Bai XiaoYan
《山楂树之恋》
他
曾是波澜壮阔、星光璀璨的2008年北京奥运会开幕式幕后的人物。如今，可以说是中国最具知名度电影制作人的张艺谋拍摄了一部低成本、主演且不为人所知的温馨爱情电影。有评论家说《山楂树之恋》也许是张艺谋最上乘的作品，这部影片改编自畅销书女性作家艾米的一部广为流传的网络传记。它讲述了一名家庭条件优越的共产党高官之子（由新人窦骁扮演）与一个因政治问题而被劳改的犯人女儿（周冬雨饰）间的感情故事，故事就发生在上世纪70年代的中国。
影片没有大牌明星加盟，制作成本不到人民币6500万元（约合1000万美元）。但据该片制作人江志强(Bill Kong)说，自9月中旬上映以来它在中国已经取得了超过1.5亿元的票房，刷新了张艺谋自身文艺片的票房纪录。张艺谋是为数不多拥有大众吸引力的文艺片电影制作人之一。目前中国的一些影院仍在放映此片。
江志强在少有的采访中说，这部影片的表现大大超过了我们的预期。这位不愿面对公众的57岁的香港人因联合制作李安导演2000年的奥斯卡获奖影片《卧虎藏龙》而为人所知。
张艺谋毕业于人才辈出的北京电影学院，以拍摄具有时代印记、场面恢宏的影片而闻名。他首次在电影节上打响国际知名度是在上世纪八十年代末。《红高粱》获得了1988年柏林国际电影节金熊奖。在1994年的戛纳电影节上，他凭借影片《活着》夺得了评委会大奖。两部影片均由女星巩俐主演。
《山楂树之恋》改编自一部有关一名年轻女子的传记（电影中的人物名叫静秋），这部传记曾在中国互联网上引发了巨大轰动。
江志强和张艺谋有着成功合作的先例。他们是影片《英雄》幕后的制片人-导演二人团。这部2002年的功夫片是在美国影院放映的外语片中票房收入最高的之一。
张艺谋在北京接受电话采访时说，我认识江志强已经很久了，有二十多年了。我认识他父亲。江志强是最优秀的制片人之一，他了解西方市场。他给予他的导演们很多重要的支持，他帮助中国的人才和电影走向世界。
十年前，中国的制片人必须让他们的影片在欧洲和美国上映才能赚钱。然而随着中国观影人数的增加，这种情况已经一去不复返了。但中国的电影制作人在让他们的影片登陆海外市场时仍然面临着障碍，这主要是因为西方观众对观看字幕电影的本能抵触。即便如此，江志强对中国电影在美国放映依然充满信心。
江志强说，我们要同较小规模的独立分销商以及Netflix这样的市场渠道合作。我们必须要有创意，想想如何利用数字平台来提供我们的产品。
《山楂树之恋》目前正在香港上映，很快还将登陆日本和韩国的影院。（它是10月份釜山国际电影节的开幕影片。）有关让该片在北美上映的谈判仍在继续。
与此同时，张艺谋和江志强正在进行他们的下一个计划，一部讲述1937年日军侵略南京的影片。该片将于明年年初开拍。
张艺谋一直以来都在同好莱坞的一些大牌明星进行协商，邀请他们出演影片主角之一的牧师。
但现在张艺谋能透露的所有情况就是：对我来说，故事是让我决定接手一部影片的最重要因素，不是影片的规模。我的下部影片将是一部大制作，但仍然是关于人性的。
Alexandra A. Seno
（本文版权归道琼斯公司所有，未经许可不得翻译或转载。）
He was the man behind the spectacular, star-studded 2008 Olympic opening ceremonies in Beijing. Now, Zhang Yimou ─ arguably China's best-known filmmaker ─ has made a low-budget, intimate love story with unknown lead actors.
'Under the Hawthorn Tree,' which some critics say may be Mr. Zhang's best, is based on a popular Internet biography written by Ai Mi, a best-selling female novelist. It tells the story of the attachment between a privileged son of a high-ranking Communist Party official (played by newcomer Shawn Dou) and the daughter (Zhou Dongyu) of a jailed political outcast in 1970s China.
The movie doesn't star big-name actors and was shot for under 65 million Chinese yuan (about US$10 million). Yet it has already earned more than 150 million yuan in China since its release in mid-September, according to its producer, Bill Kong, setting a new box-office record for a drama by Mr. Zhang, one of the country's few high-culture filmmakers proven to have mass appeal. It is still playing in some theaters in China.
'The film is doing much better than we expected,' says Mr. Kong in a rare interview. The publicity-shy 57-year-old Hong Konger is known for co-producing the Oscar-winning 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' (2000), which was directed by Ang Lee.
Mr. Zhang, a graduate of the elite Beijing Film Academy and known for his lush, period dramas, first came to international prominence in the late 1980s on the film festival circuit. 'Red Sorghum' won the Golden Bear award at the 1988 Berlin International Film Festival. At the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, he received the Grand Jury Prize for 'To Live.' Both featured actress Gong Li.
'Under the Hawthorn Tree' is based on a biography about a young woman (the character known in the film as 'Jing') that has been a huge sensation in China online.
Messrs. Kong and Zhang have a history of successful collaborations. They were the producer-director duo behind 'Hero,' the 2002 kung-fu epic that is one of the top-grossing foreign-language films to appear in American theaters.
Reached by phone in Beijing, Mr. Zhang said: 'I have known Bill for a long time, more than 20 years. I knew his dad. Bill is one of the best producers around and he understands the Western market. He gives a lot of crucial support to his directors and he has helped give Chinese talent and films to the world.'
A decade ago, Chinese producers had to get their movies released in Europe and the U.S. in order to make a profit. With China's growing movie-going audience, however, this is no longer the case. But Chinese moviemakers still face hurdles getting their films distributed overseas largely because of a perceived resistance among Western audiences to read subtitles. Even so, Mr. Kong is optimistic about Chinese films being shown in America.
'We need to work with smaller, independent distributors and outlets like Netflix,' says Mr. Kong. 'We have to be creative and think about how to supply our products using digital platforms.'
'Under the Hawthorn Tree' is showing in Hong Kong theaters now and will be released soon in Japan and South Korea. (It opened the Pusan International Film Festival in October.) Talks are continuing for a North American release.
Meanwhile, Messrs. Zhang and Kong are working on their next project, a movie about the brutal 1937 Japanese invasion of Nanjing, which will start shooting early next year.
The director has been talking with a number of big Hollywood actors to cast in the role of a priest, a lead part in the film.
But all Mr. Zhang can say for now is: 'To me, the story is the most important element in my decision to work on a project, not the size. My coming film will be a big production, yet still about the human condition.'
Alexandra A. Seno
'Under the Hawthorn Tree,' which some critics say may be Mr. Zhang's best, is based on a popular Internet biography written by Ai Mi, a best-selling female novelist. It tells the story of the attachment between a privileged son of a high-ranking Communist Party official (played by newcomer Shawn Dou) and the daughter (Zhou Dongyu) of a jailed political outcast in 1970s China.
The movie doesn't star big-name actors and was shot for under 65 million Chinese yuan (about US$10 million). Yet it has already earned more than 150 million yuan in China since its release in mid-September, according to its producer, Bill Kong, setting a new box-office record for a drama by Mr. Zhang, one of the country's few high-culture filmmakers proven to have mass appeal. It is still playing in some theaters in China.
'The film is doing much better than we expected,' says Mr. Kong in a rare interview. The publicity-shy 57-year-old Hong Konger is known for co-producing the Oscar-winning 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' (2000), which was directed by Ang Lee.
Mr. Zhang, a graduate of the elite Beijing Film Academy and known for his lush, period dramas, first came to international prominence in the late 1980s on the film festival circuit. 'Red Sorghum' won the Golden Bear award at the 1988 Berlin International Film Festival. At the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, he received the Grand Jury Prize for 'To Live.' Both featured actress Gong Li.
'Under the Hawthorn Tree' is based on a biography about a young woman (the character known in the film as 'Jing') that has been a huge sensation in China online.
Messrs. Kong and Zhang have a history of successful collaborations. They were the producer-director duo behind 'Hero,' the 2002 kung-fu epic that is one of the top-grossing foreign-language films to appear in American theaters.
Reached by phone in Beijing, Mr. Zhang said: 'I have known Bill for a long time, more than 20 years. I knew his dad. Bill is one of the best producers around and he understands the Western market. He gives a lot of crucial support to his directors and he has helped give Chinese talent and films to the world.'
A decade ago, Chinese producers had to get their movies released in Europe and the U.S. in order to make a profit. With China's growing movie-going audience, however, this is no longer the case. But Chinese moviemakers still face hurdles getting their films distributed overseas largely because of a perceived resistance among Western audiences to read subtitles. Even so, Mr. Kong is optimistic about Chinese films being shown in America.
'We need to work with smaller, independent distributors and outlets like Netflix,' says Mr. Kong. 'We have to be creative and think about how to supply our products using digital platforms.'
'Under the Hawthorn Tree' is showing in Hong Kong theaters now and will be released soon in Japan and South Korea. (It opened the Pusan International Film Festival in October.) Talks are continuing for a North American release.
Meanwhile, Messrs. Zhang and Kong are working on their next project, a movie about the brutal 1937 Japanese invasion of Nanjing, which will start shooting early next year.
The director has been talking with a number of big Hollywood actors to cast in the role of a priest, a lead part in the film.
But all Mr. Zhang can say for now is: 'To me, the story is the most important element in my decision to work on a project, not the size. My coming film will be a big production, yet still about the human condition.'
Alexandra A. Seno
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