In 2005, the Hong Kong international Film Festival paid tribute to actor/producer/singer Andy Lau Tak-wah (A World without Thieves) for his quantitative and qualitative participation in the film industry. This book, published in English and traditional Chinese covers Lau’s thirty years in the business. For those of you not familiar with Lau, he’s known as the Chinese James Dean – although he claims Marlon Brando as an early inspiration. Of course, Lau is alive and Dean and Brando are not, so Lau aged 44, has quite a few more film credits, 120, to be exact. This book includes an excellent in-depth interview with Lau, as well as film reviews and interesting, quirky essays on topics ranging from Lau’s ‘eagle eye’ acting style, to his hair-style and his position (he’s an idol) in the industry. Strangely, there’s not one word on the man’s long and successful musical career, or the film companies he formed to produce his own movies and promote the independent filmmaking scene, or his influence on cinema, or even his personal life. In short, the editor has narrowed his focus strictly to Lau’s acting.
HKIFF Society/available at http://www.hkiff.org.hk

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
March 2006 issue