Text: Aomori
Editor|Zhouzhou Film and Television Entertainment Review
"A Chinese Ghost Story" starring Leslie Cheung and Wang Zuxian made many people blushing in childhood?
The dazzling handsome men and women are certainly eye-catching, but the highlights of this film are far more than that.
Among them, he is upright, looks like Zhong Kui, has strong mana and a childlike heart-
If you don't agree with each other, you can still be hit by ghosts and ghosts, and Yan Chixia, an important supporting role in drinking, singing and dancing.
has become a classic image of Hong Kong films that cannot be surpassed in the hearts of many people?
And the actor of Yan Chixia is also an "old naughty boy" with "thaumaturgy" but a chic life-Wu Ma.
01
In 1942, in Tianjin, the northern capital of "at the foot of the Son of Heaven", the old Feng family gave birth to a new child.
His parents, who were engaged in the opera industry, named him Hongyuan.
This Feng Hongyuan is also the afternoon horse who later has the status of "gold medal green leaf" in the Hong Kong film and television industry.
Because he has been influenced by traditional Chinese quyi arts such as cross talk allegro, Xihe drum and Tianjin Shituo since he was a child, Wuma naturally developed a strong interest in quyi art.
He originally vowed to inherit the mantle of his parents, but he never expected that one day he would take a completely different path.
At the age of 17, he moved to Hong Kong with his family.
When you first arrive, of course, you will be unaccustomed to it.
But the good thing is that he is very adaptable and naturally observant and thinks.
When I'm not working, I often try to figure out the expressions and intonation of the locals.
He soon became fluent in Cantonese and became accustomed to the local way of life.
It even made many people mistakenly think that he was a native of Hong Kong, not a mainlander.
After settling down, Wu Ma's parents also realized the popularity of Hong Kong's acting career.
However, the familiar quyi business in the mainland is relatively less popular.
So they began to suggest that Wu Ma move towards the path of an actor.
At that time, in order to help ease the burden on the family, Wu Ma, who started to do some handymen early, didn't think much about it, and then went to star in a drama.
He is not tall, his appearance is not good, and he played some small roles with little role at the beginning.
Naturally, none of them made any splashes.
At this time, Wu Ma didn't realize which direction his fate would develop in the future.
It's just that day after day, I went to work in the troupe.
When he was 21 years old, a turning point came.
At that time, the Shaw Brothers Film and Television Company, which occupied a place in the Hong Kong film industry, wanted to open the Southern Experimental Theater Company.
Have the opportunity to touch the real screen, train and get money.
Wu Ma ran to Shaw Brothers and became a real actor.
However, this line of work has not been so easy to mix since ancient times.
At that time, Shaw Brothers Pictures had a handsome young company, like Dillon, Jiang David, Luo Lie, Wang Yu, etc.
Dillon
Wu Ma, who has mediocre qualifications and looks that can't be found in the sea of people, has no competitiveness at all among these people.
Not to mention any chances to get ahead.
But how you look is given by your parents, and since you can't change it externally, you should try to change other things.
It is precisely because of this "thinking that can keep up", so there is no psychological pressure on the afternoon horse to take action.
He never expects anything to be popular, but as long as he can act, he can play tricks.
At this time, the characteristics of Wu Ma who are good at learning helped him again at this time.
Every time he came to the set, he would carefully observe the work of everyone in the crew.
In addition to observing how the other actors acted, I also observed the director, cinematographer, and other auxiliary filming work.
He often wondered how this scene was filmed, why was it filmed like this, and why did the actors act like this?
And those skills that will not be explained to outsiders and put on the table are secretly written down.
02
Life does not treat those who have a heart badly.
Finally, after several years of silence on the set, the opportunity for the afternoon horse came.
At that time, Zhang Che, a famous director who could also be called a "generation of heroes" in Hong Kong history, planned to shoot a new film "Golden Swallow".
I'm going to fly to Japan to shoot.
However, the assistant director at that time could not go abroad because of incomplete procedures.
Zhang Che asked at the scene: "Who will film?"
Wu Ma had the courage to respond: "I will!"
It was this simple word, but it made Wu Ma's name appear on the assistant director column.
Zhang Che has also become Wuma's mentor since then.
He always selflessly shares his insights on acting and his responsibilities as a director.
In 1965, Zhang Che invited Wu Ma to star in the Huangmei movie "Mulan".
He plays a younger brother in it, and he is still not the main character.
But because his acting skills are too outstanding, he began to attract attention.
But even so, Wu Ma still didn't focus on acting.
Instead, he chose to continue his studies and planned to transform into a director one day.
Some media have interviewed him, why do you still have such thoughts?
Wu Ma's answer clearly shows his own positioning, both "You can play a trick for a while, but you can't play for a lifetime".
I have already lost a light at the starting line of the "mother's womb", and if I don't think about anything else, I will inevitably be eliminated.
In 1970, Wu Ma directed his first film "Furious Sword and Crazy Knife".
Because he studied under Zhang Che, he still has a strong Zhang Che style.
But it also began to allow him to accumulate some fame.
In 1982, Wu Ma collaborated with his long-time friend Sammo Hung on "Scary".
Lin Zhengying, Zhong Chuhong and other big names joined, and Ma himself went into battle in person.
This movie, which combines comedy and thriller elements, brings an extraordinary audio-visual experience to audiences who are used to watching a serious zombie movie.
It immediately caused a huge response.
After that, the combination of Wu Ma and Lin Zhengying sang and harmonized, and then starred in many Hong Kong ghost films.
In 1987, "A Chinese Ghost Story" directed by Cheng Xiaodong came out.
Wuma also ushered in the highlight moment of his career.
Yan Chixia played by him is "stable and crazy" and "crazy in madness".
In addition to this, it is also highly powerful.
He has been saved in crises many times.
Some viewers even said:
I saw him humming "Dao" composed by Huang Zhan in his mouth, dancing with a sword while drinking, lightning and thunder, and rune paper flying all over the sky.
At that moment, Wu Ma seemed to be one with Yan Chixia.
Decades of career and the role of Yan Chixia "I ask for my own way" concept is perfectly integrated.
He is Yan Chixia, and Yan Chixia is him.
I don't know how many people were fascinated by that scene at the beginning.
After a movie, there is only that sentence in my mind: "The Tao of the World/The Tao of the World...... I'm talking nonsense."
03
Although Wuma is a down-to-earth "doer" in his career.
But emotionally, he can be called a "wanderer".
This is also the only thing in his life that can be criticized.
and the once famous "ghost queen" Wang Yuhuan has been in love for 15 years.
Wang Yuhuan
Wang Yuhuan is of mixed Chinese and Korean descent and once studied in South Korea.
The difference between the two was 14 years at the time.
Wu Ma also found a job as an actor for Wang Yuhuan through her connections, but she didn't become popular because of the material.
Later, he changed careers but sold insurance, but made a lot of money.
Wang Yuhuan and the current mansion
After the breakup, the two got along relatively peacefully.
Now that yin and yang are separated, Wang Yuhuan has always been very calm when he recalls the past.
She once said that Wuma was a good lover, but as a husband, she still forgot it.
In addition to this relationship, Wu Ma often lingered in places of right and wrong such as nightclubs and song halls when he was young.
Emotional experience can also be called "rich".
In an interview, the host asked a sharp question to Wu Ma: "You have had so many girlfriends before, is this considered abusive?"
Wu Ma did not avoid this question, but gave his own answer in righteous words:
"I am amorous, but I am not amorous, and although I am amorous, I am not indecent. ”
Just such an amorous and unruly afternoon horse really left a deep impression on people.
In the early morning of February 4, 2014, Wu Ma fainted at home due to lung cancer and died after being taken to the hospital.
Wu Ma's current widow is even more outrageous in age with Wu Ma.
It was Ma Yan, a real estate agent who was 23 years younger than Wu Ma, that he met during filming in Shenzhen in 1995.
Ma Yan's parents were worried that their daughter would be deceived.
Repeated tests of the afternoon horse.
In order to reassure his wife and his family, Wuma handed over all his property to her and made her his own agent.
He is only responsible for acting to earn money.
Later, Ma Yan's parents accepted him with confidence.
The two went through more than ten years happily, and Ma Yan gave birth to a daughter for them.
After Wu Ma passed away, his sad wife left him a love letter, and he originally wanted to hold a funeral in a simple way.
Unexpectedly, when his old friends heard the news of his death, they immediately rushed to give him a grand funeral.
There are heavyweight celebrities such as Dillon, Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, Jiang David, Zeng Zhiwei, Tang Jili, etc.
Dillon and Wu Ma were actors at Shaw Brothers together, and they have known Wu Ma since his first day at Shaw Brothers.
The two also have a nickname "Ryoma Spirit" when they joke.
Middle-aged Dillon
Sammo Hung once commented that Wu Ma has always been a very casual person, he has no requirements, and he is not afraid of suffering losses to people.
Zeng Zhiwei also said that Wuma is too good to people, and he is the "king of losses" in the entertainment industry.
According to the traditional coffin carrying custom in Hong Kong, the position of the coffin bearer must be considered by various factors such as the depth of the relationship, blood, popularity and so on.
However, the order of the 8 eldest brothers who supported the coffin for the afternoon horse was determined by lottery.
There is no distinction between superior and inferior.
As for why this is so......
Maybe these 8 are all friends of Wu Ma before his death, and they don't want to make such a public opinion at the funeral.
After the funeral, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung did not leave in a hurry, but stood at the door to shake hands with the guests who came and went to comfort them.
During this period, Jackie Chan kept a serious expression and did not open his mouth for an interview.
In 2016, two years after Wu Ma's death, he was posthumously awarded the Lifetime Honor Award for Chinese Film at the 20th Huading Awards.
epilogue
Looking back on Wu Ma's life, he is not only an actor, director, screenwriter, assistant director, but also a handyman, scene reporter, producer, etc.
With his ingenuity, he made up for his lack of appearance and other deficiencies.
Wu Ma himself once had a very incisive summary: "There are no small roles, only small actors." ”
There is a saying in Guangdong that "wen (four sounds) is difficult to eat".
It can be understood that it is difficult to find a job, or it is difficult to make a living.
He has been running for decades, and he still needs to laugh at himself for "still not working hard enough".
He was over 70 years old when he left, and he had tasted all the ups and downs of life.
Passing away with a smile is a joy and mourning.
Human life is short.
If you really want to calculate it, it's not bad to "live up to the world" like the grinning Yan Daochang.