Now that Miramax is finally releasing Zhang Yimou's three-year-old film,
"Hero," in the US, attend it early and often.  Its score, by Tan Dun,
is both simple and powerful, but more importantly, this epic wu xia story
of China's first emperor is a kind of visual music.  Set on a huge scale,
with incredible vistas, immense, "operatic" crowd scenes, and unforgettable
colors, "Hero" is grand musical theater of history and passion.

The all-star cast (Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi, Donnie
Yen and Chen Dao Ming as the Emperor) is seen against the background of
grand palaces, Hangzhou, the natural reserve of Jiuzhaigou (with the
Nuorilang water falls), Xian, Luoyang, etc.

"Hero," a compositional masterpiece by cinematographers Christopher Doyle
and Hou Yong, outdoes "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in many ways, it
is a true work of art.

Janos Gereben
www.sfcv.org
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