“If” by Edward Lam

A Narcissus's Inquiry

“If” – Edward Lam (2007.04.03 Nanfang Daily)
《如果》---- 林奕華 （4.3南方都市報）

本文網址: http://bbs.ent.163.com/zhangguorong/179040,27.html

Translated by Daydreamer on April 15, 2007

If Gorgor had not left us, he would like Isabella Leung. Perhaps the movie “Spider Lilies刺青” would be appreciated and greatly supported by Gorgor as a result of his being invited again to sit on the jurors panel at the Berlin film festival. I wrote this not because I understood him specifically, just that of the actresses that he liked, such as Maggie Cheung, Cecilia Cheung, Karen Mok, there is some commonness among them. If Gorgor had not left us, would “The Biography of Mei Lanfang” be shot without him playing a role? Chen Kaige who had worked with Gorgor was the director of “Temptress Moon” and “Farewell To My Concubine”. “Temptress Moon” in people’s mind seems to have turned into dust, yet everyone still cherishes the memory of “Farewell to My Concubine”. I said “cherishes the memory of” because the way that Chen handles the distinguishing characteristics of emotion has departed along with Gorgor. Once there was rumour that Wang Lihong would play the role of Mei Lanfang, I thought it was a challenge to him. Now the unconfirmed news is that the role “will go to Leon Lai”. There is no question about the image, yet I thought that he probably needs to spend a lot of time in handling the femininity side of the role, including the deduction in Mei’s performing attainments. In this aspect, Gorgor who had experience in same could handle it with ease, yet for Leon Lai to play a historical personage for the first time, I am full of fanciful expectation. If Gorgor had not left us, and if Long Chiensheng 龍劍笙 insisted on not appearing in Guangdong opera stage again, perhaps it was not a bad idea to consider using Gorgor to play in “Purple Hairpin紫釵記” and “Reincarnation of Lady Plum Blossom再世紅梅記” in the place of Long Chiensheng. Although someone who was 50 years old could not play the youth version, however, the charm of an artist might not allow people to trace his real age.

If Gorgor had not left us, would the role of Zhuge Liang (諸葛孔明) in the movie ‘Red Wall” go to him? He who loved keeping the beard, could never play the role of the Beard Man (虯髯客 [see note 1]), yet visualizing him holding a feather fan and dressing in black silk ribbon, he surely must be incomparably natural, calm and relaxing, together with the elegant beard, Zhuge Liang’s melancholy, intelligence and loneliness would inevitably come alive. John Woo in the movie “A Better Tomorrow” had accomplished Gorgor, after twenty years, Gorgor originally could reciprocate by making his most perfect performance – besides he was to play against Chow Yun Fat.

If Gorgor had not left us, would he have reconciled with Wong Kar Wai long time ago and even collaborated with him again by playing in the Hollywood movie “My Blueberry Nights”, along with Jude Law? Both of them are full of charm. With these two greatest Valentinos who have the most female fans in the world playing against each other, when the movie screens, it must state a warning to the audience in its advertisement that “It’s at your own risk if you have a poor heart condition”. Don’t forget that this is the first time that Norah Jones, a singer with a sweet voice, plays the leading role in a movie, would Gorgor not take the opportunity of singing and acting with her?

If Gorgor had not left us, he would have held a concert in the Taipei Arena long time ago. Would Leslie Cheung, Jackie Cheung and A-Mei (張惠妹) be invited to hold a concert at the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympus just like the three sopranos did in the Olympic opening ceremony many years ago? If Gorgor had not left us, he would definitely love the movie “The Devil Wears Prada”. He would adapt it into an all-male version and then direct and play in it himself – he of course would be that devil, since he had never played as a villain before in his acting career.

Note 1: Who is the Beard Man? Go to the following link to learn more: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-TW&u=http://staff.whsh.tc.edu.tw/~huanyin/anfa/tong/chiuzen.php&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%25E8%2599%25AF%25E9%25AB%25AF%25E5%25AE%25A2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG