Ying Xiong-- Hero
essay on a clip from the movie hero. a close textural analysis of 2 minutes. the sex scene between Broken Sword and Moon.... good stuff.
Ying Xiong, or “Hero,” is a stunningly beautiful film. It is sectioned into clearly definable scenes by a striking use of color. The mise-en-scene is comprised of a different bold color for each scene that sets its tone and captures the viewer’s attention. For this essay I chose two minutes from the scene done in vibrant shades of red. In this clip color and continuity in editing and mise-en-scene are used in conjunction with stripped diegetic and highly emotional non-diegetic sound to create a sense of overwhelming emotion and tense passion throughout the clip.
Color is the most obvious and the easiest aspect to look at when discussing Hero. In this clip the color scheme is almost entirely comprised of powerful reds. These reds represent and reflect the emotions that the characters feel at the time: passion, love, anger, and jealousy. The colour red is part of many aspects of mise-en-scene, from setting, lighting, make up, and most noticeably, costume.
Light, vibrantly coloured, and sensually flowing-the costumes in Hero work beautifully in the emotionally charged mise-en-scene. The costumes of Flying Snow and Broken Sword are identical in colour, a strikingly rich deep red. Again, the predominance of this fantastic red in their costumes denotes tense emotions: anger, fiery passion, and jealousy. Because their costumes are identical in colour and almost identical in cut, there is a graphic match between the two characters. This graphic match shows us how Flying Snow and Broken Sword have similar feelings of love, jealousy, passion, and anger for each other. Moon, on the other hand, wears a more toned down, orange-y colour showing that although Broken Sword is physically intimate with her, she is not what is actually on his mind, and that she is just simply not as important a character as Flying Snow and Broken Sword are. This deviation from the red theme in this clip is important because it shows, rather then tells, us the relationships between the characters.
There are two significant props in this clip, both of which deviate from the theme of reds. The first is the pink silk sheet that covers Broken Sword and Moon when he takes her. The pink denotes innocence, Moon’s innocence. It also shows us the physical intimacy between Moon and Broken Sword. When they are covered in the sheet they are intimate, close-but when Broken Sword throws the sheet off of them, the intimacy is over and he orders her to leave. Moon is an innocent bystander caught in the jealous struggle between Broken Sword and Flying Snow. When Broken Sword pulls her down, rips her clothes off, and takes her body, it is not because he loves her, or is even thinking of her at all. He does it because he is hurt and wants to retaliate. He did it in a fit of passion, anger and jealousy: “I wanted you to see us!” he says to Flying Snow at the end of the clip.
The second important prop is the fraction of Sky’s weapon which Flying Snow pieces back together with the rest. It is a blue green, and the short close up of it make it seem out of place in Flying Snows predominately red world. It is used as a catalyst to spark a vehement reaction from the jealous Broken Sword, who, upon seeing the reverence and nostalgia with which Flying Snow holds it, flies into a jealous rage. This is also accentuated through editing.
As Broken Sword storms away from Flying Snow’s doorway the camera is positioned in front of him, moving back as he moves forward so that the camera is at an equal distance from him as he stalks down the hall. It also turns, in an almost spinning motion making the shot look off balanced, giving the shot a sense of vertigo. This is used to show how Broken Sword feels as he walks away from Flying Snows room- as if his world were spinning out of control. This technique is used again in the clip, where it again us shows a loss of control. When Broken Sword grabs Moon and tosses her down, the camera is angled directly above her, looking down, and it pans closer to her in the same spinning motion. Here, Moon has no control over the situation: she is being ravaged (albeit willingly) by Broken Sword. .
The actors in Hero have to portray a wide range of very powerful emotions, from girly shyness (Moon) to jealousy and anger bordering on hate (Broken Sword), yet the only character who displays their feelings openly is the young apprentice Moon who is open and honest with her smiles and her tears. Broken Sword and Flying Snow are acted in such a way that it looks as though they are trying to keep calm and level on the surface, even though emotions rage underneath. Flying Snow manages it well, keeping her face almost passive throughout. Broken Sword, on the other hand, seems to barely be in control of himself.
We are able to detect these subtle characteristics and facial expressions because the editing focuses on close in face shots. This is important because if we could not see the actors faces so clearly we would not be able to pick up on the subtle expressions, and the tiny changes in expression, which show the characters mood and thoughts.
The editing also uses graphic match, continuation of colour and eyeline to fluidly connect each shot. This, and subtle yet effective elliptical editing, keep the clip moving at a quick, but not hectic, pace and makes each shot connect smoothly to the next. The seemingly seamless connection between shots helps the viewer feel the fast pace, and the emotionally powerful connection between the characters.
Although the mise-en-scene and editing (i.e. the visual side) of this film are easy points to talk about because of their more obvious aspects and meanings, the sound in Hero is equally important.
The digetic sound mostly consists of voices, footsteps and breathing- normal digetic sounds. There is one digetic sound though, that is very significant-Moons moans and giggles. The moans and giggles are turned up, overwriting both the digetic and non-digetic sound. The viewer hears what Flying Snow hears as she watches them, and can see shots of her pained, confused face as she listens to Moon’s loud, pleasured noises. Flying Snow is deeply hurt by watching them, and Moons loud moaning and heavy breathing makes it worse. It is important that you hear lots of Moon’s noises, but Broken Sword makes very little sound throughout the sex shots. This is because it is Moon who is actually enjoying it, not Broken Sword. He is doing it specifically to upset Flying Snow, which he succeeds in doing.
The non-digetic sound is the only feature of this clip which one might call asynchronous. It has a slow tempo and is soft and sad. It gives a feeling of loss and longing, of heart ach, and sadness. This is beautifully juxtaposed to the tense, more fast passed visuals in the clip. The soundtrack for this clip tells us that although emotions run high and hard, the situation is sad. The viewer already knows at this point that Broken Sword and Flying Snow were once in love, and that both are doomed to die, so the feelings of anger and jealousy between them is senseless.
Through both sound and mise-en-scene it is made obvious that this clip is about the emotional struggles of, and between, the characters. Continuity and graphic match in the mise-en-scene, beautiful use of sound, and a stunning use of color make this clip a highly emotionally charged part of the film Yin Xiong.
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The ending SUCKS! i have to fix it. bleg? for now though... mmmmmm tea!
Ying Xiong, or “Hero,” is a stunningly beautiful film. It is sectioned into clearly definable scenes by a striking use of color. The mise-en-scene is comprised of a different bold color for each scene that sets its tone and captures the viewer’s attention. For this essay I chose two minutes from the scene done in vibrant shades of red. In this clip color and continuity in editing and mise-en-scene are used in conjunction with stripped diegetic and highly emotional non-diegetic sound to create a sense of overwhelming emotion and tense passion throughout the clip.
Color is the most obvious and the easiest aspect to look at when discussing Hero. In this clip the color scheme is almost entirely comprised of powerful reds. These reds represent and reflect the emotions that the characters feel at the time: passion, love, anger, and jealousy. The colour red is part of many aspects of mise-en-scene, from setting, lighting, make up, and most noticeably, costume.
Light, vibrantly coloured, and sensually flowing-the costumes in Hero work beautifully in the emotionally charged mise-en-scene. The costumes of Flying Snow and Broken Sword are identical in colour, a strikingly rich deep red. Again, the predominance of this fantastic red in their costumes denotes tense emotions: anger, fiery passion, and jealousy. Because their costumes are identical in colour and almost identical in cut, there is a graphic match between the two characters. This graphic match shows us how Flying Snow and Broken Sword have similar feelings of love, jealousy, passion, and anger for each other. Moon, on the other hand, wears a more toned down, orange-y colour showing that although Broken Sword is physically intimate with her, she is not what is actually on his mind, and that she is just simply not as important a character as Flying Snow and Broken Sword are. This deviation from the red theme in this clip is important because it shows, rather then tells, us the relationships between the characters.
There are two significant props in this clip, both of which deviate from the theme of reds. The first is the pink silk sheet that covers Broken Sword and Moon when he takes her. The pink denotes innocence, Moon’s innocence. It also shows us the physical intimacy between Moon and Broken Sword. When they are covered in the sheet they are intimate, close-but when Broken Sword throws the sheet off of them, the intimacy is over and he orders her to leave. Moon is an innocent bystander caught in the jealous struggle between Broken Sword and Flying Snow. When Broken Sword pulls her down, rips her clothes off, and takes her body, it is not because he loves her, or is even thinking of her at all. He does it because he is hurt and wants to retaliate. He did it in a fit of passion, anger and jealousy: “I wanted you to see us!” he says to Flying Snow at the end of the clip.
The second important prop is the fraction of Sky’s weapon which Flying Snow pieces back together with the rest. It is a blue green, and the short close up of it make it seem out of place in Flying Snows predominately red world. It is used as a catalyst to spark a vehement reaction from the jealous Broken Sword, who, upon seeing the reverence and nostalgia with which Flying Snow holds it, flies into a jealous rage. This is also accentuated through editing.
As Broken Sword storms away from Flying Snow’s doorway the camera is positioned in front of him, moving back as he moves forward so that the camera is at an equal distance from him as he stalks down the hall. It also turns, in an almost spinning motion making the shot look off balanced, giving the shot a sense of vertigo. This is used to show how Broken Sword feels as he walks away from Flying Snows room- as if his world were spinning out of control. This technique is used again in the clip, where it again us shows a loss of control. When Broken Sword grabs Moon and tosses her down, the camera is angled directly above her, looking down, and it pans closer to her in the same spinning motion. Here, Moon has no control over the situation: she is being ravaged (albeit willingly) by Broken Sword. .
The actors in Hero have to portray a wide range of very powerful emotions, from girly shyness (Moon) to jealousy and anger bordering on hate (Broken Sword), yet the only character who displays their feelings openly is the young apprentice Moon who is open and honest with her smiles and her tears. Broken Sword and Flying Snow are acted in such a way that it looks as though they are trying to keep calm and level on the surface, even though emotions rage underneath. Flying Snow manages it well, keeping her face almost passive throughout. Broken Sword, on the other hand, seems to barely be in control of himself.
We are able to detect these subtle characteristics and facial expressions because the editing focuses on close in face shots. This is important because if we could not see the actors faces so clearly we would not be able to pick up on the subtle expressions, and the tiny changes in expression, which show the characters mood and thoughts.
The editing also uses graphic match, continuation of colour and eyeline to fluidly connect each shot. This, and subtle yet effective elliptical editing, keep the clip moving at a quick, but not hectic, pace and makes each shot connect smoothly to the next. The seemingly seamless connection between shots helps the viewer feel the fast pace, and the emotionally powerful connection between the characters.
Although the mise-en-scene and editing (i.e. the visual side) of this film are easy points to talk about because of their more obvious aspects and meanings, the sound in Hero is equally important.
The digetic sound mostly consists of voices, footsteps and breathing- normal digetic sounds. There is one digetic sound though, that is very significant-Moons moans and giggles. The moans and giggles are turned up, overwriting both the digetic and non-digetic sound. The viewer hears what Flying Snow hears as she watches them, and can see shots of her pained, confused face as she listens to Moon’s loud, pleasured noises. Flying Snow is deeply hurt by watching them, and Moons loud moaning and heavy breathing makes it worse. It is important that you hear lots of Moon’s noises, but Broken Sword makes very little sound throughout the sex shots. This is because it is Moon who is actually enjoying it, not Broken Sword. He is doing it specifically to upset Flying Snow, which he succeeds in doing.
The non-digetic sound is the only feature of this clip which one might call asynchronous. It has a slow tempo and is soft and sad. It gives a feeling of loss and longing, of heart ach, and sadness. This is beautifully juxtaposed to the tense, more fast passed visuals in the clip. The soundtrack for this clip tells us that although emotions run high and hard, the situation is sad. The viewer already knows at this point that Broken Sword and Flying Snow were once in love, and that both are doomed to die, so the feelings of anger and jealousy between them is senseless.
Through both sound and mise-en-scene it is made obvious that this clip is about the emotional struggles of, and between, the characters. Continuity and graphic match in the mise-en-scene, beautiful use of sound, and a stunning use of color make this clip a highly emotionally charged part of the film Yin Xiong.
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The ending SUCKS! i have to fix it. bleg? for now though... mmmmmm tea!