Feng Xiaogang's Assembly - The film
A three page story would prove insufficient in space to describe Assembly’s complex interweaving of theme and plot. Feng Xiaogang comments on his creative collaboration with screenwriter Liu Heng:
“Liu Heng read a lot of books and interviewed many people. Then we discussed the theme of this film, sacrifice. We talked about what kind of sacrifice would move people and be remembered. Every sacrifice deserves respect, whether it is voluntary or not. History remembers the people who give up everything they have, including their lives, for others. It is this kind of sacrifice that is worthy of our appreciation. We wanted to express sacrifice and courage as inseparable.”
In Feng’s point of view, What Assembly needed was emotionally stirring content. Besides stunning visuals, the production team had to focus on injecting soul into the film. It had to convince everyone, including its film makers that the sacrifice of these soldiers was worth remembrance.
Sacrifice is the main theme but it does not account for the content of the entire film. Feng says, “To make the audience believe that the people who live and die in the war actually exist, it is crucial to show the brutality of war. In addition to bravery, we need to present the weakness of the human being, which is in fact physical. Thousands of people will die in one single blast without any ability to fight back. Bravery comes from uplifting the spirit, and it compensates for physical vulnerability. Guzidi’s salvation is not only his own but also that of the men of his company. They are inseparable. Even though everyone except for him dies, he never thinks for one second that his life and that of his soldiers’ have parted ways. He wants to prove the glory of his company and honor its unsung heroes.
Yet these heroic characters are common people. In times of peace, they could be students and workers, or other individuals that people would turn their noses up at. But at war and on the battlefield, they are young and fearless soldiers with unlimited courage.”
Screenwriter Liu Heng agreed with director Feng. He also wanted the lead characters to have a jovial attitude. He felt that this wouldn’t compromise the dramatic essence of the film, and that it would make the characters come alive: “When I was writing the script, I did a lot of thinking on war,” recalls Liu, “even though some thoughts were only skin-deep. War confuses me. The intricate web of reasons that spawns war is too thin and frail to fully justify so much pain and suffering. We need to realize how fragile we are on the battlefield. Life is very vulnerable. This feeling pervades the real battlefield and thus has an important position in the script and the film. Assembly shows that every sacrifice is immortal and that those who give up their own lives will stay forever in people’s hearts.”
Assembly is the most expensive Chinese epic war film ever made. The difficulty and risk of the production are too high for words to describe. Executive Producer Chen Kuofu knew it would be challenging before the shooting began. “I am aware of the skill and strength that this kind of film requires. It also involves professionalism and technicality—explosions, firearms, action sequences, special effects and makeup—that Chinese filmmaking lacked in the past. There was no way we could find a crew professional enough to start working on these right away. So during the budgeting and pre-production, there could have been a lot of mistakes and lapses if we had not been properly advised and well prepared. We encountered many unpredictable problems. There was a fire that destroyed the set decorations made by the Korean special effects and makeup team, and the procedures for importing new set materials were extremely complicated. We never had these problems before while making a film,” Chen says.
Director Feng Xiaogang undoubtedly had to withhold more pressure than anyone else on the film. “Before the shooting started I kept asking the investors if they had really made up their minds. It takes a lot of money, time and patience to make this kind of film work. And we were not too sure how welcoming the market would be, the stakes were very high. For a filmmaker, it is wonderful to have the support of investors. I have never made a film this difficult. I knew there would be many challenges and hurdles even if I prepared myself mentally and physically. Sticks kept being shoved into our wheels, but the financial support was not unlimited. We wanted this film to have the quality of a Hollywood blockbuster, but we only had 10% of the production budget. There are so many things that require money. Fortunately the Korean crew was very skilled. They genuinely loved the story and were more than happy to work with me on this project. They demonstrated their efficiency and ability very well, and together we managed to work out every problem. It was great teamwork and every effort really paid off.”
Producer Wang Zhongjun had no doubt about the film. It was the lead character that he found most appealing. Wang himself spent a few years in the military before: “The old war films never focused much on common people. Instead of putting the high official in the spotlight, Assembly spends time on each member of the company. These heroes are only ordinary people, but after you walk out of the cinema, you remember their names.” Wang is extremely confident in the quality of Assembly: “The Korean film Brotherhood is an outstanding film in its precision and quality. I believe that Chinese filmmakers can do that too. Brotherhood still holds the record of the highest-grossing local film in Korea, I think it is possible to achieve that in China. The Koreans decided to work with us because they thought we had a far better script.”
For Chen Kuofu, Assembly is a watershed in the development of Chinese commercial films, and its influence will be strongly felt: “You can’t just think about economic interests when you make a film. The audience expects good Chinese films that are made with passion, enthusiasm and creativity. Knowing that, you feel obliged to produce films that satisfy these expectations. The zeal of these moviegoers has a positive influence on this industry. Listening to them and to what they want is much more important then purely analyzing the potential for profit.” According to Chen, this film is about much more than investment or return: “We need pioneers to lead the film industry. Attempts and experiments can open doors for future filmmaking and even change the overall market and environment. Assembly will make people realize that it is possible to make an excellent war epic in China. It will make everyone more creative and daring when it comes to project development, investment and promotion.” Similarly, Korean Executive Producer Lee Ji Yun feels that Assembly constitutes a major change in attitude for Chinese productions. Assembly distinguishes itself from the costume dramas that put China on the world stage. In addition, the collaboration between the Chinese and Korean filmmakers will further cement the positive exchanges of Asian countries on the cinematic scene.
Producer Wang Zhonglei does not hide his ambitions: “We hope Assembly will become a benchmark for Chinese war films as Saving Private Ryan and Brotherhood did in their respective countries.”
Assembly is released in UK cinemas on 7th March 2008 and on DVD on 21st April 2008.
assemblyfilm.com
