1961-12-13 — Page 8

THE CHINA MAIL, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1961.

MAGNATE ON A MOVIE SET The Cecil de Mille of the Chinese screen

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"CAMERA!" shouted director H. H. Lee, the Cecil B. de Mille of the Orient, in whom Shaw's have invested over $3,000,000 for three films only.

So the spools started to whir on another million-dollar pro- duction at the studios in Clearwater Bay.

in

It was sip I to either maitoply the $3,000,000 in terms

f hose or lose them Medom of curated negative

along with bug ilms go big stars, big numer. bat money, big sets, big cast and

A budgeting.

Kut isn't there a shadow of big financial risk?

TH. 11. Lee who is used to bly film directing, there is no

such worry.

Vicious

1.6 whe

VOLL BWW.

cycle

reasons "the more the more you reap" bed 1b. tag (ims are the enly way to break away from the vicious vle of so m

By DAVID LAN

yle, the

Twn by

Sa

parlour is a golden

An

Laviced into Jargon wreea

Neti Whe entrance, 1. chapeu long

In Crean and a free-form giass raffee table are set off against a dark blue wall on which hangs a big oil painting The Temaining two-thirds of the parlour, with grey walls n three sides, ія Lod Onl an classic! Chinese

Art training is j great help in directing." said The former fergraduate of the National Peking At College

"All therries of painting

'Dialer audience and still apply in movie-directing, be

smaller film,

can

style. mond, unity, harmony, For yours the cycle had colour. or composition. What worked to the down of the is true of one medium is also Mandarin films which can now true of another

no longer get bookings with the first run theatres just for Peir lack of prestige.

Bot Lee was the only exception.

Ex-

His costumed rolour travaganza8. "Diau ('barn" and "The Kingdom and the Beauty." not only booked with the first runs but had record box-office laklog.

Principal job

"Thus, before shooting, 1 first decide on the mood of a m Then I see that costumes, props, designs of xets, and cast ca St in.

"My principal jou is preparing the shooting script according to the rocd requirement and, then, directing on the set The latter depends much on inspiration of the moment," Lee said.

There concrete facts proved Lee's theory that the bigger and helter the film, the higher the prestige beare more audience.

Result" Shaw's tied Nim

The director admitted that 80 down with a new contract for six long years and invested per cent of the audience go to fortune in him. This was just the cinemas for "star attraction"

another laurels.

leaf

વ

added

to

fis

and

cent go

are a better investment than a

tamy palaxy," he continued

This, sald Lee, was the rea- son why Shaw's Organisation has been changing its policy by paying the directors more and the stars less.

Although the director's contri- button to ari is overall and that of a star. partial, good actress and bylor are still a rare species

or

Movie talent

"You can pick one good actor antress Otil of every thousand candidates," said the director.

TITANS

FROM

THE

NORTH

-PART 9

the Snow" in 1954 for the Far Το solve the problem. East Film Co. Shaw's Organisation suggested "Diau Chara" was his first cinematic sections in schools big budget historical film, on in the Colony to train poten- experiment for Shaw's, which tial movie talent, he revealed. turned out to be such a money-

spinner

that they asked him to "Another stumbling block do another, "The Kingdom and Sanding in the way of pro- the Beauty in 1959.

gress for the movie industry

The latter brought even bet- nowadays is the lack of good ter results at the box office. scripts," he said.

So Shaw's sunk over $3,000,- 000 into Lee for three big budget historicals without. seung him a deadline.

This is because it is much пиге difficult to be a good Sreen-writer than to be a good director

man's life can supply kim with enough material 1 for

a couple of good stories).

"Then

Research

the writing jub 1s The the aims are "Yang much less rewarding financially Kwei-fel, "Empress Wu Tse- for the 20 per

then either directing or acting ten," and "Wang Chao-chuen,” "direction," the latter group (I'm going to talk to my boss 211 of which are widescreen

intellectual on Thrice, Lee walked away with being of a higher

beller payment for the Fusiman colour extravaganzas honours from

Jevel. the Asian Furn

scriptwriters).

in the giant series called "The Festivals Twice he won the

"However," said the movie-

Beauty of Beauties." awards for best direction first maestro, "he bubble of the star

Working at his own pace, Lee with "Diau Charn" at the Fifth system will begin bursting

piunged into research, digging Festival in 1958 then with "The when more and more of the

up literature and drawings Kingdom and the Beauty" at audience go to a film for its

libraries, his company depart- the Sixth Festival in 1950. story rather for 22 certain

ments, book stores, specialists' homes and wherever references face,

were available.

The

Award

next year,

1960, he sprang a surprise by winning the award for the best film at the Seventh Astan Film Festival with a small-budget

Still-born

"And lastly, the many hurdles of censorship in various countries "In fact, it has been found have killed many film stories. A that big stars are no longer a potentially good script is oflen guarantee of good box office. still-born after a survey of the On the contrary they have 1001 taboos on an international proven on

to be scale. Occasions downright flops at the

"Often box

a good film script, office.

passed by one country. allowed in another. you are.

black and white picture, "Pesides, there is really not much difference in performance between a big name star and a lesser actor or actress so long as they are under good direc- tion.

"Back Door," he had directed for Shaw's. This was further proof of his versatility as a director irrespec-- tive of the budget.

In 1959, he tried his hand at

The result horror.

Eastman

was

the "The

coloured Enchanting Shadow" which Shaw's entered in the Cannes

Surer index

pro-

"No magic wand of a Film Festival and which won a ducer can turn the losing tide

International against ΟΙ

good Jeal acclamation.

Art student

Born 36 years

in

Sometimes you might even find him lingering in Lower Lascar-roW and Cat-street, browsing #rough

ancient

tomes and curtos "for own interest as well as work."

my

for

is not So there

He worked doily from 9 am was brought up and educated in to no weekend or holiday. An ago, Mr Lee to 8 pm at the studio. "There Peking. He went to Shanghat occasional break occurs only with the intention of attending when the sels are buing pulled the dramatic academy there but down and rebuilt," had to come south when the mainland was in civil strife.

He

began his career actor on a retention

as an

that's

"But film work."

part and parcel of

His hopes? "Let there be less basis and greedy, get-rich-quick producers

later as a continuity man.

'Diau Charn'

who borrow money for two weeks and manoeuvre within the time limit,

film for which stars have taken up say, $75,000 out

"Let there be less riff-raff of its $120,000 budgeting."

quickies that crop up at the. Conversely Hitchcock and de

rate of over 30 a year to the Milie have proven that good

Mr Lee also worked as an damage of Hongkong's good direction (hence good judgment artist in the art department of Matching "Dracula” in its and skill) is always a surer in the studio and the

publicity reputation, intensity of horror, "The dex of a

department as well. er of a good box ofler, Enchanting Shadow"

"Producers commanding good showed

En a31-25g filing.. This was no

sheer

It was in 1951 that be began

an

And finally, let there be a that Lee even treated horror directors will not suffer much in directing by working as few disinterested, righteous with beauty-an intrinsic value the way of financial setback, assistent director for "Tsul and outspoken movio critics in said Mr LeC "Nor will the Teul" at the Yung Hwa Studio. the press constantly levelling coinci- films suffer in quality."

In 1953, he wrote *The a tonic fire of unbiased and dence, for Lee was formerly an "A director enjoys a longer Golden Phoenix" for the Kwok severe critichem so na to guldo art student. Hie luxury flat in span of are life than can antar Fung Fum Co He brednie a, Kedoorte-avenue is a pointer, or the like. Producers have full-flodge

drestor when the industry to ever-better Predominantly Chinese Man- come to realise that directors making his first fim, "Red in productions."

4