The Road Home Scene Analysis

Zhang Yimou’s film techniques are fundamental to the narrative of his films The Road Home and Hero, as they are the medium of which his themes and concepts are presented. Both films set in a time period before the Cultural Revolution in China, each in their own share an exploration of central concepts of a ruthlessly ruling totalitarian regime, as well as themes of the importance of respecting the past, the truth, and the significance and influence of the individual. To visually express his story telling behind the sequential images of film, Yimou uses film techniques such as colour filtering, interior and exterior shots, strategic blocking and setting to illustrate his philosophical ideas on screen. Throughout his narratives, these innovative …show more content…
This technique is integral as it reinforces the constricting nature of the present and the freedom found in the past. In the present scenes, doorframes, windows and interior are used to restrain the actor’s movements, emphasised through Yimou’s decision of blocking characters to stand within these framing devices in scenes, observed through stagnant and fixed camera angles and positions that hardly vary within scenes. Character’s themselves are stagnant and static, showing little to no movement for several minutes in these present scenes, all displayed when the two villager’s inform Yusheng of his father’s death, enforcing the monotony of their modern existence. Yimou also employs a clutter within the setting to create a sense of restriction and claustrophobia through busying the background with set pieces. As Yusheng attempts to speak with his mother about his future, this meaningful interaction is restrained by the separation between them due to tables and dishes, expressing the truly depressing world they live in. Contrastingly, the exterior shots in The Road Home past scenes reject these ideas of confinement and isolation, rather embracing strong senses of freedom and enlightenment. Panning panoramic wide shots of the Chinese landscape emphasis it’s timeless beauty whilst the diegetic soundscape of birds chirping and insects buzzing arouses positivity. This mise-en-scène is powerfully enhanced through a montage of different shots and angles of the breathtaking scenery dissolving between one another, often used as younger Di excitedly runs along the road and vast hillsides, capturing her sense of euphoria generated from the lively and limitless