Lasting Legend - Leslie Cheung (Part 3)

Part 3 from YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sb-qr3K2bE&feature=related

Chan Wing Go: He wouldn’t worry whether the audience would accept it or not. He wanted to let his fans and audience know, in his heart, what kind of a person he was.

[Clip of opening song at Passion Tour 2000]

Florence Chan: Passion Tour was a very daring attempt. I remember that at that time, after the media watched the performance, we met them face to face. They all praised that the performance was great. However, the next day when I looked at the newspapers, the facts were twisted, they smeared Leslie’s image badly. [Paper clippings shown]

Eliza Chan: I immediately surfed the internet to take a look, and I said, “What's he doing?” At that time, he was wearing a beard and long hair.

[Song “Big Heat”, clip from Passion Tour was played]

Eliza Chan: When I returned to Hong Kong, the first thing I did was go to his concert. After watching that, I felt that he had insight and guts. On stage, it is a must to have good singing and dancing skill, but the requirements he set for himself on stage and his ability to walk a new path so nicely, I think probably there won't be another one after him.

[Song “Big Heat”, clip from Passion Tour continued to play]

[Lok Fung sorting out her pictures of Leslie with background music “Spring Summer Autumn Winter]

Lok Fung (Professor, author): I don’t know if other people will agree with me or not, yet I insist that in eight to ten years time when we talk of Hong Kong culture we will talk of Leslie Cheung still and realize that he is a very important component.

[Song “And Who Else” was played]

[Lok Fung opening the door of her office]

Lok Fung: There is one here also.

Lok Fung: He was a pop singer, thus could not break away from the production mode of the pop industry, for example markets, statistics, yet he would find some gap or space to do something that he wanted to do, making some special elements that he believed could be changed and varied, to go beyond the norm and exhibit them on stage, for example, man can express and show the feminine side, or perhaps whether we need to change or broaden our views a bit towards men and women.

[Clip of song from Passion Tour was played 03:10 of 08:52]

Lok Fung: Since he could do it, then why don’t we show more people or make an in-depth study? I am really interested to know how the cultural environment of Hong Kong could produce someone like him, I am really interested in finding this out. I could say that I use my own way to understand him, but this does not mean that that is him. Artists do not want to be understood; because then they can retain some mystery. It would not be fun if we know everything. If Gorgor said to me one day that he was not as I wrote him to be, then I would smile and say I understand why you say that.

[Clip of dance at TVB Variety Show in 1984]

[Clip of 2001 Hong Kong Movies Award Ceremony]

Leslie: Having been in this field for so many years, without realizing it, I have made almost 70 films. In these 70 films, I have played many different roles, such as, a weak scholar who bumped into a ghost, a swordsman who escaped to the desert from love, a Dan [female Peking opera leading actress] played by a man, Master Twelve, as to more modern ones, a cold-blooded killer, and many many more.

[Clips of various movies were played]

Karen Mok: This is “Viva Erotica”, filmed in 1996. That was my first time officially collaborating with Gorgor. At that time, I could not believe I would have the chance to play with my own idol. In it, I played as his girlfriend, there was also a love scene.

[Clip from “Viva Erotica” was played]

Karen Mok: Of course, apart from playing the role as my boyfriend, we would never forget Gorgor’s other excellent performing skills that we saw on big screen.

[Clip from “A Better Tomorrow” was played]

[Clip from 22nd Ten Golden Songs Award with Gorgor singing the theme song of “A Better Tomorrow” and Ti Lung presenting him a scarf.]

Ti Lung (Actor): In “A Better Tomorrow”, I collaborated with Chow Yun Fat and Leslie. It produced a very outstanding result, and our collaboration created a spark.

[Clip from “A Better Tomorrow” continued to play]

Tsui Hark (Director): In “A Better Tomorrow”, the role of the younger brother was a very important one. At that time, Leslie came to mind immediately when we thought of the candidate for that role. He was the best choice and no one else.

[Clip of "A Better Tomorrow" continued to play]

Tsui Hark: The elder brother was in prison and the whole family was ruined as a result of his past profession, so when the younger brother became a policeman, his mentality was very unbalanced. The role of a young man with an image of rebellion was most suitable for Leslie. Probably someone has already mentioned that the expression in his eye was very similar to that of James Dean’s. Actually eye expression of this type has a kind of lethal force to ordinary people, but after you knew him well, you would feel that it was a very special kind of charisma and charm. Thereafter at that time, when we filmed “A Chinese Ghost Story”, the first thing we had to do was to pull Leslie closer to the audience.

[Clip of “A Chinese Ghost Story” was played]

Ching Siu Tung (Director): Actually, there was a scene I especially like, which is when both of them were in the water. Although they seemed to be kissing, actually they were trying to pass oxygen from one to the other.

[Clip of “A Chinese Ghost Story” was played]

Ching Siu Tung: I originally estimated that it would be a difficult scene to shoot, yet when it was filmed, it only took two takes and eventually we used the one that was taken the first time, that is to say, he could immediately handle that kind of feeling – the romantic feeling when he and Joey Wong were kissing in the water.

[Clip of “A Chinese Ghost Story” was played with Sally Yep singing the song]

Stanley Kwan (Director): I believe that I am not the only person who has the feeling that Leslie has an air of royalty about him.

[Clip of “Rouge” was played]

Stanley Kwan: His facial feature, his manner and movements all carried a kind of scholarly gracefulness and an air of sophistication.

[TO BE CONTINUED]