From: farant@terapin.com (Faran Thomason)
Newsgroups: alt.cult-movies
Subject: Re: Tsui Hark filmography?
Date: 19 Nov 92 04:53:54 GMT
Organization: BBS

In article <Ef2NREW00WBME7mlF2@andrew.cmu.edu>, Daniel Read
<dr3u+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
> 
>>1.  According to the Incredibly Strange Filmshow segment on Tsui, it is 
>>generally accepted that Tsui takes a keen interest in anything that 
>>bears his name.
>
>>2. After people
>>have worked for Hark, they do seem to change a bit.
>
>>3. They also claim that many of the films that he produces,
>>bear more of a resemblance to Hark films than the films done previously
>>by the directors. Compare the early John Woo films to the ones that
>>Hark produced and you get a good idea of what they mean.
>
>
>Undoubtedly 1 & 2 are true. I would be surprised if Tsui (or anybody)
>didn't take a "keen interest" in anything that bore his name.  I'm sure
>that working with a master like Tsui would influence your work.  The
>third claim is a bit subjective and I'm not sure how much data we have
>to support it.  (John Woo is the only case -- Ching Siu Tung has always
>been associated with Hark).  Woo's budgets skyrocketed after the
>tremendous success of A BETTER TOMORROW, and this may have a lot to do
>with his stylistic evolution.   
>
>Nonetheless, I think people generally like Tsui Hark for being Ching Siu
>Tung -- whose films (A CHINESE GHOST STORY, SWORDSMAN II) are apparently
>the paradigmatic Tsui films.  Maybe I've seen the wrong Tsui Hark
>(directed) films,  but his style seems very different than either
>Ching's or Woo's.  (Compare A BETTER TOMORROW III with THE KILLER).  Not
>only his style but his tone (lighter than either Ching or Woo) and the
>themes he chooses to explore (usually related to modern Chinese history)
>differ from his fellows.  I cannot imagine Woo or Ching making SHANGHAI
>BLUES, Tsui or Ching making HARDBOILED, or Woo or Tsui making A CHINESE
>GHOST STORY.  In fact, when I first saw CHINESE GHOST STORY III I
>understood that Tsui had directed it and I was surprised because it
>seemed so much like one of Ching's films.  It turned out, in fact, that
>it was by Ching.
>
>I don't want to suggest that there is a huge gulf between these artists.
> However, they are auteurs whose work shows much of their own
>personality influenced by their mentors and associates.
>
>Incidentally, the fact that The Incredibly Strange Filmshow said
>something doesn't mean anything to me.  I've seen lots of these films, I
>think about them a lot, and I'm sure I have at least as great an ability
>to make such evaluations as the program's researchers.   Likewise, why
>should you cite them?  Look at the films (properly credited) and think
>about them.  If you do so and still doubt my claim then lets talk about
>it.
>
>daniel 
> 
>
Well I think part of the problem in ciging who directed what is that the
English translations are poor and innacurate. And Tsui Hark is synonomous with
Chinese Ghost Story the same way George Lucas is with Empire Strikes back or
Raiders of the lost ark-and he did not direct either of those films.

Also it is apparant that Hark does NOT have a definate style. Working Class is
different from Peking Opera Blues. As ABT 3 differs from Once Upon a Time in
China. However it does seem that John Woo does have a style(at least for his
action pics)-as does Ching Tsu Tung-although I have only seen fantasy pics from
him.

However--The bottom line is that all 3 directors make really cool films!!!