Interesting--and delightful if correct--news from
Chinese Films. Given the lack of artistic and box office success of co-productions between Hong Kong and the mainland, Hong Kong some (at least two) filmmakers are going back to the styles and content that made the former Crown Colony the cinematic powerhouse it was prior to 1997. The limitless audience in the PRC together with seeming inexhaustible supply of capital from mainland financiers attracted Hong Kong artists but the compromises in both style and content demanded by their new masters meant that their films wouldn't be really popular anywhere.
Two movies mentioned are "Nightfall", a gangster flick with Nick Cheung and Simon Yam is in post-production and Wong Kar-Wai's "The Grandmasters" with Chang Chen, Zhang Ziyi and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai is scheduled to open in 2012. The date can't be any more exact since, in an exquisite understatement the article notes that Wong "is known for moving slowly when it comes to directing films."
A poster for "Nightfall".
Hi ewaffle --
ReplyDeleteTo me, the most "Hong Kong" movies that there are are the Chinese New Year movies -- two of which I've watched in recent weeks and enjoyed, though "All's Well Ends Well 2012" more than "I Love Hong Kong 2012"! :)
Fantastic news. Hope it's 100% true. Mainland Communist China may have a huge potential market (although piracy is still rampant there, I'm pretty sure), but complying with commie censorship is the death-knell for creativity and variety in filmmaking, as well as other arts. I say, "Hong Kong filmmakers, as much as possible, you should do your own thing with total disregard for Communist censors."
ReplyDeleteYTSL--Fully agree with you. I think that as long as goofy New Year's comedies get made there is hope for Hong Kong film.
ReplyDeleteDr. Glick--The PRC seems to have perfected a system in which filmmakers censor themselves, not wanting to get on the wrong side of the all-powerful State Administration of Radio, Film & Television.