1. Introduction to Tsui Hark and its relationship with Jin Yong's works
Hong Kong in the 1980s was the golden age of the rise of the New Wave of cinema. In this fashion trend, Tsui Hark is undoubtedly one of the most eye-catching representatives.
His filmography, full of personality and passion, shows a distinctive style and approach, which has refreshed many audiences.
In particular, his unique understanding and interpretation of martial arts movies has made Tsui Hark stand out in the industry. We can see Tsui Hark's love and inheritance of traditional martial arts culture from his admiration for the idol martial arts master Hu Jinquan when he was 26 years old.
In 1988, he invited director Hu Jinquan to cooperate in the film "Smiling Proud Jianghu" with great longing and expectation, hoping to Xi learn from the master in this cooperation and prove himself at the same time.
However, the two disagreed on the concept and approach of the film, and Tsui Hark wanted the film to be more enjoyable and pay more attention to commercial returns; Hu Jinquan pays attention to the artistic expression of the film and is unwilling to compromise.
In the end, the cooperation ended in displeasure, and the 26-year-old Tsui Hark could only finish the film head-on. Although it was a commercial success, it seriously angered the original author, Jin Yong, and Tsui Hark did not touch Jin Yong's work for decades afterward.
By the 1990s, Tsui Hark, who was in his 40s, was already recognized as a master film director. He led Hong Kong martial arts films into a golden age, launching many masterpieces such as the "Once Upon a Time" series.
These films are grandiose and visually stunning, successfully combining commercial returns and artistic expression, and established Tsui Hark's status in the film industry. It can be said that Tsui Hark's contribution and influence on Hong Kong martial arts films in the 90s is huge.
Second, the northbound inland has been defeated repeatedly
In the 21st century, the Chinese film market is booming. Tsui Hark, who is in his 50s, has decided to go north to the mainland to develop his career, and he is full of confidence that he hopes to achieve greater glory.
However, the trip north did not go well. Tsui Hark, who has lived in Hong Kong for a long time, is not familiar with the filmmaking environment in the mainland, and as he gets older, he has been defeated repeatedly in the mainland and cannot regain his former glory.
In 2005, Tsui Hark's "Seven Swords" invested a lot of money, but it was accused of being a "copycat", and it failed at the box office after its release. This is undoubtedly a heavy blow.
In 2011, 61-year-old Tsui Hark found Jet Li, the golden partner of the year, hoping to recreate the glory of the era of "Once Upon a Time", and cooperated in the filming of the 3D action film "Dragon Gate Flying Armor".
However, this cooperation still failed, and Tsui Hark fell into a trough again.
From 2010 to 2018, Tsui Hark tried to bring fantasy colors to martial arts, creating the "Di Renjie" trilogy. But the box office of the trilogy was only mediocre and did not cause much repercussions.
One failed work after another, making Tsui Hark seem disheartened with the mainland market and doubting whether he could achieve greater glory.
This series of failures can be said to be the process of Tsui Hark's fall from a leading figure in the film industry to a low point. However, this should not negate his talent and contributions.
I look forward to him being able to use his perseverance and wisdom to create miracles for the big screen again.
3. 73-year-old Tsui Hark raided Jin Yong's classic "The Legend of the Condor Heroes"
As soon as this news came out, both inside and outside the industry were shocked. After all, Tsui Hark has not touched Jin Yong's works for many years, and the box office and word-of-mouth of several recent movies have not been satisfactory.
In this context, his sudden remake of such a classic IP is really unexpected.
What's even more surprising is that the leading actors selected by Tsui Hark are actually two little fresh meat - Xiao Zhan and Zhuang Dafei. Although these two are popular, their professional acting skills still need to be tested, and it is doubtful whether they can interpret such a classic role.
There is a view that Tsui Hark has avoided Jin Yong's IP for so many years, and now he is suddenly remaking it, which is "fried cold rice". Some people are also worried about whether he still has the strength to manage such a complex subject matter well.
Indeed, the current martial arts film market in the mainland is already depressed. Many martial arts movies choose to play on online platforms and dare not release them in cinemas. And Tsui Hark's choice to remake "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" at this time and screen it on the screen inevitably makes people suspect that he wants to use this classic IP to cut leeks.
In the face of this series of doubts, although we can't deny that martial arts movies have indeed fallen into a trough, we can't jump to conclusions. Let's wait and see, maybe Tsui Hark's hand will make us look at martial arts movies with admiration.
Fourth, we should still trust Tsui Hark, he can open up a new path for martial arts movies
In the face of doubts from the outside world, we should still maintain confidence and understanding in Tsui Hark. Judging from his film style and creative characteristics over the years, Tsui Hark should not make inferior commercial hype.
He filmed "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", and he will definitely have his unique perspective and innovation.
It is understandable to consider commercial factors in casting, after all, the movie needs to pay off. In fact, this is also a big test for Xiao Zhan and Zhuang Dafei. Under Tsui Hark's tutelage, the two may also break our stereotypes and show surprising performances.
We shouldn't dismiss a character just because it doesn't fit the stereotype.
Indeed, in recent years, the mainland martial arts film market has shrunk, and many films dare not be shown publicly on the big screen. But this also reflects the dilemma and crux of the industry.
We should not give up the inheritance of traditional culture, but should find the root and soul of martial arts movies in innovation.
I believe that with the experience and wisdom of 73-year-old Tsui Hark, he will definitely be able to open up a new path for martial arts movies. This may be the representative work of his career, and it will also inject new vitality into the martial arts films that have been sluggish in recent years.
As filmmakers, each of us should carry forward positive energy and work hard for inheritance and innovation.
Martial arts culture contains the spirit and values of the Chinese nation, which is the common memory and wealth of the Chinese. We should inherit and carry forward this precious cultural heritage, so that more people, especially the younger generation, can understand and love martial arts culture, so that it can be passed on from generation to generation.
Let's look forward to Tsui Hark's new work with hope, and also contribute to the development of the film industry.