In 1958, Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport was crowded with people, and dozens of four-foot-long red banners had been pulled open, with the words "Celebrating the Shaw Delegation's Five Awards."
Amid the cheers, Li Hanxiang and Run Run Shaw were lifted up by the crowd and slowly walked out of the airport with everyone's support. On that day, almost all the staff of Shaw's company arrived.
Li Hanxiang with his daughter and wife
This is the scene after Li Hanxiang's "Sable Cicada" won the Asian Film Festival. The film "Sable Cicada" not only broke the hong Kong box office record, but also became Shaw's first film to win five awards at the Asian Film Festival. The best director is Li Hanxiang, and the best actress is by far the most famous actress in Hong Kong Chinese film: Lin Dai.
Lin Dai
Although Li Hanxiang's Wind Moon Film has cultivated a large number of charming, colorful and naturally charming "Wind Moon Girls" for Shao, Li Hanxiang has become a sensation. However, director Li Da's most beautiful time is still when filming Huang Mei's tune, which is also his most literary and artistic time.
"Wind Moon Girl" Chu Xiangyun
At that time, the girls did not need to scratch their heads to win the admiration of the audience, because they were all classical beauties of the fanghua era, laughing at the city, laughing at the country, and a smile was enough to turn all beings upside down. Among them, the closest cooperation with Li Hanxiang is Lin Dai.
First, Lin Dai was originally Li Hanxiang's "sister-in-law"
At the beginning of Li Hanxiang and Lin Dai's acquaintance, they were still unknown. At that time, Lin Dai did not shoot a play, just the "star" in the cabinet of the photo studio, Li Hanxiang was even more miserable, wandering around the various crews to draw posters, and when the cold wave came, they covered the quilts used by the crew as props.
It is also the acquaintance at the time of suffering that makes the friendship between the two more pure and flawless, without a trace of utilitarianism.
Lin Dai, Li Hanxiang
Lin Dai's original name was Cheng Yueru, and his father was Cheng Siyuan, who had served as vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and could be described as a rich family.
The stage name Lin Dai was coined by Yuan Yang'an, the head of the Great Wall Film Studio, based on her English "Linda". Lin Dai was the basic actor of the Great Wall at that time, but he did not wait for a play until he left.
Because the Great Wall at that time had a famous top card, she was Jin Yong's dream lover: Xia Meng.
Summer Dreams
In the future, Lin Dai and Letty, who became popular in Shaw's, initially signed companies were all Great Wall, and it was because of the existence of Xia Meng, so that they either did not shoot or ran the dragon set.
The same is the beauty of the Fanghua dynasty, and there is always resentment in the heart of the dragon set, so they have jumped ship.
Lin Dai had seen through this very early on, and it was even more difficult to become famous on the Great Wall than to ascend to the sky. So she met Yonghua's famous director Yan Jun, who was also Lin Dai's recognized first boyfriend. Under the recommendation of Yan Jun, Lin Dai switched to Yonghua Film Company.
Yan Jun, Lin Dai
Yan Jun was famous in the Hong Kong film industry in the 1950s, and was a first-line actor and director of Yonghua, and at the same time a famous producer, known as Yan Erye.
There is a very proud "horse boy" under Second Master Yan, who, like Second Master Yan, came to Hong Kong from Beijing, with a mouth full of Beijing films, and the communication is very smooth, plus his frank and honest personality is deeply loved by Yan Jun.
This is Yonghua's artist and second-rate special actor (with a line of running dragon sets) Li Hanxiang.
Li Hanxiang, who is new to Hong Kong
Therefore, Li Hanxiang and Lin Dai first met, and Lin Dai was still as a sister-in-law.
Lin Dai has become Yan Jun's girlfriend, and Second Master Yan naturally has to take on the responsibility of her boyfriend: to praise Lin Dai.
So I simply found Li Hanxiang, a "horse boy" who did not have enough to eat and did not meet every day, and asked him to write a script and go to the scene to direct, just to respond to the name of a director.
In this way, Li Hanxiang jumped from Yonghua's artist to Yan Jun's assistant director and screenwriter, and Lin Dai also became the female number one. Li Hanxiang happily walked down the street shouting "Kaimara" (equivalent to the current action).
Li Hanxiang, Lin Dai, Yan Jun
This is the first collaboration between Li Hanxiang and Lin Dai, and the film is based on Shen Congwen's short story "Border City".
In order to write a good script, Li Hanxiang not only read "Border City" several times, but also bought all of Shen Congwen's novels to consult. When it was finalized, it was named after the heroine " Cuicui " .
Yan Jun naturally understood and felt that his "horse boy" was not only frank, but also clever enough. Knowing that his intention in making this movie was to praise Lin Dai, the name "Cuicui" was just right.
"Cuicui"
Sure enough, after the movie was released, the image of Lin Dai, a country girl with big braids, was a sensation. Lin Dai expected the fire.
The status of the nominal director Yan Jun in Yonghua is also better than another level, but Li Hanxiang, who is busy with this matter, is not known. The assistant director's honorarium is only half of it, and the screenwriting fee is even more difficult to talk about.
Stills of "Cuicui", Jiang Nan, Lin Dai, Li Hanxiang
Second, get together in Shaw's and set off a wave of 20 years of Yellow Plum Tune
The most frequent period of cooperation between Li Hanxiang and Lin Dai was still in Shaw.
Li Hanxiang attracted Shaw's attention because of the success of his debut film "Snow Red" and signed an eight-year directing contract. Lin Dai is breaking up with Yan Jun, and also leaves Yonghua and comes to Shao.
Because Lin Dai's screen image has always been a country girl with braids, Li Hanxiang's original directing style is also like this. So the company has been arranging for the two to cooperate. The two did shoot a lot of works similar to "Cuicui", which was well received.
Lin Dai was very happy to act, but Li Hanxiang was tired of shooting. Li Hanxiang has always wanted to make a costume film, but every time he mentions it, he is rejected by Shao Shi.
At that time, Shaw or Shaw Father and Son Company was not the later Shaw brothers. The head of Shaw Father & Son Company is a Shao Estate person, known as the second boss.
The second boss has a special complex for costume films. Because there was a precedent of making a film and losing a film before, whenever a director said to shoot a costume film, the second boss must shoot the table first.
Left one Shao Estate people
In 1956, Shi Hui's "Tianxian Match" landed in Hong Kong, and no one expected that this costume singing film from the beginning to the end actually won a good box office in Hong Kong, becoming the only costume film that sold for money that year.
Li Hanxiang finally waited for the opportunity to propose to the second boss the idea of making a costume film.
"Heavenly Immortals"
The second boss was silent for a long time this time. Because this kind of costume film from Shanghai from the beginning to the end has never been seen in the Hong Kong film industry, and no one knows whether there is a market in the future.
Afraid of being preempted by his rival Denmao, he agreed to Li Hanxiang's idea, but the request must also be a costume singing film from beginning to end. When asked what story he wanted to shoot, Li Hanxiang blurted out "Sable Cicada." One of the four beauties, the mink cicada, let Lin Dai play. ”
Stills from "Sable Cicada"
If the previous cooperation between Li Hanxiang and Lin Dai was Lin Dai's intention to accommodate this obscure little director because of her private friendship. Then the "Sable Cicada" that allowed Lin Dai to achieve a gorgeous turn was Li Hanxiang's efforts to turn the tide and accommodate her.
Because of Lin Dai's natural baby face, a pair of inky eyes with a strong sense of the times, acting in costume films really made everyone pinch a handful of sweat, and the most sweaty sweat was the second boss, almost letting Li Lihua replace it.
"Sable Cicada"
Of course, "Sable Cicada" was undoubtedly a success in the end. Not only did it break Hong Kong's box office record over the years, but it also won five awards at the Asian Film Festival.
The so-called Asian Film Festival, which is today's Asia-Pacific Film Festival, is now rarely mentioned. At that time, however, it was the hottest and only film festival in all of Southeast Asia.
At that time, there were no film festivals such as golden horses and golden roosters, and the Cannes (Cannes) and Venice Film Festivals were mostly not qualified to go, so the Asian Film Festival was the biggest competition battlefield.
Asian Film Festival "Golden He Award"
The location of the Asian Film Festival is uncertain, but every year when a place is changed and the scene when they go to the airport to celebrate "Sable Cicada", the delegation has just returned from the Philippines.
When people celebrate the double harvest of the box office reputation of the movie, no one will think that this "Sable Cicada", directed by Li Hanxiang and starring Lin Dai, has set off a wave of Huang Mei tune for nearly 20 years in the Hong Kong film industry.
Sable Cicada poster
After "Sable Cicada", Lin Dai became the hottest star in Hong Kong, and once surpassed the top brand xia meng of the Great Wall, and also became the first Hong Kong actress to go international. The New York Times said in its close-up of Lindell
"Not all Hollywood stories take place in Hollywood, there are beautiful girls in every corner of the world."
However, when Lin Dai was at her hottest, she resolutely went to the Drama Department of Columbia University in the United States for further study. Rumors spread that Lin Dai was pregnant with the child of a big boss and was waiting to give birth in the United States.
A few months later, Lin Dai returned from the United States, full of energy and light figure. The media that made Y came again, "Look, how's it going, knocked it off, didn't it?" ”
Lin Dai's pregnancy and waiting for delivery are naturally false, but it is absolutely true that she fell in love with the Dragon Fifth Prince in the Name of Further Education in the United States.
Third, poor and shocking Zhu Yan, disappeared in the smoke and rain
According to Li Hanxiang, there have been six men who have pursued Lin Dai, including Yan Jun, who has made Lin Dai popular, Zhang Chong, the husband of the Wind Moon Girl Hu Jin, who is married and divorced, and Lei Zhen, a melancholy little student, and so on.
And what really won the hearts of the beauties and made Lin Dai promise her was the fifth son of the "King of Yunnan" General Long Yun, Long Shengxun.
Dragon Rope Hoon
As Lin Dai's close friend, Li Hanxiang said it naturally and euphemistically. In fact, Lin Dai's love affair with the Dragon Fifth Prince has been Lin Dai actively pursuing Dragon Rope Xun from beginning to end, and it has always been Lin Dai who has been seeking perfection.
Lin Dai's expression when she first saw Long Rope xun was almost like Columbus discovering a new continent.
So even when she was at her hottest, she could refuse the film offer and go to the United States for three and a half months, just because Long Rope Xun was in the United States.
Long Shengxun, Lin Dai
Lin Dai's love affair with the Fifth Prince of Long is almost not favored by everyone, including Li Hanxiang.
Because before meeting the Fifth Prince of Dragon, Lin Dai was already patting and dragging, and had reached the point of talking about marriage. The appearance of the Dragon Fifth Prince made her decisively propose to break up. This kind of liking the new and tired of the old, seeing different thoughts and thinking of moving, made Li Hanxiang feel very chilled.
Moreover, Lin Dai was already running for three at that time, and the fifth son of the dragon was only in his early twenties. At this time, the woman's active pursuit made Long Yun's grandfather quite dissatisfied, and when he met Li Hanxiang, he deliberately shouted "My son was prostituted." Let Li Hanxiang feel uncomfortable after listening to it, and he can't refute it for his friends.
In addition, after Lin Dai fell in love, her temperament changed greatly. On the set began frequent late arrivals and early departures, lying. The movie didn't seem to matter to her anymore.
Seeing lin dai, who was once full of confident sunshine, become like this, Li Hanxiang felt too cold.
Therefore, the relationship with Lin Dai has gradually become distant, so that on the day of Lin Dai's big wedding with Long Shengxun, his friend Li Hanxiang has not yet arrived. Later, Li Hanxiang left Shaw and went to Taiwan to found the League of Nations. At this point, the two had almost no contact.
However, after entering the marriage, Lin Dai did not get the happiness she wanted. The lack of seriousness in dealing with the cause in turn affected the success or failure of the role, coupled with the emergence of Shaw's newcomers, so that Lin Dai slowly walked down from the peak of her career.
Her career was not going well, and when she returned home, she found that her husband and the maid had cheated together, so that she committed suicide by gassing in the bedroom. The suicide note reads
"If you really want to save me, please don't send me to the public hospital, because then all the newspapers in Hong Kong will be published like a joke!" Can only find a personal doctor, thank you. ”
From the suicide note, it can be seen that Lin Dai does not really want to die, she may just want to scare Yan Jun, scare her husband once.
When filming with Yan Jun, Lin Dai had already committed suicide twice, and Wan Was fortunately rescued by Yan Jun.
Only this time, the object became the rich man Long Shengxun. The Dragon Fifth Duke didn't go back to the room all night after the fight...
Later, Li Hanxiang recalled that he did not regret not attending Lin Dai's wedding, eating her candy and drinking her son's full moon wine. The only regret is that he did not attend her funeral and pay tribute to her remains.
So after returning from Taiwan, as soon as he got off the plane, Li Hanxiang ran to her cemetery and put down a bouquet of his own flowers in the flowers, remembering what Lin Dai said to him before he died
"Han Xiang, you know, I want to marry Amang wholeheartedly, but unfortunately I don't have that life!" You know what? ”