Explore how either performance or mise-en-scène creates meaning

In the opening of ‘House of Flying Daggers’ the performance of Jin and Leo is essential to understand them as characters. For example, when we first see them through a mid-shot, they are discussing how there is a secret member of the ‘House of Flying Daggers’ at the Pionee Pavilion which they must do something about.  Leo is sitting up straight with good posture and polishing his sword. This suggests that he takes the situation seriously and that as a character he is professional. On the other hand, Jin is slouched in his chair and drinking which suggests unprofessionalism. This is ironic, as it’s actually Leo who is on the House of Flying Daggers side, not Jin, but he seems more focused in terms of finding the secret member. It’s interesting than Zhang managed to create a political film like this that was allowed by the government as China normally censored him; he was able to explore the political and social context that he wanted by setting the film in the distant past. This representation of men is that they have important jobs in a sort of army that women aren’t shown to be a part of. Jin is representing men as not very serious as he drinks on the job and is slouching (through his performance). This continues in the next scene. He is casually sitting on the floor, and in terms of proxemics he his very close to several women and after Mei does her dance he strips her down using his sword, and then later attempts to rape her. This representation of men is that they gross. His performance shows his drunkness, which could be a front as we know that he actually has a plan to get Mei to a place where he can ‘rescue’ her.

The women’s performances are also interesting. We originally see a group of women struggling to beat Jin in a tug of war fight while giggling seemingly over nothing very loudly, before falling over. This initial representation possibly suggests nievity and weakness. However, Mei changes this. She isn’t afraid to stand up for herself, ‘Why can’t a blind girl work here?’ which impresses Jin. Place, during her echo dance and her regular dance she dances in a controlled and impressive way creating a positive representation of women, and directly contrasting her to Jin. This links to how House of Flying Daggers is a pretty accurate representation of gender for the time period. The proxemics of her always being in the center/her always being framed in the center such as in the long shot of her standing before Jin allows the audience to view her as the protagonist. While she is dancing she uses her dress which the audience can see is beautiful. It links in with the mise en scene of the Pionee Pavillion which although seeming stylized is based in a reality as the Tang Dynasty period was full of peace, literature, and poetry. Bordellos of the time were places of beauty and artistic expression, just like the one depicted in the film. Her performance highlighting the dress and her surroundings when she is dancing, therefore, empathises to the audience the contextual side to the movie.