Editor's note: This is a nostalgic theater.
Thirty years later, looking back at the Hong Kong film industry in 1993, it can be said that kings gathered and gods fought. There are too many surprises in the films released this year, such as "Fang Shiyu", "The Three Heroes", "Green Snake", "The Legend of the White-haired Witch", "The Three Heroes of the East", "Crime Unit", "The Barbecued Pork Buns with Human Meat at the Eight Immortals Hotel", "Tang Bohu Dian" "Autumn Fragrance", "Forever", "Once Upon a Time in the Lion King", "The Rise of the Invincible in the East", "Water Margin: The True Character of a Hero", "New Brothers in Distress", "East and West", "Happy Events in the Flower Field", "Tai Chi Zhang Sanfeng" and "City" "Hunter"...the film list is not complete yet, but any of the above films will still be a hit and a hit today.
The consequence of the outflow of good films was that the competition at the 13th Hong Kong Film Awards held in 1994 was extremely fierce. However, a small-budget literary film that was not favored by investors and whose director almost had to sell his house to raise money turned out to be the biggest winner. Not only did it receive twelve nominations, but it eventually won the Best Film, Best Director, and Best Film Awards. Six awards including Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. This is "New Love" directed by Er Dongsheng and starring Liu Qingyun and Anita Yuen.
"New Love" Poster
"New Love" is Er Dongsheng's first self-written, directed and self-financed film after directing "The Story of a Bad Guy". It took three years to write the script before I finally had the money to start filming. My brother Qin Pei volunteered to star, and there were also guest appearances from friends in the industry such as Sylvia Chang, Zhang Zhiliang, Chen Kexin, and Qiu Litao. The male lead, Lau Ching Wan, requested to take on the role as early as the script writing stage, only because he was deeply moved by a key line. However, the selection of the female lead had twists and turns. Both Maggie Cheung and Vivian Chow who wanted to invite were not available, and finally the newcomer Anita Yuen was hired.
Before "New Love", there were several films of the same name in film history, including "Unbroken Love" written by Zhang Ailing in 1947 and directed by Sang Hu, "Unbroken Love" produced by Shaw Brothers Film Company and directed by Tao Qin in 1961, and "Unbroken Love" in 1961. In 1970, director Pan Lei remade "New Love" based on the Shaw Brothers version. Since there is "no love", naturally it is difficult for lovers to get married, and this hatred will last forever. Er Dongsheng's version of "New Love" only retains the setting of the Shaw Brothers movie where the male protagonist is frustrated and the female protagonist is terminally ill. The main plot takes a different approach. Although it is also a pure love theme, it tells the story of a person in addition to the superficial love story. Growth and choice. It is painful to be separated from love, but life after that is a completely different world.
Stills of "New Love"
Ajie, played by Liu Qingyun, is talented and unsociable. He spent all his savings to make a jazz record with high quality and low-key music, which was not recognized by the market. Her girlfriend Tracy, played by Carina Lau, is a popular singer who is more pragmatic and sophisticated. Whether to stick to oneself or compromise becomes the fundamental contradiction between the two of them, even if they fall in love, they still drift apart. At the darkest moment in Ajie's life when he was experiencing career and emotional failure, Amin, played by Anita Yuen, appeared. Yes, she illuminated him like a ray of light, using her love to save him from the confusion and sinking of self-pity, and regained his creative inspiration. What is commendable is that the seemingly clichéd story of the movie does not fall into the cliché of the Madonna halo that highlights female self-sacrifice, nor does it repeat the tragic drama of rescue and rescue with unequal emotions. Instead, it narrates the relationship between the two people. Love is like a wonderful catalyst that brings about all kinds of changes.
Screenshot of "New Love"
Hong Kong when the story takes place is far from the prosperous city it is today. While high-rise buildings are still under construction, dark and narrow old streets can be seen everywhere. The entire society is filled with a vigorous atmosphere during the economic rise. After moving out of Tracy's mansion, Ajie moved into an old tenement house on Temple Street and became Amin's neighbor, and their relationship began.
Amin's family runs a Cantonese opera troupe, occasionally singing in the countryside, and usually setting up a tent to sell singing. At first Ajie was dissatisfied with this kind of street performance, but Amin told him, "Look at how happy the old men who come to listen to the songs are. They have no other entertainment. If we don't open, they don't know how disappointed they will be." Let him see Ordinary jobs of ordinary people also have value. Amin took Ajie to the night market, listened to pirated cassettes, watched theater in the countryside, and ate noodles on the boat. Through Amin's guidance, what appeared in front of Ajie was a lower-class civil society that had been ignored by him and the so-called upper-class people. It was a daily life full of fireworks, full of warmth, simplicity and timelessness, and room for flowers and flowers. There is room for anyone who is frustrated.
The relationship between the two gradually heats up. When Ajie enters Amin's life, he also "sees" other living individuals through her. Amin's mother, a former band singer, had a stubborn temper and offended others but never became popular. Uncle Amin was proficient in many musical instruments, especially the saxophone. He was lonely in middle age and only found comfort in the bottle of wine. A Ling, a leading actress in the theater troupe, was shrewd and stingy. Singing without forgetting to show off their coquettishness, these losers, who seemed dejected and lonely but had no shortage of shortcomings, gradually revealed another side full of responsibility, responsibility, open-mindedness and tenacity. Faced with the gap between ideals and reality, their persistence in compromise made Ajie realize that his loss was not an isolated case, and that a momentary win or loss in a utilitarian sense is not the same as the success or failure of the entire life.
Stills of "New Love"
Among the many Hong Kong films that are extremely exaggerated and clearly distinguish between love and hate, "New Love" rarely presents a sense of complexity. Although young artists are worthy of sympathy for their unappreciated talents, are their personal interests under the banner of artistic ideals narrow, and are their self-interest and pursuit of life incompatible with each other? The successful people represented by Tracy and the record company certainly have a philistine side, but they are business-oriented and profit-seeking, and they have to go all out even if they have to compromise. This is not a silhouette of Hong Kong's high-spirited and enterprising era at that time. The film does not intend to judge the right and wrong of different values, but provides another perspective based on the inherent mutual support and adaptability of Hong Kong citizens.
The golden sentence that moved Liu Qingyun was born. "At most I blame my bad luck and never doubt my talent." Uncle Amin's words of encouragement to Ajie are also a reflection of his unrestrained and open-minded heart. Amin also agreed with this, "What's the difference between being a star and a singer? We all work for a living, but others eat shark fins, and we eat fans." At this point, the ultimate value of the film can be connected with TVB's classic line, "Be a human being. , the most important thing is to be happy.” Believing in yourself and smiling at life may be cheap chicken soup to deceive yourself and others, but it may also be golden words to soothe your soul and burst out with vitality.
Screenshot of "New Love"
The film uses the recurrence of Amin's bone cancer as a dividing line. The relationship between the two changes from a mutually fulfilling, romantic and sweet relationship to a life-or-death moment of farewell. In the first half of the film, Amin is always lively, cheerful, kind and optimistic. Love is mutual perfection. With Ajie's help, she also set out towards her dream. Not only did she have the opportunity to become a signed singer, but she would also sing new songs written by him. However, the terminal illness relapsed and all the good things came to nothing. Amin's fear, irritability and even unreasonableness in the early stages of the illness, her calmness after accepting it, and her hints to Tracy and Ajie to renew their relationship when she was critically ill, all showed her cherishment and reluctance to let go of her lover.
At the end of the film, the two people who loved each other deeply did not even have the chance to say goodbye. Ajie bought the bowl of red bean cake that the patient wanted to eat. When he saw the doctors and nurses gathered around the ward door and sighed, he couldn't help but cover his face and cry. The film ends abruptly, without any plot twist or emotional relief. The screen freezes on Amin's last words, with shocking white words on a black background, like an alarm bell to encourage his lover to regain his confidence.
Screenshot of "New Love"
From this, "New Love" takes love as the key link and tells the story of the acquaintance, passionate love, and separation of two people. The determination and sorrow of death also enhance the meaning of love by reflecting on the value of life. There is no intense dramatic conflict in the entire film, nor is there any reversal or suspense. The story is entirely driven by the still and deep emotions inside. For love, it does not stop between lovers, that is, it only unfolds the narrative from the inside of love, but opens to the broader external world. The external world here not only has the historical perspective of Hong Kong's development, but also is life-oriented and down-to-earth. At the end of the film, Ajie sold a new song. It is still unclear whether his career will turn around, but at this time, he is already a "new man" who has experienced unforgettable love.
Ajie fell from the idealistic cloud into the world of fireworks, understood love, and found himself. In this sense, "New Love" is not an old story about an innocent woman rescuing a young man in trouble, but through Ajie's transformation, he firmly says no to the success standards that only follow wealth and status. It turns out that not curling up does not mean giving up or failing, but entering into a broader life. This is one of the reasons why the film is still loved by audiences decades later.
Screenshot of "New Love"
"New Love" is a milestone in Ye Dongsheng's career as a director. It brought Anita Yuen her first "Best Actress" and also enabled Liu Qingyun to successfully switch from TV series to the big screen. Anita Yuen in the film is charming and charming. She catches the light wherever she goes, and her smile is so bright that people can't take their eyes away. Childlike innocence and enthusiasm when in love, shy aftertaste of boldly speaking love, haggard and depressed in the ward, and the light of life gradually dimming, Anita Yuen almost perfectly interprets the happiness and loss of Amin's life. Comparing this, Liu Qingyun's micro-expressions are also extremely touching. From frustration, loneliness and anger, sudden good feelings at first sight, to growing love, pampering and pity, and finally losing the loved one, the expressions are delicate and sincere. The deep love flowing between the two has moved countless audiences over the past thirty years.
In addition to being "good to watch", the film is also "good to listen to". Cantonese pop, Cantonese opera, Chinese pop, jazz and rock are all very good. Of course, the most widely circulated is the theme song of the same name from "New Love" sung by Wan Fang, " My heart is tired and my tears have dried up. It’s hard to let go of this deep love. I once had it forever and ever, but I no longer see you in the morning, evening, evening..." It is a timeless and affectionate one with endless aftertaste.
Stills of "New Love"
American film scholar David Bordwell commented on Hong Kong art films, "No matter how successful they are in film festivals or overseas markets, they are still deeply rooted in the local entertainment tradition." Looking back at the golden age of Hong Kong films, art films at that time also considered Audiences do not pursue novelty and are not limited to self-expression. Commercial films will also think new and change and be brave in innovation. Such a creative attitude is still worthy of respect and imitation today.
