Louvre Museum Invites Director Tsai Ming-Liang to Film Inside Museum
At that time, movies were firmly establishing their artistic position and many became rivals to commercial pictures. Over the following 50 years, however, movies have been unable to emerge from the constant pressure to be commercial. In response, director Tsai Ming-Liang believes, “The Louvre Museum was the first to spot this issue. As a result, it hoped that movies could return to their original nature. They should not be held hostage to commercialism, Hollywood and the Oscar awards. Therefore, it was decided to collect ‘director driven’ movies and have films truly be reflected as works of art. This would create a clear position for movies. In addition, it was important to rely on directors who were dedicated to creativity.”
Spending Over Three Years Conceiving the Film
From the time that he was invited by the Louvre in 2005, director Tsai hoped to use a different prospective in filming. Even though the Louvre placed no restrictions on the content of the movie and gave him free access to the museum, Tsai had to figure out how to utilize his leading man Kang-Sheng Lee and a host of actors that had worked for Truffaut in this studio that was the Louvre.
“I felt extremely anxious about it all. At one point, I even gave consideration to giving up as I did not want to be laughed at by others. Then one day I was standing in the plaza at the Louvre, which is so steeped in history. I looked at the modern pyramid structure designed by the world-famous architect I. M. Pei, and at that instant things finally became clear to me. Beauty is conflict and it is a type of dialogue. I comprehended that the Louvre was all-embracing and understood that movies were different from paintings and buildings. All I needed to do is rediscover the original nature of movies and be myself, and that would be enough!”
After being inspired by I. M. Pei and his integration of architecture and art, Tsai Ming-Liang filmed a movie that was evoked comments by a French newspaper as saying that the Louvre Museum in the film ended up becoming secondary. The paper said that there was not an intention to try to play up the museum in the movie.
World famous paintings housed in the Louvre, such as John the Baptist and Mona Lisa, and works by Leonardo da Vinci, were items that director Tsai tried his best to stay away from. “Maybe it is that I am a clean freak. I did not want to film the history of art, but rather a certain concept,” Tsai said.
After admiring and appreciating the famous collection in the Louvre time after time, director Tsai ultimately decided to have the theme of his film focus around John the Baptist and the Biblical story Salome. “I decided that it would still be better to stay away from da Vinci. But I was quite clear that Salome would not be the emphasis of the movie. Rather, I would use elements of the story and forge them into the story involving the Louvre.”
The origins of the story of Salome come from accounts in the Bible. Oscar Wilde adapted the story into a play, while Richard Strauss created a libretto that formed the basis of his opera of the same name. The attraction and tenderness of women was interpreted in quite a beautiful manner, successfully painting a realistic and moving picture of the nature of people, as well as lust, love, hate and revenge.
A Budget of Over NT$200 Million
Funding to film “Face,” which came to over NT$200 million, came from France’s Centre National de la Cinematographie, the Government Information Office of the Republic of China, the Nederlands Fonds voor de Film, and Eurimages. Of these sponsors, the GIO provided funding of NT$25 million. This marked the first time that the GIO provided funding for a medium- or large-scale production under a special framework. The application for the funding was viewed favorably as the film would “have high visibility in the international market, create international prestige for Taiwan, and have substantive benefits for the development of Taiwan’s film industry.”
Meanwhile, in an effort to successfully create the gorgeous and classic style of Salome, the famous French fashion house Christian Lacroix was invited to develop high-end costumes for the production. This came at a cost, however, of over NT$10 million. In addition, in an unprecedented move, the production was able to borrow precious outfits and costumes from France’s National Opera that are over 300 years old. This has provided an even greater feast for the eyes of the audience.
Tsai Ming-Liang said, “Christian Lacroix is totally different from other fashion designers. He has a strong foundation in art history. His designs not only reflect the fashions of the times, but rather have a high degree of artistic creation to them. There is a certain feeling of “time” to his designs, which is different from that of other designers. He was absolutely the only choice!”
Do you recall the rebellious boy in “The 400 Blows,” a movie made by the French new wave director Francois Truffaut? “The face of Jean-Pierre Leaud really attracted me. Even though over the years his looks have changed, I think that if Truffaut was still in this world, he would certainly want to shoot a film with Leaud in it. As for me, I also wanted to make another film with the true Leaud.” As a result, after 40 or 50 years, Jean-Pierre Leaud’s face and Kang-Sheng Lee’s face have a number of similarities, creating the face that Tsai Ming-Liang wanted to film. This was his original intent in “Face.”
Meanwhile, director Tsai at the very beginning wanted Maggie Cheung to be the actress to interpret Salome. However, Cheung turned the director down. It was not until Tsai Ming-Liang encountered Laetitia Casta that he had a change of heart. The director said, “My Salome would definitely be more than the Salome from the Biblical story. My view especially evolved after I met Laetitia. She changed my notion of Salome. Laetitia, who is referred to by some as a young Bridget Bardot, has the face that is a model for a revolutionary goddess. I have no doubt that this is a face that is highly representative of a modern French face.”
The Strength of Film Imagery
For director Tsai, the most controversial issue involving his films is that audiences sometimes feel his movies “are not very good” and “make them want to fall asleep.” However, director Tsai expressed his views on this, “The most intrinsic quality of movies is in the images and the power that these images generate. The key to movies is not the story,” Tsai is an ardent believer that movies should not be made with profits in mind. In addition, they should not be market-driven. “Otherwise, this wastes the point of movies,” he said. Life is formed as the result of act after act. It never is a well-rounded story. By looking at things from this perspective, perhaps we can start to realize is that Tsai Ming-Liang is attempting to bring audiences into the most realistic life setting.
This leads us to the next question of whether Tsai’s films are mainly characterized by an effort to achieve authenticity. Many filmmakers will resort to extreme methods of shooting films or select strange locations in order to generate a feeling of conflict or confrontation among others. This, however, is not the case for Tsai. He said, “I do not intentionally try to produce conflict or confrontation. This is the world we live in to begin with!”
The Connection between Taiwan Traditions and the Louvre’s Modernity
“Contemporary and classical, East and West…this what people are running into all throughout the world, not conflict!” Consequently, director Tsai stressed, “All I am doing is moving what is going on around us in life onto the movie screen. This movie is very special. The beautiful and original Laetitia Casta is featured in the film, as is Jean-Pierre Leaud, the male lead in Truffaut’s first movie. Meanwhile, the actress Fanny Ardant, who was the leading lady in Truffaut’s last film, is also in the movie. Meanwhile, Kang-Sheng Lee, who plays a director in the film, in this film is in the same position that I am in that neither of us speaks French. This group of people became surrounded by the Louvre.”
“The faces of Jean-Pierre Leaud and Kang-Sheng Lee are what influenced me the most. One is Western and one is Chinese. These are the faces of two people separated by 40 or 50 years and then who encounter each other. This is my dream,” Tsai said. As a result, in this dream a drama plays out inside an old apartment in Taipei. The mother of a person who has passed away refuses to let go. Meanwhile, the Louvre Museum, which is indicative of the modern, has corridor after corridor filled with artistic spirits. The museum has undiscovered dark rooms, old passageways and a group of stars wearing dazzling old costumes and festively singing and dancing.
In the film, Salome sings a familiar melody and a familiar song “You Are the Only One in My Heart.” In fact, this helps director Tsai to realize a long held dream of his in offering a song to the already deceased Leslie Cheung.
Director Tsai said, “I once asked Leslie Cheung what his favorite oldie was. He then started humming ‘You Are the Only One in My Heart.’ In light of this, when we were shooting “Face,” I decided to have Laetitia, amid the pure white snow, sing the original version of this romantic Spanish song to a beautiful elk.”
Is It Real or Fake? The 50-sided Mirror in the Jardin des Tuileries
Astounding locations and settings can be seen throughout the film. For director Tsai, the sets for these film studies all have been made in an attempt to create a space and a picture that moves back and forth between the real and the virtual. What is displayed is a pure aesthetic, since people can only realize these types of settings in their dreams.
Therefore, while Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Garden) has only a few trees (which all have lost their leaves), it does have a mirror with 50 sides that creates a feeling of a forest as the result of the reflections from the mirrors. Then by spraying soap bubbles on the trees and adding some fine white salt, you can create a scene of a snowy forest. This type of installation art is almost like a painting in which the real world and the vision of something is interlaced.
Director Tsai said, “When this movie was screened overseas, no one wanted to talk to me about the plot or whether they understood what was going on. Rather, everyone was interested in more advanced topics like architecture and aesthetics.”
Buddhist Concepts of Impermanence, Non-self and Nirvana in Looking at Western Art
Tsai Ming-Liang hoped that in the creative process of making this movie to not only enjoy free creative access to the Louvre Museum and artistic flexibility. As a Buddhist, he sought something more. He hoped to have the film embody and represent the three Dharma Seals, namely impermanence, non-self and nirvana.
To be sure there were quite a few doubts in adopting Buddhist concepts to look at subject matter from the Bible. For instance, look at the yearning in Salome’s heart and her pursuit of saints and the elk. For director Tsai, “None of this is empty. Perhaps we might say it is a dream. Therefore, look at all of the false impressions that are displayed, such as the false impression in filming bridges in movies. What is important, however, are the faces that once existed as well as the reasons as to why you choose a specific path.”
“Face”: A Gift to Tsai’s Mother
Director Tsai said that in fact “Face”was made with the memory of his deceased mother in mind as well as the guilt he felt. The director remarked that he is well aware that death is something that is unavoidable. But he said, “I did not need to overly understand my mother or father. That we were all put together was a matter of fate. My mother might not have understood my movies. However, I know that I was always her favorite child.”
A Director Who Has Faced Restrictions?
Tsai Ming-Liang mentioned that there is an Italian poem that he especially likes. It goes something like,
“Come over here! Come over here! But the audience is still unwilling to come over! It’s because this is a precipice.
Actually, if you come over here, I will push you. And then you will begin to fly!”
Even so, the audience is still unwilling to fly. But for Tsai Ming-Liang, he has constantly taken to flight and has flown fast. For him, people who are involved in the creative arts should not face any limitations. “One time there was someone who told me, ‘I finally understand why you need so much time to complete a scene. It is because you want to give the audience freedom. However, Taiwan audiences do not need freedom!’” According to Director Tsai, “Although this may be the case, I am not going to avoid shooting in the way I want out of fear that some in the audience might fall asleep. When a movie is first released, no matter what it is going to be praised or criticized by audiences and critics. If audiences can be as free as I am, I will be very pleased. And if they can’t, well, I am still going to continue with my freedom!”
“Perhaps I am not aware of the nature of movies. But what I do understand is that movies are about more than just selling tickets,” he said. Tsai Ming-Liang added that “Face” should be hung up like paintings are at an exhibit where teachers will bring their students to appreciate and analyze the naked figures in the painting. Regardless of the polarized opinions of others towards his films, especially with regards to the challenges associated with films that touch on themes of eroticism and homosexuality, Tsai Ming-Liang says that his objective is to reveal the truth. He wants his films to enable people to face emotions that are bottled up inside since these are the essence of the truth.
Movies Are Undoubtedly an Art Form
“It is precisely because of this movie that I no longer will feel embarrassed or awkward!” Tsai Ming-Liang said that he was fortunate to be selected by the Louvre Museum for this project and to complete the first film that is going into the museum’s collection. Tsai added that this further confirms the route that he will continue to pursue. Cinema is an art form!
Director Tsai’s “Face” will put him in an appropriate position. This is because most people still do not believe that movies can be made on the individual level, but rather are a form of mass entertainment. The Louvre has redefined the value of cinema. By enabling movies to be put into the museum’s collection, the museum is indicating that movies are an art form worthy of collection.
As for Taiwan, “Face” was the first movie that premiered at the National Theater and National Concert Hall. That this film was shown in venues traditionally reserved for concerts and shows made it a major event in the artistic world. National Theater Concert Hall Chairwoman Chen Yu-chiou said, “No one can say no to being in the Louvre’s collection.”
It is for these reasons that Tsai Ming-Liang is extremely appreciative to the Louvre for its support, enabling him to no longer feel lonely. “Cinema arts needed an even greater patron,” he said. Tsai said that he hopes audiences seeing his films will be able to rediscover sensitivity in their lives that they had previously lost.