Released in 1987, "Autumn Fairy Tale" is one of the "immigrant trilogy" by female director Zhang Wanting. Screenwriter Luo Qirui and Zhang Wanting are a model couple in the film and television circle. The two of them cooperate tacitly, one screenwriter, the other as a director, and together they dedicate many classic Hong Kong films to the audience.
"Autumn Fairy Tale" is based on Zhang Wanting's study abroad experience in the early 1980s, and the prototype of "Bow Ruler" is one of her friends "Nest Skin Lemon (Liu Jianning)", "Woman is really a tea pot (trouble)", "I am not yellow cow" are his original words.
At first, the producer "Debao" Company planned xu Guan to play this role. Xu Guanjie's own city atmosphere is indeed in line with the image of the bow ruler, but Zhang Wanting insisted on using Zhou Runfa, who was still a box office poison at that time. Because she thinks that Xu Guanjie can certainly "act" well, but Zhou Runfa is simply the bow ruler himself.
In August 1986, "The True Colors of Heroes" was released, and Zhou Run raised his eyebrows and became a first-line superstar in one fell swoop. Zhang Wanting called Zhou Runfa and said that we were just verbally agreed, will you still come to make my film? Zhou Runfa said, "I promised you that I would definitely come." ”
So, in September 1986, "Autumn Fairy Tale" was successfully launched in New York. Zhang Wanting introduced Zhou Runfa to Nest Peel Lemon, but Nest Skin Lemon did not like Zhou Runfa very much, on the grounds that he was too careful.
In any case, Zhou Runfa did not disappoint Zhang Wanting. It can be said that he and Zhong Chuhong injected soul into this uneventful love film.
The bow ruler is an untrimmed, enthusiastic, thick and thin street sack. Being in a complex neighborhood and marginalized immigrant status allowed him to distill unique values and rules of survival. He often "shows off" his self-esteem, but this is a manifestation of his inferiority, especially when faced with a "tea pot".
This inferiority stems from class differences. Teapot is a simple, highly educated woman who travels to Chongyang in search of her lover (Vincent, Chen Baiqiang), only to find that the other party has a different thought. Although she does not agree with the bow's way of life, she is still subtly absorbed by the optimistic bow and lifted up from the pain. Due to his excellent qualities, he soon found his place in the world of foreigners.
Zhong Chuhong has a healthy sexiness, and this trait emanates from the bones. Even though she wore it tightly from beginning to end, the corners of her eyes and smile were full of a primitive temptation. The most amazing thing is that her temptation is not limited to the opposite sex. Therefore, in the Beautiful Hong Kong Film Industry, Zhong Chuhong always occupies a place.
As for Chen Baiqiang, he happened to be staying in New York during the filming of the film. Zhang Wanting was suffering from insufficient funds to "airlift" a male star from Hong Kong, and Chen Baiqiang naturally entered the crew. Chen Baiqiang, who has guest starred in several films earlier, is ready to devote himself to the music scene, so "Autumn Fairy Tale" has become his last film.
Although Chen Baiqiang's acting skills are childish, his own sense of "noble prince" youth is also in line with Vincent's personality.
What does autumn represent?
It represents depression and loneliness, but also precipitation and harvest.
In that autumn, the 33-year-old bow ushered in his first love. He doesn't know how to express his love and can only arm himself with his "self-esteem" against what he fears: loneliness, contempt, and rejection.
The tea pot has a clear understanding of love. In a letter to a friend, she said: "I think he liked me. With him, I don't feel any restraint at all. But there is a kind of man you like to be with, but if you want to marry him, you won't. We are people of two worlds..."
Fortunately, at the end of the film, she waited for the real maturity of the bow of the ship.
Zhou Runfa has performed several scenes very well, especially when he faces the tea pot that is about to leave, and the slight change in facial expression. It is said that there were many people watching at that time, and the director had been worried that the interference from the outside world would affect Zhou Runfa's performance, but Zhou Runfa quickly entered the mood, so that everyone present was infected, they were silent, and they followed Zhou Runfa with loss, hesitation, and grief.
That's the beauty of a good actor.
Some people say that the reunion at the end of the film is Zhang Wanting's compromise with the audience, but I think this is necessary, otherwise it would not be called a fairy tale. It is precisely because the adult world is full of hardships that we need fairy tales even more.
The real-life bow ruler "Nest Skin Lemon" was later imprisoned in Gada, while Chow Yun-fat married Chen Huilian after the film was completed and stayed together to this day.
"Autumn Fairy Tale" was released in July 1987 and created a box office miracle as a literary film. At the Hong Kong Film Awards the following year, Chow Yun-fat won three nominations for "Autumn Fairy Tale", "Prison Storm" and "Dragon and Tiger Storm", which is a miracle in film history. In the end, "the bow ruler can't beat Gao Qiu".
There is no doubt that "Autumn Fairy Tale" is a classic Hong Kong romance film. It is deep, restrained, like a yellowed old photograph, taking us back to those shining and sincere years. After that, "Sweet Honey", which also showed overseas love, and even Feng Xiaogang's "Not Seen and Not Scattered", were more or less affected by it.
Nowadays, it is a cool autumn, why not choose an afternoon, brew a cup of hot tea, and relive "Autumn Fairy Tale"?
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