DIRECTOR'S NOTES:
Lai Man-wai might have seemed like any man on the street, but what we know about him is only the tip of an iceberg. The more I learnt about him, the more I wanted to know about him. The wider and deeper I dig, the more I discover.
Lai Man-wai's contribution in the film history of Hong Kong and China is colossal. He not only called for the assistance of his whole family, but also spent his entire fortune in making quality films. He risked his life, carrying the manual film camera and tripod on his shoulders, to record the precious shots of Northern Expedition and the Anti-Japanese War as the documentation of history.
He was the forerunner in the posts of actor, cinematographer, scriptwriter, director, producer, head of studio, financier. In terms of quality and quantity, he was surpassed by no one in the scouting and training of filmmakers in front and behind the camera. In the era of Shanghai Minxin and Lianhua, he had incubated and produced many a fine film to create the greatest period in Chinese film history. His lifelong research in the technology of filmmaking, especially in the fields of cinematography and film development and printing, had been the foremost in China.
But this is only one of the reasons why I wanted to make this film. Another important reason is that Lai Man-wai had a very distinct character, a very colorful life, and he was very passionate. He was born in Japan, but he had done his best in fighting the anti-Japanese war. His family was rich: he knew how to do business and did make a fortune doing that, but he rather did the money-losing business of filmmaking. He had already married a young and able wife Yim Shan-shan, who went to the front line with him in making revolution and war against warlords, but he still wanted to marry a second one, beautiful and kind Lam Chor-chor, who had helped him in his film career, and raised a talented bunch of children for him. Although a founding member and major shareholder of the Minxin and Lianhua studios, he had seldom taken credit beyond that of a "production manager". In a group picture, his face could usually be found in a corner. Lai was never a man after fame and fortune, but a cinema of excellence.
Last but not the least reason for making this film was the time Lai Man-wai lived and fought. China then was so tumultuous: it went through the periods of wars lost to foreign powers, the downfall of the Manchu dynasty by revolution, warlords against warlords, the success of Northern Expedition, the birth of a new nation, anti-Japanese invasion war, and the civil war between the Nationalists and the Communists. As a distinctive representative of the Chinese people, Lai Man-wai demonstrated the strong will to survive and the power to create, like the rebirth of the phoenix after cremation.
My original plan was to shoot only in Hong Kong in this production, but because Lai Man-wai was so important that we had to go to Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei to shoot interviews and collect materials. I was thinking of making a one-hour documentary, but now it had been edited to two hours and twenty minutes because the materials were too good and too much to throw away. I planned to finish the production in one year; it finally ended in three.
The style of this film is based on the spirit and character of Lai Man-wai: true, rich, direct, touching. Originally I had shot some cut-aways of interviewees' environment and close-ups of their decorations, but I did not use them. Instead I inserted footage and photos shot by Lai. Through this film I hope the audience can feel the greatness of Lai Man-wai as a man, his films, his time and the evolution & development of Hong Kong and Chinese cinema. |
Film Facts:
