Chinese Odyssey 2002
Encyclopedia
Chinese Odyssey 2002 is a 2002 Hong Kong film written and directed by Jeffrey Lau
and produced by Wong Kar-wai
. It stars Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Faye Wong
, Zhao Wei
and Chang Chen
.
The Chinese Odyssey 2002 is a prime example of the persistence of Huangmei opera
in mainstream Chinese cinema, in which the movie itself is a comedic parody of huangmei films like The Three Smiles
(三笑), The Kingdom and the Beauty
(江山美人), and The Love Eterne
(梁山伯與祝英台). It is a Lunar New Year
film, a practice of the Hong Kong movie industry to release a movie (usually a comedy) so as to boost movie ticket sales during the holiday season.
, China
. Ah Long (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) is the town bully
, known for his boorish manners and reckless attitude which have endeared him to no one, save his sister Feng (Vicki Zhao) who has a curious penchant for cross-dressing
. It is apparent early on that both these siblings are such misfits they have virtually no prospect of marriage.
Faye Wong is cast as a runaway princess who is dressed as a man, a disguise which fools both Long and Feng. Long immediately decides that he likes his new-found friend so much that he will entrust his sister's hand in marriage to "him". The princess, of course, cannot marry another woman and tried to fend off Long's suggestions of a match; but also, she is attracted to Long.
Emperor Zheng De (Chang Chen) also leaves his palace temporarily in order to search for his missing sister. He dresses like a commoner and by a twist of fate meets Feng. He is smitten with Feng, and begins to court her, while keeping his imperial identity secret from her. His motives for leaving the palace also included the fact that he is unhappy and lonely at court and wants to escape the smothering influence of the Empress Dowager (Rebecca Pan), his mother, who plays a dictatorial rule in the actions of her son. A convoy of imperial guards try to protect him while he is out in town and bring the Emperor back to the palace, but unsuccessfully.
The Princess is also assisted by her "fairy godmother" (Athena Chu) in marrying her match. The Empress Dowager hears of her wayward children and storms Long's house, where her children are holed up, only to hear that they wish to marry two commoners with unwholesome and eccentric tendencies. The Emperor is adamant about marrying Feng and the Empress Dowager relents, but Long is unable to pass a "ring test" to prove he is the destined one and the Empress Dowager forbids his marriage to her daughter.
All ends well, however. After a separation, Long is enlightened by the "fairy godmother" and passes the "ring test". He is reunited with the Princess, the Empress Dowager accepts him, and happiness reigns.
Jeffrey Lau
Jeffrey Lau Chun-Wai is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, actor and producer. He was born on August 2, 1952. Liu Zhenwei is famous for writing and directing "mo lei tau" comedies...
and produced by Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai BBS is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker, internationally renowned as an auteur for his visually unique, highly stylized, emotionally resonant work, including Days of Being Wild , Ashes of Time , Chungking Express , Fallen Angels , Happy Together and 2046...
. It stars Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Faye Wong
Faye Wong
Faye Wong is a highly successful and influential Chinese singer-songwriter and actress who is usually referred to as a diva . Early in her career she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong . Born in Beijing, she moved to Hong Kong in 1987 and rose to stardom in the early 1990s by singing...
, Zhao Wei
Zhao Wei
Zhao Wei is a mainland Chinese film actress and pop singer. Audiences sometimes refer to her by her English name, Vicki Zhao...
and Chang Chen
Chang Chen
Chang Chen is a Taiwanese actor, born in Taipei, Taiwan. His name is sometimes seen in the Western order . He is the son of a Taiwanese actor Chang Kuo Chu and brother of a Taiwanese actor, Chang Han .-Career:...
.
The Chinese Odyssey 2002 is a prime example of the persistence of Huangmei opera
Huangmei Opera
Huangmei opera or Huangmei tone originated as a form of rural folksong and dance that has been in existence for the last 200 years and possibly longer. The music is performed with a pitch that hits high and stays high for the duration of the song...
in mainstream Chinese cinema, in which the movie itself is a comedic parody of huangmei films like The Three Smiles
The Three Smiles
The Three Smiles is a 1969 film.-Plot:Tang Bo Hu was a talented and well-educated scholar. Well-to-do and famous in the Jiangnan region, he cared nothing for fame and fortune but spent his time roaming the country, enjoying leisure, poetry and song.One day, Tang Bo Hu happened to be at the...
(三笑), The Kingdom and the Beauty
The Kingdom and the Beauty
The Kingdom and the Beauty is a 1959 Hong Kong musical-drama film directed by Li Han-hsiang. The film was set in Imperial China, directed by a Hong Kong based-Mainland Chinese director and produced by the famed Hong Kong Shaw Brothers film studio, there was minimal Singaporean input in the...
(江山美人), and The Love Eterne
The Love Eterne
The Love Eterne is a 1963 Hong Kong musical film of the Huangmei opera genre directed by Li Han Hsiang. It is based on the Chinese classic story The Butterfly Lovers, which is sometimes referred to as the Romeo and Juliet of the Far East...
(梁山伯與祝英台). It is a Lunar New Year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
film, a practice of the Hong Kong movie industry to release a movie (usually a comedy) so as to boost movie ticket sales during the holiday season.
Plot
The film is set in Ming DynastyMing Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Ah Long (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) is the town bully
Town bully
The town bully is a stereotypical character, especially from the mythology of the American Wild West. The town bully generally oppresses meeker residents of the town. This character is often featured in movies, sometimes as a greaser or a gangster. In 1980s films, he may be a bad-tempered preppy...
, known for his boorish manners and reckless attitude which have endeared him to no one, save his sister Feng (Vicki Zhao) who has a curious penchant for cross-dressing
Cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the wearing of clothing and other accoutrement commonly associated with a gender within a particular society that is seen as different than the one usually presented by the dresser...
. It is apparent early on that both these siblings are such misfits they have virtually no prospect of marriage.
Faye Wong is cast as a runaway princess who is dressed as a man, a disguise which fools both Long and Feng. Long immediately decides that he likes his new-found friend so much that he will entrust his sister's hand in marriage to "him". The princess, of course, cannot marry another woman and tried to fend off Long's suggestions of a match; but also, she is attracted to Long.
Emperor Zheng De (Chang Chen) also leaves his palace temporarily in order to search for his missing sister. He dresses like a commoner and by a twist of fate meets Feng. He is smitten with Feng, and begins to court her, while keeping his imperial identity secret from her. His motives for leaving the palace also included the fact that he is unhappy and lonely at court and wants to escape the smothering influence of the Empress Dowager (Rebecca Pan), his mother, who plays a dictatorial rule in the actions of her son. A convoy of imperial guards try to protect him while he is out in town and bring the Emperor back to the palace, but unsuccessfully.
The Princess is also assisted by her "fairy godmother" (Athena Chu) in marrying her match. The Empress Dowager hears of her wayward children and storms Long's house, where her children are holed up, only to hear that they wish to marry two commoners with unwholesome and eccentric tendencies. The Emperor is adamant about marrying Feng and the Empress Dowager relents, but Long is unable to pass a "ring test" to prove he is the destined one and the Empress Dowager forbids his marriage to her daughter.
All ends well, however. After a separation, Long is enlightened by the "fairy godmother" and passes the "ring test". He is reunited with the Princess, the Empress Dowager accepts him, and happiness reigns.
Cast
- Tony Leung Chiu-Wai - Li Yilong
- Faye WongFaye WongFaye Wong is a highly successful and influential Chinese singer-songwriter and actress who is usually referred to as a diva . Early in her career she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong . Born in Beijing, she moved to Hong Kong in 1987 and rose to stardom in the early 1990s by singing...
- Princess Wushuang - Zhao WeiZhao WeiZhao Wei is a mainland Chinese film actress and pop singer. Audiences sometimes refer to her by her English name, Vicki Zhao...
- Phoenix, sister of Li Yilong - Chang ChenChang ChenChang Chen is a Taiwanese actor, born in Taipei, Taiwan. His name is sometimes seen in the Western order . He is the son of a Taiwanese actor Chang Kuo Chu and brother of a Taiwanese actor, Chang Han .-Career:...
- Emperor Zheng De - Roy CheungRoy CheungRoy Cheung Yiu-Yeung is a Hong Kong-based actor, best known on-screen for his roles as Triad gangsters in a number of films.- Early life and career :As a child, Cheung idolized kung-fu legend Bruce Lee but never seriously considered a career in acting....
- Chu Liangshim - Athena ChuAthena ChuAthena Chu is a Hong Kong actress and singer.-Biography:Chu attended The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts from 1990 to 1992, during which time she hosted children's shows on the television station TVB. After graduating in 1992, she started working on films. Her roles with Chow kick-started...
- Amour Amour - Rebecca PanRebecca PanRebecca Pan Di-hua is a Chinese actress and singer.She was born in Shanghai on 29 December 1931. She moved to Hong Kong in 1949. Her singing career began in 1957...
- Empress Dowager (Queen mother) - Jan LambJan LambJan Lamb Hoi Fong is a DJ, pop singer, actor in Hong Kong. Jan is the elder brother of actor/DJ/game host Jerry and younger brother of singer and radio personality Sandy...
- Commentary (voice) - Chan Fai-hung - Emperor (voice)
- Goo-Bi GC - Phoenix (voice)
- Eric KotEric KotEric Kot Man Fai is a Hong Kong celebrity in the Chinese hip hop industry. As a popular MC/pop singer/actor who studied in California and is the youngest of three brothers...
- Jeffrey LauJeffrey LauJeffrey Lau Chun-Wai is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, actor and producer. He was born on August 2, 1952. Liu Zhenwei is famous for writing and directing "mo lei tau" comedies...
- President Chen - Ning JingNing Jing-Filmography:-External links:***...
Awards
- 39th Annual Golden Horse Awards
- Nomination - Best Supporting Actress (Zhao WeiZhao WeiZhao Wei is a mainland Chinese film actress and pop singer. Audiences sometimes refer to her by her English name, Vicki Zhao...
) - Nomination - Best Art Direction
- Nomination - Best Costum Design
- Nomination - Best Supporting Actress (Zhao Wei
- 22nd Annual Hong Kong Film Awards22nd Hong Kong Film AwardsThe ceremony for the 22nd Hong Kong Film Awards was held on 6 April 2003 in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and hosted by Eric Tsang, John Shum, Athena Chu and Anna Yau. Twenty-seven winners in nineteen categories were unveiled...
:- Nomination, Best Actress, 2002 (Faye Wong)
- Nomination - Best Art Direction (Tony Au Ting-Ping)
- Nomination - Best Costume Design (William Cheung Suk-Ping)
- Nomination - Best Original Film Score (Frankie Chan Fan-Kei, Roel A. Garcia)
- 9th Annual Hong Kong Film Critics Society AwardsHong Kong Film Critics Society AwardsThe Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards are the annual awards given by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society in Hong Kong, China since 1995. The awards are determined by votes cast in three rounds after a substantial discussion session between the members of the society...
:- Winner, Best Picture
- Winner, Best Actress (Faye Wong)
External links
- Entry at lovehkfilm.com
- Movie website (Taiwan, in Chinese)