In October, Zhang Yimou came to the capital after returning to China.
Xiang Nan invited him to dinner and asked straight to the point, "Director Zhang, have you decided what to make for your next movie?"
"Not yet, I'm just going to take a look before talking." Zhang Yimou waved his hand.
Now, as he has won awards from the three major European film festivals, more and more people want to collaborate with him. New scripts were delivered to him every day, leaving him dazzled to choose from.
"Have you watched my movie "Farewell My Concubine"?" Xiang Nan asked with a smile.
Zhang Yimou was stunned for a moment, then nodded, "Professor Cheng, do you want me to take a picture of it?"
"Not bad, are you interested?" Xiang Nan nodded.
"Of course, I can't wait." Zhang Yimou nodded.
"Farewell My Concubine" is Xiang Nan's work in 1983. It was quite controversial after it was released. Because the relationship between Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou described in the book is somewhat ambiguous, such a description was quite bold at the time.
If the author was not Xiang Nan, I am afraid this book would not be published at all.
But having said that, this one is really good.
The story is wonderful, the characters are vivid, and it is full of thinking and understanding of traditional culture, people's living conditions and human nature. This is the most profound of Xiang Nan's many works.
Zhang Yimou has read this book before and was very impressed. I know that if I shoot it, the effect will be good.
"Then it's settled." Xiang Nan nodded.
…
The script of "Yenjing Man in New York" was quickly reviewed and preparations were made for filming.
Xiang Nan did not interfere too much in the selection of actors, so the configuration of the actors was not much different from the original work. Only the actor Wang Qiming's wife Guo Yan was changed from Yan Xiaopin to Zhu Lin.
The preparations for "Farewell My Concubine" are also going very smoothly. The actors are generally right. Only the role of Cheng Dieyi is difficult to choose.
It is more difficult to handle the situation when one has to understand Peking Opera, be able to perform, and have a delicate and elegant appearance, with a male-female appearance that makes people fall in love at first sight.
Zhang Yimou went to many opera schools for this purpose, trying to find a suitable actor.
He even thought that if he couldn't find it, he would find an actress to play the role. Just like the movie version of "A Dream of Red Mansions", an actress was hired to play Jia Baoyu.
But that would be easy for the audience to see, and would weaken the tragic nature of the film.
Finally, Xiang Nan saw that he was really having a hard time finding a job, so he recommended the Hong Kong artist Leslie Cheung to him.
Zhang Yimou was a little surprised. He had never cooperated with the Hong Kong film industry.
Although, after his "Red Sorghum" won the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival, a film company in Hong Kong also invited him to film. However, he was busy preparing to film "Raise the Red Lantern" at the time and missed the opportunity.
"Professor Cheng, is he okay?" Zhang Yimou asked worriedly.
"You'll know if it works or not." Xiang Nan smiled and said, he was very confident in Leslie Cheung. If he can't do it, I'm afraid no one can.
…
Zhang Yimou accepted Xiang Nan's suggestion, and then asked someone to contact Xiangjiang.
Because he has won awards at three major European film festivals, he is also well-known in the Hong Kong film community. Therefore, Leslie Cheung expressed great interest after receiving the invitation.
However, he also said that he would first read the script before making a final decision.
Zhang Yimou then asked someone to transfer the script to Leslie Cheung.
When he learned that it was written by Xiang Nan, Leslie Cheung also took it seriously, watched it carefully several times, and then agreed to accept the film.
First of all, he felt that the script was very well written, especially Cheng Dieyi, who could not live without being crazy. His obsession and madness fit his character very well, and he felt that it resonated very well with him.
Secondly, the cast of this drama is amazing. Director Zhang Yimou, screenwriter Xiang Nan, and heroine Gong Li are all outstanding figures in the international film industry. He is also very confident working with such a team.
However, although Leslie Cheung agreed, Zhang Yimou wanted to test him again to see if he was suitable for the role of Cheng Dieyi.
After all, he didn't know much about Leslie Cheung. He had only seen his photos and movies and thought he was quite handsome and his acting skills were pretty good.
But the role of Cheng Dieyi has to sing and speak Mandarin with a Beijing accent. And Leslie Cheung is from Xiangjiang, and he can only sing pop songs... It's hard to say whether he can do it.
Leslie Cheung then came to the capital from Xiangjiang and visited Zhang Yimou and Xiang Nan to show his sincerity.
…
"Mr. Zhang, I have admired your name for a long time. I am honored to meet you." Xiang Nan said with a smile.
He has watched many Leslie Cheung movies, such as "A Better Tomorrow", "A Chinese Ghost Story", "Rouge", "A Happy Event in the Family", "Across the World", "Ashes of Time", "The White-Haired Witch", " "Chong Guang Jia Jie" and so on, I can be regarded as a half fan.
Leslie Cheung knew a little Mandarin and nodded with a smile, "Cheng Xiansen, I have heard of your name a long time ago. I have seen all the movies you wrote, such as "Pretty Woman", "The Love of Ghosts", "Red Sorghum", "Raise the Red Lantern" and so on. You are a very talented writer and I am very happy to meet you."
Zhang Yimou couldn't help but frown when he heard Leslie Cheung speak.
Leslie Cheung's Cantonese accent is quite strong. Although he tried very hard to change his accent and speak Mandarin, he was still unable to do so. Many pronunciations are not standard and sound confusing.
"Mr. Zhang, to be honest, your appearance, temperament, and acting skills all meet my requirements. But there are two things that don't meet my requirements. One is your Cantonese accent, and the other is that you don't understand Peking Opera.
If you have read the script, you should know that Cheng Dieyi is a Peking Opera actor, and he will appear on stage at least three times in the play. These two shortcomings are difficult to ignore. "Zhang Yimou said something.
Leslie Cheung nodded, not surprised by this.
"Director Zhang, don't worry, I will learn and I will change." Leslie Cheung said, "I will let you see my sincerity."
Seeing what he said, Zhang Yimou couldn't help but be curious, "Mr. Zhang, what are you going to do?"
"I want to move to Yanjing to learn Mandarin and Peking Opera." Leslie Cheung explained, "You give me three months. If my performance does not satisfy you, then I will quit on my own."
"Okay, let's do it like this." Zhang Yimou was surprised when he saw what he said, and then he agreed.
Because as far as he knows, Leslie Cheung is a very famous star in Hong Kong. He not only has various performances, but also has various commercial activities. He is very busy and very profitable.
But now he is willing to give up the wealth and splendor of Xiangjiang, move to the capital, and stay for three months to study Mandarin and Peking Opera. This is really sincere.
Zhang Yimou is a red-faced man who values integrity above all else, so he is willing to give Leslie Cheung a chance.
Xiang Nan couldn't help but clap his hands for Leslie Cheung.
For a big star like him, twenty years from now, no one will be busy making money every day. Is drama that important? For everything in Mandarin, dubbing is used; for Peking Opera, everything is done with stand-ins... Save as much as you can, and make as much money as you can.
In contrast, Leslie Cheung is indeed a model artist, which even Xiang Nan admires a little.
