The golden age of Hong Kong's film and television industry
The 80s of the 20th century was the golden age of the Hong Kong film and television industry for half a century. During this period, a large number of outstanding filmmakers emerged, and countless popular classic films were also released, which established Hong Kong's leading position in the film industry.
In Hong Kong in the 1980s, major film companies actively invested and did not hesitate to fund films of various themes and styles. From action movies to literary films, from comedies to horror films, you name it.
At its peak, two or three hundred films could be released a year, which is an eye-popping number. At the same time, the box office of the movie also reached an all-time high. Movies became an important spiritual food for Hong Kong people at that time.
Theaters are often packed, and many movies have to wait in long queues to buy tickets.
Because of this, one filmmaker after another has emerged here. Whether it is a director or an actor, batches of outstanding talents have emerged in the Hong Kong film industry. Many of them went on to become superstars in the film industry.
Among them, the most famous are Bruce Lee, Stephen Chow, Tony Leung, Zheng Zeshi, Leslie Cheung, etc. With their success in Hong Kong, their influence in Asia and around the world has gone from strength to strength.
In this hot land, Wang Xiao from Chinese mainland also became involved in the Hong Kong film industry. A young actor from a famous family found his dream here and shined here.
Wang Xiao: The embodiment of an elegant villain
Wang Xiao was born in Beijing in 1962 into a literary family, his father was a first-generation Chinese pilot, and his mother was a drama actress. Such a family background made him well-educated from an early age and developed an elegant and easy-going character.
After enlisting in the army at the age of 18, Wang Xiao relied on his literary talent to serve as a soloist in the army song and dance troupe. After retiring from the army, he officially entered the film and television industry, and his first debut was the 1986 film "Beijing Story".
At that time, the development of the film industry in Chinese mainland was still immature, and Wang Xiao chose to develop in the Hong Kong film industry in its heyday, and began his journey of pursuing his dream.
Wang Xiao has a delicate face and gentle conversation, and looks like a son. But the choice of the drama path is very different from his own character, and from the very beginning he was determined to transform into a villain.
Because of this, he played a negative role in many early films. And this choice also made him a unique position in the film industry in the future.
The 1991 film "Supreme 2: Forever Dominate the World" was a turning point in Wang Xiao's career. In the film, he played the role of the villain boss Zhan Yongfei, and successfully created a cunning and vicious villain.
The film was an unprecedented success, and Wang Xiao's wonderful acting skills were also shown in front of many audiences, which made him famous for a while, and the reputation of "the most elegant villain" has followed him since then.
Life is so wonderful, it is precisely because of the contrast between the appearance and the inner role that Wang Xiao has obtained a unique acting position. The next series of successful works, such as "The Legend of the God of War" and "Rat Guts", all stirred up wonderful sparks from the contrast.
In the Hong Kong film industry, he has become a well-deserved "traitor expert".
Fame Rise and Fall
The villain image successfully created by Wang Xiao is deeply "hated" by the audience, and he has encountered some troubles in real life. Some fans once came to him to settle accounts and asked him why he acted so insidiously.
In the end, he had to use the popular movie star Andy Lau to resolve it before he was able to get out.
In fact, this is a microcosm of acting success. Wang Xiao's vivid and realistic villain performance gave many viewers a high sense of substitution, as if he was the bad guy himself.
Superb acting blurs the line between character and reality, which is exactly what an actor dreams of.
From this point of view, the audience's reaction just confirms Wang Xiao's ability to successfully reinvent the character. He captivated the audience with such a deep emotional investment with his interpretation.
Because of this, they also treat actors and characters as the same in reality, which can also be seen as a great recognition of their acting skills to a certain extent.
Of course, for the party Wang Xiao, this kind of near-harassment experience is indeed troublesome. This has become a problem that many excellent actors have to face after successfully portraying the opposite role.
Darkness is always more noticeable, and viewers' emotions tend to be more easily drawn by negative emotions.
For actors, successfully playing the villain is undoubtedly a privilege. But for some viewers, the distinction between character and reality seems less absolute.
Rookies in the film and television industry are competing for deer, and the epidemic is raging
Time has passed, and today's film industry is no longer what it used to be. Years after Wang Xiao's death, the Chinese film market is reintegrating and adjusting. Batches of new faces have joined the entertainment industry, bringing new fashions.
But compared to the pomp of the 80s, today's environment is also facing certain problems.
First, traffic influence. In this era of the Internet, too many young actors rely on external conditions to get attention, and their real acting skills are questioned. This makes some veteran actors sigh that the current performance level of Chinese films may have to regress by several decades.
Movies are also gradually simplistic, and many works lack originality and depth.
Second, the impact of the epidemic. The pandemic hit the film industry in early 2020. The months-long closure of theaters led directly to the box office to zero.
Subsequently, the film and television industry began to seek online distribution, but it was still difficult to make up for the losses. According to foreign media predictions, the epidemic may regress the overall level of Chinese films by hundreds of billions.
In the face of such a predicament, the film industry is striving to transform and change. Convergence with the Internet age seems inevitable. At the same time, the epidemic has also tested the resilience and confidence of practitioners.
But what are we looking forward to? Is it just about box office and traffic, or should we go back to the fundamentals of cinema – telling each story well? The new generation of filmmakers needs to find a balance between business and art, which is the theme of the next decade of Chinese cinema.
Mourn the classics and look forward to the future
Wang Xiao's generation of Hong Kong filmmakers, based on the golden age of the film industry, has made great contributions to the glory of Hong Kong films. We cherish their talents and sweat, and we should also think about how to carry forward their spirit.
The filmmakers of the '80s were really focused on the film itself, they had enough creative enthusiasm and dedication to the story. Because of this, so many classics were born in that era.
They don't pay for it, they just fight hard to tell a good story. This is incomparable to those who come after it.
Today's environment is very different from what it was back then. Filmmakers have to face not only art, but also traffic and capital calculations. However, when the downturn in the industry is coming, we should examine the essence of cinema - it is first and foremost an art, and then a commodity.
If consumers only value box office revenue and are unwilling to understand the artistic value of films; If the investor only focuses on profit maximization and does not focus on the quality of the movie; Sooner or later, the industry will be led by the nose by the chain of interest.
Therefore, we should not talk lightly about the decline and death of cinema. There are always ups and downs in this industry. What it needs is perseverance and passion; It is the immutable belief in cinema.
History proves that whenever the industry is at a low point, there will always be newcomers who stand up to take over the torch and open a new chapter.
The preciousness of life lies in inheritance. Let's wait and see how the light of the screen will be ignited again when a new era arrives.