Original title: Jiang Zhiqiang: I will regret it for a lifetime if the filming of “Anita Mui” is not good
When Mr. Jiang Zhiqiang, the producer of the movie “Anita Mui”, received an exclusive interview with the Beijing Youth Daily “Yu Jian”, his eyes were always red. The name “Anita Mui” brought him too many feelings and complicated moods.
And this person called “Boss Jiang”, a gold medal producer who once created the era of Chinese-language film blockbusters, regards “Anita Mui” as the most stressful, difficult, and painstaking work of his film career, because, What he has to face in his heart is the entrustment and consideration of his deceased Anita Mui. “The one thing I must never say is:’I’m sorry, what you told me, I didn’t do a good job’, I would never say such a thing. If you shoot If “Anita Mui” is not good, I will regret it forever.”
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When Jiang Zhiqiang was an unknown person
Tian Hou Mei Yanfang will give her full support
The movie “Anita Mui” will be released on Friday in Japan on November 12. The film recalls the legendary experience of Anita Mui’s life: from the age of 4 and a half, she and her sister Mei Aifang went on stage to sing and support her family; at the age of 19, she participated in the first rookie singing contest held by China Star Records, won the championship, and has since ended with the stage. Under the indissoluble bond, with dedication and extraordinary talents, he slowly grows into a generation of superstars. Suddenly changed during the peak of his career, fell to the bottom, but stood up again and transformed into the “daughter of Hong Kong.” , Give back to the society with “big love”; then in 2003, suffering from cancer, with a “Sunset Song” and a customized white wedding dress, I looked back at the concert and bid farewell to his 40-year splendid life.
Jiang Zhiqiang believes that “Anita Mui” connects her life with “love”. “From her childhood lacking love to the pursuit of love, she has gained the love of people around her as she grows up. In the end, she acts like a chivalrous woman. With her generosity and loyalty, she has given love to more people and worked hard. The core of this film is’big love’, and her spiritual world is really wonderful.” Thus, “Anita Mui” shows that she is growing and growing. A powerful journey, “Anyone who is familiar with Anita Mui knows that she loves her relatives, friends, and fans, but she does not love herself.”
Jiang Zhiqiang first became friends with Mui Yanfang because of her “righteousness.” In the 1980s, Jiang Zhiqiang was still a small “nameless man”. Because of the release of the Japanese movie “Zi Cat Story”, he took the liberty to ask Anita Mui to help the platform, and Anita Mui, as a queen, came to help him promote it simply. “I remember that it was in a shopping mall that day. Thousands of people came here because of Anita Mui. They remembered the movie under Anita Mui’s recommendation. Therefore, the box office of this movie was very good. “After that, Anita Mui often helped Jiang Zhiqiang’s movies in publicity, but he didn’t care about the rewards. Jiang Zhiqiang said with emotion: “It is her instinctive kindness to be able to do this for a small company that meets peacefully.”
Heart debt
When I asked Jiang Zhiqiang to make a movie in 2003,
Jiang Zhiqiang didn’t know Mei Yanfang’s condition
However, Jiang Zhiqiang and Mui Yanfang have been unable to intersect in their careers for quite a long time. The two ultimately failed to cooperate in a film. Jiang Zhiqiang said: “Our world is too different. Earlier, she It’s a diva. I’m just a small publisher. When she’s very successful, I’m not qualified to ask her to make a film. We don’t have much contact in private. We are different people, our status is different, and our life circle is different. She likes lively, I like karaoke, drinking, and staying up late, but I don’t drink and I like to get up early. What I know about Anita Mui is only known through media reports.”
After that, Jiang Zhiqiang led Anle Films to continue to work hard, and in 2000 and 2002 successively produced “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Hero” and other works, and finally it was regarded as “a successful career.” Anita Mui approached Jiang Zhiqiang one day in 2003 and expressed that she wanted Boss Jiang to help her make a movie that can be passed down to the world. At that time, Jiang Zhiqiang did not know her condition. “I didn’t know that she was so sick. If I knew it, I She will definitely encourage her to take care of her body first, and she will definitely wait for her to make a movie.”
Jiang Zhiqiang originally arranged for Anita Mui to participate in “Ambush on Ten Sides” directed by Zhang Yimou. Zhang Yimou also personally designed a role for her. “However, Anita Mui’s condition deteriorated so badly that she could not participate in the performance. So, until her death, I and her The wish of cooperating in the film also failed to come true.”
Later, Jiang Zhiqiang realized that Anita Mui wanted to make a movie with herself. “Her body is like that, and she has to insist on holding a concert, just to give back to the fans who loved her. She asked me to make a movie to leave some for the fans. What, she is such a person, so this has also become a “heart debt” of mine that must be paid.”
Preparation
Back in 2005 and 2009
Jiang Zhiqiang once tried to shoot Anita Mui
The movie “Anita Mui” is currently being screened in the road show. On the screen, Sister Mei’s smiles caused the audience to cry, and Jiang Zhiqiang’s tears were accompanied by the whole preparation process of the film. “I would cry when I saw the script. ; I was crying when I found Wang Danni as an actor. I would tell her in my heart:’Sister Mei finally found a candidate’; whenever her name is mentioned, my heart is touched, too many tears.”
In fact, as early as 2005 and 2009, Jiang Zhiqiang tried to shoot Anita Mui, but they all failed. By 2015, Jiang Zhiqiang put the film on the agenda again. “At the end of 2015, I found Liang Lemin, who had directed “Chill” as the director. In 2016, it was determined that Wang Danni would play Sister Mei. The film only started shooting in 2018. , Because in the past two years, we have to interview people close to Sister Mei in large numbers and write them into scripts.”
Jiang Zhiqiang consulted a lot of interviews and materials in the process of preparing the film. He increasingly felt that Anita Mui was amazing. “I used to read her news in the newspaper, but I didn’t know what she was thinking. I was making a movie. After getting to know her, I discovered that she was so sincere to her friends and she was so tough. For example, at the peak of her career in 1992, Anita Mui experienced a karaoke slap and avoided Thailand for nearly a year at that time. The media felt that Anita Mui was hit hard and it would be difficult for her to make a comeback. However, Anita Mui had to stand up from wherever she fell. After returning to Hong Kong, she changed her life path and started doing charity and doing public welfare. Hong Kong’s daughter.”
The movie “Anita Mui” does not have any “curious hunting” or any unknown inside story. However, many precious clips are disclosed for the first time. For example, after Anita Mui won the championship in the Rookie Singing Competition, she successfully signed a contract with China Star Records. The soundtrack of the first album “Heart Debt” is presented in the film.
Jiang Zhiqiang told reporters: “That was the first time that Anita Mui was recording and singing in a studio in 1982. We spent a lot of effort to find this recording. Many friends who knew Mui Yanfang told me, Mr. Jiang, you are so amazing. , Can actually reproduce the original sound, I think we are 100% trying to do the best in details.”
Casting
Wang Danni is because she has the temperament of Anita Mui
Not how similar it looks
The casting of the movie “Anita Mui” is extremely difficult. The actor of Anita Mui was selected by the model Wang Danni after half a year of audition. After that, she spent half a year to train her comprehensively. Wang Danni lived up to the expectations of Anita Mui. The masterpieces of film and song “Rouge Button”, “The Season of Wind”, “Song of the Sunset”, and “Flame and Red Lips” are performed with great emotion, which are quite similar to the charm of Ms. Mei’s past.
Regarding Wang Danni, Jiang Zhiqiang admired her attitude of working hard and refusing to give up. It was very similar to Anita Mui. “Wang Danni was selected because of the temperament of Anita Mui, not how similar she looks. We are not looking for someone to do it. Imitation. Wang Danni’s growth environment is similar to Mui Yanfang. She is a hard-working and responsible person. When doing singing and dancing training, as long as she feels dissatisfied, she will practice more by herself. For hours, she will never be distracted thinking about where to go to play and relax after finishing work. Her attitude towards career is the same as that of Sister Mei.”
In the film, although the scene between Anita Mui and her friend Liu Peiji is not overwhelming, it is a special spark. After suffering from cancer, Anita Mui told Liu Peiji: “Don’t tell Leslie Cheung”, just as Leslie Cheung also found out that there was a problem with her health condition, and asked Liu Peiji should not tell Anita Mui that the two people’s love for each other is revealed on the screen through Liu Peiji, a witness.
Regarding why Liu Peiji’s actor chose Gu Tianle, Jiang Zhiqiang said: “Gu Tianle used to appear in comedies or gangster movies, but we think his acting skills can also be expanded to perform in literary and artistic films. We believe he will have a surprise when he plays Liu Peiji.”
Jiang Zhiqiang said that since the filming of Anita Mui, the selection of actors is in line with Anita Mui’s spiritual beliefs, “Gu Tianle’s behavior and contribution to the society are obvious to all, and Wang Danni’s new starring role also complies with the support of Anita Mui’s consistent advocacy. Anita Mui has actually affected us subtly.”
Expect
Don’t want the movie to have a box office
But I want to be worthy of a deceased’s last wish
“Anita Mui” is a very special biographical film. Jiang Zhiqiang does not seek box office. “I will foresee that this movie will not satisfy everyone, nor will it satisfy everyone. I just hope that people are knowing Anita Mui’s name, she In addition to her songs and her movies, she also learned a little bit about the joys and sorrows in her life, her chivalrous attitude and spirit. It’s like a plot in a movie. Sister Mei hopes that everyone will have a meal one day. After looking at a star outside the window, I think of a person who once brought you some joy. This person is called Anita Mui, which is enough.”
The filming of “Anita Mui” made Jiang Zhiqiang owe too many people “favors”. In order to reproduce Anita Mui’s last concert in the Red Pavilion, many people came to “make peace”, which made the Red Pavilion make an exception and agreed to loan for five days. Before filming, there were few such precedents, so there was the most classic “swan song” scene in the film. I saw Anita Mui in a wedding dress walking slowly after singing the infinitely embarrassing “Song of the Sunset”. At the end of the stage, then turned around and looked back, reluctantly but resolutely said “bye bye” and left the scene for eternity.
The pressure on Jiang Zhiqiang from “Anita Mui” is different from the past. This pressure does not come from the box office, but whether my heart is worthy of the deceased’s last wish. “I make other movies, and if I don’t do well, I lose money. , I can work hard to earn it back later, but if I don’t shoot Anita Mui, I will regret it for the rest of my life, so I must do it well. It is different from all movies. Anita Mui always emphasizes that when you get a lot of things with your left hand , Your right hand wants to give back. She often feels for the kindness and love of countless people to her, but her life has already given back to this generation. All of this has also deeply infected me. I think it is Anita Mui that made me Become a better producer.” (Reporter Xiao Yang)
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