THOMAS PODVIN’S FREELANCE WORK
Freelance writer - translator - Editor

In a real coup for Chinese cinema, Director Tsui Hark’s martial arts epic, Seven Swords, opened the Venice International Film Festival last month – the first time an Asian production has opened any Western film festival. It also closed with a Chinese film. What’s more, restored Chinese classics from the 1930s and 40s were shown alongside new Asian movies for the duration of the ten day extravaganza. Festival director Marco Muller, a fluent Cantonese and Mandarin speaker, directing the festival for a second year, said in an interview, “This reflects the importance of Asia and the variety of its cinema.” Tsui has been tirelessly devoted to the creative possibilities in Chinese culture, and that variety is there in large part thanks to his hard work, talent and dedication to Chinese cinematic culture in all its styles.

His most recent film, Seven Swords is born out of Wuxia tradition, “Wuxia literature is an art and culture of its own” says the Hong Kong-based Tsui. “These are imaginary stories developed from our everyday lives, expressing the spirit of justice, heroism and humanity.” Wuxia (Chinese chivalry) novels grew out of a deep cultural heritage; they are for the most part tales of Chinese knights in ancient China moving in a world of martial arts, or Jiang Hu. There is something particularly magical about Seven Swords (Qi Jian), and it’s not just the USD 7 million (RMB 56 million) it grossed in its first two weeks on Chinese screens – despite the foot-wrinkling typhoon which should have kept people at home watching reruns of The Wild Bunch.

Wuxia pian is the film genre derived from this magical literature (Kungfu movies fall into this category) and, in these action-packed stories, characters practise martial arts and possess all manner of magical skills – they fly through tree tops and perform acrobatics that would give Schwarzenegger or Stallone a slipped disc. Add to the mix a seemingly endless cast of characters and intricate, interconnected subplots and audiences end up with a spectacle that is the equal or better than anything produced in Hollywood. Indeed, Tsui is called “Hong-Kong’s Spielberg” (though he was born in Vietmam), and his latest production attempts to seduce Chinese audiences by conjuring the ultimate Wuxia spirit onto the silver screen.

In the trade for more than 25 years, Tsui has delivered some of the best Wuxia movies ever made in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong. Trained in Hollywood filmmaking methods, he’s always on the lookout for new ideas and experimenting in order to explore and expose China’s cultural heritage to new generations of filmgoers.

Tsui began making 8mm-experimental films at age 13, but his career took off in the late 70s directing the acclaimed Wuxia TV-series The Golden Dagger Romance. In 1981, he was internationally acclaimed for the gravity-defying martial-art’s tale Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain. Despite being the first Hong Kong movie to integrate Hollywood special effect techniques (blue screen), it was a domestic flop.

Since then, with more than 60 movies produced and 40 directed, Tsui has tried to find the right balance between personal experimentation, ambition and commercial success with his own company, the Film Workshop. He co-founded the Film Workshop in 1984 with his wife Nansun Shi, one of Hong-Kong’s top producers. In this laboratory for cinematic experiments, the couple has been busy reviving all sorts of film genres. “We think that the Chinese heritage has a lot to offer,” says Nansun, “[although] we’re still trying to find the stories which would be successful in both domestic and international markets.”

Tsui has paid tribute to Chinese folklore and arts; not only revitalizing period dramas and Wuxia pian in the 80s and 90s, but also breaking new ground. The trilogies, A Chinese Ghost Story, Swordsman and The Lovers are among his most outstanding works. That said, as original, iconoclastic and experimental as the 55-year-old director may be, he has managed to produce a series of commercial successes.

It’s no overstatement to say that Tsui Hark almost single-handedly fueled the local film industry from 1986 to 1996 with new ideas, trends and filmic formulas. Pragmatic Hong Kong producers copied his stories and style at will, in effect establishing a new genre. It seemed good for everyone. Producers flooded the market with about 200 films a year and made big money. At the same time, this golden age of filmmaking allowed new filmmakers and actors. Still, the market was limited. Most of these movies were made for the Hong Kong market, with Taiwan Province and South Korea as junior financial territories. Those days are gone. Now it has become unrealistic for a big-budget film to recoup costs just from the Hong Kong market.

Tsui Hark learnt this fact of life the hard way. In the mid-nineties, the Asian film industry went downhill, because of the Asian financial crisis, the rise of piracy, Hollywood and Chinese mainland competition, and the exodus of film-talent to the West. Industry vitality declined for nearly a decade. Productivity at The Film-Workshop also dropped, with an average of only one movie a year since 1998, compared to five movies a year between 1986 and 1994.

After a brief period in the US around 1997 (where he found Hollywood-studio policies far too restrictive), and several attempts in Hong Kong with foreign investments, Tsui finally produced a couple of low-key -- and unsuccessful -- movies in the Chinese mainland. Perhaps they were an attempt to assess the local market and Chinese film-production methods, but the experience certainly paved the way for his next ambitious step. “You should not define yourself just in a certain place; it’d be good to go to different places to make movies,” said Tsui at a press conference in Shanghai in July. “It’s my dream to do so and as the majority of the audience is in the Chinese mainland I should do my best for them.”

And so he has. Seven Swords provided just the right opportunity for him to return to the spotlight and expand his fame (and craft) into the Chinese mainland market. With a simple plotline – seven warriors come together to protect a village from a diabolical General – but much attention drawn to characterization and production design, the movie, in a sense, made material Tsui’s ambition. Three teams, three action choreographers and three directors of photography shot 11 principal characters day and night, for three months, to complete the USD 18 million Chinese mainland/Hong-Kong/Korea/Singapore co-production.

An important Chinese TV-production company originally approached Tsui for creative inputs for a local TV series based on Liang Yu-Shen’s classic novel, Seven Swordsmen from Mountain Tian. With genuine knowledge of the source material and a deep understanding of the creative potential the story could offer, Tsui managed to stretch the project into a series of feature films and TV series, to be shot with Hong Kong crews and a Chinese mainland cast. Indeed, Tsui and his wife and partner, Nansun, believe bilateral cooperation is the best way to keep the Hong Kong cinema alive. A Seven Swords producer and industry maven for three decades, Nansun says: “We are the people who can make it up to the HongKong film industry. If we don’t try, who will?” Extremely motivated and excited by the project, Tsui dropped the production of Initial D, for which he had already started pre-production work in Japan. This film was eventually made by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, who, sad to say, delivered a flat vehicle for pop-idol Jay Chou.

Seven Swords is also Tsui’s attempt to reconcile Chinese audiences with the ‘pugilistic world or martial arts’. Since Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon hit global screens in 2000, numerous ‘high-aesthetic’ Wuxia pian have been made to capture the taste of global audiences. The somewhat more ‘understated’ tastes of the Chinese audience felt the true Wuxia spirit was compromised to please foreign market expectations. Says Tsui: “Nowadays Kungfu movies are becoming more and more abstract, so abstract that I felt it was time to take the genre back to the real thing.”

With Seven Swords, Tsui has found a license to experiment - and make money. Ironically, he’s doing it the Hollywood way, à la the Matrix trilogy with its movie-related products. Seven Swords will become a series of feature films, a TV series, video games and comic books. Can Seven Swords dolls be far behind? Although a multitude of characters and several subplots are common in Wuxia, the complexity of the story may have as much to do with the bank as the story. Which may explain why many critics and audience members came out of the film confused. Explains Tsui: “The clues left in this first movie are necessary and directly linked to the following stories.”

To clear up the confusion, Tsui wrote the “Seven Swords bible”, detailing the characters’ development and the world they inhabit. “Society is composed of many human beings, [and] so is Jiang Hu,” he says. “I just want to make Seven Swords close to real life and provide emotion.”

Seven Swords isn’t flawless; but it’s a success for its creator in the sense that he’s become more ‘bankable’. In the wake of that accomplishment, Tsui is piling up forthcoming projects, including a France-produced movie, The White Phoenix, and a kungfu/comedy starring Stephen Chow.

It seems likely Tsui Hark will carry on his role of cinematic ambassador of Chinese culture for many years to come. May the force be with him.

Special thanks to Film Workshop/Mandarin Films/Ms Nansun Shi/Mr. Gu Ming/www.hkcinemagic.com

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
October 2005 issue

In this new Sandra Bullock vehicle, the actress portrays goofy FBI special agent Gracie Hart, who’s more a PR officer, than a field officer. Still, the satirical comedy provides enough opportunities for Bullock to show off her wacky brand of humor to make it worth watching.
Interestingly, the film’s official website confirms that the flick is a roughly two hour commercial for the federal agency. It features articles on women in the FBI and provides a link to a recruitment website where females can sign on. The plot is thus: with an annual budget of USD 4 billion, the so-called world’s premiere law-enforcement agency seeks the valuable contribution of women, who currently represent just 18 percent of its special agents force. Which is a shame as “women possess different analytical skills and abilities than do men.”
Different, better or indifferent – we’re not quite sure. But for better or worse, “If you believe the FBI is a male-dominated organization, you’re correct,” says Special Agent Knights. Go get ‘em girl.
Warner Home Entertainment

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
September 2005 issue

In Hostage, a cop is confronted with a double-hostage situation involving his own family. The film has all the ingredients of a classic thriller, including an over-the-edge script that keeps you guessing till the end, inspired characterization, strong production values; and a good cast headed by Bruce Willis.
Unfortunately, French director Florent Emilio Siri (The Nest) fails to deliver the goods despite all the first-grade ingredients on hand. After a visually-original credit roll and a first mesmerizing sequence describing a badly-handled hostage situation, the director’s mise-en-scene has shot its bolt. From this point on, the film is nothing but unconvincing action, clichéd situations and banal characters. Even the director’s control of his actors runs out of steam, Bruce Willis is Bruce Willis, but it is embarrassing when in one scene he cries with disbelief.
Maybe Siri’s goal was to make a movie with grand scenes, in the Hollywood style. Well, he misfired. The lack of pace and tension, and the misuse of the central dilemma (which family to save) relegate Hostage to a mere action-exploitation flick instead of the classic it might have been. Embarrassing really.
Miramax Films/Stratus Film Co.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
September 2005 issue

Four hundred years ago, a new government bans the martial arts and a bounty is set upon the heads of all who continue the practice. A ruthless general, Fire-wind, sets out to make his fortune as a bounty hunter. He is opposed by a former executioner (from the previous dynasty, Fu Qingzhu) who leads a group of six fantastically good swordsmen. They struggle to re-establish justice, knowing they are in for a long and painful fight.
Seven Swords will appeal to international audiences. The film offers an epic story, jaw-dropping action choreography, high production values and magnificent photography. And more: love triangles, righteousness, crude realism, and gorgeous natural locations from Xinjiang province.
In leading roles are acclaimed Chinese actors (Leon Lai, Sun Honglei and Charlie Young) and acclaimed martial artists (Donnie Yen and Liu Chia Liang). But the real star of the movie is 54-year old Hong-Kong director, Tsui Hark. In the industry for more than 25 years, the internationally renowned filmmaker is famous for his ability to take Chinese legends and culture and turn them into wonders of the silver screen (see Once Upon a Time in China and The Lovers).
Hark is equally famous for his restlessness-he’s reported to sleep just four hours a night. He directed, produced, and wrote of Seven Swords and drew the storyboards. He also designed most of the film’s weaponry, the sets and costumes as well as fight sequences, although he has never practiced kung-fu.
The 150-minute epic movie (the original cut ran 270 minutes!) adapted from Liang Yu-Shen’s classic novel Seven Swords of Mount Heaven, is full of promise for those who crave more: a TV series has already been shot and three other features are in the works, in addition to comics and online games.
Beijing Ciwen Film/Boram Entertainment/Mandarin Films

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
September 2005 issue

The Bat-Man, created by Bob Kane, first appeared in 1939 in Detective Comics. Since then countless adaptations have appeared in in radio serials, TV series, films, video games and comic books, the result of which is that director Christopher Nolan (Memento) has very little room to innovate in this fourth installment of the franchise. He handles the challenge well, re-actualizing the character and re-fueling the myth by focusing on characterization. Money aside, Bruce Wayne is filled with anger, guilt and a thirst for revenge, yet he remains magnanimous, even compassionate. Says Nolan: “What’s always been fascinating about Batman is that he is a hero driven by quite negative impulses.”
Equally fascinating is the new Batmobile, for example, a realistic creation conceived in Nolan’s garage. Part tank, part sports car, it actually travels at an eye-popping 105 MPH without the aid of special effects. In short, this is the most sophisticated and enjoyable Bat-film yet.
What’s more, you can bin your bootlegs, Batman Begins is showing in Imax format. For an extra RMB 20, you can be completely immersed in a 15m-high and 20m-wide high-quality picture screen. Well worth the extra price.
Warner Brothers

IMAX Theatre at Peace Cinema/268 Xi Zang Middle Rd/(63225252)

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
September 2005 issue

This reviewer is not a great fan of Spielberg or Cruise, at least not when they work together; Minority Report was overblown. But this second joint venture is nothing less than amazing. Both men have worked hard to make something extraordinary from the H. G. Wells novel (1898).
Cruise puts his all into the role of Ray Ferrier, a nobody, and worse still, an incompetent father. Incompetent he may be, but he clearly loves his children, and as such will do whatever it takes to keep them alive.
Spielberg deserves credit too, and not just for modernizing the source material with the latest CGI technology [far superior to the Best Special Effect Oscar-winning version by Byron Haskin (1953)]. He’s also added a new subtext. In the novel, Wells used aliens to represent the way rich countries impose their ways on the poor. In this version, the aliens appear to represent global terrorists.
Spielberg has thrown in elements from disaster, alien invasion, survival, and road movies. It all adds up to a very dark film in which destruction is all too near, and flight appears the only means of survival. Underlying the work is a sense of agoraphobia, implying that the only real safety is not to be found in numbers.
Amblin Entertainment

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
September 2005 issue

Four animals from the New York Zoo -- a zebra, a zealous lion, a hypochondriac giraffe and a fat female hippo – somehow end up on the island of Madagascar, where life is a struggle to survive the constant attacks from predators.That struggle is mirrored in this latest animated work from DreamWorks SKG Animation studios, which if this film is any indication, may not survive at all. Of late, the creative minds at Dreamworks seem to have lost inspiration, replacing it with formulaic mass production. If Shrek was as fresh as they come, then Shark Tale and Madagascar are as tired as it gets.
The recipe is as follows: gather a few disparate characters, but not so disparate that young audiences will lose interest, put them in an exotic environment, add a few tired jokes and clichés, throw in a pop soundtrack and hire some big name stars to dub the voices. Then call it entertainment. Which is not to say Madagascar fails completely. If you’re in the mood for cute, then you might just enjoy this film. And if you hail from New York, well, Madagascar is peppered with in jokes.
Indeed, the film’s ‘humor’ relies heavily on the idea of anthropomorphic New York yuppies getting out of the Big Apple and retuning to the wild. Which come to think of it, may not be such a bad idea.
DreamWorks Animation

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
September 2005 issue

If you’re over 30, you’ve probably hummed along to one of Duran Duran’s undeniably catchy hits. Back in 1978, Brits John Taylor and Nick Rhodes founded a band blending vibes from the Sex Pistols, David Bowie and Blondie into a kind of groovy/New Romantic/New Wave/dance music.
With three main strengths – great synthesizer hooks, unforgettable live performances and spellbinding music videos – the boys have been topping the charts for nearly three decades. By 2000, this band had sold 60 million records and had a long, long list of number one hits. However, the numbers don’t do justice to their affect on the global (read US) conscious.
In the late 1980s, for instance, during the Panama conflict, the US Army employed the band’s “Hungry like the Wolf” in its arsenal of psychological weaponry. In 2004, on NASA’s second mission to Mars in search of life, the space agency woke the crew each spacey morning with “Is There Something I Should Know.”
Sadly, Greatest samples just 18 of the ‘The Fab Fives’ outstanding opus, though god be thanked, it includes, three massive classics. “Wild Boys” (1984), written especially for video, “A View to a Kill” (1985), the theme song for the eponymous James-Bond movie (and the only 007 theme song to hit number one in the US charts) and “Rio”, an ultra-catchy tune from the eponymous album (1982). You can’t forget the addictive intro – mesmerizing repetitive synth and cutting guitar riffs. By the way, in 2003, “Rio” was listed by UK magazine NME as one of the Top 100 “Greatest Albums of All Time.”
You may start humming now.
EMI

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
September 2005 issue

Is the down under TV soap Neighbours simply a platform to launch Aussie pop singers? Consider this: the career of international singing sensation Kylie Minogue was birthed from the cheesy womb of the TV show and pop-singer Detta Goodrem is about to duplicate that dubious feat. Following on the success of her celebrated debut, Innocent Eyes, Goodrem’s Mistaken Identity shifts gears for the international market, though not at the expense of Ozzie fans – the new release has gone five times platinum in Kangaroo country.
The new Goodrem sound owes not a little to Celine Dion, albeit with a bit more spice and delivered in a more attractive package. And the world seems to like it; the singer/songwriter has already enchanted millions of British and Australian listeners. She’s also making headway in the difficult to crack US market -- Billboard declared Goodrem 2005’s Best New Artist and hails her as a “tigress of talent.”True, talent flows from the 14 commercial-pop tracks.
Mistaken Identity rests nicely on melodic hooks, Goodrem’s radiant vocals and thoughtful lyrics. Indeed, some of the songs are based on Goodrem’s recent, successful struggle against lymphatic cancer. If more proof of quality is needed, her collaborator on this CD is Guy Chambers, the British songwriter/producer behind most of Robbie Williams’ best tunes. Chambers has a knack for writing instant hits, check out: “Out of The Blue,” “The Analyst,” “Miscommunication,” or “You Are My Rock,” all of which are stand-out best tracks.
Sony Music

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
September 2005 issue

In the last 15 years, one-man band Moby, the stage name of 40-year-old New Yorker Richard Melville Hall, has done it all. He’s gone from punk (with the Vatican Commandos) to electronic music (in the widest possible sense) and onto hard rock; he’s covered his favorite film scores in the release I Like To Score; he’s played keyboards, guitars, bass and drums; he’s sampled, remixed and produced; he’s gone on a strict vegan diet; he saw the Twin Towers collapse on his birthday. And last but not least he’s fustigated the Bush administration and criticized Eminem!
After six albums, including two huge international sellers, 18 and Play, the man has a new CD, Hotel, that collects all these experiences. And more.
Well, not really. Carefully crafted, this highly anticipated release does deliver all the ingredients that brought him to fame; electronic compositions, synthesizer wonders, attractive female backup vocals, hypnotic samples and more catchy tunes than you can shake a bottom at. “Lift Me Up”, for example, is prime stuff. But something rankles. An obviously skilled and creative musical artist, Moby breaks no new ground. Perhaps the result of having already done it all.
EMI

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
September 2005 issue

Once upon a time five Dubliners dreamt of California (or rather the California sound, mid-60s to mid-70s). They practiced for two years, called themselves The Thrills and then their dream came true in the form of a four-month holiday in a San Diego-beach hut.
Back in Ireland, they turned West-Coast vibes into their debut album So Much for the City, part California sunshine, part country rock and part Beach Boys. Also part Phil Spector, Morrissey and The Smiths. The whole result is almost greater than the parts. These guys are good, so good that Moz asked The Thrills open his gig at the Royal Albert Hall in London in September 2002.
More than a year later, the band followed up with Let’s Bottle Bohemia, filled with shiny, catchy pop tracks, and plenty of that Californian feelin’ in the beat of each of the ten songs.
Whether this particular sound thrills you or not, is beside the point. Let’s Bottle Bohemia is a fun 35-minute trip to the sunny West-Coast beaches. Enjoy the ride!
EMI

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
September 2005 issue

A Chinese-Canadian, Denise Chong tells a touching autobiographical story through three generations on two continents. The Concubine’s Children traces the story of her maternal grandmother, May-ying, who was sold at the age of seventeen as a concubine to Chan Sam, an immigrant who left his family in China in search of wealth in Vancouver’s early Chinatown. May-ying lived out her life as a tea house waitress -- her wages used to support and build a house for Chan Sam’s family back in China. Eventually, she slid into a life of alcohol and became a single mother whose strict yet negligent ways were used to raise Chong’s mother, Hing, in Canada.
However, the book is more than the sum of distant memories -- it documents the changes of the Chinese community abroad, the slow process of acceptance by white communities in North America, as well as China’s turbulent history in the twentieth century. In revealing the mysteries of her family’s past, Chong adds a very human dimension to the role of the Chinese in history, both here and abroad.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
Book courtesy Penguin Group Canada
September 2005 issue

http://wwww.talktalkchina.com

Talktalkchina.com’s three writers -- DD (Hong Kong), Dan (Shanghai) and Dawanr (Beijing) – offer entertaining, acerbic commentary on contemporary life in China. This non-commercial site features a blog on everyday topics such as ‘happy’ families, English proficiency, Dashan or the “Laowai Death Stare” and other topics near and dear to your heart. And all in a good cause: the stimulation of lively, intelligent debate between Chinese and non-Chinese. Love and Peace, brothers!

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
September 2005 issue

http://www.expatauction.com

Online shopping is a profitable, and highly addictive, practice in the West, but purchasing over the Internet in China is still something of a risky business. Indeed, oftentimes sending electronic payment online is the equivalent of throwing your money away. No more. Shanghai expatriates and locals alike can finally relax, Expatauction.com allows browsers to buy and sell through private auctions or partner with web stores.Categories range from home accessories (hardly used Ikea lamp, anyone?) to antiques (a Qing Dynasty desk from Jiangsu province), and just about everything in between: clothing, books, collectibles, movies, computers, jewelry, music, business, recreation and games, you name it.
Targeting local and worldwide customers, the site, cohosted by that’s Shanghai, offers both feedback and rating options, in other words the very essence of trust-based transactions, if we do say so ourselves. So what does Expatauction.com offer that you can’t find on Ebay.com? Well, the website and its partners provide free home or office delivery (within the Shanghai Inner Ring Road), factory warranties, authenticity certificates (for antiques and art) and even a seven-day return policy for some products, as well as auction-based, localized classifieds for Shanghai and English product information. Japanese and German versions are coming soon.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
September 2005 issue

http://www.storewars.org

"Not long ago, in a supermarket not so far away…"
In May 2005, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) launched this online Star Wars movie spoof to attract a new generation of organic-food consumers. The five-minute animated mini-feature has vegetables in fancy dress posing as organic rebels. Meet Cuke Skywalker, Princess Lettuce, Chewbroccoli, Ham Solo and Darth Tader! Produced by Free Range Studios, this a great way to get the kids to eat their veggies and a great tool for the OTA to encourage global sustainability through promoting and protecting the growth of diverse organic trade.
If you liked this one, you'll love The Meatrix (www.themeatrix.com).

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
August 2005 issue