Before the movie started, Jackie Chan's old injury relapsed. In order not to affect other people, he disregarded the doctor's objection and entered the film crew under a closed door. But because the action was too intense, the amount that could be managed for half a year was used up in 20 days. He knew that this was an overdraft, and he was even mentally prepared, "This may be the last call."
"Dragon Horse Spirit" poster
Over the years, the audience has clearly felt Jackie Chan's "transformation". Although he has always maintained a relatively high frequency of meeting the audience in movies, he still focuses on the type of action comedy, but those desperate signature Jackie Chan elements, has become less and less. But this time, Jackie Chan once again "fighted" for the movie, which originated from a word-"Dragon and Tiger Warrior".
"Dragon and Tiger Martial Artist" comes from Cantonese opera and refers to a martial artist who specializes in martial arts. This is a profession without a face. In the film industry, dragon and tiger warriors are mainly responsible for the stand-in work of action scenes. Jumping from a building, falling a table, hitting a wall are commonplace, and dislocations, fractures, and burns are commonplace. Jackie Chan, who has been in the industry for 60 years, said bluntly: "There is no tomorrow in this industry."
In 1961, 8-year-old Jackie Chan was led by his father to the opera troupe of Peking Opera master Yu Zhanyuan, and he was a student of the famous "Seven Little Fortunes" troupe. In 1971, the theater troupe was disbanded, and these brothers and sisters made their own living. Jackie Chan entered the film industry, starting from the bottom of the dragon and tiger martial arts. This has created the brilliance of Chinese action movies——
The Kung Fu comedy "The Snake" became an instant hit; "Drunken Master" surpassed the box office results of all Bruce Lee's films, and entered Japan, South Korea and even the world in one fell swoop; starting from the classic clock tower falling scene in "Project A", established The stunt performance style of fighting for life in person; with "Police Story", he won the Best Picture Award at the 4th Hong Kong Film Awards that year, and the innovative fighting and "following the actors" shooting mode in the film also conquered Hollywood. Known as the textbook of action movies; the return to Hollywood, the "Rush Hour" series has set a very high box office of 847 million worldwide...
In 2017, Jackie Chan won the "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the 89th Academy Awards, becoming the youngest winner of the Oscar Lifetime Achievement Award in history, and the only Chinese to receive this honor so far. And the family-making classes he brought out are also well-known in the Chinese film industry: "Tai囧" series, "Wolf Warrior" series, "Chinatown Detective" series, "Operation Red Sea", "Operation Mekong" and other multi-billion-level films. There are also family-making classes for action guidance.
The core spirit of the dragon and tiger martial arts master is simple and clear, which is "desperate". These two words made Hong Kong action movies popular all over the world in the 1980s and 1990s, and also made today's film martial arts talents wither. The popularity of special effects technology makes exciting and exciting fighting scenes no longer require physical dragons and tigers. Martial arts. Jackie Chan also realized early on that he could not be an action actor all his life, but an actor with "long vitality". After returning from Hollywood, he participated in "Little Soldiers", "Kung Fu Dream", "British Showdown" and other transformational works that are not heavy on action, and he still maintains a certain amount of output every year.
"Dragon Horse Spirit" stills
The past glory of Hong Kong kung fu movies and the current decline are intertwined, which is the keynote of the movie "Dragon Horse Spirit" starring Jackie Chan on the 60th anniversary of his entry into the industry. The down-and-out martial artist "Lao Luo" who lives by taking photos in Hengdian Film and Television City is Jackie Chan, not Jackie Chan. He is not a big star, but just an ordinary person, with his beloved horse Chitu, he wants to regain the glory of the past, and regain his dignity as a dragon and tiger warrior and his lost family affection.
To some extent, Lao Luo is clearly Jackie Chan himself. The many lines in the film can be said to point out the essence of the profession of dragon and tiger martial artist——
"If we don't do it, what will the audience watch?"
"Their group is very simple, Action, Jump, Hospital."
"It's easy to jump off, but hard to walk down."
"My job is to jump high buildings, roll fire pits, and fly around with an umbrella."
"The way to defend love is desperately."
When "Lao Luo" and his daughter watched his clips of dangerous martial arts over the past few decades in the dark, they grasped the helicopter, slid the walls of buildings, flew into hot air balloons, slid down from the railings, and hung on the speeding airplane while holding an umbrella. On the bus... the movie images and Jackie Chan's artistic life are constantly intertwined, blending in perfect harmony, making people feel dazed, reminding countless pasts and looking forward to countless futures. It can be believed that the tears that "Lao Luo" shed at that time were also Jackie Chan's tears.
A plot in the film is quite meaningful: the junior action actor played by Wu Jing invites "Lao Luo" to film, paying tribute to the spirit of Dragon and Tiger Warrior. In the face of emerging special effects technology and protection measures, "Lao Luo" is very resistant. Director Yang Zi said: "This is an inheritance of the spirit, and it is also a continuation of the development of the spirit." Just like the obsession shown by "Lao Luo" in the film, the dragon and tiger martial arts master who is a twilight hero can never let go of the feeling of being with the past. The strength of the time struggle is still desperately desperate.
"This business is always an environment in which the master guides the apprentice. When the newcomers are still young saplings, protect them from excessive consumption. However, when the apprentice breaks out, the master stays in the past. So the apprentice tries to tell Master, we have inherited the spirit that you want to protect, but we have used a new method, I hope you can understand us.” The older generation of dragon and tiger martial arts masters cannot continue to express their love for this profession in the old way, and love has been Trapped, develop a stubborn character. In the interaction and dialogue with his apprentice, he finally reconciled with time and himself. The core spirit remains unchanged, but the human nature is being extended.
"I hope we show them a little more care, understanding and tolerance. They were the best in their day, and they laid the foundation for today's good times. To help them find a way to express their love, they are I’ll learn how to walk.” Director Yang Zi grew up watching Hong Kong kung fu movies, and his countless feelings were brought into reality in the movies, but he was still deeply moved by the spirit of Dragon and Tiger Warrior after he finished filming the movie.
At the Shanghai Roadshow on April 5th, Jackie Chan talked about the coincidence that such a movie was released on his 69th birthday, and sighed: "I want everyone to know that Jackie Chan is an actor. Action actors have a short life, and actors have a very short life." Long, it is a miracle that I can still fight today. I am really very lucky, because of your support, I can make an action movie every year for you to watch." For Jackie Chan, the movie "The Spirit of the Dragon Horse" is not only a review of the past, but also the starting point of a new journey.
On the day of the Shanghai Roadshow, Jackie Chan accepted an exclusive interview with The Paper. This time, he is not a world-renowned kung fu superstar who dominates the film set, he is just a late and fierce old dragon and tiger martial artist.
Jackie Chan accepted an exclusive interview with The Paper. The Paper reporter Xue Songtu
【dialogue】
"As soon as the machine is turned on, I can risk my life"
The Paper : This time you entered the group with an injury, what was the injury at that time? Is it a new injury or an old injury?
Jackie Chan : It's an old wound. A year ago, I had a blockade. After that, I had to walk slowly. I couldn't stand for too long, and I couldn't even go to the toilet for too long. I was still on crutches when the director came to see me, and shooting started shortly thereafter. I was worried that when the filming started, I was still on crutches and couldn't fight, which would bring a lot of pressure to him. So I went to the hospital and had another round of closure. This was the last time, and I couldn't do it again in the future. I don't care about anything when I'm filming, I'm the kind of person who can risk my life as long as the machine is turned on.
The Paper : So desperately, what content in the script attracted you?
Jackie Chan : In addition to talking about myself, this script is also a tribute to martial arts stuntmen all over the world. There are many real stories that happened to me before, even if I didn't experience it personally, I saw it with my own eyes, participated in it, and it is vivid in my memory. Moreover, this story also talks about the relationship between father and daughter and horses. The whole story is not very monotonous. It only talks about Jackie Chan. It is very complete and a very good script.
The Paper : Is this role a true character for you? Or will it be difficult?
Jackie Chan : Most of the time, I hardly need to act, just like my previous life. Of course, the director will continue to adjust and tell me what he thinks "Lao Luo" is like. What I need to consciously overcome is that I am afraid that if I act, I will become the current "big brother", that is, the boss of the family-making class. "Lao Luo" is not the eldest brother, he is an old-fashioned dragon and tiger martial artist. I want to act out that old-fashioned feeling, as well as a vulnerable side and a lonely side, which are not common in previous screens." "Big Brother" character level.
"Dragon Horse Spirit" stills
The Paper : Will there be some plots that make you feel like you are back in your dreams?
Jackie Chan : There are too many. Dragon and Tiger martial arts masters have today and no tomorrow, we will be very happy when we are together, and we will be very lonely when we are alone. Before the profession of dragon and tiger martial artist was made public, it was very lonely. Unlike now, you can find someone with just one phone call. It was not so convenient to make a phone call before. Only after we start work, can everyone compete on the trampoline, high jump, long jump, and boxing together crazily. After work is over, everyone goes to dinner and drinks together after dinner. At that time, there were not so many entertainment activities, but the group of people was very happy together, and there were too many memories. It’s different now, now there are the care of the martial arts instructor, the insurance bought by the on-site producer, and the auxiliary wire... In the past, the dragon and tiger martial arts masters just jumped down, and they didn’t know how to lay things underneath. Yuen Biao and I were two, our ankles were tied with torn shirts. After he danced and I danced, every scene came like this, and our feet were very swollen. Sometimes I have a plaster cast in the hospital, and I have to rush back to drink and play with everyone. This is the fate of the dragon and tiger warriors.
The Paper : We grew up watching your movies, and heard countless legends about you and your peers who "don't die". Every time, do you think about what to do if something happens?
Jackie Chan : Yes. But when you turn it on, you won't think about anything. As soon as I stood there, my heart just got a little active, and then I called "start up", so I had to bite the bullet and do it, and I couldn't bear to think about it. I jumped down in "Police Story", there was nothing on the 7th floor, just relying on a light, my hands were turned on, and I just said "power on" and I went down. If a person stays up there for too long, he won't be able to get down. Why didn't I jump off "Project A" for 7 days, that's it. I was hanging on it looking at the shed, and if I moved forward a bit, my butt was right in the middle of the shed. If I go forward too much, I will break my foot again. I also need to look at the light. If it is cloudy, I will shoot the next day. In the end, Sammo Hung told me to hurry up and shoot, and we "overwhelmed" the parking lot. I went up and asked Sammo Hung to "call the plane". Because I was already the "big brother" at that time, and only Sammo Hung was my big brother. As soon as I turned it on, I got a "boom" down. So I made other movies later, and it was the same way. My brothers, don’t go and stay in that place in the morning, and shoot right away when you go up, otherwise people will think too much.
The Paper : This movie is quite special, it is a collaboration with a horse. Is there any challenge or something special about filming with animals?
Jackie Chan : It's too much of a challenge. There is a saying in our film industry that children and dogs, horses and instructors cannot be filmed. It is too difficult to shoot an animal scene. It walks when it wants to, and stops when it wants to. Suddenly there is a sound from there, and it will be afraid. After the director selected the horse, he asked a horse trainer to train it all the time. I also talked to it every day on the set. Be patient, loving, and take the time to shoot a shot. In fact, we have photographed horses for so many years, and we have also gained some experience in photographing.
"Dragon Horse Spirit" stills
The audience does not accept that I use special effects and does not allow me to grow old
The Paper : Lao Luo in the film is a traditional dragon and tiger martial artist, facing some discomfort or challenges in the new film and television environment. You yourself came from that era, have you ever had a similar experience in real life?
Jackie Chan : Too many. Once I was filming a public welfare film with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the United States. The two of us sat on a motorcycle and they said that the filming would be over. Later when the movie was released, the two of us were running on the road, while other cars dodged left and right, and even rolled over us, the effect was just like the real thing. This is what I don't understand. I don't even know how to retouch pictures, and I don't have WeChat or Weibo. I can only take real pictures. In real life, I am "Lao Luo". But I took the real thing, and they didn't understand.
The Paper : Do you think Dragon and Tiger Warrior created the brilliant action movies at that time, or was it because of the underdeveloped technology at that time that Dragon and Tiger Warrior created Dragon and Tiger Warrior?
Jackie Chan : Both. I also thought about using technology to help us, but we don't understand, so we can only continue on this path. After breaking through this path, audiences now want to see Jackie Chan for real. Now that we have money and equipment, we don’t need them, and dare not use them. The audience can watch other people use stunts to do actions, but they don't accept me, Wu Jing, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Biao to do this kind of role. When they come to see Jackie Chan, they just want to really fall and jump. They can watch anyone turn into this hero or that hero, cover their faces, and use special effects to go to the sky and into the earth, no matter how powerful they are, but Jackie Chan can't.
The Paper : Do you feel that acting as an actor is actually a limitation for you?
Jackie Chan : Yes. So you have to change yourself. You see, haven't I been changing in the past ten years? Those who came out before me, those who came out at the same time as me, and those who came out after me, how many action actors are there? I realized very early on that I can’t just be an action actor, I want to be an actor, so you see I’ve been changing. After I came back, I made "Little Soldiers", "Kung Fu Dream" and "British Showdown" to let the audience Yes, I'm an actor. The vitality of action actors is very short, if people think you are an action actor, you are very pitiful. But it is because of the film I made before that the director wrote such a script for me. I don't have to be a big hero, but I can be a down-and-out dragon and tiger warrior. No one wrote this kind of script for me before, especially in the United States, when I wrote it, it was "Rush Hour", or it was Hong Kong police or Macau police. I can't be a cop forever.
The Paper : Is this transformation because you also realize that you may indeed be old?
Jackie Chan : Of course I will realize that I am old. The audience does not allow me to grow old, they are even more afraid of Jackie Chan getting old. But I can’t always fool people. I do a lot of moves on the spot. I used to be able to jump directly, but now I can’t do it anymore. What I can fight and do, I will still do it myself, because I still like to do movements.
"Dragon Horse Spirit" stills
I have patriotism at my root
The Paper : When people mention you, they think that you represent the image of Chinese people in the world. Will you feel some pressure or motivation because of this?
Jackie Chan : It's a lot of pressure, but it's a kind of self-consciousness for me. If you look at my movies from decades ago, I have made some patriotic movies that represent the Chinese going out. I have this kind of thinking at the root. At that time, Hong Kong had not returned to the motherland. You said that I was Chinese, but I was not all. You said that I was British, but I was not. I just grew up in Hong Kong. When I wrote the script at that time, I wrote some patriotic feelings, and this will never change. I want to take Chinese culture out. Forty years ago, when Westerners looked at Asians, they said you were Japanese. I said, 'No, I'm Chinese.' I want people to know that I am a Chinese in Tang suit, so you can see where I am. They all wear Tang suits. I also want foreigners to like our Chinese actions and Chinese culture. When foreigners come, I will be the first to invite them to drink Chinese baijiu. If they don’t like it, I will tell them how delicious it is. I just hope to promote all our Chinese things.
The Paper : There is a saying that the golden age of Hong Kong movies was created by various film companies and their crews.
Jackie Chan : Yes. We used to fight. I fight with Sammo Hung, Sammo Hung fights with Yuan Heping, Yuan Heping fights with me, and I fight with my brothers. Let's see who can shoot well among the members of Chengjiaban, Hongjiaban, Yuanjiaban, and Liujiaban. Fighting brothers and brothers is so much fun, that era is gone now, and now there is no need to fight.
The Paper : When facing the juniors in the family-making class, will you use the requirements of other people to yourself, or you to yourself, to strictly demand them?
Jackie Chan : Rules are necessary, but actions are no longer necessary. There are many things to assist them in the movements, why do you have to work hard. But if you want to fight, you won't cheat, such as hitting glass, hitting steel pipes, these things, just do it. But these things also have very good assistance now, more than a dozen brothers will help you complete this dangerous action. In the past, there was no such thing as dancing by myself. Maybe if I see you today, I won’t see you tomorrow.
"Dragon Horse Spirit" stills
