House of Flying Daggers: Opening Sequence Notes

House of Flying Daggers: Opening sequences x 2 (Opening and Echo game scene) Class notes:

Genre:

Themes:

Gender:

Opening sequence: (Film Form)

Cinematography

Opening close up shot of swords- Establishes setting of war and conflict
Tracking Shot behind Mei central to frame- Mei is an enigma/ Builds suspense/ Built up as beautiful and intriguing
Lingering close up of Mei in central shot – Focuses on her physical beauty
High contrast- hight key lighting/ saturated colour palette
High angles looking down upon Jin- Foreshadows how he’s the enemy
Camera fluidly flows- song and dancing
Camera becomes shaky and jarring- Fluidity disrupted by the chaos of the sexual assault
Dutch camera angle
Perspective change to immersed in the action/ chaos- The spectator is trying to help Mei

Mise en Scene

Title section- text written in blood/ Traditional Chinese scroll and language
Establishes time period and socio-political contexts of war
Repetition of butterfly and floral patterns – Symbol of femininity/ delicate and gentle/ Represents new life and a second chance/ Foreshows Mei’s connection with nature- significant of the changing seasons
Beauty of the ‘North’ – links to The House of Flying Daggers
Mei represents strength rather than stereo-typical femininity
Repetition of sword motif- Seen as a masculine object/ Uses it to sexualise and undress Mei
Ornate carvings- showcase wealth and imperial time period
Grand setting- high class

Performance

Mei individualised- Seen as strong and resilient but also submissive to Jin
Mei is the subject- she is being watched and sexualised
Leo- wears full uniform to show his serious and authoritative nature
Jin:
Sat on the floor eating in front of everyone and questions plan- sign of disrespect
Points and laughs
Drunken stupidity and immaturity
Sings out of tune and synch with Mei
Strokes Mei’s jaw with sword and uses it to undress her- exerts his masculinity and power
Uses his foot to stop her
Throws payment on the floor- animalistic and disrespectful nature
Dance scene- misguiding to the audience (Mei appears elegant yet she has a violent nature)

Sound

Editing

Echo game sequence: (Film Form)

Cinematography

Initial shot of drums extenuated by camera- Mei appears trapped as she is surrounded by drums/ High angle looking down upon Mei/ Shows her as less powerful
Frequently changes camera angels
High key lighting with saturated colour palette
Tracking shot moving with Mei- Seen as more active/ Builds suspense/ Enigmatic and mysterious
Changes from low to high angle shots of Mei- shows her growth in power
Tracking shot- pans around with Lotus seed- perspective shot of Lotus seed
Long wide angle shot of Mei’s audience- shows female majority/ all dressed same uniform
Close up of Lotus seed being thrown- Immersed in action
Camera always moving with Mei while everyone is static – adjacency vs active
Camera maintains mid-shot and closeups during the game
Yee framed in a box

Mise en Scene

Bold colour palette- pinks, reds, yellows, blues
Traditional Chinese architecture, furniture and props- Upper class despite nature of the business
No blank spaces- overwhelming and chaotic background
Lotus seed- symbolising full wallet and wealth
Drums- act like a prison so Mei is trapped
Crowd all wearing the same uniforms as Mei- aligned to Mei
Women wear colourful outfits- Sexualised as their purpose to entertain
Men wear subtle dark colours
Repetition imagery- lotus seed, drums
Circular imagery- represent cycle
Reoccurring green colour- Foreshadows HOFD/ symbolic of Luck and prosperity
Mei wearing red lipstick and red flower- Foreshadows danger, fierceness and violence/ Sexualising Mei/ Symbolic of beauty and fortune in Chinese culture
Reoccurring blue- costume, drums and butterfly – Symbolises the season of spring in Chinese culture- links to nature and environment
Butterfly and floral motif – Symbol of new life and transformation and a second chance/ Represents Mei as delicate yet has the ability to change / Stereotypical symbol of feminine beauty

Performance

Editing

CONTEXT:

REPRESENTATION:

Power dynamic/ imbalance- tug of war
Sexualising- women perform to flatter the male ego
Throws payment on ground- no respect/ Arch into him being a good character
Discriminatory towards disability ‘blind girl’
‘Real flowers bloom in the wilderness’- Fake/ surface level artificially with the other girls/ Mei can’t be tamed/ Mei is most powerful in nature
Jin has a sword- power balance between genders/ phallic symbol- presented as masculine
Sisterhood- women rush to help Mei
‘Indecently dressed’- rape culture- targeted critique of modern culture / Blaming the women- at fault and the victim
Jin punished for being drunk yet not punished for sexual assault
Men- Wear dark colours to look hard and strong
Women- wear floral patterns to look weak and delicate