John Woo from HK to Hollywood

Film director John Woo has been extremely influential in Hollywood for many years because of his unique way with violence, termed the aesthetics of violence.

 

In his movies, action scenes and shooting sprees are performed with ballet-like elegance, creating a world of honor and dignity, and featuring the familiar lone hero.

 

As jury chairman at the Shanghai International Film Festival, Woo said he would treat each film with an open mind and make a professional judgment with no bias.

 

Daily News: As a director in Hong Kong and with an international reputation in Hollywood, what’s your standard of judgment for the films in competition?
John Woo: Professionally and objectively, it is open and free because of the benchmark of understanding to each culture. 

 

Daily News: How does this festival compare to others? 
John Woo: Shanghai, a mix of of culture, arts and business, is an international city with beautiful environment and a great enthusiasm among its people, which attract all film makers to come and get together here. 

 

Daily News: Will you give some suggestions to other judges about which films to select, or would you give more emphasize and attention to some special kinds of film?  
John Woo: I have had no chance to meet with other judges until now, but I think we have the same criteria because of their open-minds and professional knowledge. I am concerned about young directors and their work, and I hope I can give them more encouragement.

Daily News: Would your style, the aesthetics of violence, which you are known for, affect your standards of selecting films? 
John Woo: In my opinion, aesthetics of violence is just a title, and I like good movies no matter whether it is commercial or artistic. Usually, I prefer the classical art movies of the older generation and some other films with human aspects. Personally speaking, as a film maker, the style one usually uses in film would not influence my evaluation. 

Daily News: Which would you want to see in this film festival, commercial or art?
John Woo: When seeing a movie, I would not label and divided into commercial or artist. It is worthy to be seen as long as it can move us.
 

Daily News: Can you share with us something about your new film Flying Tiger SWAT Team?  It is said that it will be in 3D and feature Tom Cruise and Sun Honglei. 
John Woo: Flying Tiger SWAT Team is being prepared and the script has already been finished. It will be in 3D if everything goes well. We don’t have a final decision about the actors and have no communication with them. This film emphasizes the friendship between Sino and US air forces, so most of the film will be air battles.

 

Daily News: Your recent works seem to break your own style and give Hollywood audiences a new angle on China. What do you think about this?
John Woo: I pay much attention to humanism now and my works will have more care for interpersonal relationships than outside performance. No matter how many changes, my style will always contain the wonderful feelings between people. Of course, I came back China to show our culture and characters through different themes. I also hope that audience from abroad can learn more about us, have more recognition with us and have more communication through film. 

Daily News: In your opinion what kind of films do we need, international or local?
John Woo:  I think we need films with a wider world view and themes. Both commercial films and art films should find a market both home and abroad. This is essential for film to maintain its development and creative vitality.
 

Daily News: Are you still crazy about action films? Do you still have some feelings about films by Zhang Che?
John Woo: Director Zhang is a director I respect and I learned a lot from his films. My film just turned swords in his films into guns. I always want to make an action film of my own not those kinds of flying around. I hope my films show our chivalrous and heroic spirit. 

 

Daily News: You once said lone heroes seemed to be violent but actually presented human nature. The heroes are like the knights in Western culture, so the East and the West have some similarities. Are these common themes both at home and abroad and do you think that\'s why your films are accepted internationally?
John Woo: Zhang Che, my teacher, told me I should make movies with Eastern spirit and in Western ways when I first came to Hollywood. I understood it that no matter what the movies were about, Hollywood or Chinese, human nature was the same and this was the part that could move the audience.

 

Daily News:  What\'s your opinion of Chinese movies these days?
John Woo: There are some surprising parts in the development of Chinese movies these years. Audiences have come back to the cinemas to see movies and more and more cinemas appear. Domestic films receive more love. These make us feel very happy. Chinese films make great progress creatively and technically. But I hope the movies are good both in quantity and quality. From the perspective of Shanghai International festival, our movies should have more inclusiveness, because a good movie with an international world view should affect and be accepted by audiences all over the world.