Xiang Huaqiang's 75th birthday, restore a simple Mr. Long Wu
On December 16, 1948, Hong Kong film tycoon Xiang Huaqiang was born in Guangdong, and yesterday Xiang Tai held a surprise birthday party for him to celebrate his 75th birthday.
Although Xiang Huaqiang in the birthday video is 75 years old, he looks very good and still looks very young.
And what we want to talk about today is Xiang Huaqiang, who does not have so many Internet rumors imposed on him, is a filmmaker in the golden age of Hong Kong films, and is also the unsmiling classic character Long Wu in "God of Gamblers".
Frankly speaking, in today's Internet environment and movie-watching atmosphere, it is difficult for most fans to understand a real Xiang Huaqiang.
Either he is sanctified by those who fear him, calling him the godfather of Hong Kong cinema, or he is demonized by those who loathe him, saying that he is a gangster tycoon with a gangster background, and in short, no one sees him as a normal filmmaker.
Coupled with his wife's strong and very strong public relations methods, as well as his son's inexplicable hot search trivia, Xiang Sheng's already confused public image jumped into the Yellow River and couldn't be washed away. I'm going to say – this man is not that complicated.
As relatively professional Hong Kong film fans, if we want to truly know and understand the character of Xiang Huaqiang, the first thing to do is to split-
and his father forward, and his elder brother Xiang Huayan, and his younger brother Xiang Huasheng, and his wife Chen Lan, but also with his son Xiang Zuo.
After the image is split, the second step is to combine analogies, compare with Deng Guangrong, compare with Ke Junxiong, compare with Wang Yu, compare with Chen Huimin, and compare with Chen Shenzhi......
After splitting and combining, Xiang Huaqiang's role in the Hong Kong film industry can be redefined: a filmmaker with a star-born background and a deep background.
Xiang Huaqiang's father, Xiangqian, was a major general of the Kuomintang, a member of the triads, and the founder of New Ngee An. Among the thirteen brothers in the family, Xiang Huayan is the eldest son, Xiang Huabo is the seventh, Xiang Huaqiang is the tenth, and Xiang Huasheng is the twelfth.
Among them, Xiang Huayan and Xiang Huabo inherited their father's family industry and status, while the two brothers Xiang Huaqiang and Xiang Huasheng were mainly engaged in film work.
In an interview with Lu Yu, Xiang Huaqiang once said that the background of his original family caused trouble and burden to him when he was young. But it is undeniable that this background has also brought him a lot of convenience and helped him do things that ordinary people can't do.
In the early 70s, Xiang Huaqiang, who was in his early twenties, entered the Hong Kong film industry as a star, and participated in many action films such as "Fierce Man", "Tiger Evil Star", "Tiger Fighting Dragon", "Longhu Land Snake", and started his acting career.
At the same time, his younger brother Xiang Huasheng also made his debut in Taiwan, and his first acting movie was "Tiger Fist and Iron Palm". It can be seen from these titles that the two brothers are afraid that others will not know that they are tiger and fierce.
Of course, the Xiang brothers at that time were already in their prime. Needless to say, Hua Qiang, who is masculine and powerful in appearance, even Hua Sheng, who is polite and polite, can also win more than one victory in street battles.
A few years ago, Chen Huimin revealed in an interview that Xiang Huasheng and Deng Guangrong were both fierce men fighting on the streets, and their actual combat ability was very strong. Presumably, Xiang Huaqiang's skills will not be much worse than his younger brother.
Having said that, in the mid-70s, Taiwanese films ushered in development, crossed the river to Huaqiang and continued to focus on action movies, and often cooperated with Wang Yu, Ke Junxiong, and Chen Huimin, forming deep friendships.
Many years later, Xiang Huaqiang recalled those martial arts years, but he always showed a mask of pain, just because he really didn't like acting, and he didn't know how to act, he thought that action actors only needed to fight.
When he was young, how did he know that acting was so difficult, and it was even more difficult for him to act.
While he was tormented by acting, his younger brother Xiang Huasheng had already taken the lead in the business world, tried different types of business, and dug up the first pot of gold in his life.
In 1978, Xiang Huasheng returned to the film industry from the business circle and established his own production company, named "Yongsheng", pinning his personal ambition of "eternal victory".
After the establishment of the company, Yongsheng successively produced two action films, "Liangshan Strange Moves" and "Zama", the former was produced by Xiang Huaqiang, and the latter was produced by Ding Pei, and the protagonists of both films were played by Xiang Huaqiang.
The reason why Xiang Huasheng chose a brother partner is to praise his brother, and secondly, he is also trustworthy and cheap. In case of a box office hit, the two brothers can take off directly.
It's a pity that fairy tales are all deceitful, "Liangshan Strange Tricks" and "Zama" both hit the street after their release, Xiang Huasheng lost everything, and Xiang Huaqiang's already painful mask was even more crying and laughing.
After this defeat, Xiang Huasheng suspended his film business, preparing to wait for the time to be ripe and then reappear, Xiang Huaqiang had no choice but to be an actor honestly and continue to "force a smile" in front of the screen.
In 1979, Xiang Huaqiang participated in "The Soul of the Whampoa Army" and played the principal of the Army Military Academy, so he was awarded Taiwan's "Army, Navy and Air Force Commendation Order", which also became the first highlight of his actor career.
In 1984, Xiang Huasheng went to the film industry again, reorganized "Yongsheng", and established "Yongsheng". At this time, Huasheng no longer expects eternal victory, but only hopes to be prosperous forever, and the entrepreneurial work "Big and Small Bad" has also become the starting point of the future Yongsheng Kingdom.
It is worth emphasizing that Xiang Huaqiang was still developing in Taiwan at this time, and did not start a business with his younger brother, and Yongsheng was just Xiang Huasheng's own company. It was two years before Hua Qiang really retreated behind the scenes and established his own film company.
In 1986, "The True Color of Heroes" was a big hit, setting off huge waves in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The rise of hero films has inspired many characters, who not only resonate emotionally with the characters in the play, but also think that this is their vertical field.
In the context of heroism and violent aesthetics, Deng Guangrong reorganized Darong, established Shadow Zhijie, and started filming "Jianghu Dragon and Tiger Fight"; Xiang Huasheng and Mai Dangxiong started filming "Heroes", and Xiang Huaqiang on the side was not willing to be lonely.
At the beginning of 1987, Xiang Huaqiang, Chen Huiyi and others founded Sanhe Film Company to prepare for the filming of the hero film "Yiben Without Words", and officially started his behind-the-scenes production career.
At that time, Chen Huiyi had been promoted to a hot action director with "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers". At the invitation of the Xiang family, he pulled Lin Wei to join together and became the veteran of Sanhe.
"Righteous Speechless" is produced by Xiang Huaqiang, directed by Chen Huiyi, starring Lin Wei, Di Wei and Shen Wei. In addition, Xiang Sheng also invited Ke Junxiong, Chow Yun-fat, and Li Xiuxian to help.
From this film, Xiang Huaqiang's film team has gradually taken shape, in addition to Chen Huiyi and Lin Wei, the two favorite generals, He Zhuorong, Zhong Shaoxiong, Li Jiongkai and other choreographers and directors have also joined the "Xiang Jia Class".
Later, He Zhuorong directed "The Protégé of the Son of Heaven", Li Jiongkai directed "Double Tigers of Tsim Sha Tsui East", and Zhong Shaoxiong directed "The Dragon and Tiger Brothers of the Four Families", all of which are Jianghu movies invested by the underworld, which shows the success of the three of them.
Having said that, after the release of "Righteous Words", the box office successfully exceeded 10 million, firing the first shot of Xiang Huaqiang's independent production. However, compared to Xiang Huasheng, his results are too inferior.
During the same period, Xiang Huasheng and Mai Dangxiong's "Heroes and Heroes", invited Chow Yun-fat, Wan Ziliang, Andy Lau, Li Xiuxian, Ke Junxiong, Yang Qun, Wang Xiaofeng, and Carina Lau to form a luxurious lineup of "Six Kings and Two Queens", which was in the limelight for a while.
After the release of "Heroes and Heroes", it won 19 million box office, recovered discarded clips from Huasheng, and edited and remade the prequel "Jianghu Love", which won 21 million box office. The total box office of the two episodes was 40 million, making it the highest-grossing hero film of the year.
It can be seen from the ring matches of "Righteous Words" and "Heroes" that although Xiang Huaqiang and Xiang Huasheng are brothers and share a prominent family background, when it comes to talent and sensitivity to filmmaking, the two are not in the same rank at all.
After "Righteous Speechless", Xiang Huaqiang's Sanhe Pictures continued to operate, filming films such as "Magic High", "Naked Courage", "Proud Eagle" and other films, and the box office of several films added up to be worthy of Xiang Huasheng's "Hardcover Chasing Girls".
Such a result is not surprising. Xiang Huasheng has always admired professionalism and attaches importance to talents, and often spends a lot of money, inviting production elites such as Cen Jianxun, Mai Dangxiong, Wang Jing, and Huang Bingyao to help him create the best high-quality movies.
And Xiang Huaqiang's Sanhe Pictures is more like a grass stage team composed of Jianghu brothers, although he also has the strength to invite popular stars such as Chow Yun-fat, Li Xiuxian, and Andy Lau, but he always ignores the creative power behind the scenes.
Therefore, it is difficult for Sanhe Pictures to become a vibrant independent production company like Yongsheng and Yingzhijie, and if Xiang Huaqiang continues to work alone, he will only have a bigger and bigger gap with Xiang Huasheng, Deng Guangrong and others, and become the boss of a third-rate company.
In this case, Xiang Huaqiang decided to join forces with Xiang Huasheng, and the two brothers tried to dominate the industry. In 1989, Xiang Huaqiang officially joined Yongsheng Film Company, and the famous "Xiang Brothers" have since become a group.
Since "God of Gamblers", almost every Yongsheng movie has been produced by Xiang Huaqiang and Xiang Huasheng, and the logos of Sanhe and Yongsheng often appear side by side, becoming the box office guarantee of Hong Kong films in the 90s.
In terms of specific division of labor, Xiang Huasheng is more of a producer and deeply involved in the creative process of think tanks such as Wang Jing and Huang Bingyao, while Xiang Huaqiang and his wife are more inclined to administrative work such as finance, investment, and distribution.
"God of Gamblers", "Gambler", "Truant Dragon", "The Legend of Lei Luo", "Dancing with the Dragon", "The Legend of Deer and Ding", "Tang Bohu Dots Autumn Fragrance", "God of Gamblers 2" and other box office giants, most of them were born under this division of labor model.
It is worth mentioning that Xiang Huaqiang, who used to hate acting very much, regained his self-confidence as an actor at the peak of his career, and often played cameo roles in his company's movies, which unexpectedly created many famous scenes.
In 1989, Xiang Huaqiang participated in "The Supreme", and his straight suit and domineering image made the audience unforgettable. In a series of subsequent gambling films, his role as Long Wu became a classic role in Hong Kong films.
In 1992, Yongsheng produced "The Legend of Blue River: The Anti-Flying Group", Xiang Huaqiang personally played the role of Inspector Lan Jiang, and was even nominated for the Academy Award actor the following year with his clumsy performance, so he was also "sneered" by his friend Leslie Cheung.
Previously, Tsui Hark was nominated for the Golden Statue Supporting Actor for "The Final Victory", John Woo nominated the Golden Horse Supporting Actor for "Brave the World", and Xiang Huaqiang became the first film company owner in film history to be nominated for the Best Actor with "The Legend of Blue River", which is outrageously serious.
In addition to starring in "The Legend of Lan Jiang: The Anti-Flying Group", Xiang Huaqiang also made a cameo appearance in "The Legend of Lei Luo" and "The Twelve Youths of Temple Street", which like Long Wu, has become the two most popular classic images in his acting career.
Having said that, under the banner of Yongsheng, led by the Xiang brothers, Wang Jing, Huang Bingyao, Xiao Ruoyuan and other humeral ministers are in charge of the overall situation, while directors such as Chen Jiashang and Li Lizhi have become their tools to realize their creative intentions.
Chow Yun-fat, Stephen Chow, Jet Li, Andy Lau, Zhang Min, Qiu Shuzhen, Wu Mengda, Chen Baixiang and other golden supporting roles gathered under the command of Xiang to jointly create an irreproducible box office myth.
From 1990 to 1994, Yongsheng Films' total box office revenue exceeded 100 million yuan for five consecutive years, and it topped the championship three times.
Later, whenever Xiang Tai mentioned Yong back then, he claimed how many superstars he had become popular, which was a bit exaggerated. Even if all the efforts of the main creators in front of and behind the scenes can be attributed to one person, it seems that the little uncle is more qualified to take on this glory.
Judging from many facts, in the most glorious Yongsheng era, Xiang Huasheng was the most core and key founder, and the more famous Xiang Huaqiang couple cannot be said to have made no achievements, but it is also not appropriate to take the lead.
As brothers, Hua Qiang and Hua Sheng can make no distinction between you and me, and as an audience, we should peel off the cocoon, sort out our clues, and understand who is the creator and who is the administrator, so as to really help us read the work and understand the creation.
Of course, Xiang Huaqiang also has his own era of being the head of the family, but not in Yongsheng, but in China.
In 1994, after "God of Gamblers 2" and "Domestic Lingling Paint", the Xiang brothers had differences in the direction of their careers, so they decided to separate Yongsheng - Xiang Huaqiang and his wife set up Yongsheng Entertainment, and Xiang Huasheng stayed at Yongsheng Films.
After the separation, Xiang Huasheng filmed "95 Chasing Girls: The Dream of Qi" and "Ten Brothers" for his girlfriend Zhang Min, but the box office was not as good as before. Soon, due to the attack of bone spur in the knee, Huasheng completely left Hong Kong and the film industry, and Zhang Min followed the film.
On the other hand, Xiang Huaqiang took the second venture of Yongsheng Entertainment after the split, this time he did not have the Zhuge Xian brother who was a pearl by his side, only his wife Chen Lan, who fought side by side, and the golden brothers officially transformed into a husband and wife dragon and phoenix store.
Since then, Xiang Huaqiang has still served as the producer, Chen Lan is responsible for administrative supervision matters, and the positions of producer, screenwriter, and director at the creative level have all been delegated to Wang Jing and other filmmakers.
In 1996, Huaqiang acquired the film, television and music subsidiaries of Xingguang Xun, including Xingguang Records, Xingguang Entertainment and Xingguang Laser Disc, and then established the holding company "China Star Group", which made China Star appear on the stage of history.
During that period, Chow Yun-fat went to Hollywood, Stephen Chow had already set up his own business, Jet Li and Andy Lau, who had just failed to start a business, each accounted for half of Xiang Huaqiang's country and became the main output of Chinese stars.
At the beginning of the reorganization of Chinese stars, he was eager to seek talents from Huaqiang and invited elites, and filmed countless masterpieces such as "Chariots of Fire", "New Shanghai Beach", "Black Man", "Lion of the Western Regions", etc., which supported the depressed and dilapidated Hong Kong films.
In 1997, Mak Dangxiong's film "Black Gold" was filmed by Xiang Huaqiang, and Tsui Hark's film studio became the most important production factory in the early days of Chinese stars.
In 1999, Xiang Huaqiang recruited An Du Qifeng and co-formed the Centennial Film Company. The company, along with Galaxy Imaging and Chen Jiashang's Shangpin Films, have all become subsidiaries of China Star Group.
After being merged into the Chinese star, Galaxy Imaging filmed many classics such as "Dark War", "Lonely Men and Widows", "Zhong Wuyan", "Big Guy", "Underworld", "Detective", etc., which became the last golden sign of Hong Kong films.
With the support of Xiang Huaqiang, Wang Jing's Jingyi Company and the best partner company have also produced many commercial blockbusters such as "Dragon in the Rivers and Lakes", "Gambler vs. Las Vegas", and "Battle at the Top of the Forbidden City".
On the other hand, Shangpin Films, composed of Chen Jiashang, Lin Chaoxian, and Chen Qingjia, also filmed masterpieces such as "Jianghu Emergency", "Love War Okinawa", "Pupil of the Beast", "Peerless Good Bar", "Pride" and other masterpieces.
In addition, as Er Dongsheng's creative base camp, after Infinity Pictures co-produced "Erotic Men and Women" and "Gun King" with Golden Harvest, it also cooperated with Chinese stars to produce business cards such as "Can't Forget" and "Peerless Guest".
After 2006, Xiang Huaqiang shifted his business focus, focusing on hotel and gaming business, expanding the real estate business in Hong Kong and Macau, and after completing his own Hong Kong film life task, he devoted himself to another new world.
We always say that "Infernal Affairs" is back to the light, the conscience of the galaxy imaging industry, how many actors has Wang Jing supported, but he always selectively forgets the most important question - how many producers like Wang Jing have been supported by Xiang Huaqiang?
In fact, Xiang Sheng can be the same as his younger brother, and withdraw when Hong Kong films are in decline, but he did not do this, but turned the tide and helped the building to fall, and forcibly continued his life for Hong Kong films for ten years.
It can be said that from the establishment of Yongsheng in 1984 to the next 20 years, Xiang Huasheng created the fanatical development of the first ten years, and Xiang Huaqiang led the calm creation of the next ten years.
Strength is unstoppable, and each leads the way for 3,000 days.
If Yongsheng is Xiang Huasheng's 108,000 dreams, then the Chinese star is Xiang Huaqiang's 1,000 and 1,000 nights, the former is beautiful, and the latter is equally bright. Running in both directions, both strong and victorious, although it cannot flourish forever, it has been brilliant.
In 2015, due to the rapid growth of the mainland film market, Xiang Huaqiang returned to the film industry, and successively filmed "Macau Fengyun 3" and "Legend of the Gods", and then cooperated with Johnny To and Wei Jiahui in "My Boxing Boyfriend".
After laughing dumbly, it is more about understanding long live. Today's Chinese-language films are no longer the home of Hong Kong filmmakers, let alone the world of Yongsheng. Not to mention business such as Xiang's, Wong Kar-wai has to shoot "The Ferryman" when he comes, so what?
Although this is no longer their king era, fans will never forget their prosperous scene, that glorious period of "produced by Yongsheng and full of entertainment".
This year is Xiang Huaqiang's 50th anniversary from the film, and it is his 75th birthday.
"Can you make an exception today and laugh more than me?"