"A Chinese Ghost Story" has become the most popular movie this year, which is not too surprising.
After all, it is enough to know that the director of this movie is Li Yi.
In fact, Hong Kong movies have always been a hot topic.
Of course, the so-called Hong Kong movies here refer to those old Hong Kong movies.
It is precisely because the glorious Hong Kong films of the past are frequently compared with the deteriorating new Hong Kong films today, that makes the old Hong Kong films of the past appear even more dazzling.
Although "A Chinese Ghost Story" is a period film, it has a lot of flavor of old Hong Kong films.
Although Li Yi said earlier that the future of Hong Kong films lies in police and criminal films.
But in fact, no subject matter can last forever. In the past few years, Hong Kong movies have indeed produced many police and gangster films that are considered good, but it is a pity that gradually they have begun to attract audiences. Aesthetic fatigue has occurred.
Especially in the past two years, the output and influence of Hong Kong films have been declining, which has caused this topic to be mentioned again.
What is the future of Hong Kong films?
Hong Kong Island Television specifically wants to produce a program to talk about this topic.
Li Yi naturally also received the invitation.
Also receiving the invitation were Yau Ning-sheng, a gold medal screenwriter in the glorious era of Hong Kong films, and Chen Weijie, the king known as the evergreen tree.
"'A Chinese Ghost Story' is so sharp, Yi Zai has made another classic!" You Ningsheng looked at Li Yi and said with great emotion.
He couldn't help but think of the time when Li Yi's father pulled him to help Li Yi read the script of "The Gift of Room No. 7".
I never thought that now, in the entire Hong Kong Island, no, looking at the entire Chinese film industry, Li Yi has actually reached such a height.
"Uncle You has won the award. It will take time to verify whether it is a classic or not. It is too early to say it is a classic now." Li Yi said modestly with a smile.
"Haha, classics are not said by us, but by the audience. To be honest, Nie Xiaoqian is really amazing." Chen Weijie couldn't help but sigh.
"Yi Zai, Lao You, Weijie!" At this time, a familiar figure came out, making Li Yi and others a little stunned.
"Uncle Luo?" Li Yi was a little surprised.
"Haha, you didn't expect that the host of this episode is me!" Luo Xian laughed.
Although before coming here, Hong Kong TV station mentioned that this program is quite special because it is about the topic of "the future of Hong Kong films", so the host also invited people familiar to Li Yi and others to guest star.
However, before that, Hong Kong Island TV did not tell Li Yi who they were.
But he didn't expect it to be Luo Xian.
In fact, Hong Kong Island is very interesting. Many actors have served as hosts. At that time, Chen Weijie also served as a host on Hong Kong Island TV, and he also hosted children's programs.
Not to mention Luo Xian. Although he is not a professional host, he is actually no stranger to hosting shows.
However, seeing Luo Xian, Li Yi was quite interested in this program and was quite satisfied with the arrangement of Hong Kong Island TV.
Without him, everyone is acquaintances, and chatting will be smoother and more natural.
This program soon started with small talk.
"Let's get started! Here are a few questions. Let's talk about it together. The first question is, what do you think is the real essence of Hong Kong films?" Luo Xian said with a smile and took out a piece of cardboard.
"Let me talk about it first. In recent years, audiences have been complaining that there are fewer and fewer original Hong Kong films. So what are Hong Kong films, or what is the essence of Hong Kong films? In my opinion, Hong Kong films are actually The film is very simple, and it boils down to eight words: "Everything is crazy, everything is over the top." As a veteran screenwriter, Yau Ningsheng has written the scripts of many classic old Hong Kong films, so he is certainly qualified to talk about this topic.
You Ningsheng quickly fell into memories.
"The production model of Hong Kong Island movies is completely different from that of Hollywood and Mainland China. At that time, due to the good market, most Hong Kong Island movies were short, fast, and did not require a lot of investment. They might not even have a script, just a few actors. Shooting starts, and the efficiency is extremely high, often all shooting is completed in ten or twenty days. The result of this is that Hong Kong films are very random, and there are many places where there is no imagination and improvisation. Many lines and plots are improvised. , but it is often talked about by subsequent audiences.”
"I remember that Director Du had an idea, and then he brought a few of us together and started shooting directly. There was no script, and even the lines were all thought up on the spot, but the result was surprisingly good.
The plots of Hong Kong movies generally have great ups and downs, and the characters tend to go to extremes. The performances use a lot of body movements and facial expressions as much as possible, so after watching too much, you will feel like you have gone too far. "
Chen Weijie also spoke at this time: "Everyone is crazy, everyone is over the top. Indeed, this can be said to be the most realistic portrayal of Hong Kong movies of that era. I remember when I was filming, I had to go to several scenes a day, and even take a break. There is no time.
However, I think the essence of Hong Kong films should lie in the market! "
"Marketplace?" Luo Xian asked.
"Yes, the market, or rather the source of the material comes from the market! In the past, Hong Kong films included many police and gangster films, and gangster films. In fact, although they were somewhat exaggerated and artistically processed, looking at those old Hong Kong films that are known as classics, But all of them are drawn from the market.
Like gambling movies, it is well known that Hong Kong people love gambling.
Gangster movies, cop movies, everyone knows the reason for this.
But today's Hong Kong movies have lost the sense of the market, the atmosphere of gangs and lakes, the spirit of brotherhood, etc. So, I think this may be the reason why Hong Kong movies are becoming less and less Hong Kong flavor, right? "
"Yizai, what do you think?" Luo Xian looked at Li Yi again.
Chen Weijie and You Ningsheng also looked at Li Yi.
After all, if Yau Ningsheng and Chen Weijie represent the screenwriters and actors in the glorious era of Hong Kong films, then Li Yi is the true leader or benchmark of Hong Kong films in the new era.
Because no one knows better than him how to make a well-received and popular Hong Kong film.
"A Chinese Ghost Story" hasn't been released yet.
Although the actors in "A Chinese Ghost Story" are not Hong Kong actors, in anyone's opinion, this movie has a distinct flavor of Hong Kong movies.
"In fact, I have talked about this topic earlier. Speaking of it, the history of Hong Kong Island is not very long. You can count the famous figures who have appeared on your fingers. In addition, the output of Hong Kong films in the last century is staggering. , as a result, any subject matter seems to have lost its freshness now. Whether it is gangsters or anti-corruption, they just put the original old wine in a new bottle and repackage it, without much change in taste.
But the reason why Hong Kong movies are Hong Kong movies does not depend on how profound the plot is, nor how complex the characters are. The essence of Hong Kong movies is always the unforgettable spirit of the market, and the loyalty of the world that makes people's blood boil. This This special quality makes it different from films from other countries and regions, making it a unique and outstanding representative of Asian films.
However, over the years, Hong Kong films have long lost their original simplicity and vigor. They are over-the-top and over-the-top and do not pay attention to plot expansion and in-depth exploration of characters. Hong Kong films have become more and more exaggerated and less suitable for contemporary young audiences. aesthetic taste.
Or I want to ask you a question, what do you think is most lacking in current Hong Kong films? To put the question another way, do you think that compared with Hong Kong films of the past, such as gangster films and cop films, what do you think is missing in current Hong Kong films? "
Li Yi's question made Luo Xian and the other three think deeply.
"Jianghu loyalty?"
"Business spirit?"
"creativity?"
Li Yi nodded and shook his head.
"I remember seeing a line in a movie before. It said that there are no people who care about loyalty nowadays. They are all about money! In fact, in today's Hong Kong movies, this sentence is used to describe people who are loyal to others. It couldn't be more appropriate." Li Yi said calmly.
This is indeed his true thought.
"Pa!" You Ningsheng suddenly slapped his thigh.
"Yi Tsai's words are so right! When it comes to Hong Kong films, aren't current directors too utilitarian when making films? In the past, when we were filming, most of the time we really didn't think about whether the film would be produced or not. It will be a hit, because there is not much time to think about it, so everyone is almost focused on the movie, making plans together, thinking about how to make the movie fun, how to tell the story wonderfully, and then the box office reputation. "
"So, the biggest problem with current Hong Kong films is the lack of imagination. They all focus on money and ignore the fundamentals of the film!"
Li Yi nodded and shook his head and said: "What Uncle You said is true, but what I want to say more is that many Hong Kong movies in the past were actually to satisfy the audience's fantasies, fantasies about love, and adolescence. Fantasy, fantasy about the world, fantasy about brotherhood, etc., etc."
"Or, for example, many old Hong Kong movies, whether they are gangster movies or gunfight movies, in fact, the one theme that never changes can be separated from the original theme is always to create a "hero"."
"Hero?" Li Yi's words made everyone a little confused.
"Yes, a hero! For example, in movies like Young and Dangerous in the past, many adults know that they are short mules with no future. But for many teenagers in adolescence, Young and Dangerous are some kind of Satisfy their "heroic" fantasy to a certain extent.
In fact, the golden age of Hong Kong films in the past was quite special in itself. Hong Kong Island has always been a place rich in grassroots myths, and that era was also an era of heroes.
What are adolescent fantasies? Troubled times, brotherhood, grudges, and love. Although with the progress of the times, the arena of swords and shadows has evolved into a hail of bullets, the rough and wild spirit of this arena has not diminished by half, and we can still roar in it - if there is no such unreasonable anger and rebellion, then Our adolescence definitely lacked a lot of the vitality it deserved. "
"It can be said that in any era, people will always yearn for and chase heroes.
There is a kind of hero who is righteous and heroic, loyal and courageous!
There is a kind of hero who speaks out for justice, is unrestrained and unrestrained, and values love and justice!
There is another kind of hero who has persistent beliefs, eliminates violence and upholds justice!
We carefully recall the old Hong Kong films of the past, those Jianghu films, police and gangster films, and we can always find these heroes in them.
In gangster movies and cop movies, there must be a big brother who is righteous, heroic, loyal and courageous! But this kind of person will never end well, because just like the line he said before, who is loyal now? It’s all about money!
Similarly, there must be a character who is free and uninhibited, values love and justice, and finally a character who insists on justice.
For example, in "Infernal Affairs", Chen Yongren is undoubtedly the last kind of hero. He is persistent in his beliefs. He has been in darkness, but he has never forgotten that he is a policeman. It is his responsibility to eliminate violence and uphold justice.
For example, Andy Lau in "Dark War" is the second type!
While we talked about adolescent fantasies earlier, let’s talk about what a hero looks like in the eyes of women.
When women look at heroes, they want to see three qualities: one is the hero's arrogance, the other is the hero's ruffianism, and the third is the hero's childishness.
Why is Andy in "Dark War" able to encounter romantic love? Because in the eyes of women, he carries the aura of a hero, which is a fatal attraction.
And He Shangsheng not only has a ruffian spirit, but also a childish spirit.
In "Alang's Story", from a woman's point of view, being romantic is far from an excellent quality, but even if the factor of heavy responsibility is excluded, many women cannot resist this light attraction. The more ruthless they are, the more The deep pain, this is the gate of life, it is self-inflicted. In the end, he gritted his teeth and angrily scolded Bo Qinglang, only then did he realize this charming flower and giant poison.
And why is childishness fatally attractive to women? Because motherhood determines that women have the need to love men deep in their hearts. The stronger a man is, the more touching he becomes when he is as fragile and aggrieved as a child.
But what about current Hong Kong films? Can you find such a person among them?
Very few, really very few. In today’s Hong Kong films, handsomeness and money always come first, and then the rest.
Many current Hong Kong films will always highlight the various things about the male protagonist that they think will attract the audience. However, as everyone knows, although this era is indeed all about money, people will always fantasize about things that have nothing to do with money. . "
Suddenly Luo Xian asked: "So are there any movies in which these three types of heroes exist?"
Li Yi was immediately stunned.
A movie came to mind, a movie that encompassed all three types of heroes.
"I don't want to prove how great I am, I just want to tell others that I must get back what I lost."
That man named Xiao Ma, that lame man with a toothpick in his mouth but still so handsome that people will never forget him in the past few decades.
"heroic nature"!
It can be said that this movie in my memory is a masterpiece of Jianghu films from the golden age of Hong Kong films in another world.
"At least it doesn't really exist in my impression." You Ningsheng recalled it and then shook his head.
Chen Weijie noticed Li Yi's distraction.
"Xiao Yi, you must have had some inspiration, right?" Chen Weijie asked.
Li Yi suddenly came back to his senses and grinned: "It's true!"
(End of chapter)
