At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was forced to stay at home and have time to make up for the old films of Hong Kong's Shaw film era, many of which are adapted from Gu Long's martial arts novels. Gu Long is a famous martial arts novelist and new martial arts novelist we are all familiar with, and together with Jin Yong, Liang Yusheng and Wen Ruian, he is known as the four masters of Chinese martial arts novels, creating a new era of modern martial arts novels and pushing martial arts literature to a new peak. Gu Long's classic novels have been made into film and television dramas many times, presenting countless wonderful bridges for the audience and achieving idols for generations. My favorite actor in these old movies is Dillon.
Image from the web
Dillon was a superstar of the Shaw film era, and was admitted to the Shaw Company's Southern Actors Training Class in 1968. Because I have lived in Wing Chun from elementary school, I have a foundation in martial arts, and it coincided with the popularity of martial arts films in that year, and I was born at the right time, and I also achieved a vigorous career. When Dillon was young, he was known as "the first beautiful teenager in Xiangjiang", with exquisite facial features, a height of 183, and a very good figure, and he could truly understand the meaning of "Yushu Linfeng" when he saw him. At the peak of Dillon's appearance, all the actresses who partnered with him were basically shadowed by his light, which was both lucky and unfortunate. Dillon's image temperament, especially suitable for martial arts dramas, has become the male protagonist of Gu Long's approval. It is said that Gu Long admired Dillon very much and specially tailored a role for Dillon.
Stills from the movie "Chu Liuxiang" (picture from the Internet)
Dillon has starred in the main ancient dragon dramas: "Tianya Mingyue Knife", "Bright Moon Knife Snow Night Annihilation", "Border City Prodigal Son", "The Sword of the Three Young Masters" (as Fu Hongxue); "Amorous Swordsman Ruthless Sword", "Magic Sword Hero Love" (as Li Xunhuan); "Chu Liuxiang" (Shenshui Palace, Bat Legend, Ghost Mountain Villa, as Chu Liuxiang), "Xiao Eleven Lang" (as Xiao Shiyilang), "The Legend of the Hero of the Great Banner" (as Tie Zhongtang). Dillon's classic characters such as Chu Liuxiang, Li Xunhuan, and Fu Hongxue have penetrated deeply into my heart.
Movie "Chu Liuxiang" (picture from the Internet)
Chu Liuxiang is the male protagonist of the Gulong wuxia novel "The Legend of Chu Liuxiang" series, is a mythical legendary figure in Gu Long's pen, who is a gentleman, resourceful, observant, kind and affectionate, and the martial arts are unpredictable, especially light and skilled, and no one can reach. Dillon played the grand marshal of the robbers and the good prince of the rogues vividly, and every smile was handsome. Before watching Zheng Shaoqiu's version of Chu Liuxiang, I already felt very handsome, and after watching Dillon's version of Chu Liuxiang, it was not only handsome, but also very charming, simply Chu Liuxiang's original figure.
Stills from the movie "Tianya Mingyue Knife" (picture from the Internet)
Fu Hongxue is the protagonist of the ancient dragon martial arts novels "The Prodigal Son of border city" and "The Bright Moon Knife of Tianya", who carries a vengeful magic knife on his shoulder and wants to dye his own man red with the blood of his enemy. Born for revenge, he was crippled, arrogant, reclusive, taciturn, and a very brilliant tragic hero. Chu Liuxiang and Fu Hongxue are two people with completely different personalities, Dillon is very accurate in grasping the changes in the role, showing Fu Hongxue's sad, fierce and kind side to the fullest, and interpreting the tenacity of life with an indomitable will of the Tianya knifeman, which is well displayed in front of the audience.
Stills from the movie "Amorous Swordsman Ruthless Sword" (image from the Internet)
Li Xunhuan is the male protagonist of the ancient dragon martial arts novel "Amorous Swordsman Ruthless Sword", who was once the third tanhua in the imperial court examination, so he was called Xiao Li Tanhua, and after getting tired of his meritorious name, he abandoned his official and went into hiding. Because of his good use of flying knives, known as "Xiao Li flying knives, examples are not false", ranked third in Bai Xiaosheng's "Weapon Spectrum". Later, in order to repay the favor, he married his beloved cousin Lin Shiyin to his friend Long Xiaoyun, and left alone to live a reclusive life, but contrary to his wishes, he was eventually involved in the fight between the rivers and lakes. Li Xunhuan was different from Chu Liuxiang and Fu Hongxue, although he attacked Wu Wei in literature, he was trapped by his feelings, carrying a sick appearance all day long, coughing from time to time, and seemed to fall at any time. Jiao Enjun's version of Li Xunhuan has been very successful and has been widely praised. And The Dillon version of Li Xunhuan's book is full of anger, infatuation, melancholy, lazy and dashing, sparse and calm, more in line with my mind of Li Xunhuan.