House of Flying Daggers – Middle Notes | Georgia Newman Film Studies

Cinematography:

close-up of the bamboo going through the bamboo and smashing on the bamboo – tension
long shot/extreme long shot of her being surrounded – link to other title
high key lighting
long shots to close ups of their faces when they are trapped
close up of them holding hands

Mise en Scene

shot on location in a bamboo forest
women – house of flying daggers – rescue them, standing together in a line – unstoppable (bar main three who are stood further forward)
flying daggers
bamboo cage
claustrophobic feel – then the HOFD show up with a lightness in the background

Performance

Editing

reduced cutting rate
slow-motion shots – flying people after being kicked, bamboo smashed against the bamboo, bamboo running together (with slow music when they are running together)

Sound

swords swooshing
clinging etc. – utilised to reinforce the idea that she’s blind when paired with the action-reaction shot of leaves falling, etc and the close up of her reaction
it’s from Mei’s perspective – heightened sound effects – she has to focus on sound (far away and close up has the same foregrounding)
no non-diegetic music (before Jin)
screaming
punctuation sound when Jin comes to save Mei
diegetic sound when Jin’s fighting
Whistling – throw bamboo call
when they’re trapped, the song she danced to plays
hear the dagger coming

Genre

Meanings/Messages/Response/Themes

Representation

Contexts