House of Flying Daggers: Bamboo sequence notes

House of Flying Daggers: Bamboo sequence analysis notes

CINEMTOGRAPHY:

Changing camera angles- mainly low angles POV shots of Mei looking up into the trees
Close ups of bamboo splitting
Tracking shot of Mei and Jin running through forest- aligned with the change in protagonists- Jin shows character arch as audience aligns with his POV
POV tracking shot using a hand held camera running through forest – adds to enigma and mystery of the scene as we don’t know who’s POV it is
Closeups of their faces when they are trapped in the bamboo- intimate moment as they are both confined to the same space- at this moment they share a common interest of helping one another
Camera tracks a prop (dagger) similar to lotus seed in opening sequence
Camera tilts/ Dutch angles- disorientating/ confusion shows how Mei is caught off guard

MISE EN SCENE:

Green colour pallet- Jin stands out in his blue/purple robe
HOFD/ Mei wear green costumes- connection with environment and nature – matching it because that wear they feel most at comfort
HOFD costumes blend in with nature- juxtaposition shade of green
Government assassins’ costumes- authority marked by gold symbols on the back of their costumes to shown the government corrupt
Bamboo- trapped in a maze/ labyrinth
Mei obscured by the trees to make it feel like they are being spied upon- foreshadows how the HOFD will rescue them
Voyeurism – presents an enigma as it is unclear who is spying on who (HOFD or Tang assassins)
Mist- reinforces idea of battle ground. HOFD function outside of society in the peripheral. HOFD outside of scene- its own setting not conformed to society
Close ups of characters framed within triangles and lines- trapped
Triangular imagery- connote swords and blades

SOUND:

Close sonic perspective of Mei breathing heavily- links back to action sequences/ align with Mei
Close sonic perspective bamboo echoing
Close sonic perspective sword chopping bamboo
High pitched whistling of flute- Chinese traditional music culture and links to opening sequence
Exaggerated sound to enhance sound of bamboo- environmental sounds
Conflict in sound- environmental sounds/ unnatural mental sounds
Rhythm

PERFORMANCE:

Highly choreographed- mirrors opening dance sequence
The government assassins are very robotic and all look similar/ dressed in same uniform- shows lack of freedom and expression in the dynasty/ dehumanisation
Consistent and collaborative element to the choreography
Pained expression on Mei’s face- has to maintain her façade as she faces death- not be able to look Jin in the eyes or tell him the truth
Mei maintains façade of her blindness- She is loyal to HOFD and is resilient towards their cause
Mei has had her gaze taken away- taking away her independence to cast her own gaze upon her suroundings and women having the agency to have their own gaze to contrast the male gaze.
Could be interpreted negatively as she appears stubborn and not wanting to conform
HOFD hats (trinagular imagery- contrast to circular imagery at start) cover their faces and connote mystery and enigma

EDITING:

REPRESENTATION:

MEI:

Uses bamboo to fight- well trained- using her environment to her advantage- resourceful
Damsel in distress- put in a challenging situation and unfair disadvantage as she is overwhelmed by government assassins
Positions female characters as strong- House of Flying Daggers and Mei are seen as experienced warriors
Femininity- self-reliance and sufficiency undercut by reliance on male character Jin

JIN:

Jin- extreme low angle- power and heroic character of the scene
Shows his character arch
Link to opening sequence contrasts Jin in the opening and his character arch over time- he steps in to help whereas in the opening he is the cause of the disruption

GENRE:

Bamboo homage to Chinese cinema
Editing pace slows down in certain parts to show the romance genre- camera lingers on Mei and Jin’s expression towards one another as they are trapped by bamboo
Fast editing rate and fast cuts- jarring and disrupted editing to show fighting combat sequence