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Tony Leung Ka-fai, from nobody to Best Actor... the gorgeous Brigitte Lin, playing the male lead in ahuangmei diao笥film... Ivy Ling Po, from Amoy flicks starlet to Mandarin film diva... Hu Chin, from obscurity in Beijing opera to notorious fame as a sexy star... Li Han-hsiang was a director with the golden touch.
A starmaker renowned for an eye for hidden talent, Li was also a visionary, an innovator and a trendsetter. He was, in fact, one of the most important figures in the history of Hong Kong cinema. A retrospective that entails the many different phases of this versatile filmmaker will be screened at the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) from March 30 to May 25.
Counter bookings of HKFA's new programmeLi Han-hsiang, Storyteller笥start today (March 8) at all URBTIX outlets.
Li was active in the film industry for almost 50 years and exerted great influence on the cinemas of Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China. Famous for his sumptuous style and notorious for his fetishistic attention to detail, he excelled in a wide variety of genres including historical epics,huangmei diao笥(regional opera) films, witty light comedies and evocative erotica.
As a contribution to the 31st Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), the retrospective is to pay tribute to this monumental figure of Hong Kong film.
Thirty-five titles of different genres will be shown in 28 screenings during the HKIFF from March 30 to April 11 and 27 screenings from April 15 to May 25. All films will be screened at the Cinema of the HKFA.
The list includes most of Li's best films and cherished titles, such as the historical epicsThe Empress Dowager笥,The Last Emperor笥,The Burning of the Imperial Palace笥,Reign Behind the Curtain笥andEmpress Wu Tse-tien笥; thehuangmei diao笥moviesThe Kingdom and the Beauty笥andThe Love Eterne笥, the erotic filmGolden Lotus笥, the hilarious comedyThe Warlord笥and the Taiwan masterpiecesThe Winter笥andAt Dawn笥, etc.
Li joined the Hong Kong film industry in 1948, proofing his talent in his official directorial debutBlood in Snow笥in 1956, and establishing himself as a major director with his historical epics andhuangmei diao笥films at Shaw Brothers. In 1963, he went to Taiwan to establish Grand Motion Picture Company, which transformed the film industry of Taiwan in a brief tenure of five years.
When Grand Motion Picture later ran into financial trouble, Li rejoined Shaw Brothers in 1972 and directed a string of profitable comedies and erotic tales. After re-establishing his reputation, he earned the privilege to make the historical dramasThe Empress Dowager笥(1975) andThe Last Tempest笥(1976). Lavishing a considerable budget on the fabricated palace set, he evocatively captured the fatal mood that shrouds the imperial quarters, which signalled the impending end of the Qing Dynasty.
In 1982, Li reached agreement with the Chinese government to shoot The Burning of the Imperial Palace笥 (1983) and Reign Behind a Curtain笥 (1983) at the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Starring Tong Leung Kai-fai and Liu Xiaoqing, the films went on to become big hits and critical favorites. With fascinating images of the palace serving as backdrop, Li's dramatic presentations of imperial power play and exceptional abilities to work with actors allowed the rookie Tony Leung Kai-fai to showcase his extraordinary talents, which earned him the Best Actor title at the Hong Kong Film Awards. The two films further consolidated Li绞s place as a key figure in Chinese cinema. In 1996, Li suffered a heart attack and died during the production of the TV series Burning of Efang Palace笥, leaving behind a legacy of remarkable creativity.
Li's other historical epics include films on the legendary Empress Wu Tse-tien笥 (1963), an early masterpiece which interestingly drew divergent opinions from critics. The film, an intense drama of Shakespearean proportions, is considered one the best films of Chinese cinema. Li's Shih: Beauty of Beauties笥 (1965), a grand production with an exorbitant budget which broke the Grand Motion Pictures bank and subsequently led to the end of Li's Taiwan tenure, is a powerful film with remarkable performance from the leads Jiang Qing and Chao Lei.
Many of Li'shuangmei diao笥opera films have become cult classics. The casting of the Amoy opera actress Ivy Ling Po as the male lead in The Love Eterne笥 (1963) was an inspired casting move that created an immediate craze, which turned into a lasting cult with generations of loyal fans. Along the same line, Li spotted the special quality of Brigitte Lin and cast her as the male lead in The Dream of the Red Chamber笥 (1977), long before Tsui Hark made her an international sensation with the same touch in Swordsman II笥 (1992). Another classic epic is The Kingdom and the Beauty笥 (1959) integrated Li's fondness for palatial grandeur with colorful folk life.
Li had also made a lasting impact on Taiwan cinema. At Dawn笥 (1968), a frontal assault on the corrupt legal system, was crowned a masterpiece of Chinese cinema. The film is also a testimony to Li's importance as a producer and studio boss, giving promising young directors like Song Cunshou the chance to embark on ventures with little commercial appeal. Li himself directed The Winter笥 (1969), a delicate and touching work widely recognised as one of the best Chinese language films of the 1960s.
In Taiwan, Li was also among the first to adapt the hugely popular romance novels of Chiung Yao, such as Many Enchanting Nights笥 (1966), considered by many critics as the best Chiung Yao adaption.
His early films are in fact remarkably accomplished films that had unfortunately been overshadowed by the later, more high-profile epics. His directorial debut Blood in Snow笥 (1956), for example, already puts his talents on full displays. Lady in Distress笥 (1957), starring Linda Lin Dai, is a delightful work that features keenly observed Chinese folk life.
In addition to grandeur of settings, Li's storytelling wit is his another cherished qualities. Featuring Michael Hui and Tina Li, The Warlord笥 (1972) is a farcical comedy, told in Li's signature episodic structure, stringing hilarious sketches. With the same formula of amusing anecdotes, he produced the light-hearted The Legends of Cheating笥 (1971) and the erotic film Legends of Lust笥 (1972).
Actress Hu Chin, who owed her stardom to Li, brought to life the character of the sexually aggressive seductress Pan Jinlin in the Golden Lotus笥 (1974). Another work adapted from the same erotic novel Jin Ping Mei笥 is Tiger Killer笥 (1982), which added kung-fu action to the mix, with Ti Lung in the title role.
Other films include Rear Entrance笥 (1960), Many Enchanting Nights, Part II笥 (1966), Lady in the Tower笥 (1967), Flower Drums of Fung Yang笥 (1967), Storm Over the Yangtse River笥 (1969), Four Moods笥 (1970), Black Bull and White Snake笥 (1970), The Story of Ti Ying笥 (1971), Scandal笥 (1973), Sinful Confession笥 (1974), Illicit Desire笥 (1975), Passing Flickers笥 (1982) and The Last Emperor笥 (1986).
To complement the screenings, a two-month exhibition will be held from March 31 to June 3 at the Exhibition Hall of the HKFA, presenting reconstructed film sets, costumes, photos, artifacts and oral-history interviews of Li's friends and colleagues. Admission is free. A new publication Li Han-hsiang, Storyteller笥 re-evaluating Li's rich, versatile career and interviews with Li and his collaborators, will be published in separate Chinese and English editions.
Two seminars will also be held at the Cinema of HKFA:Li Han-hsiang and his Actors笥 at 4.30pm on March 31 and The Genre Films of Li Han-hsiang笥 at 5pm on April 7. Both seminars are conducted in Cantonese. HKFA also invites some film stars to meet the audience. Sylvia Chang and Hu Chin will greet the audience before the March 30 screening of The Dream of the Red Chamber笥, Hu Chin will appear on March 31 before Golden Lotus笥 and Kuk Fung on April 6 after Tiger Killer笥.
Tickets priced at $30 for the screenings are available from today (March 8) onwards at all URBTIX outlets. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Securcolourfulity Assistance recipients. Reservations can be made by phone on 2734 9009, credit card booking on 2111 5999 or on the internet at www.urbtix.hk.
Detailed programme information and various discounts can be obtained in the Profolio 36笥 distributed at all performing venues of the LCSD. For enquiries, please call 2739 2139 or 2734 2900 or browse the websites: www.filmarchive.gov.hk or www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp.
Ends/Thursday, March 8, 2007
Issued at HKT 19:21
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