This director loves making friends.

Chapter 105 The Farce Ends

Shi Qi tossed the Ming Pao newspaper aside, looking somewhat unhappy.

This contains a film review of "The Man from Nowhere" that he wrote late into the night. He put a lot of effort into writing this review, hoping it would become an important reference for the industry. Little did he expect that a stupid woman would steal all the attention.

What's even more infuriating is that his film review undoubtedly supports "The Man from Nowhere" and Qin Keqing. After that stupid woman's words, the film review is undoubtedly on the side of the film.

Shi Qi is not only a highly influential film critic in the industry and has a column in Ming Pao, but he is also an editor at Ming Pao, so in principle he should not take sides.

"There's no such thing as being forced to take sides."

Shi Qi muttered something to himself, slammed the office door shut in a huff, made himself a cup of coffee, sat down, and his thoughts raced like a torrent.

"I fucking took sides voluntarily!"

On the Arrogance and Prejudice of the Hong Kong Film Industry!

What did we see after "The Man from Nowhere" became a huge hit?

On its opening day, "The Man from Nowhere" was a box office hit and received rave reviews from audiences. Director Qin Keqing, a young man from mainland China who came to Hong Kong to make a living, proved himself with a sincere work. However, what attracted more attention than the box office was the farce that followed.

The film "Lover and Confidant," released in the same period, suffered a box office flop, and investor Lok Yee-ling did not reflect on the problems with the production itself.

Instead, they turned their attention to Qin Keqing's background—a mainland boy, what does he know about Hong Kong movies?

Coincidentally, actress Romaine Lo also publicly criticized the fighting style of "The Man from Nowhere" as "showy" and a fraud.

Two sentences, two kinds of arrogance, but they both point to the same target: you are from the mainland, so you are not worthy.

This was probably the most regrettable moment in the Hong Kong film industry in 1993.

Let's start with Lok Yee-ling's "Mainland boy" theory.

The danger of this argument lies in its substitution of artistic judgment for regional judgment.

If the logic that a film's quality is determined by the director's birthplace, not by the script, camera work, or acting, then all the world's best films can only be made by locals.

The reason why Hong Kong cinema has become the Hollywood of the East has never been because of its closed-off and xenophobic nature, but because of its inclusive and open-minded approach.

Bruce Lee was born in the United States, but that didn't prevent him from becoming an icon of Hong Kong kung fu films; Ann Hui was born in Liaoning, Northeast China, but that didn't prevent her from filming the most authentic Hong Kong street life.

Whether Qin Keqing is from mainland China or not has absolutely nothing to do with whether "The Mister" is good or not.

According to Ms. Le's argument, Hollywood is also terrible because a large portion of its filmmakers were not born in the United States.

Let's talk about Romeo's "showy facade" argument again.

Such criticism might be worth discussing if it came from a veteran of action films.

But Ms. Luo isn't even an action actress. Everyone in the industry knows how many stunt doubles she used and how many times she was suspended by wires when she filmed her own action scenes.

For someone who doesn't even dare to actually fight to mock a director who makes actors deliver brutal punches and uses real pain to create a powerful cinematic experience, this isn't a professional discussion; it's nonsense and irresponsible talk.

As for Ms. Yue's claim that Hollywood already has this style, I'm sorry, but it really doesn't. I can say with certainty, based on my decades of professional reputation, that this style doesn't exist anywhere else in the world.

This is a completely new style, a new style that I call "elegant violent aesthetics".

What's even more ridiculous is that the audience voted with their box office and proved with their feet that the realistic fighting style pioneered by Qin Keqing is precisely the new type of action films that is most scarce at present, and it is the type they like.

If you do a little research, you'll find that the first batch of moviegoers were mostly young people. Are all these young people there for the art?

No, they were drawn to the extreme coolness, real brutality, and unrestrained, elegant action.

Ultimately, the remarks made by Le Yiling and Luo Meiwei did not expose Qin Keqing's problems, but rather their own anxieties.

An outsider, with no background or resources, stole the spotlight with just one movie. This made those who were used to staying in their comfort zones feel uneasy. As a result, "Mainland boy" became the most convenient weapon. No proof or data was needed; just three words were enough to put a person on the sidelines.

But they forgot one thing: the audience isn't blind, and the market isn't stupid.

The success of "The Man from Nowhere" was not accidental; it was the influence and inevitability brought about by a filmmaker's pioneering new style, and a follow-up impact of "A Bittersweet Life".

"The Man from Nowhere" is a good movie.

Qin Keqing is a good director.

These two things have absolutely nothing to do with where he's from.

Don't let arrogance and prejudice become a cancer in the industry, or become the standard to be taken for granted!

What we should see is a deeper issue behind this controversy: when an industry starts judging a person based on their background rather than their work, that industry is not far from decline.

Hong Kong cinema once shone because of its daring, adventurous, and unconventional spirit. If anyone today tries to transform that spirit into a hierarchical, cliquish society, that would be the greatest betrayal of Hong Kong cinema.

When Qin Keqing and Shi Qi's article appeared in the newspaper, it caused a huge sensation—yes, a sensation.

In particular, Qin Keqing's article dragged all four major Hong Kong families into the mess, claiming that the heads of these families were all "mainlanders," and even had Lok Yee-ling and Lo Mei-wai refer to them as "mainlanders" —

To be honest, everyone's first reaction upon seeing this article was shock: How could such an article be published? Is Qin Keqing courting death?

How dare Qin Keqing?

Isn't he offending all four major families in Hong Kong at the same time?

Did he eat the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard?

After reading Qin Keqing's article, Shi Qi immediately spat out the coffee he was drinking.

"It's over!"

At this moment, Shi Qi really wanted to slap himself.

He wasn't upset about supporting Qin Keqing; instead, he felt incredibly unlucky. His film review the day before had "passively" taken sides, and the article he actually wrote had inadvertently become "connected" with Qin Keqing's audacious article!

This is truly a case of "no amount of clearing one's name can ever do."

Although Shi Qi has been a prominent figure in Hong Kong's film critic circle for decades, he really doesn't have the guts to go against the four major families, especially not all four at once!

Most people thought Qin Keqing was finished.

Of course, Le Yiling, as the opponent, was not happy after reading the article. She felt a chill run up from the soles of her feet because even if Qin Keqing was finished, Le Yiling was probably almost finished as well.

How dare she call the heads of the four major families "Mainland Boy"? She doesn't have the guts of a bear or a leopard, and even if she did, she wouldn't dare.

perish together!

She believed that the mainland guy was trying to drag her down with him.

Only then did she become afraid.

What kind of fighting style is this, where both sides are going to perish right from the start?

crazy!

Neuropathy!

Of course, film industry leaders have a completely different perspective. The fact that this article can be published and distributed is itself a statement of opinion.

Shao Yifu immediately summoned Fang Yihua and instructed her not to do anything irrational because of her relationship with Le Yiling.

Xinbao Cinemas went even further, pulling "The Lover" from theaters across the country without notifying Yue Yiling.

Luo Meiwei received a call from He Guanchang, who told her to live a good life with the "God of Songs" from now on and retire from the entertainment industry.

Before Luo Meiwei could react, He Guanchang hung up the phone.

Luo Meiwei's expression immediately changed drastically, and she quickly called He Guanchang back, but he didn't answer.

She then called another godfather, Deng Guangrong, who had even more influence than He Guanchang.

When Deng Guangrong answered the phone, he said exactly the same thing as He Guanchang: that she should live a good life with the God of Songs from now on and stop showing her face in public.

Before Luo Meiwei could even ask why, the other party hung up the phone.

Enraged, Luo Meiwei smashed the phone.

You don't always have this attitude!

Why!