Example: Hero (Spoiler Warning)

Movie: Hero

Director: Zhang Yimou

Costume Designer: Emi Wada

In my previous post: Lessons in Costuming: Symbolism & Color (or Symbolism through Color) I introduced color, its use and its ability to exercise Symbolism in reference to Costume Design.

As I mentioned, examples of this can and be found in many films (Black & White films excluded). One film I would like to use as an example is Hero.

Director Zhang Yimou is a very aesthetic director. And it is no surprise that he saturated this film with Color. Though Zhang Yimou himself admits he and Cinematographer Christopher Doyle used color with no real intent on Symbolism only character perception, that does not mean it can not be used as an example. Each character's perception becomes a perfect example of common philosophical themes associated with color.

Now there are many other places to find a discussion on color in the movie Hero and I recommend reading as many as possible to help you understand how other people have perceived its purpose. As a Costumer you will be working very closely with the Director as well as the Cinematographer and Art Director depending on how the production is organized. A Costumer will need to possess excellent communication skills. Compromise and a confidence in one's creativity and views will coincide in many projects. Simply put you have to stand by your work and yet still be able to bend. But as you grow, you'll work your way through this and work on your flexibility which can be an effective tool in honing your craft.

In the movie Hero, during the Warring States Period China is divided into7 seperate and feudal kingdoms: Qin, Zhao, Han, Wei, Yan, Chu and Qi. Out of these 7, the Qin' King was most obsessed with conquering all the others and becoming China's first Emperor.

Jet Li stars as a nameless warrior on a mission to assassinate the Qin King in order to foil his plan to conquer over the other kingdom's; namely his own Zhao.

But Jet Li is not alone, though the movie begins with Li's character claiming to be a Qin warrior who slayed the three assassins from Zhao who plotted to kill the King; it is revealed that he himself was from Zhao and had plotted with the other three.

This film is told and retold in three stories, and color is heavy in the story, the environment and the perceptions.

Costume Designer Emi Wada created a look that would reflect the time period and setting (Ancient China during the end of the Warring States Period/Early Qin Dynasty) and then alongside Director Yimou incorporated the color themes.

For the women in the movie; Maggie Cheung and Zhang Ziyi, their costumes are a shade or tone lighter/softer than the men's and their make-up follows the mood of each of the color schemes.

Black: Jet Li is seen in the beginning and the end in black. It's part of his disguise since he must appear to be a Prefect in a town within the Qin Kingdom. He wears this as he tells his "story" about defeating the three assassins. Black is also not surprisingly representative of death.

Red: Jet Li's initial story is told in red since it explains a relationship between two of the assassins of the Zhao kingdom. In fact, the Zhao kingdom is represented completely in red. The people of the Zhao kingdom are all dressed in a rich crimson. In these scenes Flying Snow/Maggie Cheung's character is dressed in red as strong as the wall and she is wearing red lipstick and has her hair draped over her face (very much like Broken Sword/Tony Leung in this scene) which is showing a more rebellious and more fiery attitude. This is supposed to show her as passionate and lustful as this is the part of the story that explains her relationship to Broken Sword.

Blue: After the King has heard Li's explanation, he, not believing Li, tells what he "thinks" really occured. This point of view is seen through the color Blue. Blue in this case represents love. Aside from blending in with the background (since it takes place on a lake) it shows how the King believed Flying Snow loved Broken Sword so much she risked her life so that he may live and the plan to fool the King would be successful. Maggie has a much softer look. She is draped in a light blue and wears her hair back, pulled away from her face with a dark almost violet lip color. It's a very serene and somber aura.

Green: Tony Leung's character Broken Sword, tells a story of his own; the story of how he met and fell in love with Flying Snow and how he came to have a revelation to live a life of peace. His story is told in green which is to show the desire for peace, tranquility, serenity and a new life. Though he was able to fight the Qin King, he abandoned the mission. Again, Maggie is in a softer shade of green and her look is lighter; no make-up and hair pulled back.

White: Lastly, the truth of the matter is told through white. White a synonym of honesty and purity through truth. This is the true story. Flying Snow lived her life in hatred because of the death of her father during a battle against Qin. Broken Arrow allows himself to be killed by her in order to prove to her that he does love her eventhough he does not support her in avenging her fathers death and defeating Qin. Flying Snow takes her own life as she can not bear a life without Broken Arrow. Meanwhile, Jet Li's character has now seen that Broken Arrow was right about how the Qin King would be able to unite all of the land and people of China and bring peace to "all under heaven", and spares his life.