Master or barber? -Wong Kar-wai's multiple choice question.

Wong Kar-wai filled his stomach with characters and stories from the Republic of China when he was filming "The Grand Master".

In the movie, Zhang Ziyi plays Gong Ruomei, the second girl of Gong Jia. In order to avenge her father, she broke her hair and became a Taoist. She never got married and had no children. The prototype is the strange girl of the Republic of China, and one of them is Shi Jianqiao. Her father, Shi Congbin, commander of the Second Army, was captured by Sun, a northern warlord, and later killed by Sun. His body was hung for three days. Shi Jianqiao was 20 years old and vowed to take revenge. First I hoped for my cousin, but I failed. Others proposed for revenge. She is really married, and her husband has been promoted all the way, but she always shirks that "the time is not ripe." Shi Jianqiao left without saying goodbye with his youngest son and went to inquire about the whereabouts of Sun himself. Sun fired three shots at him with a Browning pistol when he went to Tianjin Temple Jushilin for pilgrimages. Become a big event that sensationalized the Republic of China. Ten years have passed since his father was killed.

"The determination of the people of the Republic of China has reached this extreme." Wong Kar-wai told Southern Weekend reporter.

In the film, Ye Wen, a native of Foshan, began to learn boxing at the age of 7 and became a close disciple of Chen Huashun, a famous wing chun teacher. Ip Man was later called "Perdrier" because the whole of Perdrier belonged to the Ye family. Before the age of 40, I had no worries about food and clothing, so that Ip Man could indulge in the hobby of Kung Fu. The true story of "A Master" begins with 1936. This year, IP Man was recommended by Guangdong and Guangxi martial arts schools, and he competed with Gong Yi, the president of the Chinese samurai club who retired from Fengtian South, and won. Gong Jia's second girl refused to accept, and gave Ye Wen a post to meet and compete. This time, Ip Man lost. When the Anti-Japanese War broke out, IP Man, Gong Er, Yi Xiantian ... These martial arts experts were all self-reliant.

In fact, The Grandmaster should belong to a wave of China film directors trying kung fu. Ang Lee 1999 filmed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Zhang Yimou filmed Hero on 200 1. The script of "The Grand Master" was registered on 200 1, and the real shooting started at the end of 2009.

Several faces appear repeatedly in this trend: Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Zhang Ziyi and Zhang zhen. But this time, Tony Leung Chiu Wai really started practicing martial arts. "I like kung fu since I was a child. I have acted in many martial arts TV series, such as" Eternal Dragon Slayer "and" Duke of Lushan Mountain ",but I have never learned kung fu. One year before the filming of "The Grandmaster", I was 47 years old and really began to learn Wing Chun. " Tony Leung Chiu Wai told Southern Weekend reporter.

Although the original release plan of 20 12 fell through, a generation of grandmasters did not become the "missing generation", and Wong Kar-wai, who mocked himself as "the king of procrastination", really contributed. I want it to be shown on 20 12, because it happens to be the centenary of the Republic of China. Wong Kar-wai hopes to look back on that era a hundred years later and write The Beauty of China People.

"Today, we look back and see that some things were so beautiful in the Republic of China. But in the next 50 years, looking back at 20 13, it also has its beauty. It happens every time we turn around. We always say that good things are gone, but in fact they may only be temporarily gone. " Wong Kar-wai said, "Many movies are about the ugliness and darkness of people. The plot is well developed and easy to write. But at any time, you will meet some people and think they are beautiful. China people have a very beautiful side. "

The film "Master" started from the real preparation, which lasted more than ten years and took three years to shoot. Until the beginning of 2065438+02165438+10, the crew was still filming in Kaiping, Guangdong, and filmed for more than nine hours on the day of suspension. Wong Kar-wai couldn't bear to end this, because such a lineup before and behind the scenes devoted so much energy to his creation, which is indispensable in his own career. He said it might even be his last feature film. Fujifilm, who shot The Master, was the last batch of this model production line. Wong Kar-wai specially left a box: "It's sad that you will see those shots. What should they do in the future? "

The last scene of the film falls in the main hall of the Buddhist temple where Gong Er decides to take revenge. That is the Daxiong Hall of Fengguo Temple in Yixian County, Liaoning Province, which was built at 1020, the highest achievement of Buddhist architecture in Liao Dynasty. 1948 Yixian fought a tough battle in Liaoshen Campaign. A shell penetrated the top of the Hall of the Great Hero and landed in the hands of Buddha Sakyamuni, but it didn't explode, only damaged the Buddha's right hand. The lens swept through the lighted Buddha lamp on the dusty Buddha platform, echoing the words of the Wulin predecessors in the movie: "Light a lamp and take a breath." Wong Kar-wai said, "Good things will remain one day."

"Life is the highest height.

Southern Weekend: Where do you miss the Republic of China?

Wong Kar-wai: It's not that I have a soft spot for the Republic of China. It's just that IP Man is the main line of this drama, and IP Man's life is a living history of the Republic of China. The Republic of China was the golden age of China Wushu. At that time, everyone thought that a strong country was needed. This is a unique era. From the martial artists, we have seen many things about the feelings of home and country at that time. Many movies will write about our reality. I hope this movie can reflect the beauty of China people.

For example, the relationship between Gong Lao and his brother Ding Lianshan is that they are willing to be a face and a wife, because everyone has different responsibilities, that is, 30 years. For Gong Lao, he will think that people who practice martial arts are reborn and die before leaving, which is not something that ordinary people will have.

Southern Weekend: How to Understand "Lizi" and "Face"?

Wong Kar-wai: You should pay attention to the scene of snake soup stew. Ding Lianshan said it was 1905 to leave the northeast. That year, a great event happened in the history of China, that is, five ministers in the "Northern Assassination Group" were assassinated by wuyue. Wuyue, Zhang Rong and other northern heroes attempted to overthrow the Qing Dynasty by assassination.

Liang Qichao said that it was the age of assassination. Overthrow the Manchu dynasty, one is * * * and revolution, and the other is the most intense assassination. One bright and one dark.

They believed that overthrowing the Manchu dynasty could not be carried out by moderate political movements, but by extreme means, namely assassination. When Ding Lianshan and Gong broke up, Ding Lianshan asked Gong whether it was easier to run a portal or travel around the world. Gong said, of course, it is easy to run a portal. Then Ding Lianshan said that he would do that difficult thing.

It's true: a Japanese ronin named Bo Wugui drew a circle on Fengtian Street in the northeast and the mountain city, saying that this is Japanese territory, and he would die if he came in. This was a trap, and as a result, many enthusiastic China people challenged it and died. The circle is getting bigger and bigger. Ding Lianshan killed the thin ghost and left the northeast to enter the "ghost road". He also got the nickname "Kanto Ghost".

Gong is the "face", replacing his brother as the chairman of the Chinese Wushu Association. The Chinese Wushu Association is a martial arts national salvation in the open and an assassination group in the north in the dark. Just like the Yagyu family in Japan, there are "bright Yagyu" and "dark Yagyu". Ming is the coach of the general's family, and the dark is a hermit who specializes in assassination.

The story is particularly touching, but because Mr. Zhao Benshan was in poor health, he couldn't shoot his lines more carefully.

Southern Weekend: You arranged a lot of people in the film. Faced with the same problem, they made a completely opposite choice.

Wong Kar-wai: From the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, to the Anti-Japanese War and to Hongkong, it was a big era, and how many things happened in it. In the big era, everyone has to choose, some people will move on, some people would rather stay, and some people have made a wrong choice.

In the face of such an era, life is actually the highest height. No matter how high your martial arts are, life is a mountain that is difficult to cross. It will destroy your will and waste your career. Finally, many people in the movie can become masters, Zhang Ziyi can, and one day, Ma San will also have this ability. But in the end, only Ip Man came to the end and passed on what our ancestors left behind.

Southern Weekend: So you think Ip Man really crossed the highest mountain.

Wong Kar-wai: Yes. At that time, many people thought that the secrets of martial arts should not be passed on to people over 16 every generation, let alone to outsiders. But after IP Man came to Hong Kong, he carried forward Wing Chun. They said that he lost the most classical spirit of wing chun, so it started with him and ended with him. But for IP Man, he has no opinion that martial arts should be unified.

Southern Weekend: In addition to the big choice, there are two key words in the movie, turning around and turning back.

Wong Kar-wai: Why did I put Ip Man and Zhang Ziyi together? They are one yang and one yin. So is martial arts, because wing chun boxing is basically a straight line, and there is only a way forward. The most important thing is face to face. He thinks that the straight line between two points is the shortest. However, Zhang Ziyi's Bagua Palm thinks that the shortest between two points is not necessarily the fastest. She will walk in circles and walk behind you. This also represents two attitudes towards life, one is to look forward forever, and Zhang Ziyi is to look back forever. In the end, she would rather stay because she has been looking back all her life.

So why did Tony Leung Chiu Wai say that you lacked a turning point and you didn't look forward? Looking back at the moon hung by the old ape means looking back is a kind of review, a kind of reflection, but sometimes it is nostalgia.

"The Master" seems to be never finished. Until the day of the shutdown, Wong Kar-wai filmed for more than nine hours. The movie version is cut and cut, and the actors, like the audience, don't know what they have until the movie is released. (Photo courtesy of the crew/picture)

They have no aura, they are more moving.

Southern Weekend: Zhang zhen plays A Glance at Paradise, but there is no counterpart of Tony Leung Chiu Wai's Ip Man. What kind of relationship should they have?

Wong Kar-wai: He and Tony Leung Chiu Wai are parallel-both of them are skilled in martial arts and have experienced hardships. Finally, they all went to Hong Kong and did things that were not their ideal in life. Finally, they all started their own schools, but one became a master and the other a barber. In other words, the people in the play live all their lives, some live as "face" and some live as "lining", and their ability is secondary, which is the result of the times. But what is even more touching is that many people are doing a lot of things silently. They have no aura. They silently passed on the things handed down by their ancestors.

Southern Weekend: So what is more touching is the "barber generation"?

Wong Kar-wai: When I was young, there was a barber shop downstairs. When I was a child, I heard that many experts with special skills were mixed in, and when they arrived in Hong Kong, they became local strongmen.

At first glance, Zhang zhen's prototype actually came from two people. The first person is the master of octupole boxing, named Li. He is unkind, but he is lazy. He said a useful trick was enough. The other is the owner of Taiwan Province Province, named Liu Yunqiao. He was also a special agent in the Republic of China, and he did a lot of things to resist Japan. Later, he also developed octupole boxing in Taiwan Province province.

Many people are stunted, and some people can get a halo because they have the opportunity. But not having this opportunity doesn't mean you don't need to do these things. Some people don't have this aura, but they are preserving what their ancestors have preserved all the way. I think this is also a very important thing.

Southern Weekend: Wulin people gather in the romantic place "Golden House", which has a good explanation, that is, "there must be a temperament middleman in the dust". Is this discovered by studying historical materials, or is it your own feeling?

Wong Kar-wai: It's my feeling. You should have noticed that this golden building is called "* * * and Building". Before Mr. Gong said, "I have done three things in my life," there was actually another paragraph. But it may be too long. He said that I took a group of Northeasters, took off my fur coat all the way, entered the customs, went to Foshan, and entered the Golden House, only to know that I was a bumpkin. The scenery here is spotless ... but we're not here for whoring. We're here to deliver the bomb. The bomb was prepared by Mr Cai Yuanpei. Three days later, the Guangzhou general Fengshan was bombed, and the Republic of China began. So this building is called * * * and building. This is a dusty place, but it is full of heroes.

Without this passage, many people will wonder why all these people in Wulin are in the "Tangzi". You know, Puyi's abdication letters were all written by writers hiding in the hall-they can't be known and hidden in the city.

Southern Weekend: There is another saying, "If you don't forget, you will have the aftermath". What won't you forget?

Wong Kar-wai: It is my original intention to never forget. If I don't change my original intention, I will be called a hero. If you are not lost, you should never forget your career. When you concentrate and keep watering, the fruit tree will grow.

The first generation of their China Wushu Club said that Wushu can strengthen the country and save the nation. That snake soup is their original intention and idea. They hope to continue this concept. Gong is a great old man. He saw this hope in IP Man, so he finally admitted that he had lost. He said I would lend you my reputation. I hope you can continue this torch.

"The master knows the level by touching his hand."

Southern Weekend: Gong Er's key trick is to hold the opponent's chin with both hands and push it out, which was also used in the scene where Gong died. Is this your choice from an aesthetic point of view, or should you use this action from a professional point of view?

Wong Kar-wai: I hope the tricks of the movie match the plot. I see that Xingyiquan has a skill called "Old Ape Hanging Seal". It's actually quite simple. You hit the sternum with your knee, which is called hanging seal. This will kill people. At that time, I worked for the Japanese, hoping to "close", but Gong told him that the pass for this move was "turning back", which I think just fits the plot: the old man asked him to turn back, but he didn't. Zhang Ziyi's trick is called "hiding flowers in leaves", which broke his "old ape hanging seal". This is a literary drama and a military song.

Southern Weekend: When the martial arts drama was filmed, the actor's martial arts master and eight masters (action director Yuan Heping) were present at the same time, and their views on martial arts actions were definitely different. Who's in charge?

Wong Kar-wai: This is the most delicate part of this shoot. There is a saying in martial arts movies like Grandpa Eight: Children, dogs and coaches are the hardest things to do. Son, it is very difficult for you to teach him kung fu. Needless to say, animals are more difficult; There are coaches, because they all have their own fixed ideas-this is no good, and it is not something of our Sect. But this time the integration is better, because everyone has a very clear goal, that is, to standardize all sects in one move and one style. The choice is that sometimes this move is not standardized, but it will look good and it is reasonable. Balance is here.

Those teachers will always tell you that (our Sect's things) died with one hand. You can't always be alone, then you can't watch this movie when it's over. Kurosawa, the sword is ok, but you can't use your fist.

Southern Weekend: In the process of searching for folk martial arts masters, some masters will say that they are willing to let their kung fu appear in the film, but only if they can't lose to Wing Chun. What do you think of this problem?

Wong Kar-wai: So finally, I would like to thank Mr. Wang Shiquan and several teachers of Bagua Palm. They don't care about this. Generally speaking, your movie is about Ip Man, so will our sect lose or win? We can't lose. If we lose, we are sinners. I explained to them that there is not only one master in this film, nor is it a question of winning or losing. Finally, these teachers trusted me, which is my luck.

In fact, all the martial arts in this play have very interesting places. For example, in the scene where Ip Man and Gong Lao broke bread, most people don't know why Tony Leung Chiu Wai had his palm up once and his palm down once. If you are an expert, you will know that the palm of your hand is called yang hand, which is generally called "compassion"-if your center of gravity comes from the ground, it will hurt people and not kill people; Yin's hand has "crossed" Ip Man tried the male hand and the female hand, and he knew it was not the way. Finally, he used the listening bridge, just like the sticky hand of Wing Chun and the pusher of Tai Chi. He just listened to your strength and followed you. So it's actually very enjoyable. But some things have to be read by experts before they can be said. Alas, Wang Dao still knows a little!

Southern Weekend: Ip Man's line at the beginning of the film is "Kung Fu is two words, one horizontal and one vertical. Those who lose lie down, and those who stand are qualified to speak. " Is this a winner-oriented strategy?

Wong Kar-wai: No, not the winner's strategy. Wushu is actually an art after all. There are more than 120 kinds of martial arts in China, and each faction has its own methods. In the final analysis, this is a means, and the ultimate goal is to lie down or stand. Only standing is right. They say your fist is not very heavy, but mine is heavier than yours. There is nothing to discuss, just compare it in the Wulin.

In fact, the master knows the level by touching his hand. Before, everyone had to give each other face and step down. I think this is the most interesting. It is a great thing to ruin a person's reputation, because he does not represent an individual, but a faction, and the hatred between the two factions will be endless.

Southern Weekend: What do you think of the current Wulin situation after visiting folk masters for three years?

Wong Kar-wai: At present, martial arts in China are divided into two parts: one is competitive martial arts within the system, which makes martial arts sporty, without the concept of sects, and all are routines. But without sects, there is no inheritance, and there is no mentoring relationship. In fact, what China people used to call "hands-on teaching" is very important, because some things are taught by word of mouth and heart, so you should practice it to a certain extent. When the temperature reaches, the master pokes it and suddenly becomes enlightened. The development of traditional folk Wushu is worrying. In this era, parents will not let their children practice martial arts from an early age. It is impossible to practice Taekwondo, draw pictures and play the piano. Many teachers I have visited are in their fifties. He said we can't practice until we are laid off, and the youngest disciple of our sect is over fifty. Do you think you are worried? You can't live by practicing medicine.