Zhang Yimou’s Blood Simple: cannibalism, remaking and translation in world cinema

Evans, J. (2014) Zhang Yimou’s Blood Simple: cannibalism, remaking and translation in world cinema. Journal of Adaptation in Film and Performance, 7(3), pp. 283-297. (doi: 10.1386/jafp.7.3.283_1)

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Abstract

Zhang Yimou’s A Woman, A Gun and A Noodle Shop (2009) remakes the Coen brothers’ Blood Simple (1984) in a way that re-imagines the earlier film in a Chinese setting, adapting and recreating the narrative, but the film cannot be regarded as being aimed solely at a Chinese audience, as it was also released in the United States and United Kingdom. Drawing from translation studies and film studies, this article analyses how Zhang’s film adapts its source material, particularly its tendency to make explicit elements that were left implicit in the source text. The idea of cannibalization, from Brazilian modernist theory, helps explain the ambiguous orientation of the remake as both homage to and localization of the source text. This hybridity was not well received by American audiences and shows how the movie’s connection to both Zhang and the Coens leads to a dual voice in the film. The analysis demonstrates how translation and cross-cultural adaptation enrich ideas of world cinema.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Evans, Dr Jonathan
Authors: Evans, J.
College/School:College of Arts & Humanities > School of Modern Languages and Cultures
Journal Name:Journal of Adaptation in Film and Performance
Publisher:Intellect
ISSN:1753-6421
ISSN (Online):1753-643X
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2014 Intellect Ltd
First Published:First published in Journal of Adaptation in Film and Performance 7(3): 283-297
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

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