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Note: 2017 is the 20th anniversary of the death of Chinese martial arts director Hu Jinquan (1932-1997). Hu Jinquan brought Chinese martial arts films to the international film industry with films such as " Drunk Hero " (1966), "Longmen Inn" (1967), and "Hello Girl" (1971), and made it a global genre that attracted attention. In order to commemorate Hu Jinquan's film cultural heritage, Shanghai Theatre Academy specially invited Professor Zhang Cuo, Ms. Zheng Peipei, Mr. Shi Jun, and Director Xu Anhua to have a dialogue on his life and deeds and creative achievements. This article was published in the 5th issue of "Film Art" magazine in 2017, and the full draft of the dialogue was published here.
Host: Shi Chuan, Professor of Shanghai Theatre Academy / Lin Wenqi, Professor of Central University of Taiwan
and talker: Shi Jun, Famous actor and legal person of the consortium, Director of the Literary Foundation,
, Ann Hui, Famous director
, Zheng Peipei, Famous actor
, wrong, Professor of the University of Southern California and Chairman of the Hu Jinquan Foundation,
, Time: May 27, 2017, 10:00-12:00, 2017, Location: Conference Room of Xiong Foxi Building, Shanghai Theatre Academy
, Shikawa (hereinafter referred to as "Shi"): Good morning everyone! This "Hun-Qinquan and Martial Arts Films: International Academic Seminar on Global Types and Global Consumption of Chinese Films" was co-sponsored by Shanghai Theatre Academy and the Hu-Qinquan Foundation in the United States. The reason for such a meeting is not only because this year marks the 20th anniversary of Director Hu Jinquan's rebirth, but also because of the martial arts sentiment in each of us - we have read martial arts novels, watched martial arts movies, and listened to martial arts storytelling since we were young. Martial arts stories and heroes from the world were once the mysterious world that each of us yearned for. Today, around the world, no matter where there are Chinese people, martial arts stories are a kind of cultural experience we can share and identify with each other. Just as Chinese literature in the 20th century cannot be missing Jin Yong and his martial arts novels, Chinese-language films in the 20th century cannot forget the name Hu Jinquan.
Now, please allow me to introduce to you all the honorable guests present today: the first is a professor of the Department of Comparative Literature of the University of Southern California, chairman of the Hu Jinquan Foundation, famous writer and poet, Mr. Zhang Cuo; the second is that everyone knows him, the hero of the world in the movies of Hu Jinquan in the past, the famous actor and the CEO of the Hu Jinquan Literature Foundation, Mr. Shi Jun; the third is a famous actor, a heroic and beautiful generation of heroines, Ms. Cheng Peipei; the fourth is a famous Hong Kong director Ms. Ann Hui; the last is the guest host of our discussion today, Mr. Lam Wenqi, professor of the English Department of Central University of Taiwan. Mr. Lin previously served as CEO of the National Film Center, a legal person in Taiwan, and has done a lot of fruitful work to protect, repair and study Hu Jinquan's films. I now hand over the microphone to Professor Lin Wenqi and ask him to review the life of Director Hu Jinquan with the four VIPs. Please invite Professor Lin!
1. Lin Wenqi: Preservation and repair of Hu Jinquan's film
Lin Wenqi (hereinafter referred to as "Lin"): Thank you Teacher Ishikawa. Hello, experts! This year marks the 85th anniversary of director Hu Jinquan's birth and the 20th anniversary of his death. We are pretending to be at the Shanghai Theatre Academy and miss this great film director, artist, literati and scholar from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the Three Places... He has many identities and is full of talents throughout his life. Unfortunately, no one expected that he passed away unexpectedly twenty years ago. Today, the organizer invited four guests who had close contacts with Director Hu Jinquan during his lifetime. He is very looking forward to hearing the story of their getting along with Director Hu. In 2013, I had the honor to serve at the Taiwan National Film Archive (now renamed the "Taiwan Consortium Legal Person National Film Center"). What impressed me deeply was that about two months after I took office, Mr. Shi Jun and Ms. Zheng Peipei visited the film archives respectively, and we talked about director Hu Jinquan's films, materials, and cultural relics together. Taiwan Movie The treasure of the museum is the film, stills, manuscripts left by Director Hu... The museum has a special collection room, which is a large number.In 2015, Professor Sun Shaoyi visited the Taiwan Film Center and we talked about holding this seminar. At that time, I felt that the two sides had a coincidence, and if they were done, they would be a conflict. I felt that cooperation might be a good opportunity.
Shi: Sorry, I forgot to report to you just now. During this conference, we will also hold a small exhibition. The content is an original comic and letter manuscript directed by Professor Zhang Cuo. There are more than 40 pieces, and Sun Shaoyi traveled thousands of miles back to Shanghai from Los Angeles. Before the meeting, I had asked someone to frame it and frame it. It will now be displayed on the aisle and balcony outside the venue. Please enjoy it when the meeting is on the evening. In addition, we have prepared a picture album for each guest and presented it as a conference gift for you. The content is the exhibition's comics and manuscripts, as well as the Chinese and English versions of director Hu Jinquan's chronology and life story, as well as some director Hu's photos. After the meeting, this batch of exhibits will also be moved to Shanghai Film Museum for a special exhibition of Hu Jinquan's manuscripts, which will be around this fall. Let the public also have this batch of precious exhibits to understand the richer artistic and life aspects of director Hu Jinquan's movies. In the agenda of this conference, we also arrange for the screening of Hu Jinquan's movies every night, including four films: "The Legend of the Mountain", "Longmen Inn", " Legend of the Mountain " and "Rage". These videos have been digitally repaired and are specially provided for this conference by the National Film Center, a legal entity consortium in Taiwan. Before the VIPs speak, I would like to ask Professor Lin Wenqi to introduce to you the protection and repair of Hu Jinquan's film.
Lin: Director Hu's film, because over time, the best appearance can no longer be seen on the film. My former director got some money from the Ministry of Culture and decided to give priority to the restoration of Director Hu's films. "Longmen Inn" is the first film to undergo 4K restoration. We worked with the Italian Bologna Film Restoration Laboratory and repaired very well. In 2014, it was sent to the Cannes (Cannes) Film Festival for its global premiere. The second one to fix is "The Legend of the Condor Heroes". At that time, the annual funding of the Taiwan Film Center was only about NT$43 million in all aspects, while the quotation for the restoration of "The Legend of the Goddess" was NT$5 million. That is to say, the center will spend about one-eighth of the money a year to compile "The Legend of the Goddess". There are also "Legend of the Mountain", "Empty Mountain Spiritual Rain", and other films later. What should I do? So thank you very much for Xu Feng . She generously donated and sponsored the restoration of "The Legend of the Goddess". She was going to attend today, but because there were other things, she missed this opportunity. After the revision of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", it was sent to Cannes again for its global premiere after a year. This is not easy, and few directors have been shortlisted for the Cannes Film Festival for two consecutive restoration films. They only select 12-15 restoration films from all over the world to show each year. Someone asked me, how did you do it? I think only Director Hu can do it. After
, our ambitions became even greater, and we then compiled "Legend of the Mountain". This is a film from "First Pictures". I heard that the film is not in good condition, so we are quite anxious. The film is more than three hours long, and after the price comes back, it is more than NT$5 million. We find a way to find all versions of "Legend of the Mountain" and scan all the ones that can be scanned. After repair, it premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year, and was also specially screened at the Taipei Film Festival in April this year, and at the Beijing International Film Festival in May. During my tenure, I repaired these two movies, "Longmen Inn" and "Legend of the Mountain". There was originally a movie called " Yingchun Pavilion: Storm ", "Jiahe", and they sold it to a company called "Star Media". I also talked to the general manager of "Starry Sky" and hope to cooperate in repairing this year. Unfortunately, my term of office last year has arrived, so I have no chance. What is currently being restored is "Empty Mountain Spiritual Rain". In the second half of this year, the National Film Center of Taiwan will publish the director Hu Jinquan commemorative Blu-ray and DVD albums, hoping that it will go smoothly.
Zheng Peipei (hereinafter referred to as "Zheng"): I would like to add Professor Lin. Back then, "Shaw Brothers" sold more than 600 classic movies to "Tianying". "Tianying" also made digital restorations for Shaw Brothers' old films, the first one was "The Drunken Man".Therefore, in 2002, "The Drunken Man" was the first to participate in the Cannes Film Festival. Many people told me that they had never seen this drama before, and this was the first time they saw it in Cannes. They were surprised. It turned out that Director Hu was filming so well in his first martial arts film. This is also the most curious thing director Hu has for fans around the world. Why is this happening? Because "Shaw Brothers" is very closed, they will not screen director Hu's films and will not publish DVDs. The subsequent DVD was released by "Tianying".
Lin: Director Hu is a director who has made great contributions in the history of film. If he had knowledge in heaven, we would hold such a commemoration meeting today, and digitally restore his masterpiece to present it to the audience in the best and most primitive appearance. I think he would be relieved. Next, we will ask each VIP present to share for about 20 minutes according to the order of the meeting. After each VIP's speech is over, if time permits, it will be open to ask questions to everyone on site, and everyone will come to discuss with each other.
2. Shi Jun: A director who is eager to be kind and takes care of everything himself
Lin: We welcome Taiwan's CEO of the Hu Jinquan Literature and Art Foundation, winner of the Golden Horse Award Lifetime Achievement Award, and a national treasure-level actor, Mr. Shi Jun!
Shi Jun (hereinafter referred to as "Jun"): Hello everyone, professors, teachers and classmates from overseas and on both sides of the Taiwan Strait! First of all, I would like to thank Shanghai Theatre Academy for holding this commemorative meeting for my teacher Director Hu Jinquan. The title of my report to you here is: A director who is eager to be kind and takes good care of everything. Most of Director Hu's works are written by himself. Although the two movies "Legend of the Mountain" and " Great Reincarnation " are written by Professor Zhong Ling , the dialogues in them are almost all based on Director Hu's speech habits - he is a northerner - the dialogues are polished according to the habits of northerners.
Generally speaking, the character style, costume, and hairstyle of each drama should be responsible for art design and costume design, but for Director Hu, he has to do it himself. For example, in "Legend of the Mountain", he even drew sketches by himself first and then handed them over to the designer to draw formally. The styling of each character is explained from head to toe. He even has to express his opinions on what fabric, color, and style of clothing. In fact, he does not only "Legend of the Mountain", but he does this in almost every drama. Unfortunately, a lot of the information has been lost, and only a small part of it has been preserved.
Director Hu likes shooting outdoor scenes very much. There are several dramas I have been his assistant director, and I followed him when I watched the scene. Generally speaking, there are stills and photographers taking photos as reference when viewing the scene, but Director Hu would not do so. He would take out paper and pen to sketch, and do a storyboard while sketching. I have worked with about forty directors, and only Director Hu’s storyboard is full of pictures and texts. He painted very well and was very professional. The Director Hu comic exhibition organized by Teacher Ishikawa, you can see it later. He is a professional painter.
Generally speaking, when a martial arts film takes action parts, the director usually gives the martial arts director the shooting, or according to the current saying, the action director is responsible for the shooting. However, Director Hu must first make a brief demonstration for the martial arts guide, then retouch the martial arts guide, then teach the actors to practice, and finally complete the shooting. This is the process. "Longmen Inn" has many outdoor scenes, one of which was filmed at the highest point of the Zhongheng Highway in Taiwan. In this place, mountain mist will come before four o'clock every afternoon, so many scenes of mountain mist and clouds are included in the film. Director Hu likes this artistic conception very much, but not every time he encounters it. So what should I do? Starting from "The Legend of the Mountain", including later "Legend of the Mountain", Director Hu needs artificial smoke whenever he encounters a mountain lance effect. At that time, there were no tobacco cakes, and wet straw was used to make it incompletely burned to produce smoke. He also has to do this himself, holding a palm-leaf fan next to the haystack and demonstrating it for others to show it. How to fan the flames is the effect he wants.
Director Hu usually likes calligraphy and painting. Many of the characters at the beginning of the movie were written by himself.There are many scenes of correspondence in "Longmen Inn". It is said that the artists and props should be prepared, but Director Hu has to write it himself. Once, Li Hanxiang invited Director Hu to dinner in and I followed him. Li Hanxiang said, "The letters and handwritings of both parties in the play are the same. What's going on?" Director Hu laughed out loud because they were all from his work, and he was very proud. When you watch "Longmen Inn" next time, you can pay attention to the couplet on the door frame of the inn. It’s not like usual, I wrote it first and then pasted it, but the worker first pasted the red paper, and then Director Hu climbed onto the bamboo ladder to write it.
and editing. Although each play has a signed editer, I tell you that the final cut part of each play is completed by Director Hu himself. The editor of "Longmen Inn" is Mr. Chen Hongmin , and he later became a director. He once told others in the production department of the "Federal": "I learned a lot from director Hu's "Longmen Inn". Indeed, Director Hu's unique editing techniques have improved the quality of Chinese martial arts films.
Finally, what I want to emphasize is that Director Hu has lost a lot of information. Fortunately, the Hu Jinquan Foundation in the United States preserved his stuff. Some of them have been handed over to the National Film Center of Taiwan for safekeeping. This part of the information is very precious and can be referenced by later film workers. I want to thank the Hu Jinquan Foundation in the United States and Professor Zhang Cuo here.
Lin: Thank you very much for your sharing! Do you have any questions and ask Uncle Shi?
Fan Xiaoqing (hereinafter referred to as "Fan"): Hello senior! I am Fan Xiaoqing from Communication University of China and one of the Chinese-language film selectors at the Busan Film Festival. We know that "Legend of the Mountain" and "Empty Mountain Spirit Rain" were both filmed in Korea, but there is relatively little related information, so I would like to ask you to share with us some of the situations of director Hu's filming in Korea. Thanks!
Lin: Let me insert it. Before the restoration of "Empty Mountain Spirit Rain", we contacted the Korean Film Archive and they told me that they had a Korean copy there. I was surprised when I heard it. "Legend of the Mountain" and "Empty Mountain Spirit Rain" were filmed at the same time. Then they also said that there is also a Korean version, with some of the characters played by Korean actors, which means that Director Hu made three movies in South Korea at the same time. Please share this part of the content.
Jun: "Legend of the Mountain" was filmed by director Hu's "Kim Quan" company, Hong Kong's "No. 1" company, and a South Korean production company. "Empty Mountain Spirit Rain" was jointly performed by "Kim Quan" and Luo Kaimu, the boss of Hong Kong's catering industry "Homes" and was also filmed with Koreans, so there is a Korean version. This is because the system in South Korea was the same as Taiwan at that time. Only when you work with me could you get the quota for foreign films imported from South Korea. Therefore, every movie filmed in South Korea is equivalent to a three-party cooperation between Director Hu and Hong Kong and South Korea.
At that time, the Taiwanese and Hong Kong dramas were taken to South Korea for filming, mainly for the sake of snow scenes. However, "Legend of the Mountain" and "Empty Mountain Spiritual Rain" do not require snow scenes. And we started the filming in August and took photos until winter. When it started to snow, we moved all the way south to avoid the snow. But it was strange that I couldn't hide and ran to Gyeongju, but it was snowing in Gyeongju. There were many shots at that time, just aiming at the side of the building. There is sunshine on this side and the snow melts. On the side of the sunshine, there are still a lot of snow. In this case, we took another two months of filming until the next Lunar New Year. We each returned to Hong Kong and Taiwan for the New Year. We waited until the spring in April and returned to South Korea from Hong Kong and Taiwan. After two times, the drama was filmed in total for 355 days, and ten days was a whole year.
The boss of South Korea has no objection to "Legend of the Mountain". However, when it came to "Empty Mountain Spirit Rain", he proposed to shoot another Korean version. In addition to the first and second male protagonists, the secondary roles must be played by Korean actors. It means that you are shooting a Chinese version, and we also need a Korean version. At that time, I thought his request was strange.But to this day, "Empty Mountain Spirit Rain" needs to be repaired digitally, and the Chinese version is no longer complete enough, so the Korean version has played a great role. Thinking about it now, I really want to thank the Korean boss at that time.
Director Hu likes to go to Korea to film, and there is a reason. Because Korean monuments are better preserved than those in the mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong, many of the architectural styles are imitated by ancient China, and Chinese characters are also very common in the early years. We went to a college to film, and the walls were filled with Chinese calligraphy. There is a "Guanjia Pavilion" in "Legend of the Mountain", which means that a rich rich man handed over the land to the tenant farmers to farm, and he built a pavilion on a high place to watch the growth of crops from afar. This scene was not built by us, it was originally available in that place. Director Hu likes this scene very much, it looks very much like ancient China. He told me, "Shi Jun, we will come to Korea next time we will shoot costume dramas." This is why he likes to film in Korea. Of course, Korean workers and temporary actors are also working very hard, and their efficiency is higher than that of mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. However, their directors and producers will beat and scold field workers and extras, so everyone is very serious when working and dare not be lazy or slacken.
Fan: Are there any Korean martial arts practices?
Jun: No, no at all. There are not many fighting scenes in "Empty Mountain Spirit Rain". Director Hu originally chose Mr. Sun Yue to play the first male lead, but Mr. Sun could not shoot a fighting scene, so he changed his role and had fewer scenes. I don't know why this is happening, maybe it's because there was no communication in advance. When we were filming, Director Hu had a requirement that as long as he started work, we must be on the scene, and even if there was no show, people would be there. The Korean staff reported this situation to their boss, and he proposed to take several scenes of secondary roles to the Korean actors and cut out a Korean version.
3. Ann Hui: Director Hu is not tall, but his shadow is very long
Lin: Director Xu is a director I respect very much. I feel honored to be able to sit next to Director Xu today. If I remember correctly, Director Xu’s first job in the film industry was to film with Director Hu, which is a rare experience. Next, we ask Director Xu to share her story with us.
Ann Hsu (hereinafter referred to as "Xu"): I would like to thank Ishikawa for inviting me to attend Director Hu's commemorative meeting. But I feel very embarrassed. I do very little for Director Hu, and I only worked with him for about three months. Twenty years since he passed away, and I miss him more and more. Before I came, Ishikawa asked me to summarize the influence of Director Hu on me. I think it can be said that "Director Hu is not tall, but his shadow is very long."
I feel that Director Hu is a person who is nice to others but doesn’t say it out. In fact, this has something to do with the spirit of the movie. The thoughts and feelings in your heart are expressed in the movie, and there is no need to be expressed in abstract language. Director Hu is very nice to me, and I came back from the UK to work as an assistant to him. When he went to Cannes for "The Heroes" (1975), my father asked me to work at the TVB. When I arrived at the TV station, the supervisor said to me, "I'll give you a van and a group of people, and you can take pictures of things next week." Wow! so good? It's a great temptation for me. I just want to quit my job with Director Hu. I said to him, "I'm going to work at the TV station. If you need me to film in the future, I'll come back." Director Hu was not angry with me, and didn't say anything, so he let me go. Later, Yu Yunkang, who was with me and Director Hu, also resigned. Director Hu was still not angry, just said, "Why do you all treat my company as a cafe? You come in when you like it, and you leave when you don't like it." But he was really not angry with us. When we go back to find him in the future, he will still take us out for dinner.
When Director Hu went to Cannes, I had nothing to do in the company, just sorted out his business card and wrote a work report every day. Two weeks later, he wrote me a long letter about his mood in Cannes. He said there were a lot of people here and he was very busy, and he hoped that he would be "quiet and far".He also said, "You have good foundations in Chinese and foreign languages, and you are easy to learn. I hope you can shoot some good shows in the future." He said, "I hope that one day China will shoot some movies, which may not be costumes, but will also attract foreigners, so we will really go up there." This letter made me feel that he was very clear about what he was doing, including the position of Chinese films in the international film industry, and he had this consciousness. However, I didn't know what he hoped for me before, and he never said that. He only wrote this letter and told me after going to Cannes. I have always saved this letter. Later, the Hong Kong film director would take it for auction. I don’t know if it was sold. Now I feel it’s a pity that I didn’t leave a copy.
At that time, we had no achievements in him, but we ran around in his office every day, and didn't know what we were busy with. However, we found it very curious and fun, and always followed Director Hu to run around. He has taken us to meet many great directors, such as director Li Hanxiang and director Song Cunshou . They are all very nice to newcomers like us. Director Song Cunshou took us to the set to watch the editing. We saw a lot of movies thrown on the ground, messy and the working environment was particularly poor, so we were all scared to death. In fact, at that time, many of the movies made in the Golden Age of Hong Kong movies were made in very harsh environments.
I often think that Director Hu’s life is actually a “cultural exhibition”. For example, he reads more than a dozen newspapers every day, and even the toilet has a lot of newspapers and books. He reads not one book, but seven or eight books together. He is interested in everything, and is particularly interested in painting, music, various arts, and eating. I found that many great directors know how to eat. In Cannes, Director Hu also taught Xu Feng to cook. At that time, I was very ignorant in this regard. I didn’t even understand the rules that northerners had to serve cold dishes first and then hot dishes when they had dinner. They were all taught by Director Hu. So at that time, I learned a lot from him, including art, and lifestyle like eating. I hope I can try his approach like him, and be better for newcomers.
Director Hu's personality, I think it's very gentle. I haven't seen him say a harsh word. My colleague said that he loved drinking and cried when he got drunk, and told people that "Jiahe" bullying him. Because the two dramas "The Storm of Yingchun Pavilion" and "The Picture of Loyalty and Martyrs" were both invested by "Jiahe" and were both very popular. But "Jiahe" was deducted seven times, but he didn't get any dividends. Director Hu cried every time he said it. I think this is his way of protesting. He doesn't know how to curse people, and he doesn't know how to deal with it in a very direct and intense way. His plays are very sophisticated, accurate and ruthless, but he is very subtle and gentle in character.
I am also seventy years old this year, even older than when Director Hu passed away. Many people asked me if I could say a few words to young people? But, I don't know what to say. Director Hu has never taught me what to do, and he has never said what to do if you are going to shoot and how to do it. New directors may need some experience and guidance, but their world is completely different. They will use their own way to find the subject matter to be filmed. Sometimes old directors can’t make decisions on their behalf. When I was filming "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" with Director Hu, I felt that his working style could actually be changed, and there should be division of labor and cooperation. It was already the 1980s at that time, and it was unlikely that young people would have to do everything themselves like him. For example, if he wants to go out for a scene by himself, he has to see it himself. Like my age today, if every scene has to run by itself, I will have no time or energy to film. So I think the practices of old directors and young directors are actually different. Many times, you have the habit of doing things yourself, and it is difficult to change it to another one. You must properly dispatch your resources according to the objective environment. I'm not criticizing the teacher, I've learned a lot of very positive things from him. However, I also saw some things I needed to improve from him, so I will share them with you. Thanks!
Lin: Thank you Director Xu. I would like to ask Director Xu a question first.Taiwan's National Film Center plans to make an documentary directed by Hu Jinquan, which will talk about Director Hu's achievements and the essence of his works. However, as a documentary, what do you think needs to be, at least in addition to artistic achievements, which side of Director Hu needs to be presented?
: It’s very general to shoot everything, I think it’s more boring. I hope you will visit some people who have a deep relationship with him, such as his former wife, Zhong Ling, and ask her what kind of person Hu Jinquan is? His private life will be more interesting in this regard. If we talk about Director Hu's skills, I think we can talk about how he edits, how he designs light and shadow, and what are the martial arts movements he created and how it evolved later. I think these questions are better than comprehensive. Third, what are the current post-80s and post-90s who have watched Director Hu’s play? I think this topic will be very interesting if you like it or not.
Lin: Thank you very much for director Ann Hui. Although he has not worked with Director Hu for a long time, Director Xu’s description of Director Hu is very special and accurate. "Director Hu is not tall, but his shadow is very long." This sentence is really wonderful.
3. Zheng Peipei: He is the "encyclopedia" in my mind
Lin: Next, we welcome Miss Zheng Peipei to share. Being able to get to know Miss Pepe and Uncle Shi is one of my biggest gains in serving the Taiwan National Film Center in recent years. Miss Pepe has many stories to share. Not only did she work with Director Hu for a longer time, but she also took care of Director Hu's daily life after she arrived in the United States. Then let’s listen to Miss Pepe’s sharing!
Zheng Peipei (hereinafter referred to as "Zheng"): Shi Jun, Brother Shi calls me senior sister. In fact, I am really ashamed, because Director Hu says all day long that I am the least hardworking person.
Jun: No, no! Where? How could Director Hu say this to you?
Zheng: It is the least hardworking, but also the most "working people".
Jun: When filming "Longmen Inn", Director Hu criticized Shangguan Lingfeng and said, "Look at how hard Zheng Peipei worked and how serious his work attitude was, you should learn more." When filming "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", Director Hu said the same thing to Xu Feng, and he was also talking about you.
Zheng: He said I didn’t work hard and didn’t study hard, right? When I say I don’t work hard, it means I don’t work hard in books. I am a “working people” and I will always perform the best in “labor” and filming. Then I will now say on behalf of the Hu Jinquan Foundation in the United States: We should take Director Hu’s things internationally so that the whole world can know this movie master. I think Brother Shi is right. Saving Director Hu’s things is for the people who study him. Just now, Ann (Ann Xu) said that Director Hu likes to read books and takes notes for every book. After he left, Zhang Cuo and I went to sort out his things. There are more than 8,000 books, and each of them contains notes written by him. Who are these things useful? Of course it's the people who really want to study him. To be honest, I am very anxious about this matter, why? Because I am seventy-one years old, if I don’t go ahead and develop it, I will have no chance. I hope our descendants will have some understanding of Director Hu. As for what happened in Director Hu’s life, as long as you get close to me, you will hear a lot, so I won’t talk about it anymore. He is the "encyclopedia" in my mind. He knows a lot, he knows everything and everything. It is probably difficult for others to be as profound as him, and to make an "encyclopedia".
Lin: Organizing and collecting so many precious materials from Director Hu is an amazing thing that the Hu Jinquan Foundation has done. At that time, when this batch of materials was transported to the Taiwan Film Archives, I was also discussing with several scholars, especially Professor Zhang Jiande from Singapore. I think no matter where the scholars who study Chinese films or international scholars should conduct more research on him based on these materials, based on the continuous restoration of director Hu's films and re-screenings in the international film industry.This seminar should be the beginning. With the re-release of Director Hu’s film, more and more scholars will definitely conduct more in-depth research on Hu Jinquan. I think Miss Pepe can rest assured. In addition, can I ask you to share whether you have any deepest interactions in working with Director Hu when filming "The Drunken Man"?
Zheng: "The Drunken Hero" is the first martial arts film directed by Director Hu, and many things were thought out by him. It will be easier to do what others do when you make movies, but it will be difficult to invent them entirely by yourself. He was thinking all day long and told us every day what he thought. For example, in the movie, I jumped from such a high place, how can I shoot it? He said that the movie is 24 squares per second, and as long as one square indicates that the foot lands, it is enough, so you need to use editing to express the jumping movements, not to let you really jump. It's unreasonable to jump. Therefore, when Director Hu was studying the camera, he instilled the knowledge of movies into us. At that time, I really didn't understand at all, just listened to him. When he thought I couldn't teach me, he took me to see how he edited it. The films at that time were hanging there one by one like films. He pulled up the film to teach me. This is how I learned it slowly, which is a very stupid method.
Just now, Brother Shi said that Director Hu must do every martial arts move by himself. Look at me, I am tall and have long legs; as for him, he is short and has short legs. So it is easy for him to squat, and I feel very tired when I squat. He always said that I can't squat down and if you don't squat, how can you fight? He also designed my clothes according to my body. At that time, I was very thin and my waist was relatively thin. He designed a robe, so he would not look so thin after wearing it. Later, many people learned from him. Weapons, he asked me to use two short daggers. Because I am not a martial arts practitioner, I am a dancer and I will look more powerful with short weapons. He pays great attention to these aspects. He taught me to act, starting with the most basic look. I have used this kind of look for more than fifty years and I still use it until now. I never have to worry. As long as I stand there and use a look, others will believe that I am good at beating. In fact, I have never learned martial arts at all.
When we were in Los Angeles, we were neighbors. Walking from his house to my house, it will be at most ten minutes. I go to his place every day to check it out. My children remember that he must bring dentures when he goes out and keys. Without these two things, he will not be able to go out to do things. In fact, when he left, he was only sixty-five years old and was not very old, but at that time he really felt like an old man. Why? I think it is because he knows too much and has too many things in his mind that he seems older than us.
Lin: Can Miss Pepe share it? If you want to make a documentary, what are your hopes?
Zheng: I hope to see Director Hu that "person", not just a matter. He is the "encyclopedia" in my mind. I think if the documentary can shoot his living "person", it will definitely arouse everyone's interest in him.
Lin: OK, thank you!
4. Zhang Chou: "Director Hu is like a precious porcelain, one is broken and one is missing."
Lin: The Hu Jinquan Foundation in the United States has been in operation for 20 years since its establishment and has been in operation for so long. It is a very difficult thing. Miss Pepe and Professor Zhang Cuo made an indelible contribution. We will ask Professor Zhang Cuo to share with us now.
Zhang is wrong (hereinafter referred to as "Zhang"): Thank you Professor Lin. At Director Hu's funeral, I remember Zhong Acheng said, "Director Hu is like a precious piece of porcelain, smashing one by one, breaking one by one, breaking one by one." I just said to Brother Shi Jun, let's do something quickly! Twenty years passed in the blink of an eye, and we all grew old without realizing it. I also told Ann Hui, do something quickly, I’m not young anymore! Yes or no? Director Hu’s personal achievements are undoubtedly, but how can he inherit it? How to study him? This is a big challenge. We took the first step.Pepe said just now that we are sorting out the books left by Director Hu. At the beginning, our plan is to prepare fifty or eighty boxes...
Zheng: There were 180 boxes as a result.
photos: Yes, it was later increased to 180 boxes. We moved so many books to Taiwan and handed them over to the film archives. At that time, Huang Jianye was the director and hoped that one day he would let others use these information. What we have always wanted to do is not only to sort out the past things and digital repairs, but also what is very important? It’s something that Director Hu wants to do but hasn’t done. Can we help him continue? For example, in " Chinese workers' blood and tears ", John Woo and Zhang Jiazhen finally raised 18 million yuan along the way, but unfortunately, Hu Jinquan left and failed to achieve it. The information we keep is also a lot of animation, such as "Zhang Yu Boiling the Sea" and " Journey to the West "... they are all in his mind. There is also "The Biography of Matteo Ricci". At that time, Hu Jinquan lived in a church university in the United States for more than two months, looking for priests, information, and cards every day. He always wanted to do this topic and was very excited. He told me that at the beginning of the film, Emperor Wanli and Matteo Ricci bet on which day the solar eclipse was and which day the lunar eclipse was. On the day when the solar eclipse appeared, the horse came to report to the emperor, and Matteo Ricci really won. All he was thinking about was these things, but he didn't write them out, which was a pity. In his book, you will find that there are many cards and notes he made, all about Matteo Ricci's research. I think we must make good use of all of these.
I once compared Hu Jinquan to a character in a Japanese samurai movie - Yamada Yoji's "Qingbing Eagle at Dusk". He was like that Japanese samurai. Sometimes after drinking, he would play Japanese samurai, and he would also speak Japanese very well. He is really a very dramatic person. I think in the art of film, he is a person with very strong martial arts skills. He knew what he could do, just like the "Qingjianwei at dusk", with his two daughters, the wife sold her knife after she died. Hu Jinquan is the same.
Fortunately, Director Hu was in the United States for more than ten years, including Zhong Acheng, Li Oufan, Bu Dazhong, and I. Several of us often get together, and he constantly instills in us his reading experience. Unfortunately, he left very early, and if he was still here today, he would be only in his eighties. Many things cannot be turned back. If you cannot turn back, just walk forward! I think we should continue to do what he has not done and not bury these good things. I hope that Taiwan National Film Center, our United States and Taiwan, the two Hu Jinquan Foundations, as well as Sun Shaoyi and Ishikawa from the Shanghai Theatre Academy, aren’t you interested in “The History of Blood and Tears of Chinese Workers”? Then let’s plan together to create some opportunities for the future.
Lin: Thank you very much Professor Zhang Cuo. In fact, there have always been people who are interested in filming "The History of Blood and Tears of Chinese Workers". I think this should be the common wish of many people. Taking the opportunity of commemorating Director Hu's birthday and death, how can more people study Director Hu's past achievements and let more people understand it? The momentum I want to promote is still very strong at least this year. Does Professor Zhang have any suggestions for preparing to film a documentary directed by Director Hu Jinquan?
photos: In this documentary, I think the first point is to highlight the universal values of director Hu Jinquan. When making documentaries in Taiwan, it should not be emphasized that he is a Taiwanese director. Of course, he can be placed in a context (context) in the history of Taiwanese films. He inherits the past and leads to the future and represents the rise of Taiwanese films. Instead, we need to combine the historical background at that time, how did King Hu come to Taiwan, and what kind of crouching tiger, hidden dragon and hidden dragon were like in Hong Kong in the 1960s and 1970s. So we cannot just emphasize that it belongs only to Hong Kong, Taiwan or China. He belongs not only to the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and the three regions, not only to China, but to a cosmopolitan (city of the world). He himself never limits himself to Taiwan, Hong Kong or some places. His ideal is to enter this world, not only to the Western world, or the local area, but his ideal is very broad.Moreover, Hu Jinquan has his own style, which can be called "Hu School" and "Humen". What are his unique things? No one has done them in the history of film before. How to storyboard and how to teach Pepe to use his eyes... It is really not just to restore some of his past experiences, but that would be too ordinary. In short, I don’t want to just express Hu Jinquan as a historical figure. He is alive, just like we are talking about him here today, as if he is right next to us. His spirit has been infecting us and affecting us.
Sun Shaoyi: I have a problem. Director Hu Jinquan has lived in Los Angeles for a long time. What I just talked about was some exchanges between him and Hong Kong and Taiwan. When he was in Los Angeles, did he contact some visiting directors in mainland China? For example, I know that Xie Jin seems to have visited Southern California University. I wonder if he has dated Xie Jin, or if he has contacted other mainland directors?
photos: I know the mainland director, and he has more contact with Wu Tianming . But our friends are not the same group of people. Hu Jinquan not only interacts with people in the film industry, but also likes to interact with people in the art and literature industry very much. While Acheng was preparing to film "Painted Skin" with him, the outdoor site wanted to choose a Hanging Temple in mainland China. At that time, I knew he had gone to find Tian Zhuangzhuang. But in general, Director Hu does not interact much with mainland directors, most of them are mainly from Taiwan and Hong Kong. That’s all I have to say. I am very happy today. Brother Shi, Director Xu, and Pepe, you three can appear at his memorial meeting at the same time. It is really rare. If Director Hu was there, he would be very happy. So I want to thank Shanghai Theatre Academy, Ishikawa, thank you Shaoyi, and thank you everyone for participating!
Lin: OK, thank you very much for sharing by the VIP guests on the stage. More than two hours passed without realizing it. I believe we all gained a lot. Please thank you all again with warm applause.
(Compiled by: Zhang Dan, a doctoral student in film at Shanghai Theatre Academy)
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The author of this article "A Sword of Qianhai", currently lives in Shanghai. 71 original texts have been published and is still active in the Douban community. Download Douban App to search for user "Qianhai A Sword" and follow him.
