The Personal Is Political for a Chinese Director Zhang Yimou Talks about History, Violence, and China's Rush toward Materialism - and How These Affect His Films

David Sterritt, writer of The Christian Science Monitor, The Christian Science Monitor

When movies are at issue, China's government has a remarkable talent for embarassing itself in public. And the country's most renowned filmmaker, Zhang Yimou, is often the figure at the center of the storm.

The most recent incident was touched off when Zhang's old-fashioned mobster epic, "Shanghai Triad," was selected by the New York Film Festival for its coveted opening-night slot. Angered by the presence of a completely unrelated movie in the festival - a documentary called "The Gate of Heavenly Peace," about China's democracy movement - the Chinese authorities revoked permission for Mr. Zhang to attend the gala screening of his film.

The result: more press …

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Publication information: Article title: The Personal Is Political for a Chinese Director Zhang Yimou Talks about History, Violence, and China's Rush toward Materialism - and How These Affect His Films. Contributors: David Sterritt, writer of The Christian Science Monitor - Author. Newspaper title: The Christian Science Monitor. Publication date: January 24, 1996. Page number: 12. © 2009 The Christian Science Publishing Society. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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