Recently, the coronavirus has been raging, and many star artists have donated money and materials. And 17 years ago, during the SARS outbreak. In order to fight SARS, the Hong Kong entertainment industry raised funds. Du Qifeng, Xu Ke, Chen Jiashang and other famous directors were convened to shoot a series of public service advertisements on the theme of fighting SARS.
Stephen Chow also participated in directing one of these works.
At the end of April 2003, when video calls were not yet widespread, The Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong first introduced video visits.
Therefore, Stephen Chow took this as a model and filmed this short film called "Hong Kong Must Win".
Because the Internet was not very developed at that time, there were not many mainland audiences who watched it. However, with the recent spread of the coronavirus, this promotional film has been re-dug out by many netizens. This has also caused some controversy. So why? Let's take a look at the content of this film:
At the beginning of the short film, the sick mother starring "charter wife" Yuan Qiu is on a video call with her daughter in the isolation ward.
In addition to her daughter, she also expressed her concern and reluctance to her husband and son.
The daughter on the other end of the phone has already cried: Mom, you are not here, I really can't hold on!
But the mother only encourages her daughter to be strong: what are you afraid of? We can't lose!
Such a sensational, tear-jerking advertising film does not look like the style of Xingye in the past....
However, the wind ahead immediately changes!
It turns out that so much has been said before, all about how the mother directs her daughter to play cards...
The daughter cried to her mother that she could not play cards well, and at the end of the video, the mother was anxious to complain about her daughter.
Subsequently, the film ended on the four big characters of "Hong Kong Must Win" as a conclusion.
This film has also caused some controversy among netizens. Many people think that when showing this kind of life and death parting scene, it is actually not suitable to use this nonsense scene to express.
But many more people hold a different view, arguing that the expression of sadness does not have to be expressed through the same sensational and tear-jerking passages, but also comedy.
The sense of absurdity and contrast is an important means of expression.
But I think that about this film, it seems that different interpretations can be given from different perspectives.
First of all, you can think that in the film, the mother is isolated, and she and her family still have the heart to play mahjong. It is the director who wants to say that even in difficult circumstances, we should maintain an optimistic spirit, and we should not be consumed by the disease and become afraid.
Mom said: We won't lose! That's the confidence you want.
As Liu Cixin described in "The Three-Body Problem", "give life to time, not time to life".
Of course, if you look at it from another perspective, behind the seemingly absurd and nonsensical scene, there may be a deeper level of "sadness".
In the short film, the seemingly absurd and illogical behavior of a family can we be regarded as a kind of "disguise" in the face of possible life and death, a kind of pretending to be optimistic, to deliberately forget the immediate pain? But optimism alone can never eliminate physical pain. This superficial laughter, its practical contrast and exaggeration, further highlights the inner sadness.
Since 1992, Zhou Xingchi has consciously begun to transform. Weakened the earlier more exaggerated and funny style of comics. Added more black humor, tragic style.
In "The Inquisitor", Song Shijie, played by Zhou Xingchi, deliberately defended the rich evil people because of his greed for money, and after winning the lawsuit and receiving money, he laughed and shed two tears. And it is these two tears that make Zhou Xingchi's acting skills go to the road of becoming a god.
Later, from "Journey to the West" to "The King of Comedy", Stephen Chow's films have become more and more prominent in the essence of comedy is the core of tragedy, which makes people cry in laughter.
However, as a comedian, Stephen Chow's acting skills have never been recognized by the mainstream film industry. Several nominations for the Golden Film Emperor failed. He was even ridiculed by some of his peers as a "clown".
But it is also such a "clown" who, when Hong Kong suffered a financial crisis and the film market was the lowest fan, used "Shaolin Football" to set a box office record, and also won seven awards at the Academy Awards, including best film, director and male lead.
Perhaps, the belated award has a certain compensatory nature, and even Zhou Xingchi himself is more downplayed than ever.
But as the emcee at the time, Zhang Minyi, said when she presented the award: Thank you, let Hong Kong people laugh when they are unhappy.
Life is already very bitter, many of us are reluctant to watch tragedies as we get older, but we don't know that the core of comedy is still tragedy, which may be the biggest charm shown in Stephen Chow's movies!