The King of Soft Rice in Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 600, you think you're so great?

Yes, the character Sanjiangshui in the original "The Grandmaster" was tailor-made for Shen He.

The saying "Once you cross the Shanhaiguan Pass, you can always find Benshan if you need anything" may be an exaggeration, but it truly reflects Zhao Benshan's influence in Northeast China. The film "The Grandmaster" was filmed in Tieling and Fengguo Temple, so it's inevitable that he had the help of influential local people.

After all, everyone knows that Wong Kar-wai loves to torment people and use exhaustive methods to make movies. So even though there are only a few locations in Northeast China where he is filming, it can take several months to start shooting.

In this situation, an exchange of benefits was inevitable. At that time, Shen He had already become famous with "Not Short of Money" and played the lead role in "A Simple Noodle Story". He was considered Lao Zhao's most outstanding disciple, so he naturally wanted to continue his efforts. Thus, the character Sanjiangshui was created.

Of course, even if it's abrupt or superfluous, it doesn't stop various content creators from conducting various analyses when explaining movies.

Even when the 3D version was released a few years later, and Sanjiangshui's scenes were cut again, including the part where he became a disciple of Yixiantian, it still didn't stop fans from praising it from a new perspective.

As for now, Shen He hasn't become famous yet, and the crew is under Xu Jiuyang's control, so naturally they won't keep reworking the shots, which would mean filming in Northeast China for several months. Therefore, as long as they make some concessions on the pay and treatment, they can appease Lao Zhao.

“Teacher Zhao, this role is actually not complicated. Simply put, it’s like a Republican-era version of Cheng Ying and Gongsun Chujiu…” Xu Jiuyang explained the play to Old Zhao.

Although in the original "The Grandmaster", Ding Lianshan speaks in a cryptic way, making it unclear what he is doing, all that is known is that he is very powerful and is a fellow disciple of Gong Baosen.

Those who know a little more can probably tell that the scene where he lights Ip Man's cigarette was probably a brief sparring session between the two. What happened after that, why Ding Lianshan came from Northeast China to Guangdong and Guangxi and became a chef under an assumed name, is unknown.

Therefore, most viewers dislike Riddler movies that don't properly explain the story or background. However, some people like this kind of so-called implicit and ambiguous style. Unfortunately, the latter group is quite vocal, and since Wong Kar-wai's visuals are indeed beautiful, it has become a popular phenomenon.

The same applies to Europe and America. Since they can't understand the dialogue, their attention is naturally focused on the visuals. In addition, some people hope that the films China submits for the competition are all period dramas, films set in the Republican era, or films set in small mountain villages, which further boosts their popularity.

All of this has become Wong Kar-wai's capital to show off. Unfortunately, no matter how much he acts cool in China and Asia, he still has to listen to the capital when he gets to Hollywood. This year, he screened "My Blueberry Nights" in Cannes and went to Hollywood to direct it. It had a script and the production schedule was not delayed.

We've digressed. Because the original "The Grandmaster" didn't use human language, the official team released many short stories to help the public understand the story, including one about Ding Lianshan.

So everyone learned that Ding Lianshan had killed a Japanese ronin in the Northeast who was drawing circles everywhere in Fengtian and Xuancheng, which were Japanese territory. In order not to implicate his sect, he went south to Guangdong and Guangxi, hiding his identity in Foshan and becoming a member of the sect.

One of the dialogues is where Ding Lianshan asks Gong Baosen whether maintaining the sect is more difficult than killing people. Gong Baosen replies that maintaining the sect is more difficult, and Ding Lianshan then says that he will leave such a difficult task to him.

This scene is basically a direct copy of the plot between Cheng Ying and Gongsun Chujiu, so Xu Jiuyang starts explaining the play to Lao Zhao from here, making it easier for the other party to understand more quickly.

"In short, this character is very gloomy and sinister. He is serious in front of his junior brother, but smiles while hiding a knife in front of others," Xu Jiuyang concluded.

Actually, Lao Zhao didn't need to do that. Veteran actors like him, as long as they understand enough details, can naturally bring out the state the director wants in their performance.
In the original version of "The Grandmaster" in his previous life, he was driven crazy by the constant striking of matches. In an interview after the movie's release, he said that until filming was over, he still thought he was playing Gong Er's father.

However, as anyone who has seen it knows, the final result is almost unrecognizable compared to his previous roles.

Xu Jiuyang still had a good talk with Lao Zhao, simply wanting him to try incorporating Ding Lianshan's details into the lines and body language.

"Don't worry, Xiao Xu, I understand. Let's give it a try." Old Zhao tugged at his sleeve and began to prepare. It must be admitted that watching two veteran actors act together is a delightful experience, especially the dialogue, which is outstanding. So much so that someone began to worry whether he could keep up with Old Zhao's performance after Gong Baosen and Ding Lianshan's scene was finished.

But then I thought about it again. In that scene with Lao Zhao, Lao Zhao did most of the talking. I didn't have many lines. I just needed to pay attention to my actions, so I didn't take it to heart.

After a whole day, they finally got the scene right, and Lao Zhao and Lao Wang successfully incorporated some of the character settings into their lines.

So, the next day, they could have filmed two or three more wrap-up shots, and then wait until evening to film Xu Jiuyang and Lao Zhao's scenes. But just then, something unexpected happened.

“I think this scene can be polished a bit more.” After the assistant director yelled “cut,” Wong Kar-wai went out and said this to Lao Wang and Lao Zhao.

Xu Jiuyang didn't say anything, and immediately looked at Guo Zhenni, who was also an assistant director. The latter was stunned for two seconds, and then shook her head at him very discreetly.

So he asked, "Director Wang, do you think there's a problem with this scene?"

“It’s hard to say,” Wong Kar-wai said, stroking his chin. “Let’s do it again, so I can take a closer look.”

Because he was wearing sunglasses, Xu Jiuyang couldn't see his eyes or expression, so he didn't insist.

However, after stepping back, he quickly spotted Li Xue in the crowd, and after she noticed him, he tilted his head slightly before she quickly left.

Then came seven or eight retakes of filming, without any reason whatsoever. The crew just kept filming and the actors kept acting, as if it were just to test people's patience.

So when it came to the ninth take, Xu Jiuyang stepped forward again: "Director Wang, isn't it a bit inappropriate to keep shooting like this without being able to explain why?"

However, before Wong Kar-wai could speak, his assistant interjected, "This is just Wong's style; it's common knowledge!"

Xu Jiuyang gave him a cold glance, then looked at Wong Kar-wai and asked, "Is this your idea, Director Wong?"

“Don’t rush, Mr. Xu,” Wong smiled, stood up, and said very kindly, “This shoot requires inspiration, and I’m looking for inspiration right now. You know, those beautiful shots aren’t filmed in one take. I hope this shot can be even more perfect.”

Xu Jiuyang narrowed his eyes: "How about this, let's find a place where Director Wang and I can have a private chat?"

"Let's talk about it tonight. Those two are in great shape right now, so let's shoot a few more takes and try to get this shot right. After all, we still have to shoot Mr. Xu and Mr. Zhao's scenes this afternoon," Wong Kar-wai replied.

Although sunglasses covered most of his face, it was still possible to tell from some subtle details that he was probably feeling a little smug, as if he had stolen a chicken.

Xu Jiuyang sighed, then slapped Sunglasses King hard across the face: "You think I'm being too polite?"

(End of this chapter)