Chapter 15 Chapter Fourteen Leslie Cheung Aspires to Be a Film Director
Looking back on Leslie Cheung's acting career, we can't help feeling that his footsteps fit well with Hong Kong's history. Leslie's acting life is in the period from 1982, when Hong Kong's handover entered the specific preparation stage, to 1997, when the handover was officially handed over. During this 15-year period, plus the 5 years before the handover and the 5 years after the handover, it has gone through a total of 15 years. 25 years.It can be said that his acting career exactly coincided with the most dramatic era in Hong Kong's modern history.
As a singer, Leslie's career began in 1977 with an English song performed at the Asian Amateur Singing Competition.At that time, the Hong Kong music scene was in the transition period from English songs to Cantonese pop songs, and the era of real pop songs was about to usher in.Cantonese songs with local flavors performed by singers such as Luo Wen, many of which are TV drama theme songs, are very popular. Leslie's first album was all English songs, and the second album was Cantonese covers of European and American songs and the theme songs of TV series, which faithfully and timely catered to the rhythm of the development of the Hong Kong music scene at that time.
Since then, Leslie has covered Japanese songs and sang Hong Kong-style pop music produced by Li Xiaotian and others. After switching to Xinyibao Records in 1987, he established his superb music style in cooperation with the Japanese music industry.This is also in line with the popularity of Japanese singers in Hong Kong in the early 1980s and the subsequent trend of Japanese song covers. Hong Kong pop songs have also been well experienced in this process.In the mid-1980s, Alan Tam employed Japanese composer Hiroaki Serizawa to change his own music, which reflected the popular trend of Hong Kong music scene at that time.Although Leslie did not have many cover songs in the Taiwan song cover trend that emerged in the late 1980s, as long as he looks back at his growth as a singer, he will naturally think of the development history of Hong Kong pop songs in the 1980s.
After several years of retirement, Leslie chose to join Rolling Stone Records in Taiwan. In 1991, Hong Kong began to broadcast satellite TV. Since the broadcast of Cantonese programs was not allowed at first, singers turned to Mandarin songs. Leslie clearly recognized the needs of that era.During the slowdown of Hong Kong's economic development after the reunification in 1997, Leslie demonstrated his sense of freedom beyond gender with his two concerts. A spiritual confession to realize a free world without prejudice.It can be said that singer Leslie's footsteps have always echoed the atmosphere of the times so closely.
Not only as a singer, we can also capture how Leslie's footsteps as a movie actor closely follow the pulse of the times.However, movies are ultimately the world of directors.Leslie, who sings and dances with the times, has fully experienced the satisfaction of being an actor in the movie world, but also deeply feels the regret that as an actor, she cannot grasp the leading power.He is eager to intervene in the film world more actively and create his own era-we have seen that for a long time, the desire to "want to be a director" has been running through Leslie's words and actions.
This article attempts to trace Leslie's artistic career along the footsteps of the birth and growth of Leslie's dream of film director.
When exactly did Leslie start dreaming of becoming a director?Look at the Hong Kong film magazine "Silver World" I subscribe to (founded in January 1979 and ceased publication in February 1997). There are quite a few interviews with Leslie here, and some of his speeches from these interviews Take a peek at that period.
First of all, the earliest remarks about the director's dream can be found in the report "Leslie Cheung Claims to Marry Both with Anita Mui" in the 229th issue of "Silver World" in February 1989.The reporter quoted Leslie as saying:
"'Although I will immigrate to foreign countries in two or three years, I probably won't hold a farewell concert. If I want to hold some special commemorations, it's better for me and Anita Mui to marry our other half at the Hung Hom Stadium. Ha!'...But before Leslie Cheung left the entertainment industry and tried a non-star life, he still had a wish to fulfill....Although he said that he had mentioned this before, not many people knew about it, and he was always in front of the screen It’s a bit surprising that he suddenly said that he wants to be a director if he is good at acting. “I’ve been making films for so many years, I’ve often paid attention to the director’s way of doing things to steal my lessons, and I often participate in opinions on many films. I believe in myself Can do the job of directing.'”
Here, Leslie talks about immigration and retirement, and reveals that what he wants to do before retirement is to be a film director.Considering the fact that Leslie officially announced his retirement in September 1989, he did have such a plan this year.However, in the entertainment industry at that time, "retire in three years" was like a mantra, and anyone could say that.
The immigration boom in Hong Kong occurred around 1983 and 1984, when the return of Hong Kong was officially confirmed and the specific implementation plan for the return began to be studied, and after June 1989. There have also been several immigration booms since then.The same is true for 1987 and 1988, which were 10 years before the reunification.At that time, the "immigrant film" craze emerged, and the term "astronaut" was born. On August 8, 1988, the magazine "Immigrant Choice" was also launched.
In this upsurge, the sayings about "immigration and retirement" in the showbiz have become commonplace in people's eyes. It is estimated that no one took Leslie's speech seriously.So the ensuing remarks about his wanting to be a film director were likewise not taken seriously.So why did he have the idea of being a director during this period?Let's make a guess.Since "Spring in the Red Chamber" in 1978, although Leslie also has several works worthy of attention, generally speaking, these works did not bring him good luck.Since the sensational "The True Colors of Heroes" in 1986, Leslie has starred in movies that can be called masterpieces one after another, such as "A Chinese Ghost Story" (1987), "The True Colors of Heroes 2" (1987), ( 1988), etc... It is conceivable that he fully experienced the satisfaction of being a film actor in these processes.At the same time, he saw how Wu Yusen, Guan Jinpeng and others acted as directors, and how Tsui Hark acted as a producer, and he was deeply inspired. That's why those ideas sprouted.
After that, Leslie also expressed his idea of becoming a film director several times, and in April or May 1989, the news finally became a big news in the newspapers.We can see this dialogue between him and the host Zheng Danrui (Adan) in TVB's "1989 Golden Songs of the First Season" (probably broadcast in May):
A Dan: "I heard that your music movie "Paris Sunset" is very good, right? You also participated in many opinions. I heard that you want to be a director. Do you have this plan?"
Leslie: "If you have read the newspaper, you will know that I have this plan. But I think this year is more difficult, because I want to make a movie, and I think I can start directing after the filming is finished."
Adan: "If you were a director, what kind of movie would you like to make?"
Leslie: "It's a romance movie, haha."
That being said, he doesn't appear to have concrete directing plans at this point. The article "Leslie Cheung: This Year is My Turning Point" published in the 235th issue of "Silver World" in August 1989 was written in the form of Leslie's notes and described as follows.According to this report, he will hold a "Farewell Concert Tour" overseas during the spring and summer of this year, and at the same time announced that he will no longer hold concerts overseas.
"The main reason is that I have reached a peak in the development of my singing career. But at this stage, I hope to have time to develop careers other than singing, such as director, record producer, or image design. It takes a lot of time to go out on stage. Too much time, so I decided to perform this farewell concert."
From here we learned that he not only wanted to be a director, but also considered other options.After that, on September 17, 1989, Leslie held a press conference and announced his withdrawal from the showbiz, causing an uproar.Regarding the issue after retirement, "Silver World" reported on the 238th issue of November 1989 with the title "Hong Kong music and film circles lose treasures - Leslie Cheung's announcement of retirement caused shock - parting glances and directing a movie" as follows:
"After the concert, Leslie Cheung will no longer appear in front of the screen, on TV or in various programs, even in charity performances, he will not attend, because the current charity programs are too excessive. After finishing the movie "Human Way", Leslie Cheung will not act in movies again, and even if he wins the award, he will not attend any awards ceremony to keep his promise. But Leslie Cheung still owes Golden Harvest a film contract, but it is not an actor contract, but a director contract, so after the concert is over, he I will travel around the world for three months, and then I will go to New York to study film courses to enrich my film knowledge. The whole course will take about nine months to study, and then I will direct a film. After finishing the film, I will officially bid farewell to the entertainment industry. Leaving the showbiz world and retiring after success."
In this way, Leslie held 33 farewell concerts at his age from December 21, 1989 to January 22, 1990, bid farewell to many reluctant fans, and moved to Canada with a relaxed mood.
It is now well known that Leslie's above plan did not materialize.As fate would have it, Leslie returned to the Hong Kong showbiz circle as a singer and actor instead of being a director.
He won the Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Actor for his role in "Days of Being Wild" (1990) directed by Wong Kar-wai, which paved the way for his return to the entertainment industry. On April 21, 1991, Leslie was not in Hong Kong and did not attend the award ceremony, and his friend Chow Yun Fat accepted the award on his behalf. Leslie's acceptance speech was published in "Film Biweekly" Issue 315, May 2-15, 1991.He first said, "Because I am studying in Canada and the courses are tight, so I couldn't get back to Hong Kong to attend this awards ceremony." Then he said that he was "surprised" by the award. I think this is his true expression.With films such as "Youth in Fire" (1982), "A Hero 2" (1987) and (1988), he was nominated for Best Actor several times and finally missed the award. Instead, he won the award after he retired. to this award.It is conceivable that Leslie's determination may have been shaken at this time.
Moreover, the secluded life in Canada seems to be far from the ideal he had longed for before.In "Everything About Leslie Cheung" (Industry Editing Center / Published April 15, 1999), in addition to the photos, the interview content is also excellent.There is a record in it that Leslie felt that "Something was missing" (something was missing in life), "I live the same life every day, and the people I love and those who care about me are not around. Although life is indeed leisurely, but If you are too leisurely, you will reduce the value of existence.”
Afterwards, Leslie appeared in more and more movies, and his performance in the film directed by Chen Kaige (1993) made him really embark on the road of acting comeback.In this production, Leslie's acting skills and his efforts in learning the art of Peking Opera were highly rated, and for himself, the film must have inspired and inspired himself in many ways.Perhaps, his heart was shaken again. In the autumn of 1993, when Leslie and his party visited Japan to promote the film, the October 21, 1993 issue of "Weekly Bunshun" reported this way:
"Leslie came into this film both because of their trust in director Chen Kaige, and because they resonated with this story about 'art and love are ruthlessly played by politics'. Regarding the initial impression of China, 'the appearance looks It seems good, but in fact there are still many people struggling in poverty, and the whole society lacks the freedom they deserve. Leslie, who thought that 'freedom is more important than anything else', immigrated to Canada without waiting for the return in 1997."
Should you choose Hong Kong after the handover, or Canada?To continue the life of a star, or to quit and live the life of ordinary people who are comfortable but boring? ——With this kind of hesitant and wavering mentality, after starring in many movies in 1993 and 1994, Leslie seems to have finally made up his mind to stay in Hong Kong.After that, there was a declaration of comeback to the music scene in June 1995, and at the same time, his dream of being a director was rekindled.
In 1996, in Er Dongsheng and Luo Zhiliang's "Erotic Men and Women", Leslie acted as the director of a play within a play.This is only a very short work, but since then there have been more positive remarks from Leslie about the director's dream.For example, in an interview published in the 11th issue of the Japanese magazine "POP ASIA" on April 30, 1997, the special issue of the Asian popular culture magazine that has interviewed and reported Leslie many times, he said: "I have decided to try to do it for the first time at the end of this year. As a film director, there are many things to do."
In addition, in the aforementioned "All of Leslie Cheung", the interviewer Shima Chitose asked: "How is the first directed film going?" Leslie replied: "It is being prepared. The script has not been finalized, but if If it is fast, I think it can start in the spring of this year (1999).Ms. Zhimo mentioned in the later publication "Leslie's Time" (Industry Editing Center / published on April 1, 2004) that this happened in the late autumn of 1998.
There are other things that can also prove his aspirations as a director. On March 29, 1999, the University of Hong Kong held a seminar "Hong Kong University Forum - East Evil and West Poison". Brigitte Lin and Leslie were guest speakers, discussing the film production of "Evil and West Poison" directed by Wong Kar-wai at the seminar technique. "Maybe you will see a good show this year, because Leslie is going to be a director this year", Brigitte Lin said while looking at Leslie sitting next to her.Leslie, on the other hand, did not limit herself to Wong Kar Wai's films, but made a big comment on the current situation of the Hong Kong film industry.His speech is not so much an actor's point of view, it is better to say that it is closer to the director's or producer's point of view. His thinking is clear and rigorous, just like a director who has made many movies.
During this period, in the interview report "Behind the Legend - Leslie Cheung" in the 520th issue of "Movie Biweekly" from March 8th to April 1st, 1999, Leslie also gave a detailed account of the works to be directed.
"This is the first Leslie Cheung movie, not to mention anything else, now we need to find investors first."..."The main roles will also use professional actors, Mo Wenwei and Ip Dexian have been confirmed, and the screenwriter is Ah Kuan (Chen Qingjia). In fact, the story is what I thought, and he will polish (polish) for me again"... "(Starting) I hope to set it in July. The production cost is within 15 million US dollars."
This feature-length film did not come to fruition in the end, but from this interview we can see that it had already been carried out to a very specific level.
In 2000, Leslie directed a 37-minute short film - "Smoke Flies Smoke" which is the theme of advocating the anti-smoking movement.In this work, Leslie is an editor, director, and actor: he also wrote the script, and he also played a couple with Anita (Anita Mui) in the play.Although the work is short, it can fully let people feel Leslie's artistic talent.With a smooth story background and sophisticated camera use, besides Anita, he also coordinated and mobilized many movie stars to participate in the performance.To be sure, the experience has greatly boosted Leslie's confidence.
Then, in March 2001, Leslie directed her own song MTV "Dream to the River", and invited Japanese ballet dancer Chihiro Nishijima to co-star.At the end of the same year, he directed the MTV of "The Peerless Youth" duet with Anita.Using beautiful black-and-white and color shots, this work is not only highly dramatic, but also sexy and charming. Compared with "Smoke Flying Smoke", it shows Leslie's outstanding artistic inspiration as a director.The plot design is excellent, plus Zhang Shuping's editing of Leslie and Anita's duet, the viewers are all deeply attracted and infected.
In the early spring of 2002, Leslie was interviewed by Mr. Hisashi Ishii, a reporter from "POP ASIA" magazine in Hong Kong. When talking about the works she will direct, Leslie was always in high spirits. Here is an excerpt from the interview "Leslie Cheung, the Pride of Asia" by Mr. Hisashi Ishii published in the 41st issue of "POP ASIA" on April 10, 2002:
"Now we are in the intense preparation stage"... "In fact, friends in the Hong Kong film industry asked me more than ten years ago, why didn't Leslie become a director herself? But at that time, I didn't have the qualifications to be a director, and Not yet mentally prepared. Two years ago, I directed some MTVs and the short film "Smoke Flies Smoke" for the anti-smoking movement. It's getting stronger"... "The actors have decided to choose from the mainland."
In fact, Leslie's first directed work has entered a fairly specific stage of operation during this period.According to informed sources, the first draft of the script has been completed. The idea is to use Qingdao, China as the background of the story, and tell a love story from the previous era.The costume design is going to be entrusted to Ms. Emi Wada, who has a good relationship, and the music production will be in charge of Mr. Mo Linmao (composer of "House of Flying Daggers", 2004) and so on.At this time, Leslie's dream is gradually becoming a reality, and the high emotions can be felt from the interviews during this period.Although the first draft of the script was not perfect, he was going to revise it again, but in any case, one year before Leslie's departure, he was already standing close to realizing his wish.
A year later, Leslie was gone.In the end, he failed to be called "Director Leslie Cheung".I was traveling in Singapore when I received this unfortunate news. I was very sad when I saw the article published in Lianhe Evening News on April 4, 2003.According to "Hong Kong Daily" and other Hong Kong reports, the Chinese mainland industrialist who had promised to finance Leslie's film was arrested in March 2002 on suspicion of embezzling public funds. After two months of investigation, Leslie The director's dream is broken.
After more than ten years of gestation and cultivation, the dream of becoming a film director was shattered when it was about to come true. It is conceivable what a heavy blow it was, and finally turned into deep despair.Just imagine that if Hong Kong movies were in a prosperous period, there should be many people willing to finance Leslie's directed films.So I can't help but think this way, it is this era that pushes Leslie, who is advancing with the times, to a dead end.
Nevertheless, Leslie, who has persevered in pursuing the director's dream for more than ten years and has made unremitting efforts to realize this dream, still amazes us.From 1989 to 2002, when we look back at Leslie's road to realize his director's dream, we see the image of a real progressive artist.
