Alas, I was still slow. I didn’t expect that the tickets for this Beijing Film Festival would be sold out so quickly.
originally wanted to grab a 4k restored copy of "A Dream in the Garden".
didn’t expect...so many people wanted to see Azu perform a high-definition bathing performance on the big screen!
Fortunately. There are still many good movies in
's "Tribute and Restoration" film list this time.
For example, Ozu Yasujiro's three classic works "While My Father Was Alive", "A Gentleman in the Longhouse" and "Floating Weeds" have all been newly restored and returned to the big screen.
And in this film list, there is another movie that must be mentioned -
The Pledge of Allegiance
That's right, a work made 46 years ago.
directed by Hui Guanwen, starring the three brothers Hui Guanwen, Hui Guanjie and Hui Guanying, was the box office champion of Hong Kong movies that year.
is a bit old?
But looking back at this hilarious and scolding movie 46 years later, people may be surprised that half a century has passed and many things have not changed at all.
It points directly to the absurdity of reality. Of course,
is also different.
That is today, we have changed.
01
Drunk and making trouble
Who is Xu Guanwen?
Maybe younger viewers will be a little confused.
But if you are familiar with Hong Kong movies.
You will know that he is one of the most legendary figures in the Hong Kong film and television industry. Many people even think that the king of comedy in Hong Kong movies is not Stephen Chow, but him.
for example.
You may have seen a director who makes a box office hit every time he makes a movie, but have you ever seen a director who can win the box office championship every time he makes a movie?
Xu Guanwen is.
Starting from his directorial debut in 1974, "The Ghost Rider", to "The Genius and the Idiot", "Half a Thing", "The Pledge of Allegiance" and "Modern Bodyguard", Xu Guanwen made 5 consecutive movies in 8 years and became the annual box office champion for 5 times. .
has statistics displayed.
Among Hong Kong movies from the 1970s to the 1980s, five of the top 10 films with the highest attendance were starring Xu Guanwen and two were directed by him.
in other words.
In the Hong Kong film industry back then, Xu Guanwen had no rivals.
Even to a certain extent, we can say that it was Xu Guanwen who single-handedly promoted Cantonese films and eventually formed the "Hong Kong films" we are familiar with.
Is it just because it's funny?
is not all.
Take "Deed of Sale" as an example.
The reason why it is really popular is not because of the wild jokes (Xu Guanwen's requirement for comedy is to have a small laugh in 3 minutes and a big laugh in 5 minutes).
But his starting point is to work as a worker.
is miraculous to say the least. The creation of this movie originated from an unsolved case in the Hong Kong film industry - the
Wang Yu theft incident.
It is said that one day, Xu Guanwen's good friend Wang Yu, who was the number one actor in martial arts films at that time, came to have a drink with him.
△ Stills of "The One-Armed Sword" starring Wang Yu
When he was drunk, he revealed a secret to Xu Guanwen -
At that time, Wang Yu helped Shaw Brothers make a lot of money, and the box office of "The One-Armed Sword" sold 100 million, "Assassin" sold 980,000, which is undoubtedly Shaw Brothers' biggest cash cow.
But what about salary?
only received 1,200 yuan (later Dahong only received 15,000 yuan).
Under such unreasonable treatment, Wang Yu repeatedly proposed a salary increase, but the company did not agree, so he wanted to terminate the contract and make the film himself, but Shaw Brothers also did not agree. What should I do?
It was a dark and windy night.
Wang Yu sneaked into Shaw Brothers' office and stole more than a hundred contracts in one go.
was set on fire.
(Wang Yu said in a subsequent interview that it would be too obvious to steal only his own)
However, Shaw Brothers suffered from the lack of evidence, so they had to quietly "renew" the contracts one by one on the grounds of changing the terms.
This matter is over.
The important thing is coming.
Xu Guanwen still remembered this story after he sobered up, so he wrote the script of "The Deed of Prosecution".
Half a year later, the movie was released and sold 7.82 million.
actually breathed a sigh of relief.
So as you can see in "The Pledge of Allegiance", the logo of Tri-Color TV Station is obviously an insinuation of Hong Kong's TVB (TVB, which is also the property of Boss Shao), saying that they unscrupulously squeeze their employees, and in order to pursue ratings, they spend more time on program planning Extremely "bloodthirsty".
I don’t know what Boss Shao will think when he sees this film.
The story is simple.
Brother Zhiwen (played by Xu Guanwen) wants to go to another TV station to pursue career development.
However, due to his "sell-out contract", he has been unable to get ahead in the three-color TV station for eight years, and has always been a walk-on on the TV station.
In order to give myself a new future.
He decided to sneak into the TV station with his younger brother Zhixin (played by Xu Guanying) and steal his "sale contract".
is the story of a battle of wits and courage between him and his brother after being discovered by thugs from the top management.
Although the story is simple, "The Pledge of Allegiance" is more like Xu Guanwen's "experiment of what will happen if the dialogue is reduced to a minimum."
The design of every comedy link is also meticulous.
For example, in this scene, Xu Guanwen, who was disguised as a woman, took Guanying to secretly sell his body, but accidentally, his brother was pushed out of the company window.
It was originally a thrilling scene, but Xu Guanwen was able to add a bit of comedy to such a tense moment.
For example, on one side, my brother was in the room, grinning and pulling on the nylon rope, trying to pull his brother up.
On the other side, my brother's head just got stuck on the eaves.
pulls the other end, and the other end is hit.
looks so stupid and unlucky, the more I look at it, the funnier it becomes.
Moreover, the comedy scenes arranged by Xu Guanwen in the movie were not added casually.
has such a detail.
Xu Guanwen hid under the table, and a nylon rope appeared in the office.
Why can't I see this thug in white?
But when the thug turned around, he happened to be blind in his left eye.
His visual blind spot is just enough to block small movements on the left.
The more nervous they are, the more embarrassed they are, and the more the audience wants to laugh.
This is Xu Guanwen's genius in comedy.
He can carefully design a comedy plot and unfold each step slowly.
△ Unfortunately, I got an electric shock while hanging on the light sign. However, the light sign said "electronic massage"
so to speak.
At that time, Hui Guanwen's grasp of comedy rhythm was unparalleled. He was also the first person in the Hong Kong film industry to inherit the performance methods of Chaplin and Keaton.
but.
as sir said before.
Xi Guanwen's ability to cause a sensation in Hong Kong is not due to his outstanding comedy skills.
but unconsciously.
observes human nature and society with an intellectual perspective.
02
Reality and Comedy
In one of Huang Zihua's comedy shows, he once used "Half a Category" as a joke.
said that his father would press his shoulders and sing this song as soon as he got off work, "We, a group of wage earners, have been slaves for money all our lives. Telling about this kind of hard torture can scare ghosts and kill you." "
This song "Half Catty Eight Liang" is also the theme song of the movie of the same name.
You can also get a glimpse of Xu Guanwen's comedy style from this song. He is joking seriously, but at the same time, after making you laugh, you suddenly feel particularly bitter.
is like in the movie "Half a Category".
When the music "We Are Working People" played, the camera first focused on the flow of people under the overpass. There were small traders, beggars, and people working here.
Finally, a pair of shoes with holes and leaky soles came in. The down-and-out detective played by
protagonist Xu Guanwen really begins to appear.
Although Xu Guanwen's image in the movie is often acrimonious.
can actually be used.
He is just the one among all living beings who is just trying to make a living.
Just like the gambler who went to jail for cheating, the handyman who collected valuables from the dead in the morgue, the acerbic and greedy security guard... you will be hard-pressed to find something interesting in his works. What a heroic figure. On the contrary,
are all little people with smiling faces and submissiveness.
Why?
Because in his own position, he is just a small person.
doesn’t have the “superiority” of being a celebrity.
Everyone is just trying hard to "find food" and live hard.
So.
In his movies, we will see that he always uses a "failed little guy" setting to accomplish the impossible in his destiny.
He dare not do bad things.
However, he had to do something that didn't seem so bad and change his life a little bit.
It's like in "The Contract", even Zhiwen, who was treated unfairly by the manager, was so angry that he shook the trophy in his hand.
Although, I have murderous intentions.
However, he also chose to use "stealing" to avoid direct conflict.
So, although "The Contract" is a comedy movie.
However, if I read it to my current sir, it would make me cry again.
Overall.
"The Contract of Prosecution" is basically a film made for migrant workers in that era, "The Annual Party Can't Stop!" 》.
is talking about the hardships of being a laborer on the one hand.
For example, in order to appear on the TV station, Zhiwen is willing to do any job.
can be used as a walk-on or as a live target.
On the schedule on the wall, there is only one temporary job at 4:30 pm on Thursday.
are all excited.
On the other hand, he is talking about the top management of the TV station.
plays some more "unbelievable" gambling games.
(guess what they are guessing)
Sympathy for these middle-level workers? Neither is
.
Under the policy of having the highest ratings, the TV station manager actually has no mercy for the audience.
an example.
Zhiwen was sent to host a program (on the next door station) that played with human nature one day - the Fighting Game. Mrs. Li, the lucky spectator selected by
, came to the site to participate in the competition with her puppy, which she regarded as her own, and her sick husband.
The rule of the game is to rely on luck to guess which treasure chest the bonus is in. The amount of
is from 500,000, to 5 million, and finally to 500 million.
The condition is that you have to choose an item on your body to exchange it with before you can open the treasure chest.
Zhiwen, as the host, took a fancy to the dowry bracelet that Mrs. Li wore on her hand. Should
be replaced? Will
be replaced by you?
sir will not spoil the story.
Go and see for yourselves.
However, through the layers of game rules, you will find that the most terrifying thing is not only the crazy viewers and the bottomless TV program planning.
There is also an unfathomable equivalent exchange between people's hearts and interests.
So you see.
Xu Guanwen is mocking everyone - everyone who is greedy for money and distorts morality.
needs to know.
In Hong Kong in the 1970s, the service industry began to slowly replace the traditional manufacturing industry, and Hong Kong's economic modernization completed its transformation; however, in 1973, with the arrival of the Hong Kong stock market crash, inflation and unemployment became the most serious social problems at this time.
During this period, the gap between the rich and the poor also widened, the social crime rate increased, and people's thoughts were no longer simple.
When did society start to become like this?
Xu Guanwen didn’t understand either.
However, he always adds some of his teasing about reality in his comedy movies.
Let me tell you a few more truths.
does not matter whether it is useful or not.
scolded first before talking.
03
He is gradually fading away
But unfortunately, such a comedy genius has gradually been forgotten by people.
This person is not the only one forgotten.
also has his ideas and ways of looking at the world.
sir still remembers that a few years ago, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy Awards.
He said on the stage:
I really don’t feel that I have achieved anything in my life.
only feels that he has a good life.
He attributed his success to "fate". Is
really just lucky?
certainly isn't.
This is just his self-deprecation and self-effacement.
We can say that The reason why Xu Guanwen is successful and still worth talking about today is that he is the only intellectual in Hong Kong who completely puts himself at the bottom and remains sharp at all times.
He doesn't talk about those romantic affairs.
doesn’t say anything about the great principles of life.
His efforts for so many years are just to share the frequency with the real bottom and produce works that the general public will like.
To do this, he will delve into what the audience really likes.
is not like the kung fu movies and romance movies of the past, which superficially appealed to the audience.
will not mention his famous idea of thinking up thirty jokes and leaving only the thirty-one, which has influenced comedy movies for many years.
just said before becoming a director.
He also spent one night writing dozens of pages of plans in order to win the role of host of a high school knowledge quiz TV show.
and asked a female classmate to stay up all night to help him print it out (later this female classmate became his wife).
is also due to such efforts.
He just opened the roller shutter on the window God opened for him.
And the purpose?
makes the public happy while doing his best to express their dissatisfaction and doubts.
became a real mouth substitute.
Xu Guanwen once said, "Movies are my life. I can start from scratch and create the world in my mind. After receiving the information, everyone thinks it is very beautiful and touching. This feeling of satisfaction is extremely great."
That's the mentality.
has brought the comedy realism of Hong Kong films to a peak.
and even after that. Movies like
have never appeared again.
Yes.
In recent years, there have been an endless stream of Hong Kong comedies, including "44", "Family Hot", and "Rice Heart", with different genres and works by different young directors.
In these films, the problems of "house prices plummeting", "epidemic outbreak" and "staying and going out" are indeed included.
However, at the end of the movie, it can only be an ambiguous happy ending, which seems to solve the story problem.
Yes, but still no real itch.
And "Deed of Sale".
At the end of the story, after several protagonists "succeeded in redeeming themselves", they still had to face the situation of continuing to sign a "deed of sale".
They changed their fate of signing a blank "deed of sale".
In the last sentence of the video, Xu Guanwen said bluntly:
It’s not the pigeon shit that stinks, it’s the contract of prostitution that stinks.
Are you just talking about this contract?
no.
is actually talking about the helpless choices people have in this materialistic society.
So what makes a good comedy.
sir feels that Xu Guanwen was actually the first person to lay the foundation for Hong Kong comedy and demonstrate the true value of comedy.
Maybe he is sensitive, inferior, reserved, and even a little pessimistic in his bones.
but on him.
always carries with it that kind of uncertain hope for countless ordinary people like us.
Speaking of this, Sir remembered a scene from "The Night Banquet of a Rich Man" that had just been restored some time ago.
This movie is full of stars.
A widely circulated clip is of Xu Guanwen and Stephen Chow competing for a chicken head:
You are crossing my chicken butt now
People say that this scene is the handover moment between the two comedy masters. At that time, Stephen Chow rose rapidly, And Xu Guanwen gradually withdrew from the comedy stage.
But when a reporter asked him what he thought of Stephen Chow.
He is extremely self-effacing.
replied, "Stephen Chow is a master, I am not" and added, "He is much more handsome than me."
sir did not intend to compare the two who is higher or lower.
is just a pity.
More than thirty years after the movie was released, people only remember that there was Stephen Chow in Hong Kong, and they don't care whether there was Xu Guanwen.
People say that those old comedies are too old. Is
outdated?
no. On the contrary,
sir feels that his attitude and way of treating comedy are exactly what many filmmakers currently lack and need to be valued.
after 50 years as a director.
"Xu Guanwen" is still a scarce product.
Fortunately, over the years, we have discovered that many of Xu Guanwen's works have been restored one after another, and we can see the original appearance of these films.
Especially this "Deed of Prosecution".
is said to have been completed by the Digital Restoration Laboratory of the China Film Archive in cooperation with Douyin and Huoshan Engine, using an arriscan scanner to scan the film's original film negatives in 4K format in Hong Kong.
in other words.
This may be Xu Guanwen's first 4k restored film, and it is also the first time it has been screened in the mainland.
So what do you say?
This seems to be an opportunity to get to know Xu Guanwen again.
at the same time.
is also a rare opportunity for movie fans to have a "time travel" and make appointments with great movies.
It’s time for us to eat something good.
The pictures in this article come from the Internet
Editorial Assistant: Oda won’t let you cut
