Keep Cool (film)

Infobox Film | name = Keep Cool


caption = Film poster for the Japanese release of "Keep Cool" | producer = Wang Qipeng
Wang Wei
Zhang Weiping
writer = Shu Ping
starring = Li Baotian
Jiang Wen
Ge You
Qu Ying
director = Zhang Yimou
music = Zang Tianshuo
editing = Du Yuan
cinematography = Lü Yue
distributor = Golem Distribución (Spain)
released = Venice:
September 2, 1997 | runtime = 93 min.
language = Mandarin
imdb_id = 0120543
amg_id = 1:158658
budget =

"Keep Cool" (zh-stp|s=有话好好说|t= 有话好好说|p=Yǒu Hùa Hǎo Hǎo Shūo) is a 1997 Chinese black comedy directed by Zhang Yimou and adapted from the novel "Evening News" by Shu Ping. The film about a young bookseller in love in 1990s Beijing, marked a move away from earlier period pictures of Zhang's earlier work to a more realistic Cinéma vérité-like period in his career that also saw him make "Happy Times" (2000) and "Not One Less" (1999). "Keep Cool" also marked only the second time Zhang placed his film in the modern era and the first time Zhang did not work with actress Gong Li.

The film was produced by the Guangxi Film Studio.

Censorship

"Keep Cool", originally scheduled for a world premiere at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, was pulled by Chinese censors at the last minute, ostensibly part of a general retrenchment of Chinese control over its film industry following the release of Zhang Yuan's homosexual-themed "East Palace, West Palace".cite web|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/1997/08/20/zhang.t.php?page=1|title=Zhang Yimou, Keeping Cool in the Face of Censorship| publisher= "International Herald Tribune" | author = Dupont, Joan| date= 1997-08-20 |accessdate=2008-05-10]

Chinese censors additionally asked for Zhang to implement substantive changes to the film's story, most notably adding a happy ending.

Cast

*Jiang Wen as The Bookseller; Jiang Wen, one of China's most famous actors and directors, takes a leading role in "Keep Cool" (his second time working with Zhang Yimou). Zhang referred to the actor as "the best actor in China today, and intelligent. I saw the movie he made ["In the Heat of the Sun"] and took a video back to my hometown for my parents. We all laughed."
*Li Baotian as Lao Zhang; Li Baotian, one of Zhang's regular actors ("Ju Dou", "Shanghai Triad", again provides a pivotal performance for "Keep Cool".
*Ge You as The Policeman; Ge You, a comedic actor, has a cameo in the film.
*Qu Ying as An Hong; Zhang Yimou selected the model Qu Ying for the only female role in the film.

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0120543|title=Keep Cool
*amg title|id=1:158658|title=Keep Cool
*rotten-tomatoes|id=keep_cool|title=Keep Cool
* [http://www.sinologic.com/clas/keepcool.html Movie review from Sinologic]
* [http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/asianfilm/china/cool.html Movie profile] from the University of Southern California library