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laiqualaurelote · 1 year

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Rules: Post 10 of your favourite movies and tag 10 people! Thanks @glamorouspixels for the tag. I’ve actually been thinking about this of late because I’ve listening to Brett Goldstein’s podcast Films To Be Buried With. These are in the order I watched them:

1. Lord of the Rings

My favourite films of all time, based on my favourite book of all time. Also I consider them to be one very long 11.5h movie (yes, I refer to the extended editions).

2. Chicago

One of the first movie musical adaptations I ever saw, which left an indelible impression on me. To this day I could probably describe the Cell Block Tango scene shot by shot. Catherine Zeta-Jones!

3. Once Upon A Time In Mexico

This bonkers finale to Robert Rodriguez’s El Mariachi trilogy has everything. It has Antonio Banderas as a brooding guitar-playing hitman. It has peak Johnny Depp in the era when it was not weird to have a Johnny Depp phase. It has Salma Hayek looking absolutely smoking. It has Enrique Iglesias, whose guitar has a flamethrower. It has Danny Trejo! Willem Dafoe! Eva Mendes! Mickey Rourke! all playing these absolutely unhinged roles. I adore it.

4. Sin City

So there are two Rodriguez films on this list, but I don’t think I could do without either. Sin City is perhaps one of the best graphic novel screen adaptations of all time. I was obsessed with this film from quite possibly too young an age, especially with Rosario Dawson as a dominatrix with a machine gun. It’s utter pulp and I’m not sorry.

5. Brick

I maintain this high-school neo-noir with baby Joseph Gordon-Levitt is still Rian Johnson’s best film, and this is despite the fact it was so low-budget they had to fake a transition by pulling a garbage bag over the camera and then playing it in reverse. It also contains a scene with a chicken jug that will live in my heart forever.

6. Singing’ in the Rain

Do they make them like this any more? They do not. I can’t begin to pick what I love most about this - the hysterically funny script, the OT3 vibes, the fact that nearly every musical number is a colossal achievement of its own (Donald O’Connor running up the walls in Make ‘Em Laugh! The tap-dancing in Moses Supposes! Cyd Charisse in that green dress in Broadway Melody!) or even just the comic genius of Jean Hagen, which could sustain an entire film on its own.

7. Inception

This film managed somehow to be both a cinematic masterpiece and fandom catnip, which is rare. As an architecture/urbanism geek who also loves heists and devastatingly competent men in suits, I feel like this film was made for me. Also, Arthur/Eames! One of my all-time ships.

8. 28 Days Later

Best second-generation zombie film, for my money - both stunningly shot and horrifying. The way the final mansion massacre is filmed while John Murphy’s soundtrack builds on that eerie four-note crescendo - chills. Also, young Cillian Murphy and Naomie Harris! really the most beautiful zombie film ever.

9. The Maltese Falcon

I dithered over whether to put this or The Big Sleep in the bracket of “classic book-to-film noir adaptation starring Humphrey Bogart” - I love them both equally - but went with this because it is, marginally, the better film (and the better book - Raymond Chandler could write the hell out of a novel but he could not tie up his plots). It also has the fantastic villain duo of Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet, as well as a young Elisha Cook Jr as the gunsel who gets played for a sap. That ending! “If they hang you, I’ll always remember you.”

10. In the Mood for Love

This is, hands-down, the greatest film on this list. Definitely one of the greatest films ever made. Every single shot is a work of art. That iconic scene of Maggie Cheung buying noodles in a dark high-collared cheongsam, walking down a smoky alleyway swinging her tingkat to the strains of the plaintive violin of Shigeru Umebayashi’s theme, brushing past Tony Leung in his steam-rumpled suit - it gives me shivers. I’ll never be over the ending of this film. I’ll also never be normal about buying noodles.

So I’m not going to tag 10 people because I’m too tired but like talk about your favourite movies if you want to!

#tag game #films to be buried with

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seadragon-sailing · 2 years

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I must ask the mod:

Do you have voice headcanons and/or claims for your characters?

Alright! This one's gonna be a doozy for ya girl here because it seems like in any AU I put my main OCs in, I have to really make sure that their voices suit how they sound in my head as well as their mannerisms and what languages they use (the language I try to do my best with, but it mainly comes down to the sound of the voice more than anything). In this case, I think only Feng and Tamara get their usual Voice-Claims which will be listed in this post because they ALWAYS sound a certain way to me that I can never seem to let go of.

Unfortunately, because of my dumb ass messing up the format of this post, I’ll have to put links to video clips or even audio clips instead ^^;; Sorry, everyone!

I’m gonna put the rest of the stuff under the cut because... Oooooh, it’s a bit of a mess. I’m so sorry!

Kyung's Voice-Claim: CoCo Lee

English Speaking: (X)

Cantonese (I’m pretty sure it is, I think...) Speaking: (X)

Fun fact: Originally, I was going to go with Kelly Chen, mainly for her singing voice in her rendition of “Reflection” from Mulan due to it sounding more like how I would imagine Kyung’s singing voice would be like in this AU, but I’m glad I did some more digging! I love CoCo Lee’s energy, her laugh and how she can sound a little more silly at times!

Shinju’s Voice-Claim: Maggie Cheung

English Speaking: (X)

Cantonese Speaking: (X)

Fun fact: I’m quite happy that I dug more for this one rather than just going with Lucy Liu like I had originally planned. Her regular speaking voice is honestly perfect when I imagine how Shinju speaks in this AU!

Feng’s Voice-Claim: Kevin Michael Richardson

(Primarily his role as Captain Gantu from Lilo & Stitch)

Gantu clips: (X)

Fun fact: I genuinely tried to find a proper Cantonese actor that sounded close enough, but goddamnit- It’s hard finding voices with that distinct gravelly baritone I always imagine Feng talking in.

Tamara’s Voice-Claim: Angela Bassett

Audio Sample Compilation (it’s the same VC as she has in the Oddworld!AU and in the “Mainverse”): (X)

Singing Sample: (X)

Same Voice-Claim for the most part, except I’m deciding Tamara won’t need a designated singing VC like her other AU counterparts.

Luka’s Voice-Claim: Michael Fassbender

English and German Sample: (X)

French Speaking Sample: (X)

UUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH- This one gave me a lot of hell. So, as much as Luka is fluent in Cantonese in this AU, he’s a primarily English speaker with his native language being German, his secondary being French, and him being able to do decent Spanish. I was also VERY picky about how the voices sounded because Luka, in my mind, sounds a little more higher-pitched and gentle in a way.

Fun fact: I was originally going to go with Timothée Chalamet because his English and French give me more Luka vibes, but I think it’s mainly because of how much of a hilarious dork the dude is.

Lee’s Voice-Claim: Harry Shum Jr. (Speaking), Li Yugang (Opera/Singing)

English and Cantonese Sample: (X)

Opera/Singing (Decided to go with this vid since he sings both is his regular male voice, and the one he uses for his Dan roles): (X)

Li Yugang also played as Consort Yu in his performance of Farewell My Concubine here: (X) Li Yugang appears at the 2:28 mark.

I think the only problem I ran into was getting super specific on trying to find Cantonese Opera actors who performed Dan roles, which seemed to leave me with nothing, or just circling around back to Peking Opera or general Chinese Opera as a whole. QQ

Fun Fact: I was originally going to just go with the usual VC I have for him (Aurelio Voltaire), but because of the setting the AU takes please (it being more historical) and given his career as a Chinese Opera performer, I had to really dig for this one. I would have gone with the famous Mei Lanfang, but it was even more difficult to find good samples for my notes. That being said, I at least found a pretty good clip of Mei Lanfang both singing and speaking in a Dan role: (X)

#treasure island oc #[Return To Treasure Island!AU]#[Headcanons]#AAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH--

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fayewongfuzao · 2 years

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Hong Kong fashion icons in 1997

Back in 1997, Hong Kong's fashion icons were performers who dominated the music stage or big screen, like queens of Canto-pop Anita Mui Yim-fong and Faye Wong, or Wong Kar-wai's long-time muse Maggie Cheung Man-yuk.

Whether in performance or daily life, these celebrities brought bold, avant-garde looks as well as simpler, trendy pieces to the forefront of Hong Kong fashion, popularising everything from androgynous suits to casual low-rise jeans.

Faye Wong

Singer and actress Faye Wong emerged in the early 1990s after she moved from mainland China to Hong Kong and started singing in Cantonese (she would later revert to her native Mandarin).

With the aid of long-time stylist Titi Kwan, she became known for wearing daring pieces, including a chandelier dress made from Swarovski's crystal fabric, Jeremy Scott's sole-less heels, and even a see-through dress paired with a black sweater crop top and knitted underwear.

Offstage, Wong adopted a boyish look for the film Chungking Express (1994), in which she was seen in striped tees and oval sunglasses, while in day-to-day life, she wore loose and flowy grunge outfits.

(SOURCE)

#faye wong #王菲

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albertserra · 4 years

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Two kinds of people like Olivier Assayas' Irma Vep. I am going to describe them to you, but I will tell you why I am doing it at the bottom of this article. So, there are plenty of people who claim that the minor intrigues in Irma Vep produce the type of quality entertainment you would get from most of Arnaud Desplechin's films. What type of entertainment would this be exactly? Well, Desplechin is arguably the greatest successor of Jacques Rivette, so most everything he does fits into the comedie dramatique genre, which is the French variation of our soapy melodrama. However, the French tend to play with a wider range of 'serious' themes in their comedie dramatique films and this is usually the reason why our mainstream critics see them differently and find them more appealing. So, you will be entertained with plenty of intellectual chatter sprinkled with different flavors of humor which will occasionally be disrupted by the 'serious' themes that will introduce the necessary drama. According to some fans of Irma Vep, Assayas infused his film with this classic blend of comedie dramatique which makes it entertaining. Now, there are also plenty of people who find Irma Vep attractive for a very different and actually very simple reason. The reason is Maggie Cheung wearing a tight latex suit that looks almost as sexy as the one Michelle Pfeiffer put on in Batman Returns. You would never hear these people discuss the intellectual chatter in Irma Vep because to them it is nothing but a smoke screen, which is why they see right through it. The few scenes where Cheung steps in front of the camera and temporarily becomes that famous character from Les Vampires validates the existence of Irma Vep. As far as the people that I am describing to you are concerned, it is utterly irrelevant whether the film is good or bad. They are just content that it exists in its current form.

Of course, there are just as many people that dislike Irma Vep, and it is actually very easy to understand why. Here are a couple of reasons:

[...]

Here's the promised revelation about the two groups of people that like Irma Vep: they don't see the film differently. They are both attracted to it because of the footage with Cheung doing her part in the weird remake. But only the people from the second group have the courage to admit it.

why is this man so bitter...... just say you dont get it and go????

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hong-kong-art-man · 4 years

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“Stars, Too, Were Time Travellers. The 4 Great Stars That I Have Worked With And Salute.” ——The Respected Film Art Director Of Hong Kong Bill Lui

In film, an ‘Art Director’(美術指導)works directly below the ‘Production Designer’(美術總監) and a large part of his duties are the administrative aspects of the art department. The Production Designer is the superior individual responsible for the overall look and tone of the film project. He works with the art director, set dresser, prop master and cinematographer to accomplish the director’s artistic vision of the film.

The former Chairman of Hong Kong Film Arts Association Bill Lui(雷楚雄) is a kind and helpful friend who always tries to lighten the burdens of other people. He was a great Art Director and is now an adored Production Designer working in the Mainland and Hong Kong.

Inside each of us is a natural-born story listener. I asked Bill, “Any good story to share from your interesting career?” Bill replied, “Maurice, you like to encourage people. Let me cite 4 charming actors whose heart-piercing supports to me are always unforgettable. They are, in the order of their seniority, Josephine Siao(蕭芳芳), Simon Yam(任達華), Maggie Cheung(張曼玉) and Nicolas Tse(謝霆鋒). As an ‘art controller’ in the film-making process, my judgements are based on my personal opinions and tastes but they can be very subjective. I am glad that the above good actors did tell me the other side of the coin, namely facts and angles that I might not have fully considered.”

“Josephine Siao was special because she was like a walking dictionary or caring mentor, probably due to the fact that she became an actress in 1953 when she was only 6 years old. She is also a film director. She is the jack of all trades and ‘master of all’ as well. In one movie, she had to play the role of a Cantonese opera actress. She went backstage to observe the opera actors for more than 10 evenings and took a note of all the suggestions that she intended to propose to me. I still remember her putting on a super-powdery and overpowering perfume on a film set. I was shocked and asked her why. She smiled, ‘Bill, it is the preferred scent of the Cantonese opera actresses and I do think the strong smell can help the other actors accepting me as the character in the film!’” said Bill.

Josephine Siao has been my lifelong idol——I never thought of anyone as a super movie star until I watched her film I love a Go-Go (我愛阿高高) in 1967!

I asked Bill, “I guess Simon Yam is the male version of Josephine Siao?” Bill laughed, “Not exactly. In the 70s, Simon was a fashion model, later a TV star and progressed to become a successful film actor in Hong Kong. Josephine was eager to serve others and Simon is helpful to the art direction of a film in a different way. He is more an independent perfectionist in everything he did. Whenever I knew Simon was in the cast, I had nothing to worry about him. He himself was a designer cum artist. I recall that in a film about a high society gigolo, Simon proposed to me, ‘Bill, I know your limited budget but such a gigolo will surely wear Giorgio Armani or Jean Paul Gaultier. Could I contribute half of the money needed and we go together to buy such brands to make the character more graphic.’ After this proposal, I saw him also dashing up to a gym to make sure that his body will look sexy to match the role.”

I probed, “Is Maggie Cheung like Simon?” Bill moved his head, “Maggie showed her support to an art director by listening to him. She gave me a lot of freedom to combine all the ingredients for her role. She said only one thing, ‘Bill, I trust you will take good care of all the stuff and see to it that all will pertain appropriately to the role. Do not care about if I look better or worse. It is not my concern. I will be very accommodating if the film can become better!’”

Raised in Britain, Maggie Cheung started her acting career after placing second in 1983’s Miss Hong Kong Pageant. She won the ‘Best Actress’ award at Cannes Film Festival in 2004. 90% of the Chinese population can say out her name loud. It is a pity that she is now semi-retired.

I asked, “Bill, the youngest is Nicolas Tse who is now about 40. What is he like?” Bill shared his thought, “Perhaps both his parents were good actors and he had learnt what professionalism should mean since his childhood. He joined the movie world at 16. He is too proficient in the dos and don’ts. Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. Youth is being not afraid to do. These two explain why whenever I asked Nic to do something exciting, he always answered, ‘Why not? Let me have a go!’ The world is fast changing and trends on art are forever moving too. I explore new ideas and I need unique stars like Nic telling me that he is willing to experiment with me. For me, Nic is more a ‘co-working partner’. He is now very popular in the Mainland and deserves such an outcome. Nic shows the difference between a star and an actor. A star will say, ‘How can I change the fix to suit me?’ An actor will say, ‘How can I change myself to suit the fix?’ Nic is incredibly clever.”

The possibility of a dream, the dream of making unreal into real, is the force inspiring art directors to do better and finer. If an art director is the painter, his stars cannot just be the canvas. They are interactive. A professional art director who works hard not because of his or her status or remuneration, but the ethical obligation under which the best in a film has to come together!

MLee

Interview with Josephine Siao Acknowledgement: RTHK https://youtu.be/I1znTY-06nk

Simon Yam Movie Acknowledgement: Filmko Pictures https://youtu.be/_TRyoxt7Rvk

Maggie Cheung Movie “Clean” Acknowledgement: youtube 　https://youtu.be/jj_o-onUIWA

Nicholas Tse Movie “Invisible Target” Acknowledgement: Universe Entertainment Ltd https://youtu.be/t-c8mxI2oTU

#Bill Lui 雷楚雄 #Art Director #Production Designer #Josephine Siao 蕭芳芳 #Simon Yam 任達華 #Maggie Cheung 張曼玉 #Nicolas Tse 謝霆鋒 #Perfectionist #I love A Go-Go #Gigolo #Giorgio Armani #Jean Paul Gaultier #Miss Hong Kong Pageant #Cannes Film Festival #Making Unreal Into Real

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tilbageidanmark · 4 years

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Movies I watched this week / 7

One of my favorite films of all time, Wong Kar-wai‘s exquisite and repressive In the Mood for Love: Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung’s sad love story set in Hong Kong of 1962 - 10/10

Yumeji's Theme. (Re-watch).

✴️

David Byrne's new American Utopia, a minimalist, joyous concert film, that includes a moving version of Janelle Monae’s Hell You Talmbout. Directed by Spike Lee. Regarding that last credits scene, I just read that Byrne had always used a bike as his main means of transport throughout his life.

✴️

So how does it compare to the infectious Stop Making Sense, “one of the greatest concert films of all time”? Why compare them at all?

“Everyone is trying to get to the bar / The name of the bar, the bar is called Heaven”... (Re-watch).

Here’s David Byrne's Giant Suit Emporium Commercial.

The proudest moment of my blogging life was back in 2008 when David Byrne started following my Grow-a-Brain blog.

✴️

Another masterly Jonathan Demme re-watch: Silence of the Lambs, which 30 years later is now experiencing some push-back as transphobic. I couldn’t see it that way, but what do I know.

With favorite character actor Tracey Walter as Lamar.

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Human Nature, Michel Gondry‘s surprisingly bizarre philosophical first film, with a script by Charlie Kaufman. How could I never even heard of it before?

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Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, a fascinating documentary of how the young generation of Hollywood movie ‘brats’ of the ‘60′s and ‘70′s changed the industry, for a while. I read the book, and didn’t realize that there was also a movie. Now i want to watch all of these movies again.

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Funny sketches Zinc Oxide and You and Cleopatra Schwartz from Kentucky Fried Movie, one of John Landis and The Zucker brother’s first films.

“With Donald Sutherland as the clumsy waiter “.

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Turning Tide, a short film about a 10 year old boy who witnesses a large aerial battle over 1940's Scotland.

How the filmmakers creatively made this epic WW2 movie with practically no budget.

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Supernova, about an elderly gay couple who takes one last road trip as Stanley Tucci’s dementia becomes too hard to manage. A moving drama but way too simple.

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Election Night, a 1998 Danish short about racism directed by Anders Thomas Jensen.

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Judas and the Black Messiah, a new Daniel Kaluuya vehicle about the betrayal of Fred Hampton. Another story about entrenched racism and injustice. Too depressing.

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Kristen Wiig’s brand new, unfunny “comedy” Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar - 2/10.

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On the other hand, Uncle Buck has scenes like the “Where do you live?” and “Honey, I have some bad news” which was copied verbatim by the “Daddy, I have to poop” scene in “People Places Things”. (Re-watch).

Ever hear of a ritual killing?

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Bad Education - Investigating corruption. Based on a true events, but it’s not exactly Spotlight.

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Throw-back to the art project:

Talking Heads Adora.

Silence of the Lambs Adora Poster.

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(My complete list is here)

#movies

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leonmorinpriest · 3 years

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I watched Irma Vep with Maggie Cheung for the first time a few days ago and it literally consisted of her running around in a skin tight black cat suit outfit.. 10/10 would recommend

#text

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hadarlaskey · 3 years

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Why I love Maggie Cheung’s performance in Irma Vep

A number of pleasant exceptions emerge throughout Olivier Assayas’ 1996 film, Irma Vep. First and foremost, Chinese actor Maggie Cheung stands out as the central character – playing herself – in the French production of a film within a film. To witness an Asian star carrying the weight of the title character spoke volumes back then considering the reality of today: Asian actors represent one per cent of Hollywood’s leading roles.

And, arguably, Irma Vep plays out like a dual valentine to French cinema and to Cheung herself – not only from Assayas, who was romantically involved with his lead during production, but also from the film itself, in which the fictional director and costume designer are both enamoured with Cheung. It’s easy to see why: Irma Vep wouldn’t be what it is without Cheung, who slips perfectly into the character’s black bodysuit (more on that iconic look later).

The story unfolds in Paris, where Cheung arrives later than expected and jet-lagged from Hong Kong. She finds herself in a film exec’s office where tensions are running high: the camera follows a production team frantically trying to source funding for Irma Vep. After seeing her action films in Morocco, the director of the film, René Vidal (Jean-Pierre Leaud), casts Cheung as Irma Vep – an anagram of vampire – in a remake of the classic 1915 Louis Feiullade series, Les Vampires.

“You can be Irma Vep because you have the grace,” he admits to her enthusiastically during their first meeting, echoing a statement Assayas once made about Cheung: “[She is] an up-to-date version of an old-fashioned movie star.”

Indeed, Cheung straddles present and past seamlessly, mixing silent era poise with mid-’90s cool. During this time, French cinema struggled to rediscover its identity amidst the force majeure of American movies. As costume designer Zoe (Natalie Richard) tells Cheung, “I don’t like American films. Too much decoration. Too much money. But why? For what?” As the self-styled auteur Vidal, Leaud personifies the French New Wave. Meanwhile, Cheung is an outsider who barely speaks French, adding unconventional charm to this playful plot. As the three-day shoot gradually descends into chaos, she remains a picture of calmness as she rolls with the punches of the disgruntled crew.

This is further evidenced in the sex shop scene where Zoe fits Cheung for her skin-tight latex suit (inspired by Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman costume in Batman Returns). As she’s zipped in, the transformation from Cheung to Irma Vep is nearly complete. And this despite the disorder all around her: Zoe’s chain-smoking; conversations which aren’t translated for her; and constant fussing over the outfit. All the while, Zoe’s affection for Cheung grows.

Back in her hotel, Cheung cuts a bored and lonely figure. Sonic Youth’s ‘Tunic (Song for Karen)’ foreshadows a rebellious and subversive act: “Goodbye Hollywood,” Kim Gordon sings, as Cheung finds herself in Irma Vep’s clothes, prowling the halls and stalking the hotel staff and guests. Cheung sneaks into another woman’s room and steals some jewellery that’s dangling from the bathroom sink. After slinking away, she takes the loot to the roof and tosses it to the ground, literally taking meta-method acting to new heights. Where does Cheung end and Irma Vep begin?

Shortly after, Vidal has a nervous breakdown and is replaced by a decidedly more patriotic director, José Mirano (Lou Castel). He removes Cheung from the starring role and casts a French actor named Laure (Nathalie Boutefeu) as Irma Vep. How could anyone else be Irma Vep other than Maggie Cheung? (This question equally applies to the upcoming eight-part TV remake starring Alicia Vikander.)

It doesn’t matter at this point. Cheung leaves Paris to meet with Ridley Scott in New York. In real life, the actor would later garner international critical acclaim in future roles such as In the Mood for Love and Clean. Life has a funny way of imitating art.

The post Why I love Maggie Cheung’s performance in Irma Vep appeared first on Little White Lies.

source https://lwlies.com/articles/maggie-cheung-irma-vep-performance/

#movie

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ghostcat3000 · 7 years

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Film asks - 9, 16, 21!

from the Film Ask Meme 9. The most aesthetically pleasing movie you’veever watched?

For beauty it’s hard to beatWong Kar-wai’s In The Mood for Love. Maggie Cheung as Mrs. Chan in dozens ofgorgeous cheongsams, Tony Leung as Chow, the picture of 1960s smoothness insuits and slicked back hair. The two of them sit across from one another inrestaurants while Nat King Cole sings in Spanish, never quite touching but sodamn close. The reds are dark and luscious, the greens are almost blue, the twoleads are so gorgeous and all you want them to do is kiss and it’s just onelong, painful sigh of UST.

16. A film you love but everyone else hates?

Oh man, back when it came outI loved the hell out of The English Patient and all my friends HATED it, likepassionately. My best friend at the time and I were having some problems and Idragged him to the movie and it was the final straw. It was one of those thingswhere sitting next to someone hating something makes you start seeing it withtheir eyes and it was painful. I felt like I’d made him scrub his face withscorpions.

I recognize that I have ahigh tolerance for lush, fatalistic, borderline ridiculous WWII-era romance andanyone that hangs with me has to accept this fact or bounce.

21. A film with an amazing soundtrack?

Morvern Callar. The soundtrack is a mix tape left behind for theprotagonist of the film so each song, classic jams by Can, Stereolab and NancySinatra & Lee Hazlewood, are another message, guiding the story to its nextturn.

Thank you, @purficklyclean!

#purficklyclean #Film Asks Game #meme time

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bleu439 · 7 years

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Femmes Fatales

Programmer Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986) suite à Qui veut la peau de Roger Rabbit ? (Robert Zemeckis, 1988) est avant tout l’occasion d’explorer la piste du film noir. Ces deux films, contemporains l’un à l’autre, réactualisent et modernisent différemment les codes du genre. Et qui dit film noir dit souvent... femme fatale. Chez Zemeckis, c’est Jessica Rabbit, qui grâce à l’animation pousse à l’extrême l’incarnation de la femme fatale. Avec Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini) dans Blue Velvet, David Lynch hyper-sexualise et entoure d’une aura particulièrement violente et tragique cette figure.

Ces deux personnages nous ont furieusement donné envie d’évoquer, d’interroger les femmes fatales au cinéma. Car elles sont indéniablement plurielles : en réfléchissant sur cette idée de dossier, il est apparu que personne n’a le même imaginaire lié aux femmes fatales, tant celles-ci sont liées à des moments cinéphiles très particuliers.

Evidemment, incontournables sont les femmes fatales des films noirs de l’âge d’or hollywoodien. Incarnées par Lauren Bacall, Rita Hayworth, Joan Bennet, Barbara Stanwyck - entres autres - elles représentent l’archétype de la femme fatale.

Mais, les femmes fatales sont-elles uniquement un archétype du film noir ? Chez Bleu 439, on pense plutôt que ce genre est venu nourrir tout un pan du cinéma (tout le cinéma?), et que les femmes fatales, si elles sont indissociables du film noir, existent bien au-delà de celui-ci. Et elles n’ont pas non plus attendu sa naissance pour exister…

Dans la littérature, d’Homère (les sirènes, Circé) à Sader Masoch (La Vénus à la Fourrure) ou dans l’imaginaire collectif (les sorcières au Moyen-Age), émergent ces figures de femmes extra-ordinaires.

De cet héritage, on les imagine tentatrices, séductrices et poussant (généralement les hommes) au vice. Dans L’Ange bleu (Josef Von Sternberg, 1930), Lola (Marlene Dietrich), danseuse dans d’un cabaret mal famé, amène un vieux professeur à la folie. Dans All about Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950), Eve (Anne Baxter) joue la fausse ingénue pour s’immiscer dans la vie de Margo (Bette Davis) et prendre sa place.

Reste à savoir si les femmes fatales usent forcément de manière consciente de leurs charmes. Dans Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001), Rita (Laura Elena Harring) est une femme fatale malgré elle, dans le regard de Betty/Diane (Naomi Watts).

Car les femmes fatales, ce sont aussi une puissance de représentation. Dans Laura d’Otto Preminger (1944), un policier chargé de l’enquête d’une disparue est fasciné par son portrait.

D'une féminité exacerbée , elles fascinent mais sont souvent inaccessibles. A l’image de Jessica Rabbit, adulée par tous, n’a d’yeux que pour son Roger… Ou de Maria (Ava Gardner) dans La Comtesse aux pieds nus (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1954) à qui l’on reproche de ne pas être capable d’aimer. Quand finalement elle tombe amoureuse d’un homme, celui-ci ne peut la satisfera, et la mènera à sa perte..

Ces femmes sont souvent enfermées dans leur rôle de femmes hors-normes, qui suscitent l’admiration, les menant souvent à une fin tragique.

Revenons à Bleu 439. Au cours de nos discussions, nos pensées sont allées aussi bien vers Maggie Cheung chez Wong Kar-wai, Shu Qi chez Hou Hsiao-hsien avec Milenium Mambo), que vers certaines héroïnes de Verhoeven, De Palma, Lynch, voire même Ferrara. En passant par certaines figures du muet (Georgette Leblanc dans L’Inhumaine, Brigitte Helm dans Metropolis), Lola Montès de Max Ophuls, Karaba dans Kirikou de Michel Ocelot, Isabella (Gong Li) dans Miami Vice de Michael Mann, Satine (Nicole Kidman) dans Moulin Rouge, certains rôles de Kim Novak, et bien d’autres.

Sans pouvoir écrire sur toutes ces femmes fatales, Bleu 439 s’est mobilisé pour tenter (de manière forcément subjective) de montrer à la fois leurs pluralités et leurs singularités, en décryptant certains de ces personnages si particuliers. Tout au long du mois, des articles seront publiés ici.

Bonne lecture !

Lola pour Bleu 439

#dossiers #femme fatale #femmes fatales #Roger Rabbit #jessica rabbit #isabella rossellini #blue velvet #film noir #lauren bacall #rita hayworth #david lynch #ava gardner #marlene dietrich #laura

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world9x9 · 5 years

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See The Full List Of The Winners Of The 2020 Grammy Awards See The Full List Of The Winners Of The 2020 Grammy Awards: The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards was hosted by veteran singer, Alicia Keys, who has repeated her job as a bright host, with performances from Ariana Grande, Rosalía, Demi Lovato and some more. Going into the evening, Lizzo led with the most nominations (eight), while Lil Nas X and Billie Eilish followed suit with six. All three of those artists contended for Best New Artist (though their respective newness varies), alongside five other artists, in the first year of an expanded category. Eventually, Billie Eilish cleared the top honors of the night: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist, with her brother and producer Finneas joining her for many of those, and winning a solo award himself for Producer of the Year (Non-Classical). Lizzo and Lil Nas didn’t go home empty-handed, though. Lizzo took home three Grammys, and Lil Nas X, two. See Full List Below: Record of the Year “Hey, Ma,” Bon Iver “Bad Guy,” Billie Eilish *WINNER “7 Rings,” Ariana Grande “Hard Place,” H.E.R. “Talk,” Khalid “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X & Billy Ray Cyrus “Truth Hurts,” Lizzo “Sunflower,” Post Malone & Swae Lee Album of the year “I,I”- Bon Iver “Norman F***ing Rockwell,” Lana Del Rey “When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go,” Billie Eilish *WINNER “Thank U, Next,” Ariana Grande “I Used to Know Her,” H.E.R. “7,” Lil Nas X “Cuz I Love You,” Lizzo “Father of the Bride,” Vampire Weekend Song of the year “Always Remember Us This Way,” Natalie Hemby, Lady Gaga, Hillary Lindsey & Lori McKenna “Bad Guy,” Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell *WINNER “Bring My Flowers Now,” Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth & Tanya Tucker “Hard Place,” Ruby Amanfu, Sam Ashworth, D. Arcelious Harris, H.E.R. & Rodney Jerkins “Lover,” Taylor Swift “Norman F***ing Rockwell,” Jack Antonoff & Lana Del Rey “Someone You Loved,” Tom Barnes, Lewis Capaldi, Pete Kelleher, Benjamin Kohn & Sam Roman “Truth Hurts,” Steven Cheung, Eric Frederic, Melissa Jefferson & Jesse Saint John Best new artist Black Pumas Billie Eilish *WINNER Lil Nas X Lizzo Maggie Rogers Rosalia Tank and the Bangas Yola COUNTRY Best Country Solo Performance “All Your’n,” Tyler Childers “Girl Goin’ Nowhere,” Ashley McBryde “Ride Me Back Home,” Willie Nelson *WINNER “God’s Country,” Blake Shelton “Bring My Flowers Now,” Tanya Tucker Best Country Duo/Group Performance “Brand New Man,” Brooks & Dunn With Luke Combs “I Don’t Remember Me (Before You),” Brothers Osborne “Speechless,” Dan + Shay *WINNER “The Daughters,” Little Big Town “Common,” Maren Morris Featuring Brandi Carlile Best Country Song “Bring My Flowers Now,” Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth & Tanya Tucker, songwriters (Tanya Tucker) *WINNER “Girl Goin’ Nowhere,” Jeremy Bussey & Ashley McBryde, songwriters (Ashley McBryde) “It All Comes Out in the Wash,” Miranda Lambert, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose, songwriters (Miranda Lambert) “Some of It,” Eric Church, Clint Daniels, Jeff Hyde & Bobby Pinson, songwriters (Eric Church) “Speechless,” Shay Mooney, Jordan Reynolds, Dan Smyers & Laura Veltz, songwriters (Dan + Shay) Best country album “Desperate Man,” Eric Church “Stronger Than The Truth,” Reba McEntire “Interstate Gospel,” Pistol Annies “Center Point Road,” Thomas Rhett “While I’m Livin’,”Tanya Tucker *WINNER RAP Best rap album “Revenge Of The Dreamers III,” Dreamville “Championships,” Meek Mill “I am > I was,” 21 Savage “Igor,” Tyler, The Creator *WINNER “The Lost Boy,” YBN Cordae Best Rap Performance “Middle Child,” J. Cole “Suge,” DaBaby “Down Bad,” Dreamville Featuring J.I.D, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG & Young Nudy “Racks in the Middle,” Nipsey Hussle Featuring Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy *WINNER “Clout,” Offset Featuring Cardi B Best Rap/Sung Performance “Higher,” DJ Khaled Featuring Nipsey Hussle & John Legend *WINNER “Drip Too Hard,” Lil Baby & Gunna “Panini,” Lil Nas X “Ballin,” Mustard Featuring Roddy Ricch “The London,” Young Thug Featuring J. Cole & Travis Scott Best Rap Song “Bad Idea,” Chancelor Bennett, Cordae Dunston, Uforo Ebong & Daniel Hackett, songwriters (YBN Cordae Featuring Chance The Rapper) “Gold Roses,” Noel Cadastre, Aubrey Graham, Anderson Hernandez, Khristopher Riddick-Tynes, William Leonard Roberts II, Joshua Quinton Scruggs, Leon Thomas III & Ozan Yildirim, songwriters (Rick Ross Featuring Drake) “A Lot,” Jermaine Cole, Dacoury Natche, 21 Savage & Anthony White, songwriters (21 Savage Featuring J. Cole) *WINNER “Racks in the Middle,” Ermias Asghedom, Dustin James Corbett, Greg Allen Davis, Chauncey Hollis, Jr. & Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Nipsey Hussle Featuring Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy) “Suge,” DaBaby, Jetsonmade & Pooh Beatz, songwriters (DaBaby) R&B Best R&B Performance “Come Home,” Anderson .Paak & André 300 *WINNER “Love Again,” Daniel Caesar & Brandy “Could’ve Been,” H.E.R. & Bryson Tiller “Exactly How I Feel,” Lizzo & Gucci Mane “Roll Some Mo,” Lucky Daye Best Traditional R&B Performance “Jerome,” Lizzo *WINNER “Time Today,” BJ The Chicago Kid “Steady Love,” India.Arie “Real Games,” Lucky Daye “Built For Love,” PJ Morton & Jazmine Sullivan Best R&B Song “Say So” — Pj Morton, Songwriter (Pj Morton Ft. Jojo) *WINNER “Could’ve Been” — Dernst Emile Ii, David “Swagg R’celious” Harris, H.E.R. & Hue “Soundzfire” Strother, Songwriters (H.E.R. Ft. Bryson Tiller) “Look At Me Now” — Emily King & Jeremy Most, Songwriters (Emily King) “No Guidance” — Chris Brown, Tyler James Bryant, Nija Charles, Aubrey Graham, Anderson Hernandez, Michee Patrick Lebrun, Joshua Lewis, Noah Shebib & Teddy Walton, Songwriters (Chris Brown Ft. Drake) “Roll Some Mo” — David Brown, Dernst Emile Ii & Peter Lee Johnson, Songwriters (Lucky Daye) Best Urban Contemporary Album “Apollo XXI,” Steve Lacy “Cuz I Love You (Deluxe),” Lizzo *WINNER “Overload,” Georgia Anne Muldrow “Saturn,” Nao “Being Human in Public,” Jessie Reyez Best R&B Album “1123,” BJ The Chicago Kid “Painted,” Lucky Daye “Ella Mai,” Ella Mai “Paul,” PJ Morton “Ventura,” Anderson .Paak *WINNER POP Best Pop Solo Performance “Spirit,” Beyoncé “Bad Guy,” Billie Eilish “7 Rings,” Ariana Grande “Truth Hurts,” Lizzo *WINNER “You Need to Calm Down,” Taylor Swift Best Pop Duo/Group Performance “Boyfriend,” Ariana Grande & Social House “Sucker,” Jonas Brothers “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X Featuring Billy Ray Cyrus *WINNER “Sunflower,” Post Malone & Swae Lee “Senorita,” Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello Best Pop Vocal Album “The Lion King: The Gift,” Beyoncé “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?,” Billie Eilish *WINNER “Thank U, Next,” Ariana Grande “No. 6 Collaborations Project,” Ed Sheeran “Lover,” Taylor Swift Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album “Sì,” Andrea Bocelli “Love (Deluxe Edition),” Michael Bublé “Look Now,” Elvis Costello & The Imposters *WINNER “A Legendary Christmas,” John Legend “Walls,” Barbra Streisand Best Comedy Album “Quality Time,” Jim Gaffigan “Relatable,” Ellen Degeneres “Right Now,” Aziz Ansari “Son Of Patricia,” Trevor Noah “Sticks & Stones,” Dave Chappelle *WINNER LATIN Best Latin Pop Album “#ELDISCO,” Alejandro Sanz *WINNER “Vida,” Luis Fonsi “11:11,” Maluma “Montaner,” Ricardo Montaner “Fantasía,” Sebastian Yatra Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album “El Mal Querer,” Rosalía *WINNER “X 100PRE,” Bad Bunny “Oasis,” J Balvin & Bad Bunny “Indestructible,” Flor De Toloache “Almadura,” iLe ROCK Best Rock Performance “This Land,” Gary Clark Jr. *WINNER “Pretty Waste,” Bones UK “History Repeats,” Brittany Howard “Woman,” Karen O & Danger Mouse “Too Bad,” Rival Sons Best Metal Performance “7empest,” Tool *WINNER “Astorolus – The Great Octopus,” Candlemass ft. Tony Iommi “Humanicide,” Death Angel “Bow Down,” I Prevail “Unleashed,” Killswitch Engage Best Rock Song “This Land,” Gary Clark Jr., Songwriter (Gary Clark Jr.) *WINNER “Fear Inoculum,” Danny Carey, Justin Chancellor, Adam Jones & Maynard James Keenan, Songwriters (Tool) “Give Yourself A Try,” George Daniel, Adam Hann, Matthew Healy & Ross Macdonald, Songwriters (The 1975) “Harmony Hall,” Ezra Koenig, Songwriter (Vampire Weekend) “History Repeats,” Brittany Howard, Songwriter (Brittany Howard) Best Rock Album “Social Cues,” Cage The Elephant *WINNER “Amo,” Bring Me The Horizon “In The End,” The Cranberries “Trauma,” I Prevail “Feral Roots,” Rival Sons ALTERNATIVE Best Alternative Music Album “Father of the Bride,” Vampire Weekend *WINNER “U.F.O.F.,” Big Thief “Assume Form,” James Blake “i,i,” Bon Iver “Anima,” Thom Yorke Share on: WhatsApp The post See The Full List Of The Winners Of The 2020 Grammy Awards appeared first on JamBaze.com.

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pierrelauret · 6 years

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Portrait : Mark LEE

Writer

« A Poet of Light and Shadow », portrait de Mark LEE « Ping Bing »

Une jeune femme habillée de rouge s'enfonce au ralenti dans un couloir bleuté, une autre danse de manière insouciante dans un appartement jaune et vert, une troisième s'autorise à verser une larme dans une robe verte venant déchirer l'environnement orange qui l'entoure. Non seulement, ces trois scènes font partie de ce qui se fait de plus beau dans le septième art, mais il est aussi essentiel de souligner qu'elles ont été réalisées par trois des plus iconiques cinéastes d'Asie – HOU Hsiao-Hsien, TRẦN Anh Hùng et WONG Kar-Wai – et qu'elles contiennent trois des plus belles femmes venant de cette même partie de la planète – SHU Qi, TRẦN Nữ Yên Khê et Maggie CHEUNG « Man-Yuk » -. Pour autant, il existe un dénominateur commun qui permet de regrouper ces trois petites pépites ensemble : Mark LEE « Ping Bing ».

Connu pour ses usages quasi-systématiques de lumières naturelles sur les tournages et ses mouvements de caméra emplis de grâce, celui que l'on surnomme « Poet of Light and Shadow » est parmi les plus grands directeurs de la photographie actuels, aux côtés notamment de Christopher DOYLE, Benoît DÉBIE et Emmanuel LUBEZKI. Avec plus de 70 films en trente ans de carrière, Mark LEE est considéré aujourd'hui comme l'un des principaux visages de la première nouvelle vague taïwanaise, apparue en 1982, qui était alors principalement menée par Edward YANG « Déchāng » et HOU Hsiao-Hsien.

Des studios gouvernementaux aux grosses productions hongkongaises

Né en 1954 sur l'île de Taïwan, Mark LEE se passionne très tôt pour le septième art en échappant régulièrement à la vigilance de sa mère, s'occupant seule de lui, pour se rendre dans les salles obscures. Il sert pendant un temps dans la Navy, où il passe chacune de ses permissions au cinéma. Suite à son service, il postule et est accepté – après un passage sur liste d'attente – à la Central Motion Pictures Company (CMPC), le studio officiel du Kuomintang, où il se forme, en tant que stagiaire, pour être directeur de la photographie. Durant ses années à la CMPC, il participe à la réalisation de trois longs-métrages : Huand tian hou tu (1981) de PAI Ching-Jui, ainsi que Portrait Of A Fanatic (1982) et Run Away (1985) de WANG Tung. Pour ce troisième long-métrage, il remporte le prix de Best Cinematographer à l'Asia Pacific Film Festival. Grâce à cette récompense, il se fait remarquer par HOU Hsiao-Hsien, pour qui il devient, la même année, directeur de la photographie sur Un temps pour vivre, un temps pour mourir (1985).

Après ce premier film avec HOU Hsiao-Hsien, Mark LEE est très rapidement appelé sur les tournages de grosses productions hongkongaises, puisque Taïwan et la région administrative chinoise échangent régulièrement des techniciens depuis les années 1960. À Hong-Kong, il collabore notamment avec Ann HUI « On-Wah », Sylvia CHANG « Ai-Chia » ou encore YUEN Woo-Ping. Le cinéma hongkongais est, à cette époque, en plein âge d'or, ce qui amène Mark LEE à travailler sur de nombreux films d'actions avec du matériel plus récent que celui qu'il utilisait à Taïwan. Si son expérience hongkongaise est compliquée et pas particulièrement à son goût, il peut néanmoins enrichir ses connaissances afin de ramener de nouvelles couleurs au cinéma taïwanais.

De 1985 à aujourd'hui

Non seulement de lui ouvrir les portes du cinéma hongkongais, sa collaboration avec HOU Hsiao-Hsien sur Un temps pour vivre, un temps pour mourir marque la naissance d'une relation de plus de 30 ans qui peut se résumer par une dizaine de longs-métrages, dont le récent The Assassin (2016). Bien que Mark LEE rencontre, dans un premier temps, quelques difficultés à s'intégrer dans l'équipe entourant HOU Hsiao-Hsien, il bénéficie du soutien et de la confiance de ce dernier, si bien qu'aujourd'hui il est l'un des membres les plus importants entourant le réalisateur taïwanais, au même titre que sa scénariste CHU Tien-Wen. À cette époque, HOU Hsiao-Hsien est alors dans sa période autobiographique et commence à initier sa fausse trilogie sur l'histoire de Taïwan1, ce qui amène la question du réalisme très rapidement entre les deux compères.

Au fil des collaborations, Mark LEE et HOU Hsiao-Hsien développent une esthétique unique et très facilement reconnaissable, caractérisée par des avant-plans peu éclairés et sous-exposés alors que le fond du décor baigne dans une grande clarté. Ces couleurs très contrastées trouvent leurs origines sur le tournage de Un temps pour vivre, un temps pour mourir où Mark LEE fait ses premiers essais avec la technique du clair-obscur. Depuis ce jour-là, Hsiao-Hsien HOU ne cesse de lui répéter « Plus sombre ! » sur chaque tournage.

Pour autant, aucune « recette » ne s'impose et chaque film issu de la collaboration des deux taïwanais est différent du précédent puisque leur cinéma évolue en même temps que Taïwan. Il est donc tout à fait normal de voir dans Millennium Mambo (2001) et le troisième segment de Three Times (2005) des lumières très éloignées de leurs collaborations antérieurs, suite à la prise en compte des boites de nuit et salles de concert qui rythment désormais la vie nocturne de Taipei. Si le traitement du nouveau rythme de vie que connaît la capitale semble succinct dans l’œuvre du réalisateur, c'est parce que les deux compères s'adaptent aussi au projet et ses intentions. Ainsi, la capitale nipponne présentée dans Café Lumière (2003) semble bien éloignée de la représentation de la vie nocturne japonaise de Millennium Mambo et semble recréer un Tokyo similaire à celui que Yasujirō Ozu filmait, alors que la ville ne ressemble désormais plus à celle que le réalisateur japonais a laissé à sa mort en 1963.

En 1998, ils travaillent sur Les fleurs de Shanghai, un film en costumes se déroulant dans le Shanghai des années 1880 à l'intérieur d'une maison close. Les recherches sur l'aspect et le mode de fonctionnement des maisons de concubines et la préparation du tournage prenant plus d'un an, cette période est aussi pour Mark LEE un long travail de préparation. HOU Hsiao-Hsien lui répétant qu'il veut un film qui ressemble à des peintures à l'huile, le directeur de la photographie fait de nombreux essais avant d'installer sur le tournage des éclairages intégralement composés de lampes à huile et de bougies associées à des filtres de couleurs pour habiller des murs initialement blancs. Durant le tournage, Mark LEE impose aussi ce qui compose l'essence même du film. Il propose à HOU Hsiao-Hsien de lents travellings latéraux allant de gauche à droite et inversement, et crée ainsi une ambiance langoureuse dans laquelle il préfère filmer les personnages étant en train d'écouter plutôt que ceux qui parlent.

En 2016, après plus de huit ans d'absence du réalisateur, le duo signe son grand retour sur les écrans avec The Assassin, un second film en costume, qui obtient notamment le prix de la mise en scène au Festival de Cannes. Là encore, le rôle de Mark LEE s'avère déterminant dans l'esthétique du film. Alors que le film est initialement prévu en noir et blanc, le directeur de la photographie réussit à convaincre HOU Hsiao-Hsien d'alterner entre des séquences en noir et blanc et d'autres en couleurs. C'est à lui aussi que l'on doit la première utilisation du steadicam par le réalisateur. Initialement prévu pour les séquences de combat, le système n'est au final utilisé que pour les magnifiques plans séquences faisant passer le personnage de SHU Qi d'une vallée à une autre. Cependant, la véritable performance dans The Assassin est le plan où la jeune femme et son maître se tiennent sur les bords d'une falaise lorsque soudainement de la brume vient les englober. Ne souhaitant pas ajouter d'effet numérique, Mark LEE force l'équipe du film à attendre dans le froid, tôt le matin, une demi-heure que la brume se déplace peu à peu, de manière imprévisible, vers les deux femmes pour recréer l'ambiance de la peinture Shaoshan de FU Baoshi qu'il a en tête au moment du tournage.

Pour autant, Mark LEE n'est pas simplement le directeur de la photographie de HOU Hsiao-Hsien puisqu'il collabore, au fil de sa carrière, avec de nombreux autres réalisateurs tels que le japonais KORE-EDA Hirokazu, le franco-vietnamien TRẦN Anh Hùng ou le cinéaste de la cinquième génération du cinéma chinois TIAN Zhuangzhuang. Cependant, le nom de Mark LEE est essentiellement attaché à celui du hongkongais WONG Kar-Wai avec lequel il remporte le Grand Prix Technique au Festival de Cannes pour In The Mood For Love (2000).

La nature de la collaboration entre WONG Kar-Wai et Mark LEE est néanmoins particulière, car le taïwanais est en quelque sorte le remplaçant de Christopher DOYLE qui est appelé sur de nombreux projets, ce qui n'est pas forcément conciliable avec les longs tournages qu'impose WONG Kar-Wai. C'est comme cela que Mark LEE se retrouve à trois reprises à continuer et finir le travail initié par l'australien, en tant que chef opérateur de la seconde équipe sur Les Anges Déchus (1995), et en tant que directeur de la photographie pendant la moitié des tournages de In The Mood For Love et 2046 (2004). Si, dans ces films, il est difficile de distinguer auquel des deux techniciens est dû chaque plan, WONG Kar-Wai fait la distinction entre les deux dans Let The Wind Carry Me (CHIANG Hsiu-Chiung et KWAN Pung-Leung, 2009), sur lequel nous reviendrons ultérieurement, en parlant de Christopher DOYLE comme un marin qui prend ses propres décisions et de Mark LEE comme un soldat capable d'appliquer tout ce qu'on lui demande.

Un technicien hors des sentiers battus

Depuis ses débuts, Mark LEE clame haut et fort que la lumière au cinéma est l'une des choses les plus essentielles. Le directeur de la photographie a démontré, depuis le début de sa carrière, qu'il possède une large palette de couleurs, en travaillant notamment sur les couleurs chaudes d'un Hong-Kong des années 60 dans In The Mood For Love ou sur les couleurs atypiques des impressionnistes dans Renoir (Gilles BOURDOS, 2012). Cette palette, elle lui vient notamment de sa méthode de travail qui consiste à s'adapter constamment à son environnement pendant le tournage.

Le taïwanais privilégie toujours l'usage des lumières qui éclairent naturellement le lieu de tournage. Il cherche constamment à préserver les petites lumières naturelles qui risquent de disparaître lors d'un apport trop important d'éclairages artificiels. C'est aussi, en favorisant les objets présents sur le tournage que Mark LEE crée des ambiances uniques, à l'instar de l'ambiance bleutée d'Inquiétudes (Gilles BOURDOS, 2003) où le taïwanais a dirigé toutes les lumières vers des sacs plastiques bleus présents sur le plateau dont le reflet créa l'atmosphère souhaitée par le réalisateur. Cependant, Mark LEE ne voit pas son travail comme un élément vivant dans le film, ce n'est seulement lorsque les acteurs se déplacent dans cet univers visuel que les ombres et lumières, créées par les mouvements, offrent une identité unique au plan.

Mais c'est aussi par ses méthodes de travail que le taïwanais marque profondément la création des films sur lesquels il travaille. Si usuellement un directeur de la photographie n'a d'interaction qu'avec ses assistants et avec le réalisateur, Mark LEE, lui, n'hésite pas à briser cela en n'ayant quasiment jamais d'assistants sur les tournages, de peur que le résultat soit différent s'il délègue une tâche. Comme le souligne aussi SHU Qi2 dans le documentaire Let The Wind Carry Me, Mark LEE communique aussi énormément avec les acteurs. Car non seulement de donner vie à ses lumières, les acteurs sont aussi pour Mark LEE ceux qui vont nourrir ses mouvements de caméra. Sans schéma pré-établit, il s'adapte aux déplacements des acteurs qu'il invite à ne pas se soucier de la caméra et à se placer comme ils le souhaitent dans l'espace.

Mais les lumières naturelles et les acteurs ne sont pas les seules choses auxquelles s'adapte Mark LEE. Il a abandonné très rapidement le travail de repérage avant un tournage puisque l'ambiance et la météo étaient souvent différentes lorsqu'il revenait filmer. Si d'un côté, Mark LEE prépare de longues heures les tournages en effectuant de multiples tests de matériel pour obtenir un résultat en symbiose avec les intentions du réalisateur, de l'autre il s'adapte constamment aux lieux de tournage. Si une tempête de neige – scène du désert sous la neige dans Le soleil se lève aussi (JIANG Wen, 2007) – ou un typhon – scène où Ah-ah chante à sa fenêtre dans Un temps pour vivre, un temps pour mourir – ne sont pas des choses qui l'effrayent, il n'hésite pas non plus à être à l'écoute de la nature, allant jusqu'à faire éteindre les ventilateurs sur le tournage de À la verticale de l'été (TRẦN Anh Hùng, 2000) pour attendre le coup de vent parfait dans un appartement situé à Hanoï où l'air ne circule quasiment pas.

Cependant, la palette de couleur du réalisateur n'est pas seulement due au fait qu'il s'adapte constamment à ce qu'il ne maîtrise pas. C'est aussi en se basant sur un large catalogue d'influences que Mark LEE réfléchit à ses films. Comme il se plaît à l'expliquer à son assistant dans Let The Wind Carry Me, Mark LEE a appris la subtilité de l'usage des couleurs à travers la poterie, dont il est un grand passionné. La peinture constitue aussi l'un de ses principaux éléments de référence textuelle. En s'inspirant fortement des toiles chinoises, qui accordent une place importante à l'imagination en laissant des zones de vide, Mark LEE compose ses cadres avec ces mêmes zones, à l'image des scènes de boites de nuit dans Millennium Mambo où les personnages sont difficilement perceptibles.

« Ils m'ont donné une bible répertoriant ce que je devais faire - filme à cette cadence, utilise ce paramètre – j'ai détruit tout cela et après ça ressemblait enfin à quelque chose »

Mark LEE – Let The Wind Carry Me (2009)

Comme beaucoup de techniciens et cinéastes, Mark LEE a connu le passage de la bande au numérique. Si l'adaptation a été compliquée, il s'est rapidement affranchi des règles d'utilisation de cette nouvelle technologie en détournant les principaux paramètres, comme par exemple en utilisant une température de couleur destinée aux plans de jour pendant une séquence de nuit. De plus, Mark LEE n'a jamais considéré le numérique comme une révolution du cinéma, puisque le travail de la lumière resta inchangé. Si une lumière est bonne, le résultat sera bon, peu importe si la caméra est le meilleur modèle du marché ou bas de gamme, si elle est numérique ou à pellicule.

En 2008, Mark LEE a reçu le prix le plus prestigieux qui puisse être attribué à un artiste à Taïwan, le National Award For Arts. À cette occasion, CHIANG Hsiu-Chiung et KWAN Pung-Leung réalisèrent un documentaire sur lui, Let The Wind Carry Me, dans lequel interviennent de nombreuses personnes, dont HOU Hsiao-Hsien, WONG Kar-Wai, Ann Hui, SHU Qi ainsi que le principal intéressé. Filmé durant une rétrospective qui lui est consacré en Norvège et pendant le tournage du segment de HOU Hsiao-Hsien pour Chacun son cinéma (2007), le documentaire traite de la vision que les différents réalisateurs ont de Mark LEE et de la manière dont ce dernier perçoit le cinéma et sa vie de famille. Il aborde aussi le rapport que le taïwanais entretient avec la nature, le réel et les couleurs et résume le travail du directeur de la photographie à quatre questions qu'il se pose avant chaque plan : « Quelles couleurs je veux apporter ? Comment je peux apporter ces couleurs ? Comment ces couleurs vont-elles pouvoir fonctionner dans le film ? Comment travailler ces couleurs naturelles pour qu'elles ne soient pas ternes ? »

1 L’œuvre actuelle de HOU Hsiao-Hsien a été divisée a posteriori en quatre parties. Les films de distractions, les films autobiographiques, les films embrassant l'histoire de Taïwan et les films renouant avec le présent. Son dernier film étant un film d'époque, The Assassin (2016), il est impossible de déterminer la période de sa carrière dans laquelle se situe HOU Hsiao-Hsien aujourd'hui.

2 SHU Qi, qui n'avait jamais eu de directeur de la photographie communiquant directement avec elle, fût surprise lorsque Mark LEE l'interpella sur le tournage de Millennium Mambo (HOU Hsiao-Hsien, 2001) pour lui demander d'arrêter de manger les popcorn qu'il utilisait pour faire sa balance des blancs.

Critique publiée dans le MagGuffin n°7.

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