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Zhang Ziyi: An Uprising Star
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| The Road Home won the Silver Bear Award at
the 50th Berlin Film Festival | It was not an easy thing
to be an actor in the hands of Zhang Yimou. On the one hand, he required every
act of Zhang Ziyi to fit into the role of a countryside girl of that particular
age, and on the other, there were few lines for the mother Zhang Ziyi played.
Therefore, the mother's image was mostly molded by such simple and similar acts
as "running, waiting, and walking." However, Zhang Ziyi's acting was
"unexpectedly good." By depending on her body language, Zhang perfectly
portrayed the passionate and delicate emotions required for the film.
The film later won the "Silver Bear Award" at the 50th Berlin Film Festival,
receiving high marks from the 12 judges of the review committee, who said,
"The Road Home is very moving, and it can't be too much for any award."
Since her maiden film was in cooperation with Zhang Yimou, Zhang Ziyi was
placed in the spotlight from the very beginning, a higher starting point than
others. She has since embarked on a road filled with flowers and thorns, but she
truly finds great pleasure in it.
Crouching Tiger
Hidden Dragon
: A Significant Turning Point
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon , Zhang Ziyi's second
film, shot in 1999, is about two legendary women with different family
backgrounds during the Qing
Dynasty (1644-1911): One is a daughter of a rich family whose ambition turns
her into a bandit, and the other, a conspicuous woman bodyguard who is a captive
of love. Destiny pulls them together. The film features a strong lineup, with
Zhou Yun-fat (also Chow Yun Fat), a heavyweight Hong
Kong star in Hollywood, as the leading actor and Michelle Yoeh as one of the
leading actresses.
In the star-ridden film, Zhang Ziyi also acted one of
the leading roles - that of Yu Jiaolong, the daughter of a noble family who is
smart, rebellious, and highly skilled in martial arts but who never shows off.
Of the three main characters, Zhang's role is the most eye-catching and heavily
depicted, hence making it a strenuous task for Zhang to play it well. However,
she succeeded, and her performance in the film deeply impressed the audience,
who thought her performance even surpassed that of the other two famous Asian
stars.
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