should see my Purple Butterfly page for more. Today I made three more clips from the film, so that those of you have haven't seen it can get a feel for what sort of film it is.
Purple Butterfly Clips Shootout - 9 MB avi "Someone leaked the plans" - 10 MB avi "I'll do anything you want" - 10 MB avi |
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Ziyi Zhang in Arena Magazine
I scanned these from the November issue of Arena, a UK men's magazine. I like the first and last pictures especially.
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11/24/04
Ziyi Zhang News 11/24
Two new trailers are out today. A full length US trailer for House of Flying Daggers has finally been released by Sony, and the first English subtitled trailer for 2046 is out now as well. You will notice in the HoFD trailer she is billed as Ziyi Zhang, and that is also how she will be known in Memoirs of a Geisha. So we need to get used to it :) In China she will still be Zhang Ziyi. This is all because Chinese names differ from Western names in that the family name (Zhang) comes first before the personal name (Ziyi.) When Chinese come to the west, they usually reverse their names to match the western convention, as Z has done.
Asience has updated their website with a look back at "Illusion Night", when the Japanese company celebrated it's birthday by projecting giant images of their spokeswoman Ziyi Zhang onto the side of the Yokohama Grand Hotel. It features a couple of videos and some new pictures of the event. Finally, the Hero DVD will be released in the US on November 30th. I have a Hong Kong version of the Director's Cut and it's one of the best looking DVD's I've ever owned, hopefully Miramax's will be just as nice. Thanks to Mocha and Shadow..
| HoFD US Trailer - 15 MB mov | 2046 English Trailer - 6 MB mov | Asience - "Illusion Night" Retrospect |
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11/24/04
Ziyi Zhang News 11/23
An article on Sina (Chinese) describes the troubles Ziyi has been having with the blue contact lenses she is wearing for her role in Memoirs of a Geisha. The blue eyes of her character, Sayuri, are an essential part of the story, so these contacts are unfortunately necessary. Jane posted a summary translation of the article on IMDB:
Ziyi Zhang had never worn contacts before. Now her eyes have been having severe irritations due to wearing contacts for filming. First day after 12 hours of shooting, her eyes were so dry that they almost couldn't remove the contacts from her eyes. Recently her agent rushed her to the emergence one night because her eyes were red/swollen and having severe itchiness. The eye drops doctor gave to her didn't help much. She said sometimes her eyes were so itchy that she wanted to bang her head on the wall!
Also on the news front, Ziyi has asked permission to leave the set of Memoirs to attend the Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan, where she has been nominated Best Leading Actress for her role in 2046. This is the second such nomination for her, the first being for her role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The awards will be held on December 4th. Finally, a survey of young people in Beijing names Ziyi Zhang the most famous Chinese actor or actress.
11/23/04
Purple Butterfly and Jasmine Women
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Release information on both films. Purple Butterfly will begin it's official US release this Friday, the 26th, with a screening in New York City at Cinema Village. Based on the running time of 127 min, I believe it is unedited and even includes the love scene censored from the Chinese release, which was 122 min. Kudos to Palm for upholding Lou Ye's artistic vision and allowing American audiences to see this excellent film as it was meant to be. There is still no date for screenings in Chicago or LA. Thanks to Palm for this official poster. My Purple Butterfly page has a good deal of information on the film, and I will be posting more about it later this week.
Jasmine Women will be released in China on February 9, 2005, which happens to be Ziyi Zhang's 26th birthday. According to this article at Sina (Chinese), Ziyi will be done filming Memoirs of a Geisha by late January and will be back in China in time to promote the film. I would guess that might even be the reason why they are delaying it's release for so long, they want to have Ziyi available to do promotional work.
11/23/04
Ziyi Zhang Pictures 11/20
Thanks to fiziyi and entropy for these. If you missed the new gallery, Favorites 3, go see it.
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11/20/04
Zhang Ziyi News 11/16
First, here's a behind the scenes video of Ziyi from the making of 2046. She was also in the New York Times Magazine on Sunday, the picture is below. It looks like she has grown her hair long for her role in Memoirs of a Geisha. Modern geisha usually wear wigs, but it seems Z is going to do the elaborate hairstyles the hard way :)
Update 11/19 : Siven has given us a translation of the video in the forums. In the first scene, she is berating the man for having another girlfriend. The director's voice over is talking about how she learned the 60's style dancing. Ziyi's says the tight dresses and high heels made it difficult for her to practice. She ends by saying she is excited to see how the movie will turn out, and that she had fun making it.
Z Behind the Scenes - 12 MB avi |
Picture from the New York Times |
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Thanks to Mocha for the NYT picture.
11/16/04
Zhang Ziyi News 11/13
Sony's first official House of Flying Daggers poster was released today. Also below are some nice older pictures.
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Here's a World Movie Magazine interview with HoFD director Zhang Yimou. A quote regarding Z:
This is your third film with Ziyi Zhang. Do you consider her a muse?
She is very talented actress with a huge potential, and she has progressed so much. When I first worked with her on The Road Home she needed a lot of coaching in her performance and that could be very time-consuming. But in a very short time, she has transformed herself from someone who could do only simple emotions to someone who can express complex feelings, and play very complex characters. Her chief characteristic is that she’s a perfectionist. I remember when we were making Hero, she watched Maggie Cheung very intently, and she has clearly learned lessons from the more experienced actress. She is so forceful now and puts in so much effort. You can feel the force in her acting now and it’s such a very pleasant surprise. She is what makes House of Flying Daggers, the whole film is about her. She represents the younger generation of Chinese people who will give up everything for love.
And finally another set report from Memoirs of a Geisha. There's more at Dark Horizons.
November 9: About eighty extras were assembled on the Gion district set on the main plaza; each extra was specifically costumed in period Japanese kimonos or western-style 1920s suits by costume designer Colleen Atwood. The cobblestone streets were sprayed with water and ice was added to the trees so that the set shimmered for the 'wintry' look that Rob Marshall and cinematographer Dion Beebe wanted for the scene. Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh appeared on set late-morning for the market place scene.
Yeoh was costumed in a grey-blue kimono and Zhang was in a powder-pink and sky-blue kimono with an extravagant green obi. Zhang's hair was in the 'split-peach' style appropriate to apprentice geishas and Yeoh's hair was in a more relaxed simple knot to indicate that she is the higher-status geisha. Zhang wore blue-grey contact lenses as her character Sayuri possessed very distinct grey eyes as described in Arthur Golden's novel....
11/13/04
Interview: Zhang Ziyi's "First Times" Revealed
Another interview has been added to the articles page. It is old, from 2001, but it is one of the best she has done and discusses her early life in more detail than anything since.
The Secrets of Zhang Ziyi's "First Times" Revealed.
First scene in a movie ...
"It was in 'The Road Home', in that scene I was entering the house running, pushing the door open all excited. I did not know what I was doing, I knew next to nothing, the director said I needed to do such and such, so I tried to imagine how it is to be happy and excited, however, my face was all frozen up because I was just too nervous. That scene was "No Good" 35 times! The director ended up not using that scene at the end; hence, there is no way for you all to see my first scene."
11/12/04
New Zhang Ziyi Picture Gallery
There is a new picture gallery up. It's one the best. Some samples
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11/10/04
Pictures from the AFI Festival
Zhang Ziyi's next big movie, House of Flying Daggers, was screened Saturday night for the AFI Festival in Hollywood, and Z was in da house ;) Pictures right here. A couple thumbnails are below.
For more information about the movie, including trailers, video clips, and wallpapers, see the House of Flying Daggers page.
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Zhang Ziyi Nominated Best Leading Actress for 2046
Zhang Ziyi has been nominated Best Leading Actress for her role in 2046 at the 2004 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. The Golden Horse is Taiwan's equivalent to the Oscar. Earlier this year, Ziyi won the Golden Rooster award for Jasmine Women, which is mainland China's equivalent to the Oscar. The biography page has a list of all the awards Ziyi has received in her career.
2046 garnered 8 nominations total: Best Feature Film, Best Leading Actress, Best Leading Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Make-Up and Costume Design, Best Original Film Score, and Best Sound Effect. MonkeyPeaches has the complete list.
11/03/04
Memoirs of a Geisha Report and Jasmine Women Review
A report from the set of Memoirs of a Geisha. There's more at the excellent Michelle Yeoh Web Theatre site:
The set itself is stunning -- on a farm in Thousand Oaks (about an hour outside of Los Angeles), on a secluded patch of dirt, they have constructed downtown Kyoto from the 1920s-1930s period. The set is sort of crescent-shaped and a river runs through the main road. Two bridges cross the river. Authentic storefronts, temples, lanterns, and vintage advertisements line the strees. Real cobblestones streets were constructed which are hosed down with water for every scene to give them a glistening "rainy" look. Small alleyways lead out from the main courtyard and a number of buildings have working interiors where scenes have been shot... Every bit of detail was painstakingly recreated down to the dirt between the cobblestones to the moss on the river to the straw on the rooftops. Lots of smoke is used to give the set a hazy, slightly 'film noir' look for the night scenes.
A night scene was shot with Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh riding in a carriage. It began at the edge of a bridge and continued down the street past a number of extras who were assorted Kyoto residents enjoying a night out with many businessmen and women dressed like geishas milling around. A steadicam followed the rear of the carriage as Zhang and Yeoh performed the scene. Both actresses looked stunning in their kimonos and geisha makeup.
And here is another positive review of Jasmine Women, from Variety. An excerpt:
A multi-generational tearjerker of the first order, "Jasmine Women" is an impressive showcase for Mainland-born actresses Zhang Ziyi and Joan Chen, in multiple roles as daughters and mothers across three generations... As the three rebellious daughters, Zhang Ziyi has the showier roles and more than proves (especially after "2046" and "House of Flying Daggers") that she's a young actress of considerable range who's only just beginning to hit her stride.
11/03/04
Zhang Ziyi News 10/30
Zhang Ziyi is the spokeswoman for Asience, a Japanese maker of beauty products. For the company's birthday, they are projecting Z's image onto the side of the Yokohama Grand Intercontinental Hotel. The company 's homepage has a nice flash animation, and Japanese fan Pickel posted these pictures on his messageboard.
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Earlier I posted an interview in Elle, now we have a scan of the picture that accompanies it. The other picture is from Vogue, this time in a better scan.
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Finally, since Ziyi is currently filming Memoirs of a Geisha, some of you might be interested in learning more about geisha. Here you can find a wonderful 18 minute video about a modern day Kyoto geisha named Sakurako.
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Also, there is an excellent geisha faq over at Immortal Geisha, and here is a geisha slideshow them from the BBC. Thanks to Pickel, Shadow, and Margaret.
10/30/04
Another Times (UK) Article
For the second time this month, The Times has an article about Zhang Ziyi:
Some of the strains of making House of Flying Daggers, however, are clearer to her now from the cosiness of her trailer on a big-budget Hollywood movie. None of the actors had trailers on Daggers, for instance, and they all had to work every day for five months, with no weekends. “Here you have weekends off. It’s so easy!” she says. “And here, everyone says, ‘You are wonderful, you’re great ’. I’m not used to it. Chinese directors don’t praise, they only smack. It’s our culture.
“I waited for five months before Zhang Yimou said ‘good job’. And just that one piece of praise made me cry. That’s why I work so hard every day, just for that.”
And some nice photos from fiziyi:
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10/28/04
Zhang Ziyi Update - 10/27
This month's Vogue has an article on fashion trends in China titled "Dressed to Shanghai", and it naturally begins with an interview with Zhang Ziyi: page 1 - page 2 - page 3 - page 4
Below is a scan from Vogue, and another from Elle
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Jasmine Women had it's American premiere in Hawaii a couple days ago, AICN had a reporter there:
I next saw the U.S. Premiere of Jasmine Women with Zhang Ziyi and Joan Chen. Jasmine Women is a melodrama that takes place in Shanghai over the course of several succeeding generations centering on mothers and daughters played by Chen and Ziyi respectively. Man these ladies are gorgeous! Especially Zhang Ziyi who is shot in close ups with such loving care by DP Yao Xiao Feng.
Jasmine Women is a nice directorial debut for Cinematographer Hou Yong. Ziyi and Chen support this film admirably with respective performances and actor/director Jiang Wen does a fine turn here as Movie Mogul Mr Meng. Certainly, a good-looking feature with fine production values.
Thanks to Margaret, and to Dscans for the Elle cover.
10/27/04
Welcome Celebrity Site of the Day Visitors - 10/26
Zhang Ziyi is China's most famous and talented actress, you have seen her in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Rush Hour 2, and Hero. She has dazzled audiences with her martial arts grace, powerful acting, and stunning beauty. Her next movie will be the greatest martial arts film yet, House of Flying Daggers. Visit that link for lots of pictures and video clips from the movie. But Ziyi is not just an action star, she has won praise for her performance in the ravishing film 2046, and she recently won China's most prestigious acting award for her role in Jasmine Women. She's currently filming Memoirs of a Geisha, where she was chosen for the lead role by Steven Spielberg, who is the movie's executive producer. This will hopefully prove to be the breakthrough role that will make her as famous in the US as she is in Asia. For information on all her movies, check out the filmography.
In addition to being an actress, she is also the highest paid fashion model in China and basically the most beautiful woman on earth (imho), so be sure to see the pictures, especially the favorites gallery. You will not regret it.
We have a large collection of Ziyi video clips, head over there for highlights from her movies, commercials, and TV appearances. Make sure you see her kickass Visa commercial "Dining Out" if you haven't already.
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Any news or comments, send them to hzadmin@helloziyi.us. Thank you.
10/26/04
Memoirs of a Geisha Update
Here are some new pictures and articles about the movie Zhang Ziyi is currently filming, Memoirs of a Geisha. Columbia Pictures has an official press release out today announcing the start of filming. There is also an article in the Guardian discussing feelings about the movie in Japan, especially among modern day geisha:
Peter MacIntosh, an expert on geisha who has been advising the film's director, Rob Marshall, admitted there was widespread anxiety within the profession about the impact of the film. "It's not being made for a Japanese audience and it looks like they're going to juice it up a bit. Anyone who knows something about Japanese culture might actually be appalled by the whole thing."
Most of Gion's geisha establishments have refused the cameras access and the bulk of the movie will feature an unidentified teahouse district meticulously re-created in the foothills north of Los Angeles.
Finally, here are some pictures of the Japanese Garden at the Huntington Library Musuem in Pasadena, CA, where a cherry blossom festival scene will be filmed today. Thanks to Michelle Yeoh Web Theatre, an excellent site that's really on top of this movie. According to her, "The production company has built an actual Japanese Village in Thousand Oaks, a city 39 miles west of Los Angeles and the bulk of the film will be shot there. A large Sumo wrestling scene which involves 300-400 extras will be shot at the Sony Studios during November 2 - 4."
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10/25/04
Zhang Ziyi 10/23
Sina has an article (in Chinese) that names Zhang Ziyi as one the five most influential people in China's entertainment industry during 2004, along with directors Zhang Yimou (House of Flying Daggers), Wong Kar Wai (2046), actor Zhao Benshan, and singer Dao Lang. About Ziyi, it says her performances over the past year have silenced much of the criticism the press used to make towards her, and that nobody can ever again say her success is due to luck. While she talks to the press less often and still attracts controversy, the media is beginning to treat her more fairly. The article also talks about her transformation into a complete and mature actress. She mentions that her favorite recent performance is Jasmine Women, for which she won China's most prestigious acting award, the Golden Rooster.
Palm Pictures has confirmed a couple more screenings of Purple Butterfly. Along with New York, it will also be shown in Chicago and Sarasota, FL during the Cine-World Festival. No details yet about the Chicago screening, but for dates and locations of the others, see here. Purple Butterfly is Ziyi's most underappreciated film, and if you live near these locations I'd strongly recommend seeing it.
Finally, a couple of new pictures from Ziyi's upcoming Japanese movie Operetta Tanuki Goten. Thanks to MonkeyPeaches.
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10/23/04
Zhang Ziyi 10/21
Jasmine Women will be screened this week at the Hawaii Film Festival, on October 23rd and Oct. 30th.
Sony has released a new teaser trailer for House of Flying Daggers.
Finally, a couple of new articles about Ziyi. A two page story from TimeOut London: page 1, page 2, cover photo. Also, there is a brief interview in Elle titled 'Hot in Hollywood.' Thanks to Mocha, Monkeypeaches, emacs, and evolution for the updates.
10/21/04
New Picture Gallery - All Smiles :)
The first image galleries I put together focused on high quality fashion scans. We all love those, but it meant there was no room for the small, cute pictures of Z we love too. So here is a cute new gallery I call All Smiles :)
A few samples:
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![240ziyi_beijing4[1].jpg](Galleries/thumb_240ziyi_beijing4%5B1%5D.jpg) |
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10/16/04
House of Flying Daggers Enhanced Stills
Here are the rest of the pictures I promised you. There's a total of 14 in the gallery.
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10/12/04
Jasmine Women Video
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Here's short clip with a few scenes from Zhang Ziyi's upcoming movie Jasmine Women. This was made last year while the film was still in production.
Ziyi was recently awarded Best Actress for her role in the film, even though it has not yet gone into wide release since being premiered in June. It will recieve it's first international premiere later this month when it will be shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival Oct. 23-27. No date has been confirmed for wide release in China, nor for other overseas screenings. Thanks to Monkeypeaches for the video. For more about the movie, see our Jasmine Women page.
Tomorrow, we will have some artistically enhanced stills from House of Flying Daggers. Two samples.
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![sign16[1].jpg](Galleries/thumb_sign16%5B1%5D.jpg) |
10/10/04
Update 10/08
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There is a new article today about Ziyi in The Times, a British newspaper.
Zhang Ziyi - Punching Above Her Weight - The Times, October 2004
"In Hero, and even more so House of Flying Daggers in which she takes the burden of the movie upon her shoulders as the blind warrior Mei, her abilities sing from the screen. Each film reveals ever more miraculous feats, food for both eye and heart, and the full extent of her talents."
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Also, we have larger size scans of the Bazaar pictures, and a couple wallpapers. Check them out.
10/08/04
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New 2046 Clips and Stills
The 2046 page has 3 new clips from the movie and 18 new stills. Talk about them in the forums.
10/06/04
More Zhang Ziyi Pictures From Bazaar
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10/05/04
House of Flying Daggers Release Date
Sony has confirmed that House of Flying Daggers will be released on December 3rd. See our HoFD page for more information about the movie.
10/03/04
New Pictures
Here are a couple of new pictures from the October Bazaar.
9/29/04
New 2046 Trailer
There's a stylish new trailer up at the 2046 website. You can get it here
See the 2046 Discussion thread. Thanks to BootlegZiyi.
9/25/2004
Zhang Ziyi wins Golden Rooster Award for Jasmine Women
From Sina.com comes news that Zhang Ziyi has won China's most prestigious acting award, the Golden Rooster, for her performance in the upcoming movie Jasmine Women. "I feel grateful that China's movie industry has shown signs of recognizing young professionals," Zhang said.
Ziyi has already won the Hundred Flowers for her performance in The Road Home, so now she has won both of China's most prestigious acting awards, and she's only 25!
For pictures and information about the movie, visit our Jasmine Women page.
9/19/2004