The Pugilistic World from Tsui Hark's Perspectives

Changjiang Daily, 14 July 2003
Ke Li
 

On  July 11 evening, Tsui Hark flew to Beijing to attend the Anti-SARS Charity Screening of Xanda. On the following afternoon, under the arrangement by Xanda distributor, Tsui Hark granted an audience with a small number of presses. During the six hours of continuous drilling, he fielded all questions with ease. There were no signs of his fabled fiery temperament.
 

On Jin Yong, Gu Long, Liang Yusheng

New Dragon Inn, The East is Red, Once Upon a Time in China... established Tsui Hark's exalted status in the movie industry. Facing the reporters, Tsui Hark eloquently described his affinity with wuxia:

"I am a fan of wuxia novels. Seems that I started reading wuxia novels at the age of 10. It was an odd feeling: firstly, everyone in the class was reading wuxia novels, and loved to talk about the events and plots surrounding the novels. Secondly, due to lack of proficiency in linguistic skills, wuxia novels could serve as a reference study for vivid expressions and proper technical usage. When I first read a Gu Long novel, I couldn't comprehend it. There was a major lapse in time. Firstly, it was unclear if the characters were male or female. For example in "Lu Xiao Feng", I initially thought Lu Xiao Feng, Hua Man Lou were girls. Later, I gradually realise there was a certain pattern in Gu Long novels."

Tsui Hark was very respectful to the three major wuxia novelists, Jin Yong, Gu Long and Liang Yu Sheng, "I am biased towards Jin Yong. This is related to my childhood development. At that time, I read a lot of Jin Yong works. I only read Gu Long fiction after growing up, when I was attending the university. Gu Long novels actually reflect the contemporary human psyche. Jin Yong works, on the other hand, focus mainly on China's traditional moral values. We could see the nightlife view of Taiwan's Xi Men Ding through Gu Long. Every Gu Long novel has bodyguards, prodigal swordsmen, cunning merchants, devious schemes, etc. Jin Yong works are juxtaposed  flawlessly with history, and major trials and tribulations abound, putting the protagonists through the mill. Jin Yong is more romantic in nature. For example, love is always the pursuit of the characters under Jin Yong's pen. He is telling everyone the beauty of love. On the other hand, Gu Long highlighted philandering, he liked to write about Casanovas, warning everyone the dangers of falling in love, of swordsmen falling victim to deceptions on the account of love and end up losing everything. Liang Yusheng sticks unequivocally to traditions, he loves to expound nationalistic themes. His works can be considered as a piece of history, mainly due to his fantastic writing skills."

"Adapting a Jin Yong work is the most difficult: It encompasses very grandiose scenes, for example the Wanshou Mansion in Return of Condor Heroes, even the number of lions, elephants, tigers must be clearly accounted for. How could that be brought onto the silver screen? Apart from rudimentary forms and styles, most martial arts in his novels are also a kind of subliminal state of achievements; it's more cumbersome when scripting Jin Yong adaptations. Jin Yong novels are more insurgent in nature, his protagonists are nearly always outcasts in the eyes of the orthodox sects. The only part that is difficult to shoot in Gu Long's world is the martial arts, which lack any concrete forms at all. His kungfu seems to be an interplay between modern gun and samurai katana, with no relations to any tangible styles or strokes at all. In Jin Yong novels, martial arts serve as a very important form of protection for oneself. Under Gu Long's pen, one needs not be well-versed in martial arts, for one can use other means to defend oneself, while the highly-skilled masters, by contrast, may land up in a very sorrowful situation."

Tsui Hark frankly revealed that wuxia has become an indispensable part of his directorial life, "I have finished the script for Gu Long's Sword of Third Young Master (aka Death Duel), but it hasn't gone on stream yet. Seven Swords of Mt Tian is still in works, the cast has not been finalised yet."
 

On Heroes and Beauties: Cecilia Cheung is Immaculate

Tsui Hark responded to every question with candidness - even when faced with more sensitive topics, showing the graciousness of a pugilist.

Jet Li, Brigette Lin Qing Hsia exuded a certain charisma under your direction, why is it difficult to see such an extraordinary characteristic in the recent years?
Tsui Hark: There are countless talents in the the film arena, it is necessary to work with them over a period of time. It's not easy to nurture a good actor or actress. We should not expect them to become successful overnight, after only one movie. For example, Chow Yun Fatt was not very highly regarded before shooting A Better Tomorrow. People called him the bane of box-office. He gained fame from doing TV series but was a late developer for movies. When I hired Chow Yun Fatt and Ti Lung then, I did not have any hesitations. It was mainly because I felt they would look great teaming up with Leslie Cheung. It was by the same token that Jet Li was cast as Wong Fei Hung.

Zhang Yimou's female leads are often called "Mou Femmes Fatales"; among your movies, which are the actresses you admire most?
Tsui Hark: Brigette Lin Qing Xia was a representation of the actresses of that time. I was very eager to collaborate with her. Maggie Cheung succeeded Brigette Lin Ching Hsia after she retired. Now is Maggie Cheung's era. I feel that Cecilia Cheung is perfect, but she has her past, becoming an idol at too young an age took a toll on her, she couldn't quite adapt to fame. For example, she couldn't handle personal relationships. These are some things that she needs to go through as part of growing up. Many people, after seeing her recent performances, felt that she seemed to be in limbo. Actually, I think that actors and actresses need to undergo these events, in order to become free. She is an individualist, she will make her mark one day.

On Personal Gains and Losses: Legend of Zu's Failure is Due to Immaturity of Technology

In the Chinese entertainment field, you are among some of the directors who are especially fond of using hi-tech wizardry. Some said Legend of Zu's failure was due to over-abundance of special effects.
Tsui Hark: There are strengths and weaknesses in using special effects. The fortes are that computers could be used to generate imaginary worlds, could reproduce a person who has never existed. The shortcomings are that after the software has been created, everyone could use it, and there would be too many similarities, and it would lack personality. Moreover, as the technique is still in its infancy, the audience feels a certain artificiality to the computer generated images. As to Legend of Zu, I feel that the technology had yet to fully mature, it did not live up to that which was conceived, resulting in a serious flaw.

Seems that your earlier works concentrated on the colourful lives of the characters, why did you change your stance? Love in the Time of Twilight and The Lovers were very well-received, why don't you shoot more romance movies?
Tsui Hark: A person's life is segmented, after shooting a tragedy, there would be an urge to shoot a comedy. After shooting too many action movies, there would be a wish to switch to romance. Sometimes, after shooting for too long, there might be a calling to do something different, which, in turn, leads to new inspirations. There are three elements that determine what I would shoot: Firstly, the market. Next is interest - if everyone is doing the similar stuff with similar scripts, actors and actresses and plots, everyone would want to change. Thirdly and more importantly is the theme, I am constantly exploring new themes, new ventures, new avenues, for example, Xanda.

Wuxia movies have gone through many transmutations, would you be able to foretell where the next step would lead to?
Tsui Hark: Wuxia has undergone many changes, from monochrome films such as Shanghai's Burning of Red Lotus Temple, to Hong Kong's slew of action movies, from Bruce Lee, Sammo Hung to Jackie Chan, to the so called action films nowadays. The changes never cease. There are various reasons for the change, there is a certain pattern, rhythm to the changes, along which new changes will follow. But amidst the development, it's very hard to see how the next lap would turn out to be. I am making new wuxia movies in the near future. Wuxia movies will not die. I have a few projects in the pipeline, each with different goals and directions.
 

On Hollywood: Learning or Setback

Is your experience in Hollywood a form of learning or a blow?

Tsui Hark: That I went to Hollywood then was mainly to find out how Hollywood functions. I got to know a lot of friends, and their ways of making movies are very different. Learning cannot be quantified with any price tags, only by gaining experiences would something new be created. It cannot be considered as a setback. A person cannot forever remain in one state, otherwise, a stalemate ensues. Going beyond the past, breaking through, inducing changes, introducing innovations, new feelings, new ideas. If everyone says it is not that good, then let it go. 'Have to start afresh in order to introduce novel stuff. I approach films with a form of inquisitiveness and anticipation. I had my moments of apprehensions, of box-office problems. Some friends, for the fear of not living up to their fans' expectations, would rather stick to their knitting, so as that they are on the safe side. Such a type of fear is necessary for movie-makers.

There isn't much gunplay in your movies, and they seem not nearly as exciting as your wuxia movies. Was your failure in Hollywood in the late 1990s related to your portrayals of gunfights?
Tsui Hark: What everyone films is different, it's like paintings. Some are abstract, some are closer to realism. They cannot be readily compared. Or it would become too regimental, turning into a fixed model, a fixed set of rules. It doesn't matter how I shoot, but I mustn't follow other people's footsteps, what I do might perchance be sailing against the wind. I do not follow trends simply because someone becomes very successful after doing certain things. Everyone has different mentalities, goals and ideals, these are the most essential elements of movie-making. Or everything produced would be the same and it would be meaningless. I have been shooting wuxia movies for many years, this is the result of years of experiences. Faint heart never won fair lady. It's the same for gunfights, it takes years of conditioning, there is a process.

Why did you switch from directing to producing in the recent years. How does it feel working as a producer?
Tsui Hark: I have always been producing my movies; actually I am collecting my thoughts. If I discover that I am no longer suited to making movies, when I have no more feelings for movies, I would stop. Unfortunately, I am still possessed by the movie demon. Everyday, my mind is filled with thoughts of movies, of watching movies. This has become my habit.

I had contemplated leaving the movie industry for good in the 1980s, due to interpersonal problems. In the entertainment circle, many companies vie against each other. When you leave one company for another, the staff in the former company may construe that you are challenging them, are harming them. At that time, I thought I should leave this field. Later, I discovered that my passion for movies had not dwindled one single teeny-weeny morsel. Let them say whatsoever they wished, and I followed where my heart led me to.

Heard that you had disagreements with King Hu, John Woo, etc, and never collaborated with each other again. What was the cause of your split?
Tsui Hark: There are various stages in one's life, one cannot forever stay in one stage. For example, I worked with Jet Li in Once Upon A Time in China. Later he entered a new stage, he needed to focus on his own commitments. There wasn't any friction between me and John Woo. However, in between us stood some troublemakers, rumour-mongers. When King Hu was shooting Swordsman, he was not in good health. Some people speculated that it was due to him being nosy, I found it to be infantile. He was very sad to leave, but there was nothing I could do. Under such circumstances, it might not do his health any good to make him stay.

How do you feel about A Chinese Ghost Story winning Best Science Fiction Award at 16th French Sci-fi Film Festival. Do you have any hopes for Oscar?
Tsui Hark: How on earth did it become classified as a science fiction? But, anyhow, it was great to be honoured an award. As for Oscar, I am scared.

Tsui Hark movies are available at HKFlix, YesAsia.

Photos: Changjiang Daily, Sina

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