"Movie Monster" Mai Dangxiong
Why did Hong Kong "film monster" Mak Don Hung personally direct the only film in his life "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers" (1984)?
He said: "When I left the TV station to be a producer, many friends commented that I no longer knew how to make movies, and finally in 1984 I made a "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers", which proved that I can. ”
A still from the movie "Playful Schoolgirl" (1982), Wen Bixia
At that time, due to the lack of support from cinema chains such as Golden Harvest, Shaw Brothers, and Golden Princess, Mak Dangxiong successively released films such as "Playful Schoolgirl" (1982), "The Bald Girl" (1982), and "Into Love Street" (1982) directed by Mak Dangjie and Lai Dawei, all of which suffered box office hits, and its production company faced a serious financial crisis.
Poster of the Hong Kong version of the movie "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers" (1984).
It is in this context that Mai Dangxiong met Cen Jianxun at the Cannes International Film Festival, and after some negotiations, he decided to take a desperate gamble and return to the hard-core police and bandit theme that he is best at, and chose the hot spot of "Big Circle Robbery", he was convinced: "This theme is not possible for others, but I can." ”
Stills from the movie "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers" (1984), Lin Wei on the left
In order to enhance the realism of the film, director Mai Dangxiong "went to Guangzhou to shoot some of the real scenes, and even selected non-professional actors, selected 6 people from more than 300 "big circles" with mainland identities, and then compared the personality, language and behavior of these 6 people, the writing and directing team spent several months adjusting the script, striving to achieve that everyone plays themselves. ”
Stills from the movie "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers 3: Escape from Hong Kong" (1989), Andy Lau and Mo Shaocong
As it turned out, what Mak Dangxiong said was true. After the release of "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers", it not only won tens of millions of box office, but also helped him win the Best Director award at the 21st Golden Horse Awards in 1984, becoming the only "best director who has only directed one film" in Hong Kong film history.
After that, "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers" was rated as the second of the top 10 famous cards of Hong Kong in the 80s of the 20th century, and in 2005, it was selected as the sixth place in the best 100 Chinese films of the century. Because of the success of this film, 3 sequels were later made in a row.
In 1984, Mai Dangxiong won the Best Director award at the 21st Golden Horse Awards for "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers" (1984), with Yao Wei on the right
[Ambition is not rewarded, and he leaves the scene gloomily]
Mak Don Hung is a legend in the Hong Kong film industry. In his early years, when he was the owner of "Leigh's TV" and served as the director of Leigh's TV station and the first station director, McDonald's Hung, who was only 29 years old, achieved complete freedom in the field of television creation at that time.
Adventurous and fond of pioneering work, he set off one storm after another during the "Li" period, which made the personnel of "TVB" panic all day long.
At that time, "Li's TV" launched a high-level promotional advertisement, and it was Mai Dangxiong who sat in the middle of the advertisement
He also had a very peculiar idea of life, and just because there were "only five in Hong Kong", he bought a Japanese luxury sleeping car that he didn't really need, which was equipped with a refrigerator, stove, bed and bar.
At the time, he was even able to drizzle a whole bottle of XO or champagne in public.
He said to people, "I want to park my car on Nathan Road during the busiest hours and keep making movement in the car. ”
Mai Donald of the "Li" period
At that time, Mak Dangxiong shook off his prestige at Lili's TV station, and he supervised a drama series "The Grace of the Earth" (1980), which dwarfed TVB's "Turn" (1980), forcing TVB to abandon "Turn" halfway through, and had to bring in Wang Mingquan to reverse the disadvantage.
And Gan Guoliang, who directed "Turns", was so ashamed that he hid and didn't dare to meet people.
A newspaper advertisement for the TV series "The Kindness of the Earth" (1980).
Because of such a powerful figure as Mai Dangxiong, Li's TV station has changed its long-term position as a weaker, and has raised its eyebrows and become famous in the fiercely competitive Hong Kong television industry.
The whole Taiwan presents a steaming scene, and the career has reached a golden age.
At that time, every time Leigh's TV station had a new move, it would become a hot topic among Hong Kong citizens.
Mak Dangxiong (second from left) was invited by TVB to participate in the Taiwan celebration, highlighting his status in the Hong Kong TV circle
As a result, competition in Hong Kong's television industry has intensified, and the quality of Hong Kong's television programs has also been greatly improved.
Talking about the situation, a staff member of Qianli's TV station said: "After working at Li's for so many years, it was the first time I tried the taste of holding my head high. ”
A member of TVB's "Happy Tonight" said: "Recalling those days, it is really heart-wrenching. At that time, Wanwan was forced to watch 'Li's', and he had to hold 'salvation' meetings from time to time. ”
It can be seen how capable Mai Dangxiong is. He was ambitious and wanted to create a bigger picture. But it backfired.
During the "Li's TV" period, general manager Huang Xizhao and director Mai Dangxiong (right) were at the dinner
In 1981, the Australian consortium became the owner of "Li's", and Mai Dangxiong could not reach any communication with the other party, so he left everything he had worked hard in "Li's".
On September 24, 1982, "Li's TV" was renamed "Asia Television", and his departure caused "Li's TV" to never turn over!
From left: During the "Li's TV" period, director Mai Dangxiong, general manager Huang Xizhao, and general consultant Zhong Jinghui
[Promoted to three levels in a row and entered the movie]
To understand this ambitious "strange master" who makes "TVB" afraid of three points, we have to start from the road he has traveled.
He was born in Hong Kong on 2 December 1949. In 1971, he graduated from the preparatory department of McDonald Hung High School and was admitted to the "Li's" artist training class. However, his quality as an actor is not good, and his performance in the camera is always not so satisfactory.
He immediately changed careers and became an assistant choreographer. During this period, he was just an obscure little person.
Mai Donald Hung in the "Li's TV" period
But he is ambitious, energetic and hardworking, and full of confidence in his own career.
In his spare time, he read a lot of TV materials from Western countries and studied the secrets of the success of foreign TV series. All this laid the foundation for him to do a great career in the future.
In 1974, Mak Dang Hung was promoted to choreographer. In 1977, he was promoted to Production Manager.
Mak Dang Hung and ex-girlfriend Lin Jianming
In August 1978, when "Jiashi" announced its closure, the 78-episode TV series "Crocodile Tears" (1978) directed by Mak Dangxiong achieved unexpected results. Since then, Mai Dangxiong has firmly sat in the position of program director of "Li's TV".
In just a few years, Mai Dangxiong has attracted people's attention and has become a celebrity in the Hong Kong TV circle.
Mak Dang Hung and Xu Guanwen
"Climb high, fall badly", people use this phrase to describe those who quickly make a fortune.
The Hong Kong television industry is a very practical, but very cruel and ruthless Vanity Fair, in which a person struggles desperately, and when his talent runs out, he will be abandoned and replaced by a new person, and so on.
In this regard, Mai Dangxiong has long been mentally prepared.
The picture shows the main personnel of "Li's TV" appearing - back row from left: Zou Shixiao, Tu Yongxiong, Xiao Ruoyuan, Li Zhaoxiong, Xu Shengqi, Wu Chenghuan, Gao Liang, Chen Wenguang, Liang Liren, Lin Xuhua, Lin Shangming, front row from left: Mai Dangxiong, Huang Xizhao, Zhong Jinghui
"I didn't want to do TV all my life," he said. Since 1971, when I joined the 'Li's' artist training class, I have been working in television for 10 years now. In Hong Kong, I think I have been working in TV for 10 years, which is not a short time!"
He didn't want to be "squeezed dry" by TV. Therefore, although leaving "Li's" is related to the incompatibility of Australians, the pursuit of higher goals is the main reason.
What's his next goal?
He said: "Like Shaw Brothers, I film by myself, I have my own studio, and I have the capital......
He was full of confidence and entered the Hong Kong film industry. Everything had to start from scratch again.
[Create another miracle and push three in a row]
On September 9, 1981, Mai Donald Hung Production Co., Ltd. was born.
If he created countless myths on Leigh's TV station back then, then after he entered the film industry, McDonald's Productions Co., Ltd. is a continuation of this myth.
At that time, in the Hong Kong film industry, the Shaw Brothers Company was rich in wealth and talents, and the New Arts City Company had a well-known iron triangle of writers, directors, and actors composed of Shi Tian, Mai Jia, and Huang Baiming, and was in the ascending stage.
Mak Dang Hung and Xiang Huasheng (left)
And McDonald Hung Production Co., Ltd., including choreographers, photographers, producers and planners, has only 12 people in total.
But it was this 12 people who made several films in just two years, among which "Pretty Girl" (1982) directed by Li Dawei was a blockbuster and attracted the attention of peers.
Success in Hong Kong's film market is easier said than done. The success of "Pretty Girl" didn't know how much effort it took Mai Dangxiong.
The movie "Pretty Girl" (1982) Hong Kong Blu-ray Edition Envelope
When planning the filming of "Pretty Girl", he often went to the places where delinquent teenagers came and went to familiarize themselves with the environment and experience life. And in the disco, he is looking for actors who match the character of the film.
Lin Biqi, the actor of "Pretty Girl", grew up in this environment. She was only 16 years old at the time, beautiful, lively and cute, with the temperament and potential of a movie actress.
Stills from the movie "Pretty Girl" (1982), Lin Biqi
Therefore, she played "Pretty Girl" very handy. In addition, the filming technique is novel and the content of the film caters to the tastes of the general public, so it is very popular.
After the filming of the film was completed, Mak Dangxiong paid great attention to the publicity work.
"Pretty Girl" has just been launched, and the streets of Hong Kong are full of advertisements and posters about it, what "Pretty Girl Election", the protagonist is "Hong Kong's Yamaguchi Baihui" and so on, which caused a lot of uproar, attracting citizens to rush to buy tickets, and three or five confidants to meet to have a look.
Stills from the movie "Pretty Girl" (1982), Lin Biqi (left) and Wen Bixia
The film also attracted some social controversy, and some people objected to it, believing that it had a bad sense of social awareness. Some people applauded, and even the great Hong Kong film director Li Hanxiang (1926-1996) wrote an article in the column of "Oriental Daily", praising "Pretty Girl", making some people mistakenly believe that the film was funded by him.
This controversy also promoted the film.
In "Pretty Girl", the two girls who acted in the movie for the first time, Lin Biqi and Wen Bixia, became famous in one fell swoop.
Stills from the movie "Pretty Girl" (1982), Lin Biqi (left) and Wen Bixia
17-year-old Lin Biqi won the Best Actress Award at the 2nd Hong Kong Film Awards, the youngest actress in the history of the Academy Awards, and the actress with the least films.
Following "Pretty Girl", Mak Dangxiong Productions Co., Ltd. launched three films in one go, including "Murderous Love Street", "Playful Schoolgirl" and "Detective Bald Girl".
It's quite risky for an independent company to launch three films in a row.
Poster of the Hong Kong version of the movie "Into Love Street" (1982).
If one of the films is not ideal, it will affect the whole business.
But McDonald said: "Doing movies is a bit like gambling, and now, I'm going to be a professional gambler...... When I see the situation and think I can win, I take a hard gamble.
But he didn't win this time.
The results of the three films are not satisfactory. In this regard, Mak Dangxiong explained: "It is up to people to plan things, and it is up to heaven to achieve things, and I have done my best. ”
McDonald's
He is a man who likes to do groundbreaking work, and although the Hong Kong film market has seen a boom in youth realism after the release of "Pretty Girl", he himself has retreated from this trend and devoted himself to other experiments.
It can be said that the three films he has released in a row are the result of this attempt.
[Constantly fighting, desperate]
"Mai's Company" has been established for nearly three years, and the first year is to charge forward with the attitude of a warrior and launch "Pretty Girl". In the second year, three films including "Murderous Love Street" were launched, and some lessons were learned, so they took defense as offense.
Mak Dang Hung and Zhang Aijia at the film awards ceremony
In the third year, the economy was strapped and he couldn't make ends meet, so Mai Dangxiong began to open up sources and reduce expenditures, and he made careful calculations.
The company moved from Sha Tin to Tsim Sha Tsui in the urban area, and the land fee was reduced from $140,000 to $70,000 per month. Of course, the place is much narrower, and the number of people has also decreased.
In his third year, Mak Dangxiong began filming films such as "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers", "Fierce Ghosts Out of the Cage" (1983) and "Unstoppable Love" (1984).
Stills from the movie "Can't Stop Love" (1984), Andy Lau and Wen Bixia
"Can't Stop Love" is the sequel to "Pretty Girl", and it is also a newcomer Wen Bixia who is strongly promoted by the company to play the heroine, but the momentum and box office value are not as good as "Pretty Girl".
Although Wen Bixia is more beautiful than Lin Biqi, her fortune on the screen is always not as direct and sharp as Lin Biqi.
However, "Can't Stop Love" was invited to the Cannes International Film Festival to participate in the "Director's Fortnight".
Mak Donald Hung was interviewed on TV
In the years when the movie was made, almost all the money that Mai Dangxiong made before was lost.
One reason is the long capital turnover time, such as "Bald Detective Sister", the copyright fee income alone has exceeded the cost, but the cash cannot be recovered, because some of it is in the form of split accounts, and some can not even be recovered until five years later.
Mai Dangxiong hopes to do more with limited money and manpower, and make achievements that are difficult for ordinary people to do in this situation.
Mak Donald Hung was interviewed on TV
However, where the money should be spent, he is not stingy. At the Philippine Film Festival in January 1983, his company chartered a booth in Manila to solicit business from foreign film distributors.
He thinks big. Director Cheung Ka-chun, who used to work under him, said: "Mak Dang Hung is very patient to learn things he doesn't understand, and he has perseverance to listen, and he is very smart and quick to learn. He cares a lot about big things, and he doesn't pay much attention to the details. ”
Mak Donald Hung was interviewed on TV
But he was serious. Some colleagues said: "Mai Dangxiong never intervenes in the arrangement of the filming scene, and lets us play, but after the preparation work is completed, he will never miss the film, watch the film, and go to the dubbing room." ”
Later, Mai Dangxiong met Cen Jianxun at the Cannes International Film Festival, and after some negotiations, he decided to take a desperate gamble and return to the hard-core police and bandit theme that he is best at, and chose the hot spot of "Big Circle Robbery", he was convinced: "This theme cannot be done by others, but I can." ”
Stills from the movie "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers" (1984), Lin Guobin
In 1984, Mai Dangxiong directed the robbery-themed film "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers" based on Chen Jiandong.
The film continues the image style of Mak Film's pursuit of authenticity and nature, and the whole film is composed of non-professional actors.
The story structure is as close to a real case as possible, and the Kowloon Village scene at the end also brings out the documentary quality of Mak Film's film to the extreme, and the film's narrative is full of power and the scene is extremely popular, making it a classic of Hong Kong cinema.
In 1984, Mak Dangxiong won the Best Director at the 21st Golden Horse Awards for "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers" (1984).
Why is it called "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers"? It should have been called: "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers." "Flag" originally referred to the Red Flag, and "Flag Soldier" originally referred to the meaning of the Red Guards.
Although the "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers" series of films was created by Mak Dangxiong, only the first one was directed by him himself, and he led the creation of the other films as a producer and screenwriter.
The film directed by Mak Dangxiong has been selected into the top 10 of the best Hong Kong film competition many times.
At the press conference of the movie "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers 2: Soldiers Divided into Two Roads" (1987), Mai Dangxiong and his younger brother also took a group photo with the film's director Mai Dangjie
[Fade out of the screen and be alone]
The top priority for filmmakers before committing to creation is to find a long-term and reliable foundation for financial support.
Sammo Hung to Zou Wenhuai (1927-2018), Mak Jia to Lui Juekun, Johnny To and Wang Jing to Xiang Huaqiang.
But Mai Dangxiong did not choose to send people under the fence, but cooperated with these large companies to pay dividends.
Mak Dangxiong was interviewed by the media
After "Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers", Mak Dangxiong and Zou Wenhuai reached a cooperation to jointly establish Hong Kong Film City, through which Mak Dangxiong helped Golden Harvest produce films, and his own films were successfully released in Golden Harvest Cinemas, thus solving the company's financial crisis.
Golden Harvest in the mid-80s of the 20th century is also in full swing, so there will be no shortage of investment in McDonald's Hung films.
In the movie "Lame Hao" (1991), the last row is left with Mai Dangxiong
In the more than ten years since "The Flag Soldiers of Province and Hong Kong", "The Case of the Three Wolves" (1989), "Lame Hao" (1991), "The Emperor of Shanghai" (1993) to "Black Gold" (1997), Mak Dangxiong's films have always adhered to the fierce scenes, grand spirit and vertical sense of the times, the characters and stories have the legendary color of a specific historical period, the rhythm is quite calm, and the texture of the film gives the audience a heavy weight.
Press conference for the film "The Emperor of Shanghai" (1993), from left: Mai Dangxiong, Ye Tong, Zhou Hong, Lu Liangwei
His somber and energetic film temperament is unique in the Hong Kong film industry, which of course depends on investment guarantees.
If it is said that there is a generation of heroes in the history of Hong Kong's underworld in Lame Hao, then Mak Dangxiong is a generation of heroes in the history of Hong Kong films.
It's a pity that in 1997, the movie "Black Gold" compiled and produced by Mai Dangxiong was nominated for 7 nominations at the 17th Hong Kong Film Awards, but it was not popular, and Mai Dangxiong faded out of film production after that.
Meet and greet the movie "Black Gold" (1997), front row from left: Mak Dangxiong, Chen Lan, Mak Dangjie, back row second from right Andy Lau, third from left Leung Ka-fai, third from right Wu Chenjun
McDonald Hung Productions has produced nearly 30 films in 15 years.
The media once asked him why he no longer became a director himself, and McDonald's answer was very straightforward - because directors can't make money.
"When I switched from television to film, I asked myself clearly, do I want to be a director, or do I want to do film as a business? If I am a director and serve my own creative line, then I will only spend money, and I may not earn it back after spending it, that is not a business. ”
Mak Donald Hung attended the event
"On the other hand, I will be very involved as a director, and I will not even go out on the street, and I can't do anything. The final result is that you can only make one film a year, and just earn that little bit of director fee, but it is not as good as just being a producer, you can not only make several films at the same time, but also do other businesses. ”
"As a director, you will ask for 100 points in your play, but judging from the box office, 90 points and 100 points are both charging so much money. From the point of view of self-requirements, I am not satisfied with 90 points, so I want to spend an extra 3 million to get 100 points, but in fact, this is very wrong, and I can't pass this level myself. ”
During the filming of the movie "The Emperor of Shanghai" (1993), Mai Dangxiong and Ye Tong were at the dinner table
McDonald Hung believes that being a director is a painful profession, and if you want to be good, don't be a director.
Indeed, he has an admirable tenacity, often for hours of research over and over again for the sake of a shot connection. Debating the plot with others, he doesn't spend hours trying to judge the result.
Huang Zhan (1941-2004) praised Mai Dangxiong's style of "fighting to the end".
However, based on the above considerations, Mak Dangxiong came to the conclusion of his choice - I like being a director too much, so I don't want to be a director.
In 1996, the Fourth Session of the Seventh Shandong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) was held, and Mai Dangxiong from Hong Kong was newly added as a member of the Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. In this position, McDonald held on for 17 years until he stepped down in 2013.
Mak Dang Hung and his younger brother Mak Dang Jie (left)
In addition to the movie, Mak Dangxiong's business territory also involves real estate and agricultural and sideline products in the mainland. Many people are addicted to "drunken money", it is difficult to create good movies, but Mak Dangxiong believes that movies are a reflection of life, and doing business is also helpful for making movies.
McDonald Hung is now 75 years old, but he is alone and has never married.
Mai Dangxiong and Zhong Chuhong
Mak Dang Hung and Lin Jianming
Although he also had love scandals with actresses such as Lin Jianming, Ye Qianwen, and Zhu Baoyi when he was young, he has always been the same as Stephen Chow, virtual and real, and it is difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood.
Whenever he recalls the past, the character he often mentions in front of his friends is Zou Wenhuai. Zou Wenhuai, like him, started from scratch.
McDonald's
- Zhang Guoming, who was at the peak of his debut, is a "doll director" that even Lord Yama dare not accept
- The richest director in Hong Kong, he bought a house when he made money, and he had a strange relationship with Gu Long, and married Nanhong for a lifetime
- Wife cheated, choose to forgive! Leaving "Shaw Brothers" is no longer brilliant, the wonderful love history of the great director Liu Jialiang
- She was once as famous as Ang Lee, and her wife was the most beautiful Hong Kong sister, and her works were permanently stored in the Library of Congress
- The disappearance of the film industry is an anomaly, has won three Academy Director Awards, loves to shoot civilian dramas, and the audience doesn't like to watch them