The old Hong Kong film "Unemployed Student" was re-released 36 years later, and the box office was expected to be around 5 million yuan in the first weekend, which was less than expected, and it was inferior to the other 1984 old movie "Fate" starring Cheung Kwok Wing, Maggie Cheung and Mui Yanfang that was re-screened last year (released in late March 2016 and recorded a box office of 13.92 million yuan).
"Three Musketeers" Chen Baiqiang, Zhang Guorong, and Paul Zhong.
"Unemployed Student" gathered "three musketeers" Chen Baiqiang, Zhang Guorong, and Paul Zhong, and was screened in Hong Kong in 1981, and the limelight was unparalleled. The three of them passed away one after another, and the film recorded precious images that could no longer be obtained. In addition to the commemorative significance, the film itself is also very impressive, even if it is viewed more than thirty years later, it is not completely outdated.
A few more memories, a few more memories. According to the film history data, the author has sorted out a number of entries to help the audience relive the excitement of the film.
Poster for the re-release of "Unemployed Student".
1. "Unemployed Student" is the third film of "brother" Zhang Guorong's film career (not counted in the friendship cameo "Dog Bites Dog Bone"). The first two films are the erotic film "Spring on the Red Chamber", and the youth film "Cheers", which first launched the "Three Musketeers" sign.
2. "Unemployed Student" is also the second film of "Danny Boy" Chen Baiqiang's film career (not included in the friendship cameo "You Tie Up"). The first film was the aforementioned "Cheers". Chen Baiqiang did not seek full development in the film industry, and after "Unemployed Student", he only starred in three films: "Merry Christmas" (1984), "Eight Joys At the Gate" (1986) and "Fairy Tales of Autumn" (1987).
3. "Unemployed Student" is also the third film of Paul Chung's film career. The first film is also the aforementioned "Cheers", and the second film is a thriller about the dark side of society, "Mountain Dog".
4. The first heroine in the film, Mabel, played by Xu Jie, was very popular in the 1980s, but there were not many films, and she died early. Xu Jie's sister is Xu Feng, a generation actress who starred in Hu Jinquan's movie "Chivalrous Girl". Xu Feng turned to behind-the-scenes work, and Xu Jie was also involved, including as a production manager for the film "Rolling Red Dust" starring Lin Qingxia, and as a supervising producer for chen Kaige's film "Farewell to the Overlord".
Xu Jie and Chen Baiqiang.
5. Mei Bao, another female character who is heavily involved in the movie, is played by actress Kwong Mei Po. Kwong Meibao's acting career is also short, there are not many works, the role type is also monotonous, and it takes the route of ye yan sexy. However, during the filming and publicity of "Unemployed Student", there was no lace scandal between Kwong Meibao and Zhang Guorong, because Kwong Meibao was in love with actor Lu Liangwei at that time.
6. The brothers Kong Jiabao and Kong Jiahui played by Chen Baiqiang and Paul Zhong in the film, and the father role was played by the veteran actor Tang Jing. Tang Jing won the Golden Horse Film Emperor with the 1963 film "Night to Dawn". However, in the 1980s, the production of works was greatly reduced, and the work began to turn to dubbing work. TV drama characters familiar to the audience, such as Feng Jingyao in 1980's "Shanghai Beach", Temujin, Guo Xiaotian and Ouyang Ke in 1983's "Legend of the Eagle Hero's Iron Blood Dan Heart", were all "starred" by him.
7. Zhao Yazhi made a cameo appearance in "Unemployed Student", at this time Zhao Yazhi has become popular all over the Xiangjiang River with the role of Feng Chengcheng played in "Shanghai Beach". Therefore, although Zhao Yazhi has few shots in the film, it has also become a major gimmick during the film's promotional period.
8. Most of the supporting actors in "Unemployed Student" have withdrawn from the audience's field of vision. Still active in Hong Kong movies and TV series is Playing Lu Guo's Che Paul. For the "post-80s" audience, the fat head in the 1998 version of "Deer DingJi" played by Paul Che and the crane pen in the 2001 version of "Yitian Slaughtering Dragon" are unforgettable. Paul Che last appeared on the big screen as the unlocker in the 2015 movie "Hong Kong 囧".
9. When starring in "Unemployed Student", Zhang Guorong was 25 years old, Chen Baiqiang was 23 years old, and Paul Zhong was 22 years old, all of whom were young boys, playing student boys at the right time, also generous and natural, looking young and lively.
10. The immediate inducement for the filming of "Unemployed Student" was the success of the film "Cheers". Released in 1980, Cheers grossed HK$2.96 million (HK$8 for a single film), ranking 15th on the box office that year. "Unemployed Student" became even more popular at the box office, reaching HK$9.72 million, but due to the sharp increase in the film market in 1981 compared to 1980, "Unemployed Student" only ranked 32nd on the list that year.
11. The film's producer, Chuangyi Pictures Co., Ltd., was founded by Tan Guoji, the manager of Rowan and Chen Baiqiang, and "Unemployed Student" is also the company's first film work. The film's director, Fok Yiu-leung, was only 24 years old at the time and was directing a film for the first time. In recent years, Huo Yaoliang has turned to the TV drama market, shooting works including the 2015 TV series "Seven Swords Under the Heavenly Mountain" and the 2010 TV series "Seven Fairies of Heaven and Earth Marriage".
12. The title of the film "Unemployed Student" is reminiscent of the classic American film "The Graduate" of the sixties. In fact, "Unemployed Student" does have the meaning of paying tribute to "Graduate". In the movie "Graduate", the male protagonist Benjamin played by Dustin Hoffman is confused about the future and stares at the fish tank for a long time, this shot design is copied by "Unemployed Student"; Benjamin's family asks Benjamin to perform diving in front of the guests, and in "Unemployed Student", it becomes Kong Jiabao's parents who ask Kong Jiabao to play music in front of the guests.
A set of shots from Unemployed Student (Part 1) in honor of The Graduate (Part 2).
13. In the movie "Graduate", "Scarborough Bazaar", sung by the folk group Simon and Garfinkel, is a well-known song for fans and fans. Zheng Guojiang re-filled the lyrics and named it "Unemployed Student", which was sung by Chen Baiqiang and included in his album "A Few Minutes of Dating" with Warner Records. However, despite the album's hits, Chen Baiqiang did not sing the song "Unemployed Student" in the movie "Unemployed Student". In addition, the two songs sung by Chen Baiqiang in the movie "Unemployed Student" are "Sunflower" and "With You", and the lyricists are also Zheng Guojiang.
Promotional poster for the album "A Few Minutes of Dating" featuring the song "Unemployed Student".
14. The lyrics of the song "Unemployed Student" express the confusion and frustration of young people who have left the campus and are new to society. Interestingly, Zhang Mingmin, a singer who became popular with "My Chinese Heart", also sang this "Scarborough Bazaar" in 1982, and the new song after re-filling the lyrics, the title of the song, was taken as "Graduate", and the lyrics were optimistic and spirited. The same melody, filled in two songs with completely opposite moods, is also rare in the music world.
15. The song "With You", sung several times in the film, was very popular, and the cinema promotion film also used it as a signboard, which promoted the film's popularity and also promoted the sales of the album. Although Cheung debuted in 1977 through a singing contest, he did not sing in the film Unemployed Student, and his first popular album, The Wind Continues to Blow, was released in 1983.
Theatrical poster for "Unemployed Student" when it was released in 1981.
16. In the movie "Cheers", Zhang Guorong's role as a clumsy boy is not much, but it leaves a deep impression on the audience. Therefore, in the movie "Unemployed Student", although Kong Jiabao is still the absolute male number one, Rong Shao, played by Zhang Guorong, is also heavily weighted and becomes the juxtaposition of the film. Rong Shao has a distinct and prominent personality, and after the release of the movie, the degree of popularity is better than that of the obedient Boy Kong Jiabao.
17. The opening of the Hong Kong MTR in 1979 is a major new event in the city. This is also reflected in the movie "Graduate". Rong Shao instigated Kong Jiabao to talk to Mabel, using the reason of exchanging change to buy subway tickets. In the 1984 film "Fate", the subway also became an important scene to promote the development of the plot.
18. The film does not shy away from the problems of social disparity between rich and poor, class differentiation, and the middle school campus in the film is by no means a pure pure land. The students in the film sometimes fight and even steal and gamble, which is also a reflection of the bad habits of the society at that time that eroded the campus.
Movie stills.
19. The character Rong Shao, played by Zhang Guorong, strives for good face on campus, but in fact comes from a poor and depressed background. Although this is only the third time that Zhang Guorong has taken over the film, his acting skills have become much higher than other roles in the film, and the complex and multi-faceted nature of playing Huo Rong is hateful and pitiful.
20. In the past, Hong Kong popular films have emphasized the ironic significance of society, and "Unemployed Student" has also tried to persuade the audience to be kind and follow the right path in terms of plot arrangement. In the re-screening version, Rong Shao, although once involved in the life of the underworld gang, finally lost his way back. There is another version of the ending of the film, which allows Rong Shao to be killed in a drug deal. This ending was too tragic and dark, so it was not widely circulated.
21. As a popular film, "Unemployed Student", although popular with audiences, is not praised in critics. On September 1, 1981, a review article in the Hong Kong wen wei po pointed out that the film was "a story of emptiness", "wandering outside society", and "a complete failure in character description". This is also a common problem in Hong Kong films during this period.
Hong Kong's Wen Wei Po's 1981 comment on "Unemployed Students" was not approving.
22. Unemployed Student was released in Hong Kong on 26 August 1981. In addition, Zhang Guorong was born on September 12, 1956, Chen Baiqiang was born on September 7, 1958, and Paul Zhong died on September 1, 1989. The re-screening of "Unemployed Student" was chosen on September 8, which constitutes a distant echo of the above dates and is also a memorial.
(According to public information, some precious photos are from Baidu Chen Baiqiang Tieba and Zhang Guorong Tieba )