http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/2038/080918.txt
(9/23/2008) Zhang Yimou is the director of the China Travel Impression
film. Earlier he has already arrived in Chengdu for the shoot. At the
same time he will visit the earthquake disaster area to visit the victims.
This time Zhang Yimou directs the Sichuan chapter, which is
completely different in style from his earlier Chengdu Impression films.
The film's theme is "Sichuan remains beautiful", completely embodying
Sichuan's beautiful scenery and kind and strong people.
Zhang Yimou's assistant, executive director Ding Hai, earlier has
already led the pre production team and arrived in Chengdu in secret. As
soon as the Ding Hai led team followed Zhang Yimou's plan as soon as
they got off the plane. The team went three ways and began the intense
tasks of secret casting in Chengdu, checking out locations and shooting
on the Emei Mountain. Several dozen actors were cast in an afternoon,
finally a six year old cute, lovable and bright eyed child was cast as
an Emei Mountain monk.
1. MING PAO DAILY, SEPTEMBER 24 2008
THE REASON OF THE RARITY OF HONG KONG SEX FILMS
In the past two genres could save the market, one was ghost film
and the other was category III sex film.
Ghost film due to the inability to be co-produced with Mainland
has become fewer without the Mainland income. Yet occasionally a 3 million
budget one would appear. With higher audience quality demand, their
demand for ghost film has differed from the past. Well made ghost film
could not be too roughly produced and also depends very heavily on the
director's abilities. Ghost film that is scared enough has a harder time
at big return with small investment.
Category III sex film is even rarer than ghost film. Without the
need to go on, sex film also could not co-produced and could rely only on
markets outside Mainland for return. Sex film like ghost film has always
had market. Then why would recent Hong Kong film rarely be of this
genre?
In terms of overseas sales, costume sex films are better than
modern ones. Mak Dong Hung's 1991 SEX AND ZEN was very popular in the
West.
Over the years, the market has always had a demand for costume
sex film.
SEX AND ZEN might not have big names but it was not small budget
at all. It was no 3 million low budget film.
However, budget is not the reason behind the difficulty of making
this genre. According to industry insiders, the hardest part was finding
local actresses who could make the sacrifice for art. In the 80s more
actresses who were willing to perform nude than today. The social sexual
views might be more open than before, but actresses' performance limits
have become more conservative than then.
The media's judging attitude of course had something to do with
that.
In the just released THE FORBIDDEN LEGEND OF SEX AND CHOPSTICKS,
the nude scenes are Japanese adult video actresses' responsibilities.
The casting of Japanese adult video stars instead of local female
stars has very large differences in market attraction because Japanese
adult video ultimately is another slot's product. The overseas market
price difference is also farther apart.
Still many people look at category III sex film with bias. Film
and adult video are different. Well made sex film can be art.
The subject of sex in every year's major film festivlas occupies
a very large ratio. - KWOK HIN CHING
2. MING PAO DAILY, SEPTEMBER 23 2008, FILM WORDS
THE FORBIDDEN LEGEND OF SEX AND CHOPSTICKS' FUNNY SEX TRAINING
In the recent ten years, very few Hong Kong category III sex films
have been released in mainstream cinema circuits, but Zhang Yimou's CURSE
OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER cooked up palace promiscuity and low cut palace girl
costumes; Ang Lee's LUST CAUTION even had erotic and daring bed scenes;
both have become Greater China box office controversial films. Now Hong
Kong's THE FORBIDDEN LEGEND OF SEX AND CHOPSTICKS had no way to compare to
the two aforementioned famous directors and big stars big productions, but
it still attracts erotic fan viewers.
THE FORBIDDEN LEGEND OF SEX AND CHOPSTICKS is an official dirty
flesh film. It does not pretend to be literary and just sticks with sex.
As a sex film it is considered suitable, from the beginning to the end it
sells naked bodies and bedroom tricks. It also has action and comedy, the
story is not monotonous or dull. Director Chin Man Kei and the cast have
done their jobs fully without cutting corners.
I like many people have heard about the Chinese classic novel THE
PLUM IN THE GOLDEN VASE for a long time but have never read the book.
Reportedly this film takes a lot of liberty and is not faithful to the
original. The story starts with Simon Hing's childhood. In adulthood Lam
Wai Kin plays the character. Since childhood he has been under his father
(Tsui Siu Keung)'s training in the "ways of Yin and Yang", training sexual
potency like training gong fu.
This film sells Chinese style "sex study" training. Wonderfully
it is half wuxia half comedy, about Ximen Qing and many sexy women's
encounters. These women are mainly Japanese adult video stars. The
little bald nun Hikaru Wakana is rather innocent and cute. Kaera Uehara
as Simon Hing's "instructor" is also attractive. The wild fortress
owner has the most sex heroine feel, cooking up a very exaggerated, comic
book style sex duel!
As for Pan Jin-Lian, in the original she is very important. In
the film the actress lacks luster, her small feet display is obviously not
tied feet. More interesting is when she and Ximen Qing cheat, Wu Da Lang
is sleep walking next to them in an ironic and humorous way. Actually
this film is the first installment. Who knows whether Wu Song would
appear in the second installment?
Many Hong Kong films have already been based on THE PLUM IN THE
GOLDEN VASE, including Lee Han Hsiang's two GOLDEN LOTUS. I have also
seen the Japanese version, as well as THE REINCARNATION OF GOLDEN LOTUS.
Dan Lap Man has played Ximen Qing several times.
Director Chin Man Kei was Ho Poon's assistant director early on,
no wonder this film has a little Ho Poon style. Ho Poon has immigrated to
the U.S. for over a decade. Several months ago I have received a letter
from him, which said that an U.S. company offered him a category III
foreign film but his family opposed it strongly. Thus he has been good
and returned to photography. In the U.S. he had 11 exhibits and published
two collections. Hong Kong's new generation may very unlikely have no
idea that Ho Poon actually is a famous photographer. - SHEK KEI
MING PAO DAILY, SEPTEMBER 20 2008
NOT A LEGENDARY ERA (2)
Chor Yuen and Patrick Lung Kong
The writer last week used the terms "soldiers" and "defenders" to
describe Chor Yuen and Lung Kong's roles in the final days of Cantonese
film. After further consideration, among the two ideas, "defenders"
should be more suitable for Chor Yuen a little. Calling Lung Kong as
"soldier" is also more accurate because he directly inherited the old
school Cantonese film tradition. Later although he was under modern
Western art and film influence he still due to his background and
environmental restriction could only be a reformist of Cantonese films
(not even revisionist) and not a revolutionary.
Earlier Cantonese film workers (especially in the 60s since World
War II) seem to face national and society ills for a long time.
Creation is tightly connected to everyday life, with strong realistic
color and work with blood and tears; but as society grew stable and
developed, the old realistic style gradually lost touch with reality (of
course that also had to do with creators' growing age and slowly becoming
conservative). Chor Yuen came from this source. Stuck between new and
old, his work often reflected such conflict. Thus, he felt the most
satisfied (meaning the most "personal") films mostly described a young
artist (painter, writer, dancer, song writer) who lingers between personal
dream and real world (read: market consideration, commercial pressure),
the conflict between being loved and giving up love, in sorrow and boredom
(ironically, such work in "real environment" often did not sell). This
perhaps explained why he in the middle and late stages at the Shaw Studio
coincidentally or half consciously submerged himself in a Gu Long type
virtual ancient romantic world that was dimly discernable and sentimental
(the representative work was INTIMATE CONFESSIONS OF A CHINESE COURTESAN),
most officially bidding farewell to reality.
Lung Kong Chor Yuen Momentary Brilliance
In comparison, (early) Lung Kong seemed to be Chor Yuen's
antithesis. The latter avoided the world, hid from the world, the former
joined it as each film's subject was fresh and hot social subjects (PRINCE
OF BROADCASTERS' politics and hypocrisy, THE STORY OF A DISCHARGED
PRISONER's prison release issue, TEDDY GIRLS' juvenile crime issue, THE
CALL GIRLS' prostitute issue, HIROSHIMA 28's war issue, to YESTERDAY,
TODAY, TOMORROW's hints at the 67 riot). His characters were either hot
blooded action/reformer or angry at the world rebel. The most passive
was at least a religious idealist. They actually both like to preach,
but Chor Yuen was sad (and nagging), self pitying, contrite and
reforming himself; Lung Kong shouted at the top of his voice, every word
convincing (though he could nag just as much). Chor Yuen on average liked
the gentle and slow burn, as he excelled in the scene adjustment of
standing and walking; Lung Kong excelled the most with handshake shots,
short range shots, balanced editing, flash back/forward narrative. They
truly were momentarily brilliant. - SHU KEI
