Tribute to Chinese cinema（02/02/2006）

蓝色星光

Shanghai Daily  02/02/2006

Xu Wei

To celebrate the centennial anniversary of Chinese cinema, Act magazine and Red Mission, an Internet fan club of the late Hong Kong star Leslie Cheung, will hold a special art exhibition based on the award-winning movie "Farewell My Concubine" during the Chinese New Year holiday.

"This epic movie is not only a representative work of Cheung, but also a full display of the profound Chinese culture," says Zhu Ran, a fan of Cheung and an organizer of the event.

Directed by veteran filmmaker Chen Kaige ("The Promise," "Killing Me Softly"), "Farewell My Concubine" centers on the tragic love between two Peking Opera performers, showcasing Chen';s talent for storytelling in an artistic and sentimental way. This landmark film won Chen a joint Palme d';Or (with "The Piano") at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival and an Academy Award nomination. And Cheung deeply impressed the audience with his art talent and exquisite performing skills as Cheng Dieyi.

The two-day exhibition will include several special screenings of the movie, and a display of its properties, photos, posters, video memorials and publicity materials. The sword used in the movie and the imitated Peking Opera stage and powder room will also be exhibited, which will bring people back to those nostalgic scenes of the movie.

"And a 30-minute special feature about the film will be released for the first time on the Chinese mainland," Zhu adds. "From it, people will know many interesting stories about the film making."

However, the exhibition is more than a platform to showcase film art. It offers an insight into the age-old Peking Opera art. Well-known Peking Opera artists Li Chun and Guo Ruiyue from Shanghai Peking Opera House will be invited to give workshops during the exhibition. Li, who played a supporting role in the movie, will share his experience and stories with visitors.

The exhibition won high praise from the public when it was held in Hong Kong last September. Thousands of people went to visit it, and Lilian Lee, the acclaimed scriptwriter of the movie, wrote a column article for the event.

The exhibition is also in memory of Cheung, a popular Cantonese actor who committed suicide in Hong Kong by jumping from a hotel in 2003.

"He was a great artist, so professional and diligent," Zhu says. "Before shooting ';Farewell,'; he had no performing experience for Peking Opera. But after tough training and consulting opera artists, he successfully portrayed such a complicated role."