Zhang Che
Zhang Che is the first "million director", "martial arts master" and "masculine aesthetics" founder of Hong Kong film history. He directed nearly 100 films in his lifetime, including many classics. At the same time, he has also cultivated many excellent disciples and become the backbone of Hong Kong cinema.
"Great Shanghai 1937"
In 1985, "Shaw" announced the suspension of production, coupled with the rise of Hong Kong's new wave films, Zhang Che's traditional kung fu films gradually lost the market, and the once indispensable director also fell into the situation of no films to shoot. With the simultaneous directors Li Hanxiang and Zhang Xinyan going north to shoot films and create brilliant achievements, Zhang Che did not want to show weakness, went to the mainland to select the sixth generation of disciples of the Zhang family class, and filmed the kung fu film "Shanghai 1937", which swept the north and south of the river.
Zhang Che shot a total of six films in the mainland, namely "Great Shanghai 1937", "Crossing the River Dragon", "Jianghu Raiders", "Xi'an Killing", "Westbound Ping Demon" and "Divine Power". The reputation of these films is polarized, some people think that Zhang Che is "a martyr in his twilight years, and his heart is full of courage", and his masculinity is still there; more people say that he is exhausted, fried cold rice, and late festivals are not guaranteed.
According to Andy Lau, who participated in "Shanghai Beach Thirteen Taibao" (1984), Zhang Che often fell asleep on the set, and the filming of the film was all done by the disciples themselves. Several films, such as "Great Shanghai 1937", presumably also directed in a sleepwalking state after Zhang Che set the tone.
Chen Ergang, Sun Yiwen, Wang Xiangwei, Mu Lixin, Luo Huanyou, Dong Zhihua
Of course, this is just a joke. Most of Zhang Che's sixth-generation disciples were martial arts students from the Chinese Academy of Performing Arts. On the one hand, they followed Zhang Che to make films, and on the other hand, they also learned filmmaking techniques. These six films are all executive directors by them. Although they are not very popular, they have always been diligent in the film and television circle. Of course, this is all an afterthought.
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Titles
Among the six films, the most criticized is the "mythical stunt feature film" "Westbound Ping Demon". It has been dubbed "Zhang Che's worst work" and has been ridiculed by netizens for decades.
So, is it really useless?
The film has attracted several major points of group ridicule: perfunctory makeup, outdated special effects, and strange plots.
Let's take a look back at this film.
The film begins with a Peking Opera stage play. As we all know, Zhang Che is a senior ticket fan, and he prides himself on the level of Peking Opera above Hu Jinquan and Li Hanxiang. Many of his inspirations come from opera, such as "The Boy in White", "Dance of Death", and "Battle of the Intestines". Starting from the fourth generation of disciples (Lu Feng, Guo Chai, Jiang Sheng, etc.), Zhang Che deliberately began to recruit actors from the drama school, and he thought that the disciples of the drama school had a better body and looked better. He also made a special stage movie "Red Child".
In fact, Zhang Che's six films in the mainland are all based on his old works, and "Westward Journey to Ping Demon" is born from "Red Child". Except for Xu Xiaojian, most of the six generations of disciples participated in this film.
Dong Zhihua
Kung Fu
Sun Wukong is played by Dong Zhihua. Dong Zhihua is a martial artist at the China Academy of Performing Arts. He was the most respected of the six generations of disciples, starring in all six films. In addition, he is also the fried ghost in Stephen Chow's movie "Kung Fu", the father of the new generation of actor Dong Zijian.
This Sun Wukong is called the most snow-white and clean monkey in history. Zhang Che went deep into the mainland to shoot films, and even communication was a problem, and film production was subject to many restrictions. So makeup, special effects, these are all can save the province. Most importantly, if the whole body is sticky, how to show the chest muscles? As a result, Dong Zhihua acted in six films bare-chested.
Jia Yongquan
Tang Monk is played by Jia Yongquan. Jia Yongquan is a martial artist at the China Academy of Performing Arts. Jia Yongquan, who has a clear eyebrow, is also suitable for the role of Tang Monk. After this film, he quit the film industry and returned to the Peking Opera stage, and is now an actor in the Peking Opera House in China.
Zhang Kepeng
Black Panther Band, left one Ke Qian
The Eight Commandments of the Pig is played by Zhang Kepeng. Zhang Kepeng is a martial artist at the China Academy of Performing Arts. In 2005 he took over Qin Yong's role as lead singer of The Panther, quitting in 2013.
Du Yuming
Ji Chunhua, Du Yuming, Li Ming
The sand monk is Du Yuming. He is also a martial arts student of the China Academy of Opera, and he was still a spiritual boy in "Crossing the River Dragon", and later because of a serious illness, there was no grass on his head, and then he simply went back on the road of the villain with a bald head and no eyebrows.
Leopard King
Peking Opera "Golden Leopard"
The first goblin to appear in this film is the Leopard King, whose makeup is a Peking Opera face. Do you think this face is just a casual drawing? Non also. This is based on the image in the famous Peking Opera song "Golden Leopard", which once appeared in "Red Child".
Chen Jiming, Cao Ying
The film has two more original characters, played by Chen Jiming and Cao Ying.
The Wind of the King of Huang Feihong, Chen Jiming
Chen Jiming, a martial artist at the China Academy of Performing Arts, has participated in the filming of the film "The Wind of the King of Huang Feihong", the famous TV series "Miss Public Relations", "Book of Swords and Enmity" (Huang Haibing version), "Water Margin" (Li Xuejian version), "Divine Doctor Xi Laile" and so on.
Cao Ying
Cao Ying, the same name as the famous actress. He is also a martial arts student at the China Academy of Performing Arts and is currently the vice president of the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre.
Huang Bingqiang, Wang Xiangwei, Yao Yu
The three youkai in che chi country are indeed a little cold, but the three actors are also not simple.
Huang Bingqiang, a double massage stick Deer Force Immortal, is a veteran student of the China Academy of Performing Arts, and is now an actor in the Peking Opera House in China and a national first-class actor.
Wang Xiangwei, the chief of Slow Yangyang Village, was a martial artist at the China Academy of Performing Arts, and later directed TV series such as "Famous Capture of Guandong", "Sui and Tang Heroes", and "Legend of the Last Emperor".
Yao Yu, a plasma hot tiger power immortal, is now a director of science film studio, and the programs produced have been broadcast on CCTV many times.
Revenge
Che Chi Guo Dou Fa, Sun Wukong "played" a handful of intestines again. The "Battle of the Pan Intestines" is a bridge section that often appears in Zhang Che's films to show the fierceness of the battle and the bravery of the hero. This is not Zhang Che's first creation, but from another of his favorite Peking Opera repertoire, "Jiepai Guan". "Boundary Card Pass" has also appeared many times in Zhang Che's films, such as "Revenge", "Red Child", "Happy God Revenge", "Crossing the River Dragon" and so on.
Jiang Kecheng
The plot of Nezha incarnating and competing with Sun Wukong is very abrupt. During the "Shaw" period, whenever Zhang Che wanted to push new people, he always appeared in the film in the form of a "special introduction". In this film, Jiang Kecheng, who plays the avatar of Nezha, is the "special introduction" responsibility.
Jiang Kecheng, a martial arts student of the China Academy of Performing Arts, went to Hong Kong after the end of the Zhangjia class, participated in "Zhongnanhai Bodyguard", "SWAT New Human", "King of a Thousand Kings 2000", "Sunset Angel", "My Wife is a Gangster 3", "Cold War 2" and many other movies, and is now TVB's action director.
Jiang Kecheng, Dong Zhihua
This fight between Jiang Kecheng and Dong Zhihua is very exciting. The two top martial artists have successively used weapons such as sticks, hammers, swords, red guns, iron rings, and daggers, with solid skills, and their actions are like clouds and flowing water, which is pleasing to the eye, and it is also rare to see throughout the entire film history.
On the question of whether Sun Wukong will use a sword... I don't know if you have seen Mr. Jin Yong's "Yue Female Sword"? "Yue Nu Sword" is based on "Wu Yue Chunqiu", in which Yue Nu A Qing, who is known as the first master of Jin Yong's novels, kills thousands of Yue Jia with a bamboo pole, and her sword technique is learned from a white ape. Therefore, it should be reasonable that monkeys can use swords.
Peking Opera "Three Forks"
"Tang Bohu Dian Qiu Xiang"
Dong Kecheng wore a very beautiful costume: soft luo hat, hugging pants, thin-soled boots. This is Wusheng's most classic appearance, which has appeared in many film and television dramas, and it comes from Ren Tanghui in the classic Peking Opera song "Three Forks".
Mu Lixin
Later, Sun Wukong and Red Child also appeared in this shape, but the color was different.
"Rushing Out of the Amazon"
Mu Lixin, who plays the red child, is also a martial artist at the China Academy of Performing Arts. Mu Lixin was the youngest of the six generations of disciples, and like Dong Zhihua and Du Yuming, he participated in all of Zhang Che's later films and TV series "Thorn Horse". In 2001, he participated in the bayi factory film "Rushing Out of the Amazon", which was nominated for best supporting actor at the 26th Hundred Flowers Awards.
Jiang Kecheng, Mu Lixin
Jiang Kecheng and Mu Lixin have a confrontation in the black room, which is obviously a tribute to "Three Forks".
Hot Wheels
At the end of the film, it once again ends up in a big scuffle that Zhang Che used to use. Nezha, Red Child, Sun Wukong, and Sha Monk all have their own roller skates... No, Hot Wheels. Why do they all have Hot Wheels?
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Because this is already predestined... The original name of this film was "Hot Wheel Wars".
Mu Lixin, Dong Zhihua
At the end of the film, Zhang Che still does not forget to sublimate the male friendship he has always focused on portraying. Sun Wukong and the red child looked at each other and smiled, which can be described as full of emotion.
Having said all this, in fact, Zhang Che's film is not informal, nor is it a day or two, and his mistake is that he changed the "Journey to the West" that Chinese people are familiar with. The so-called "ping demon" is only to level the leopard spirit and the three demons of Che Chi Guo, as for the red child, it is entirely a family ethics farce caused by emotional entanglement. Although the plot is a little strange, fortunately, the level of action drama is still there, coupled with the occasional explosion stunt, this film is also very lively.
It is obviously unfair to evaluate such a film with a sense of superiority in modern society. If you think about it, Zhang Che at that time, his former subordinates and generals were fighting their own battles, he was depressed in Hong Kong, and little was known in the mainland. Why did he smash the signboard as the public said?
Zhang Che's letter to Dillon
I stumbled upon a 2001 letter from Zhang Che to Dillon, in which the sentence was poignant.
The full text is as follows:
Aaron:
There are two sides to the truth! The prerequisite for me to "live the rest of my life" is to have money! If you don't have savings, you must have income, otherwise you will have problems even cooking, how can you "enjoy the rest of the year"?! I have a house to live in, because I am a Shaw employee, water, electricity, food to pay, hire workers to ask for money, see a doctor to take medicine also need money, no money how to raise a good body? In addition to the free house, Shaw also has some wages, mainly relying on the monthly salary income given by the Chinese star.
Relying on the sympathy of others for relief cannot last long, and it is difficult to take care of poverty for a long time! I still want people to find me useful! If I "sing" that I am old and should not do things to maintain health, it will be tantamount to cutting off my livelihood! Living in a nursing home destroys the image, giving people the feeling of being old and useless, and it is necessary to have money to live in.
Therefore, my current "usefulness" is very small, staying at home, only contacting some "useful" continental relations, which is the only "role"! In the process of opening up, China's policy can only hope to increase business opportunities after joining the WTO, and rejection is not good for me, and it has made me "useless."
I'm not very active, but I can't get away with it. The truth is obvious. I will not bother my friends too much to help, but I hope that my friends will understand that I am not blessed and asking for trouble. I don't have any diseases that Western medicine can cure now, see Chinese medicine, take Chinese medicine to condition the body, it is also very expensive.
In order to do a little thing, so there must be an assistant, the assistant Xianzai is the son of a former Shaw colleague, I want to pay him a little allowance, now introduced to you, can contact you by phone. Thank you for your attention and good luck with your daily life.
Zhang Che 26/11/2001
The jianghu no longer needed him, but he couldn't let go of the jianghu.
"Blood And Two Heroes"
After Zhang Che, his disciple Wu Yusen carried forward the "masculine aesthetics" again. Jiangshan generation has talented people, and it is decades past, this kind of simple and rough, arrogant and dry pure grandfather movie, who can relay now?
Before his death, Zhang Che wrote a poem summarizing his career, borrowed as the end of this article:
The sword of Luotuojianghu is light, and the good doctor is nameless. What happened to the Southern Dynasty Jin Zicheng? Only in the dream of the screen.
End