Throughout half a century of Hong Kong film history, there has never been a shortage of superstars, but there are very few who can be called "stars", including Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung, Stephen Chow and so on.
Let’s take the youngest among them Leslie Cheung and Stephen Chow.
One is buried under the spring with mud and bones, and the other is in the world with a head full of snow; one is loved by thousands of people after leaving, one suffers from all kinds of misunderstandings in the world, one walks away gracefully, and the other hides alone.
To say something appropriate and inappropriate, for people like them, life and death are not absolute boundaries, yin and yang just exist in different ways. In the minds of all movie fans, they have jumped out of the Three Realms and are no longer in the world of mortals.
This was true for Anita Mui, who left in the same year as Leslie Cheung, and so was Ng Meng-tat, who accompanied Stephen Chow to share prosperity. Even if the body dies, the soul is immortal. Once a general achieves success, it will last forever.
We always think that superstars are born to be superstars, but we forget that they are mortals. Even if they are on the altar at this moment, we must know that they have experienced hardships in the world that year and month.
Leslie Cheung is like this.
In the Hong Kong entertainment industry in the golden age, most of the film and television superstars were born in the wireless artist training class known as "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry". Leslie Cheung did not have this "luck". His starting point was held by Li's TV in 1977. Singing contest.
Li TV, the predecessor of ATV, has been suffering from weak ratings for a long time and has always been the second best. Although there are many strong people such as Wang Mingquan, Liu Songren, McDonald's, Li Ying, Pan Zhiwen, Liu Zhirong, Wan Ziliang and so on, compared with the three-color friendly channels , always lacking a star's brilliance.
In the early days of Leslie Cheung's debut, Li's TV was at the time when Huang Xizhao was in power and McDonald's was in power. In order to change the inertia of ratings, the whole stage was brutally developed, everyone talked and laughed like a workaholic, and all their interactions were crazy. The gentle and elegant Mr. Zhang seemed so out of place among them.
Although Huang Xizhao received a golden compliment from Huang Xizhao on the night of his debut, "I'm gonna make you a star", the hardships of fate did not allow Leslie Cheung to be spared. It is said that young people should not be bullied into poverty, but young people should have experienced some sorrow and hardship, but it has been beneficial to them.
During those two years, Leslie Cheung's albums sold poorly and he was even fired by the record company. He also did not have many performance opportunities on TV stations. When he was desperate, he was even tricked by Wu Siyuan into filming the romance-themed "Spring in a Red Mansion", thus sacrificing his screen debut in vain.
The whole story was like this. At that time, he was lured by Wu Siyuan with a high price of 6,000 yuan to star in the romance film "Spring in a Red Mansion". It is naturally very rare for a newcomer to have the opportunity to be the protagonist of a movie, but it is definitely not what he expected when his debut film is full of drama.
years later, when the Hong Kong media once again dug up this old affair to expose and smear the news, he responded: "It also helps everyone see that I have suffered a lot of grievances and suffered a lot in the past." He swallowed his seemingly plain tone. How much humiliation, perhaps only he himself knows.
Leslie Cheung, who looks gentle on the outside, is not weak at heart, and his stubbornness cannot be concealed. Even if he hits his head badly and bleeds, he is unwilling to rely on others. Sometimes he recommends himself, sometimes he argues with reason. In short, no one can ignore the strong aggressive attitude of this young man.
In 1978, McDonald's gathered all the efforts of Taiwan to shoot the realistic long drama "Crocodile Tears". Leslie Cheung had the opportunity to participate in it, and finally officially launched his acting career.
"Crocodile Tears" successfully grabbed the ratings as soon as it was released, with an average of more than one million viewers, shattering the myth of inertial ratings of TVB's "Happy Tonight". At the same time, Leslie Cheung also began to gain more attention from the industry and outside the industry.
In the following two years, Leslie Cheung successively participated in many TV dramas such as "The Swordsman", "Six Tribulations of the Floating Life", "The Great Heroes 2", "Cheung Sam Fung", "Twenty-Four Sweet Flavors", etc., gradually increasing his popularity. And established the youth idol route.
Although he has opened up a new pattern in television performances, he still can't let go of his beloved singing career. During that time, he participated in platter shows everywhere, sang other people's songs, and tried his best to please the audience, but with little success.
Once, he got excited about singing during a performance and threw his hat to the audience, but was thrown back on the stage. He insisted on finishing the song and burst into tears when he returned backstage. Some people even left messages on the phone asking him to close the stall early and go back to study more.
This little-known painful experience can be said to be the greatest shame that he can never forget in his life, but it has also become his lasting inspiration. Every time he encountered a setback, he gritted his teeth and told himself to persevere and not to show his weakness to others.
Of course, I have to mention the fierce and unusual "Youth on Fire" here. At that time, Leslie Cheung was about to change his acting career and had no intention of taking on the role of an innocent and immature teenager. Instead, Tam Jiaming took a fancy to his aristocratic temperament and did not choose any other candidates. During the contact process with
, he learned that the script was about a bold and unrestrained young man. He was very satisfied and thought it was a movie that could show his masculinity. As a result, the director still asked him to play the role of a spoiled rich kid, which made him feel deceived.
"Youth on Fire" made Xia Wenxi and Ye Tong popular in one fell swoop, two bold and unrestrained women, but Leslie Cheung and Tang Zhenye lost their roles. Despite this, the film earned him his first Academy Award nomination, and his film career took a turn for the better.
At that time, he, Chen Baiqiang and Paul Chung were known as the "Third Prince of Central", even earlier than the "Wireless Five". It's a pity that fate has its way with people. The Wireless Five Tigers all have great blessings, and the Prince of Central always suffers from misfortune, but that's a story for another day.
During his several years at Lai TV, in addition to being recognized and reused by senior management and gold medal producers such as Huang Xizhao, McDonald's, Li Zhaoxiong, Xiao Sheng, the diligent and motivated Leslie Cheung also met the nobleman and talent of his life - Li Xiaotian.
At that time, Li Xiaotian arranged the theme songs and interludes for most of LiTV's dramas, such as "The Transformation of the Silkworm", "The Love of the Earth", "Splashing on the Causeway", "Remaining Dreams", "When People Weep on the Journey", "Drama Life", etc. , all of them are well-known and well-known in the streets.
In 1981, Lai's TV was sold, and the top management changed. Huang Xizhao stepped down, McDonald's resigned, Li Zhaoxiong took over, Xiao Shu passed away, and Li Xiaotian also switched to China Star Records, a subsidiary of TVB, as the music director.
In the second year, Leslie Cheung's contract with Li's TV expired. With the help of China Star manager Chen Shufen, he also followed his mentor Li Xiaotian to switch to TVB and China Star Records, starting a new journey in his life.
In 1982, the 26-year-old Leslie Cheung had experienced too many things. He took over the filming of "Youth on Fire", left Li's TV, and reunited with his childhood playmate Tang Hede at the end of the year. The goddess of fate seemed to be eager for him to make a change.
Over the past few years, Leslie Cheung has mentioned very little about Li Shi's life and only mentioned it briefly. But in fact, this unsmooth experience subtly shaped his strong character and laid a solid foundation for his stormy superstar road in the future.
In 1983, under the supervision of Lai Siu-tin, Leslie Cheung changed his singing path and released his solo album "The Wind Keeps Blowing". With this album, he ascended to the center of the Hong Kong music scene, establishing his irreplaceable status as a superstar in the future.
The following year, the title song "Monica" included in the album "Leslie" was released, breaking multiple sales records. Leslie Cheung became completely popular in the music world, and the work also became a landmark work in the history of Hong Kong pop music.
In just two years since joining China Star, things have happened that are no less than those in Li TV. Here, he got to know Anita Mui, met Maggie Cheung, and laughed away his grudges with Chen Baiqiang and Paul Chung, and was gradually pushed into the whirlpool of fame and wealth of "Tan and Zhang Zhan".
Let’s go back to the Hong Kong film industry back then. It was the third quarter of the world, Shaw Brothers Golden Harvest was showing signs of exhaustion, Art City was at its peak, and there was a large-scale recruitment drive. Music celebrities such as Xu Guanjie, Lin Zixiang, Alan Tam, Chen Baiqiang, and Michelle Ye successively entered the struggle room.
"Merry Christmas" officially launched Leslie Cheung's more than ten-year film relationship with Princess Jin, New Arts City and Huang Baiming. Although he inevitably traveled to various studios in the process, he is still an out-and-out New Art City lover.
In 1986, Leslie Cheung, who was thirty years old, finally ushered in the "decisive battle at the top of the Forbidden City" in the life and death battle of the film and television music industry. At that time, Alan Tam had been firmly on the throne of the singing world for three consecutive years, and Leslie Cheung also began to sound the horn of attack.
The era of "Tan and Zhang's hegemony" in the Hong Kong music scene has officially arrived.
Both Leslie Cheung and Alan Tam have gone through a long period of dormancy, and have accumulated solid skills and widespread popularity. One is a master of mainstream business, and the other is a trendy and rebellious youth idol. The situation and public opinion have pushed them into a showdown.
In fact, the initial "Tan-Zhang Battle" maintained a healthy competition on the whole, and was not much different from the box office battle between Sammo Hung and Mai Jia. Work is always work, entertainment doesn’t have to be taken too seriously. It was not until the end of the year when the boos sounded at the Golden Song Awards Ceremony that the game was completely out of control.
That night, faced with boos all over the sky, Leslie Cheung had mixed feelings and uttered a few words from the bottom of his heart: "It takes a short time for some people to achieve success. For some people, it takes a longer time to get something. At least. What I got now was something I took very hard.”
After Leslie Cheung left Huaxing and switched to New Art City and PolyGram’s New Art Company, record sales reached another peak, and both groups of fans joined him. With the incompatibility and the mainstream media adding fuel to the fire, Tan and Zhang's struggle for hegemony has entered a white-hot situation, and the entertainment industry has also reached a prosperity rarely seen in the world.
In this competition, Leslie Cheung and Alan Tam showed extraordinary idol charm, while also enduring tremendous physical and mental pressure. The two have no personal grudges. Although they have different personalities and different companies, it is difficult to form a particularly close friendship, but they always have mutual respect and appreciation for each other.
The essence of Tan and Zhang's struggle for supremacy is the overt and covert struggle between record companies. It is the epitome of the fierce competition in the Hong Kong music scene and even the entire entertainment industry in the 1980s. Tan and Zhang's exciting competition pushed the music scene into its heyday and left an indelible mark in the history of Chinese pop music.
At the same time that the Hong Kong music scene was entering its heyday, the Hong Kong film scene was also reaching its peak, and both of these two major chapters were heavily influenced by Leslie Cheung's books. On August 2, 1986, the epoch-making "A Better Tomorrow" was released.
The most interesting thing about this supreme classic of the times is not Leslie Cheung or Ti Lung, but Chow Yun-fat who was the undistinguished guest and won all the romance. However, without Leslie Cheung, there would be no "A Better Tomorrow."
At that time, Chow Yun-fat was notorious as a "box office poison", and the middle-aged and frustrated Ti Lung had just left the discontinued Shaw Brothers. None of them had the box office appeal later. Only Leslie Cheung's own fan base was the market guarantee.
During the filming process, John Woo put more effort into Ti Lung and Chow Yun-fat. Ponyboy had more and more roles, and Song Zijie's space became smaller and smaller, which ultimately led to Leslie Cheung's character image being thin and unlikable.
A gentle and kind-hearted person like Leslie Cheung does not resent this. As an excellent actor, he understands that the overall artistic effect should be the first priority in film creation, and the actor's personal gains and losses and image must give way to this. After the movie
was released, he was worried that his character would be booed, but at the same time he was amazed by Chow Yun-fat's performance. This wonderful experience also made him close friends with Ti Lung, Chow Yun-fat, John Woo, Tsui Hark and others.
It can be said that "A Better Tomorrow" exudes heroism and masculine loyalty both inside and outside the scenes.
"A Better Tomorrow" made John Woo stand up, gave Chow Yun-fat the limelight, Ti Lung's career rebounded, and New Arts City once again won the top spot in the votes. Everyone got their own things back, but it seems that only Leslie Cheung got nothing?
certainly isn't.This film can be seen as an important node in his transformation from an idol to a powerful actor. Under the discussion and consideration of a group of outstanding directors and actors, he fully integrated his personal rebellion and persistence, broadened his acting career, and gained more than he lost. .
In 1987, in order to repay Leslie Cheung's kindness and Song Zijie's regret, Tsui Hark tailored another classic of the times for him-"A Chinese Ghost Story"; and John Woo also further enriched the charm of Song Zijie's character in "A Better Tomorrow" .
If Andy Lau's achievements are the result of hard work, then Leslie Cheung's status is the reward of kindness and warmth. Yes, everything in the universe has always conserved mass, and his sincerity will not be in vain.
In the same year, Golden Harvest wanted to put Li Bihua's "Rouge Button" on the screen, but the script was still not finalized after seven or eight drafts. The original director Tang Keming resigned from the film, and other leading roles except Anita Mui were also unavailable. Chen Ziqiang asked Guan Jinpeng to take over. Re-edited by Qiu Gangjian.
Aguan recalled: "Amei said, let's find Leslie Cheung. At that time, Leslie Cheung was a newcomer to New Art City, and Anita Mui was an artist from Jiahe. Amei said that as long as he filmed "Rouge Button", she would help New Art City to film one. This is how I got Leslie Cheung back."
As a result, Leslie Cheung successfully joined the cast, and Anita Mui also went to Xinyi City to reshoot the film "Happy No Words". Facts have proved that the Twelve Young Masters must be Leslie Cheung. After the filming of "Rouge Button" started, his first scene was the classic look back at the Twelve Young Masters.
To this day, Guan Jinpeng can't forget his brother's grace on the set: "It's rare to see a Chinese actor with such beautiful features, but Leslie Cheung's presentation of each role does not make people interested in the role because of his handsome appearance. "
After "Rouge Button", Leslie Cheung's acting direction began to transition from commercial films to literary films, which, together with his singing career, set him apart from ordinary commercial film actors in the future and made him a saint in artistic attainments. Completely prepared.
Leslie Cheung’s story is only half told here, but compared to his later brilliance, this is also a period of Leslie Cheung that few people know about.
From 1977 to 1987, ten years were neither long nor short. There is a saying in Hong Kong that Leslie Cheung will have to endure ten years. It seems that this statement is true.
Huang Xizhao, McDonald, Lai Xiaotian, Chen Shufen, Chen Baiqiang, Paul Chung, Anita Mui, Alan Tam, Chow Yun-fat, Ti Lung, Tsui Hark, John Woo... characters from all walks of life appeared in turn, and different names flashed one by one.
All fates come and go like flying clouds, like the white clouds in the sky that come and go. Everything seems to be to create a better Leslie Cheung.
From a worthless newcomer in the industry to a superstar loved by thousands of people, Leslie Cheung experienced six tribulations in his life and swallowed countless blood and tears.
Those ten years of struggle are the essence and symbol of Hong Kong’s spirit; those ten years of struggle will also accompany the city into the future.
We all know what happened next. He continued to confuse all living beings with his unparalleled charm until the end of his life and the world.
