Pengpai News reporter Gao Dan sorted out
What can you think of when it comes to Chinese Hong Kong movies? Is it really declining as we have seen? How does Hong Kong movies meet and interact with mainland movies? Over the past few decades, how did Hong Kong films gradually rise and rise because of the flood of filmmakers and attracting Southeast Asian markets and overseas funds? In addition to the commercialized "Hong Kong films" and Shaw Brothers, which other film types and Hong Kong directors are worth discussing?
"Downstream and countercurrent: Rewriting the History of Hong Kong Film"
Recently, Peking University Press published "Downstream and countercurrent: Rewriting the History of Hong Kong Film". The editor of the book and associate professor at the School of Literature of Renmin University of China believes that the writing of this book is a practice of rewriting the history of Hong Kong film:
"Hong Kong films and mainland films are a bit like two branches of a river. Sometimes the two flow in the same direction, and sometimes they move in the opposite direction due to historical and social reasons. But it will eventually converge into the same river. Overseas scholars, Hong Kong scholars and mainland scholars have paid attention to Hong Kong film and the history of film, but there are different concerns. Researchers occasionally talk to themselves due to their different value orientations. The compilation of "Downstream and Countercurrent: Rewriting the History of Hong Kong Film" is to hope that different views will form dialogue and complement each other. The team of contributors of this book include scholars who teach in mainstream American universities, mainland scholars and Hong Kong scholars; senior film critics and young researchers." Su Tao said.
The first part of the book, "Revisiting the Early Shanghai-Hong Kong Relations", focuses on discussing Hong Kong films in the 1930s, focusing on analyzing the profound influence of the politics and culture of mainland China on Hong Kong films at that time. The second part "The Cold War and the Cultural Politics of Hong Kong Films" focuses on Hong Kong films in the 1950s and 1960s, especially from the perspective of the Cold War. Through the investigation of representative production institutions, genres and film phenomena, it analyzes the complexity of Hong Kong films after the war and the profound impact of the Cold War on Chinese-language films. Part 3 "Genre, Author and Cultural Imagination" analyzes the important and not paid enough attention to the genre, author and other important issues in the history of Hong Kong film.
Recently, the book also held a lecture titled "Downstream and Countercurrent: Re-exploring the Chinese context of Hong Kong films". Su Tao and the Chinese Film Archives program planner and film critic Sha Dan jointly discussed Hong Kong films.
Follow the Hong Kong movies before the 1970s
Shadan believes that there is a very complex historical and social context behind Hong Kong movies. For example, the interaction between mainland and Hong Kong films, how mainland policies affect Hong Kong films, etc., are all important perspectives for observing Hong Kong films.
"Downstream and Countercurrent: Rewriting the History of Hong Kong Film" rewrites the 1930s and limits the time of the main chapters to the 1970s. Su Tao said that they did not deliberately exclude Hong Kong movies after the 1970s when writing. After the 1980s, Hong Kong films attracted global attention, and many scholars were discussing issues such as the cultural identity of Hong Kong films, the relationship between Hong Kong films and colonial society, and how Hong Kong films went global. Especially around 1997, Hong Kong films once attracted the attention of many Western scholars. Su Tao wants to try to fill some gaps in Hong Kong film history in this book to discuss issues that have not been paid attention to or discussed in depth by researchers. Therefore, this is why this book focuses on more Hong Kong movies before the 1970s.
The issue of perspective in the study of film history is particularly important. There are many interpretation methods and research angles in Hong Kong films. Su Tao believes that the study of Hong Kong films should have a mainland perspective. Su Tao has no experience of living in Hong Kong and can't even speak Cantonese. Under such circumstances, Su Tao can only play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses, and examine Hong Kong movies from a mainland perspective, such as studying the interaction between Hong Kong movies and mainland movies. Su Tao asked contributors from different backgrounds to write this book because some topics require different perspectives. For example, the film cleaning movement in Hong Kong in the 1930s was closely related to the influence of the National Government.In the Huangmei tune movie in Hong Kong in the 1950s, you can also see the continuation of Chinese cultural context. These are all very typical "Chinese context of Hong Kong movies".
. Regarding why Hong Kong films in the 1950s were very important and complex in form, one of the important reasons is that since the mid-to-late 1940s, a large number of Shanghai filmmakers went south, including the top film talents at that time, such as directors, stars, technicians, etc., which constituted the diversion and transformation of Shanghai-Hong Kong films. This group of filmmakers brought the tradition of early Chinese films to Hong Kong.
Another special factor in the 1950s was the impact of the Cold War pattern. Hong Kong was called the "Cold War City" at that time, including the Southeast Asian Film Festival, which was actually a product of the cultural Cold War. "In the 1950s, Japanese films won awards at Cannes , Venice and other film festivals. Japanese films have accumulated a very good reputation and exported a lot, but in fact they did not get much benefit. European and American audiences do not appreciate Japanese films, but instead have a huge market in Southeast Asia. For these reasons, Japan took the lead in launching the Southeast Asian Film Festival. In Hong Kong, Run Run Shaw is a very active participant, and there are also commercial demands, that is, Shaw needs to be in Southeast Asia. Open up the market. In a sense, Hong Kong is the beneficiary of the cultural Cold War, because the Cold War promoted regional cooperation in Asian films. Those important factors that laid the future Hong Kong film landscape can be seen in the 1950s. "
Southeast Asian market to Hong Kong film
Shadan believes that when it comes to the golden period of the development of mainland films, it will mention the development of the 1930s, 1980s, and after industrialization in the new century. "But in the process of constantly rewriting the history of films, we will find important films from other periods, such as the emergence of films such as " disk silk hole " in the 1920s, which has made new corrections and definitions of the history of films."
"In terms of the earliest 3D movies, the earliest practice in the mainland was "The Adventure of the Magician" directed by Sang Hu, but in fact, 3D movies were already available in 1953, which is "The Jade Girl Love and Revenge" produced by Hong Kong producer Zhao Shushen . Later, Shaw's father and son company had "Black Glove" starring You Min . A movie borrows some of the techniques of Hollywood movies. For example, the influence of film festivals on film. After the 1950s, a large number of films participated in the awards of the film festival, and Southeast Asian Film Festivals appeared. For example, co-production and regional cooperation also appeared in the 1950s and 1960s, such as "Hong Kong Night" cooperating with Dianmao and Toho. Therefore, I think this period is a very important period in the history of the development of Chinese films and a period of blooming flowers."
"The Jade Girl Love and Revenge" produced by Hong Kong producer Zhao Shushen's Daguan Company
Sha Dan also believes that the Southeast Asian market is very important to Hong Kong. "Nyonya and Baba" (1956) was filmed in Southeast Asia, and "Dianmao"'s " Stewardess " was also filmed in Thailand, Singapore , and Taiwan, China. From these examples, it can be seen that many production companies in Hong Kong have a certain "Asian consciousness" and will shoot overseas in order to better release and screening overseas. This is just a Mandarin film, let alone a Cantonese film. During this period, many companies' target markets were Southeast Asia.
"Stealth Host" Stills
Studio giants "Dianmao" and "Shaw Brothers" are both right-wing companies, and the commercial competition between the two is very fierce. "Dianmao" and "Shao Brothers" respectively represented the release of movies produced by "Great Wall" and "Phoenix" in Southeast Asia. "Great Wall" and "Phoenix" are both left-wing companies. On the one hand, this shows the importance of the Southeast Asian market, and on the other hand, it also shows that under certain specific conditions, left- and right-wing companies will cooperate. Against the background of the Cold War, the situation in the Hong Kong film industry is very complicated. The left and right factions are not a solid piece. For example, the script of "Little Nyonya" produced by the Left Film Company was written by the right-wing filmmaker Yiwen .
The interaction between Hong Kong movies and mainland movies
Su Tao pointed out that in addition to cooperation in distribution, the left and right factions also have some commonalities in creation. For example, no matter which faction, everyone adheres to a nationalist standpoint. Many films made by rightists also take critical stances about Hong Kong's colonialism and capitalism. In fact, many films made by right-wing companies are related to traditional ethics, but they do not promote ideology. After all, most viewers watch movies for entertainment. The differences between the left and the right are quite obvious, but there are some subtle similarities. They all come from the Shanghai film industry.
Audiences can see the diversion of Shanghai-Hong Kong movies in the inheritance from these movies - they come from the same film tradition, but with the changes in Hong Kong's social, political and cultural context, there has been another differentiation. Su Tao said that opera films made in mainland China, such as "The Fairy", " Sou Shuyuan ", " Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai ", had a huge response when they were released in Hong Kong. Around 1957, Hong Kong's population was about 1.8 million. According to the box office statistics of "Sou Shuyuan" and "The Fairy" in "The Fairy" at that time, about one-third of Hong Kong people had watched "Sou Shuyuan" and "The Fairy" in "The Fairy".
"Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" filmed by director Sang Hu in 1953 was the first color opera feature film since the founding of New China. This movie is also very popular abroad. It was called "Romeo and Juliet of China" by Premier Zhou Enlai. The first Huangmei tune film in Hong Kong after the war was "Borrowing a Friend" produced by "Great Wall". Later, "Shao Brothers" had "Diao Chan" and "The Beauty of the Country" and "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" starring Lingbo and Ledi in 1963. On the basis of absorbing and learning from mainland opera films, Hong Kong filmmakers transformed them to make them more genre and commercialized, and ultimately succeeded. Hong Kong filmmakers have successfully promoted Huangmei tuned films to Taiwan, China and Southeast Asia.
Director Sang Hu filmed "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" in 1953
One of the purposes of filming "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" in mainland China in the 1950s was to echo the promulgation of the "Marriage Law". However, "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" filmed by "Shao Brothers" pay more attention to China's traditional ethics, and the heroine will "obey her father's order", which are all manifestations of traditional concepts. The content conveyed by "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" filmed in mainland China is more radical (such as advocating marriage autonomy and gender equality). This is the difference between Hong Kong movies and mainland movies.
Su Tao believes that the reason why Huangmei tune movies are well-known to most movie fans is because of the contributions of Li Hanxiang and others. However, you can still see the influence of mainland movies in Huangmei tune movies, and the exchange and interaction between the two places are undeniable. When Li Hanxiang carried forward the Huangmei tune film, the factors of the cultural cold war were already reflected. Many of Li Hanxiang's Huangmei Movie movies emphasize traditional Chinese concepts, which also caters to the ideology of the Taiwanese authorities in China at that time. On the one hand, Hong Kong films in China are influenced by the Taiwan market in China, and on the other hand, they are affected by the globalization of American culture. For example, the film "Steador" has never been praised by the Kuomintang authorities although it is very popular in Taiwan. This is because the heroine played by Gelan does not obey the arrangements of her parents and insists on pursuing the realization of her own value, which is not in line with traditional ethics.
The predecessor of "Shao Brothers" was founded in Shanghai "Tianyi". Shaw Brothers is from Ningbo. "Tianyi" is known for filming costume films. Later, different branches such as "Shaw Brothers" and "Shaw Brothers" have been derived, extending to the current "TVB". Shadan believes that from the history of this company, you can find an interesting phenomenon: these cultural companies started in mainland China, and after development in Hong Kong and other regions, they eventually returned to mainland China. This is a way of cultural circulation. In addition, after "Dianmao" stopped filming, they rented the set to "Jiahe". "Jiahe" was later acquired by "Orange Sky Entertainment".Both companies embody such an interesting cultural flow: starting from mainland China or Southeast Asia, achieving glory in Hong Kong, and eventually returning to the mainland.
Kung Fu film , New Year's film, film noir: the construction and operation of ideology
"Downstream and countercurrent: Rewriting the history of Hong Kong Film" discusses the significance of "training" in Kung Fu films in the 1970s. The author mentioned the relationship between Kung Fu films and the construction and operation of Hong Kong's capitalist ideology. "The Thirty-Six Rooms of Shaolin" directed by Liu Jialiang tells the story of the protagonist who has to receive various trainings. The training process is very monotonous and boring, but only in this way can he master the kung fu and complete revenge. Movies like this are very recognized by Hong Kong blue-collar workers.
"Thirty-six Rooms in Shaolin" stills
Because in the 1960s and 1970s, Hong Kong's economy dominated the labor-intensive industry, and a large number of workers did repetitive work on the assembly line. Liu Jialiang also has a very interesting movie, namely " Shaolin Sleeping Master ". The protagonist is practicing building a shed on the surface, but he actually has learned real kung fu inadvertently. In other words, learning skills are almost completed unconsciously. When blue-collar workers saw such videos, they felt that their monotonous work day after day was actually meaningful. This reminds of Max Weber's view that he is constantly restraining himself and treating work and life with an "ascetic" attitude, believing that through his unremitting efforts, he will eventually complete the upward climb of social classes.
The star-like New Year's films had such an attempt in Shanghai in the 1930s. It became an industrial model in Hong Kong in the 1950s. One of the important films was "A Night Banquet of the Wealthy Family" (1959), and the other very important film was the Cantonese film "Kaleidoscope of the Sea of People" (1950). This model continued to evolve in later Hong Kong films, which led to the New Year's films from the 1980s and 1990s. The context between this is very clear: from the past star mode to the later New Year mode, and to the " Party A and Party B " by Feng Xiaogang. This model was not available in the mainland until the mid-to-late 1990s, and it had already taken shape in Hong Kong in the early 1950s.
"Party A and Party B"
Sha Dan believes that many models in the mainland are related to Hong Kong movies now. For example, Hong Kong martial arts films and kung fu films have a deep connection with Shanghai films. The National Government banned the screening of monster martial arts films in the early 1920s because these films were absurd and hindered the construction of a modern nation-state. But this type of video did not completely disappear, it came to Hong Kong. The influence of Shanghai movies in the early 1950s can also be seen in the Huang Feihong series. Director Wang Tianlin, who was born in Shanghai (the father of director Wang Jing ) also made the Cantonese version of "Huang Feihong" film.
When the "New Wave" was rising, directors such as Ann Hui, Tsui Hark , all of whom were filming police and gangster films and thrillers, all with some elements of noir movies. These young directors who are the first to direct the project hope to win the market with this kind of commercial and typified works. In addition, directors like Tsui Hark were previously on the marginal position, and their depression and depression in their hearts needed to resort to violence and black forms, such as "The First Type of Danger" and "The No Door in Hell". Once these directors integrate into the mainstream, their style will immediately change, and they will no longer shoot the previous films that reflect on human nature and criticize society. Simply put, some elements of violence were absorbed by the "New Wave" directors, helping them rise in the early 1980s. At the end of the
lecture, the guests also responded to the assertion that "Hong Kong movies are dead". Su Tao said that the decline of Hong Kong movies is related to the general environment of Hong Kong's economy, including many specific reasons, such as the rise in cinema rents, the emergence of piracy, and the high pay for big stars and the high production costs. Behind the decline of Hong Kong films is the economic environment of the entire Hong Kong society, which is not determined by some single reason.
The role of Hong Kong movies in the entire Chinese-language movie has changed.In the past, Hong Kong was a film production center, but in recent years, Hong Kong was no longer a film production center, but a financing center and a creative center. The stars and technicians trained in Hong Kong are still important forces in Chinese film creation today. The Hong Kong film industry is actually looking for new roles and new positioning. In the visible future, the integration of Hong Kong films and mainland films is a major trend.
Editor in charge: Liang Jia
Proofreading: Luan Meng
