Hero (LTCG Pt.3)

"In any war, there are heroes on both sides..."

- Title Card

(Left to right: Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung)

Title: Hero (2002)

Director: Zhang Yimou

Cinematographer: Christopher Doyle

Colour Scheme: Triadic Offset / Analogous

(Jet Li as Nameless)

Zhang Yimou divided the film visually into five sections, each dominated by a particular colour. The stories are dominated by the colours red, blue, and white. The overall framing story is darker with shades of black, and flashbacks are shown in vibrant greens.

The film employs colour in every possible way, from the space like dunes of the location to the blood-red soaked calligraphy to the primary colour of the costume for the film’s main cast. The colouring was incorporated for a good narrative reason as a window into the vivid memories of the protagonist, Nameless. The excess is explained, it is grounded, and it is beautiful.