Wong Jing
Encyclopedia
Wong Jing is a Hong Kong
film director
, producer
, actor
, presenter
, and screenwriter
. A prolific filmmaker possessed of strong instincts for crowd-pleasing and publicity, he is often cited as the most consistently successful filmmaker , in commercial terms, in the Hong Kong cinema
of the last quarter-century, as well as one of its most critically reviled.
. He graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong
with a degree in Chinese literature
which he describes as "useless" (Yang, 2003).
Like many Hong Kong film figures of his time, Wong began his career in television – in his case, scriptwriting for local juggernaut TVB
beginning in 1975 (Teo, 1997). He moved on to writing for the Shaw Brothers studio. There, he made his directing debut with Challenge of the Gamesters in 1981. This start foreshadowed his later successes with movies about gambling, such as God of Gamblers
, starring Chow Yun-fat
and Andy Lau
, which broke Hong Kong's all-time box office record upon its release in 1989, and started a fad for the genre.
Wong has directed, produced or written over 175 films (Yang, 2003), occasionally acting in them as well. He works with an efficient mass production method making heavy use of directing assistants and allowing him to work on several movies at once. He works under the umbrellas of two production companies he launched, Wong Jing's Workshop Ltd. and BoB and Partners Co. Ltd.
(Best of the Best), the latter in partnership with director Andrew Lau
and writer-producer Manfred Wong
(Bordwell, 2000).
He once commented that his movies were hits because he gave the people what they wanted, and not what he thought they should want. A typical Wong production might be a broad comedy (Boys Are Easy, 1993) or an entry in a currently popular genre, such as martial arts
(Holy Weapon, 1993), erotic thriller
(Naked Killer
, 1992) or gangster film
(Young and Dangerous
, 1996). It will imbue its model with lightning pacing and frequent shifts in tone to accommodate slapstick
and toilet humor, sentimental heart-tugging, cartoonish violence, sexual titillation, and parodic
references to well-known Hong Kong and Hollywood films
.
Wong also directed or produced several of the films of comic actor Stephen Chow
, who has been Hong Kong's most popular performer since the early 1990s. Examples of their collaborations include God of Gamblers II
(1991), Tricky Brains
(1991), Royal Tramp
I and II (1992) and Sixty Million Dollar Man (1995).
Wong's commercial skills are not limited to the content of his movies or his casting. He was using Hollywood
-style cross-media promotional tactics - such as tie-in novels, comic books and other products, and magazine interviews - long before they became common in Hong Kong (Bordwell, 2000).
Since the late 1990s, Wong's films have fared much worse in the box office
due to the sluggish recession which has been enveloping HK cinema in the new millennium.
Wong's style, often seen as loud, crass and philistine
, may be another factor in his low stock among critics. According to director Ann Hui
, he remarked Hui's acclaimed 1990 drama, Song of the Exile, "Who wants to watch the autobiography of a fat woman?" In 1994, unidentified assailants attacked him outside his offices and knocked out his teeth; this was widely believed to have been retaliation for injudicious remarks, ordered by Triads, or Chinese organized crime figures, whose involvement in the industry is notorious. (Dannen and Long, 1997), although Wong himself is rumored to be related with the Triads.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
, and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. A prolific filmmaker possessed of strong instincts for crowd-pleasing and publicity, he is often cited as the most consistently successful filmmaker , in commercial terms, in the Hong Kong cinema
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
of the last quarter-century, as well as one of its most critically reviled.
Biography
Wong was born in Hong Kong, the son of noted film director Wong Tin-LamWong Tin-Lam
Wong Tin-Lam was a Chinese screenwriter, producer, director, and actor, who has contributed a lot to the Hong Kong cinema scene with a career spanning six decades...
. He graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong
Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Chinese University of Hong Kong is a research-led university in Hong Kong.CUHK is the only tertiary education institution in Hong Kong with Nobel Prize winners on its faculty, including Chen Ning Yang, James Mirrlees, Robert Alexander Mundell and Charles K. Kao...
with a degree in Chinese literature
Chinese literature
Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
which he describes as "useless" (Yang, 2003).
Like many Hong Kong film figures of his time, Wong began his career in television – in his case, scriptwriting for local juggernaut TVB
Television Broadcasts Limited
Television Broadcasts Limited, commonly known as TVB, is the second over-the-air commercial television station in Hong Kong. It commenced broadcasting on 19 November 1967...
beginning in 1975 (Teo, 1997). He moved on to writing for the Shaw Brothers studio. There, he made his directing debut with Challenge of the Gamesters in 1981. This start foreshadowed his later successes with movies about gambling, such as God of Gamblers
God of Gamblers
God of Gamblers is a 1989 Hong Kong action comedy-drama film written and directed by Wong Jing, and featuring an ensemble cast.- Synopsis :Chow Yun-fat plays Ko Chun, an extremely talented and well known gambler...
, starring Chow Yun-fat
Chow Yun-Fat
Chow Yun-fat, SBS is an actor from Hong Kong. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...
and Andy Lau
Andy Lau
Andy Lau MH, JP is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, actor, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time...
, which broke Hong Kong's all-time box office record upon its release in 1989, and started a fad for the genre.
Wong has directed, produced or written over 175 films (Yang, 2003), occasionally acting in them as well. He works with an efficient mass production method making heavy use of directing assistants and allowing him to work on several movies at once. He works under the umbrellas of two production companies he launched, Wong Jing's Workshop Ltd. and BoB and Partners Co. Ltd.
BoB and Partners Co. Ltd.
BoB and Partners Co. Ltd. was a former Hong Kong production company. It was established by famed filmmakers Wong Jing, Manfred Wong and Andrew Lau during the success of the Young and Dangerous series...
(Best of the Best), the latter in partnership with director Andrew Lau
Andrew Lau
Andrew Lau Wai-Keung is a Hong Kong cinematographer and filmmaker. Lau began his career in the 1980s and 1990s, serving as a cinematographer to filmmakers such as Ringo Lam, Wong Jing and Wong Kar-wai. In the 1990s, Lau decided to have more creative freedom as a cinematographer by becoming a film...
and writer-producer Manfred Wong
Manfred Wong
Manfred Wong Man-Chun , born on 1 January 1957 in Hong Kong is a Hong Kong radio personality, film producer, screenwriter, director and actor. He is best known for his involvement as a writer for the Young and Dangerous film series.-Biography:...
(Bordwell, 2000).
He once commented that his movies were hits because he gave the people what they wanted, and not what he thought they should want. A typical Wong production might be a broad comedy (Boys Are Easy, 1993) or an entry in a currently popular genre, such as martial arts
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...
(Holy Weapon, 1993), erotic thriller
Erotic thriller
The erotic thriller is a film and literary sub-genre which consists of a mixture between erotica and thriller. The genre increased in North American popularity from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s, before declining in marketability.-1980s:...
(Naked Killer
Naked Killer
Naked Killer is a 1992 Hong Kong film written and produced by Wong Jing, and directed by Clarence Fok Yiu-leung. The film stars Chingmy Yau, Simon Yam and Carrie Ng.The film is regarded as a cult classic. -Plot:...
, 1992) or gangster film
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
(Young and Dangerous
Young and Dangerous
The Young and Dangerous film series is a collection of Hong Kong films about a group of triad young members, detailing their adventures, dangers and growth in a Hong Kong triad society...
, 1996). It will imbue its model with lightning pacing and frequent shifts in tone to accommodate slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
and toilet humor, sentimental heart-tugging, cartoonish violence, sexual titillation, and parodic
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
references to well-known Hong Kong and Hollywood films
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
.
Wong also directed or produced several of the films of comic actor Stephen Chow
Stephen Chow
Stephen Chow Sing-Chi is a Hong Kong actor, comedian, screenwriter, film director and producer.- Professional career :Stephen Chow began as a temporary actor for TVB. He entered TVB in early 1980s, and was trained there, although he had few opportunities to appear in films. Chow graduated from...
, who has been Hong Kong's most popular performer since the early 1990s. Examples of their collaborations include God of Gamblers II
God of Gamblers II
God of Gamblers II is a 1990 Hong Kong comedy film written and directed by Wong Jing. It stars Andy Lau as Little Knife, Stephen Chow as the Saint of Gamblers, and Ng Man-Tat as Blackie Tat. This movie is a sequel to both God of Gamblers, which included Lau's character, and to All for the Winner,...
(1991), Tricky Brains
Tricky Brains
Tricky Brains is a 1991 Hong Kong comedy film written and directed by Wong Jing, who also co-stars in the film. The film stars Stephen Chow, Andy Lau, Ng Man Tat and Rosamund Kwan.-Summary:...
(1991), Royal Tramp
Royal Tramp
Royal Tramp is a 1992 Hong Kong film based on Louis Cha's novel The Deer and the Cauldron. The film was one of the five top grossing Hong Kong films in 1992. Stephen Chow, who played the protagonist Wai Siu-bo, also starred in the other four films...
I and II (1992) and Sixty Million Dollar Man (1995).
Wong's commercial skills are not limited to the content of his movies or his casting. He was using Hollywood
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
-style cross-media promotional tactics - such as tie-in novels, comic books and other products, and magazine interviews - long before they became common in Hong Kong (Bordwell, 2000).
Since the late 1990s, Wong's films have fared much worse in the box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
due to the sluggish recession which has been enveloping HK cinema in the new millennium.
Wong's style, often seen as loud, crass and philistine
Philistinism
Philistinism is a derogatory term used to a particular attitude or set of values perceived as despising or undervaluing art, beauty, spirituality, or intellectualism. A person with this attitude is referred to as a Philistine and may also be considered materialistic, favoring conventional social...
, may be another factor in his low stock among critics. According to director Ann Hui
Ann Hui
Ann Hui On-Wah is a Hong Kong film director, film producer and occasional screenwriter, one of the most critically acclaimed amongst the Hong Kong New Wave.-Early life:...
, he remarked Hui's acclaimed 1990 drama, Song of the Exile, "Who wants to watch the autobiography of a fat woman?" In 1994, unidentified assailants attacked him outside his offices and knocked out his teeth; this was widely believed to have been retaliation for injudicious remarks, ordered by Triads, or Chinese organized crime figures, whose involvement in the industry is notorious. (Dannen and Long, 1997), although Wong himself is rumored to be related with the Triads.
Quotes
- “Only rubbish people would call my movies rubbish. What qualifies them to have an opinion? Critics are not God, and it’s not for them to judge what’s good or bad; the audience should decide. It’s easy for anyone to use a pen to dismiss others. If I was to pick up my pen, they would lose 99 per cent of the time. I’ve never, ever heard a member of the audience call my movies rubbish.”
- "Vulgarity is the basic instinct of human beings. Humans misinterpret vulgarity. I change vulgarity into art as to let you enjoy it." - Quote from movie What You Want
- "Why do they call me that? Because I'm famous. Now and then every famous director in the country gets panned. So if they curse you it proves you're really hot, like a big soccer star...if you score now, they'll cheer, but they'll curse you for sure if you miss the next time round. I don't care. The more they curse, it just proves I'm getting hotter." - On being called "the King of Crappy cinema" and an opportunist.
- "This must be the tenth generation cursing me... Those who curse me turn very quiet later...then another generation starts again. But I'm still here. Those people don't get the meaning of 'respect'. You're crappier than the person you call crap. If I'm rubbish, would I be still as hot as I was since (I was) nineteen? The audience are not stupid!"
External links
- Wong Jing profile page at Hong Kong CinemagicHong Kong CinemagicHong Kong Cinemagic, sometimes referred to as HKCinemagic, is a bilingual website providing a repository for information about Chinese language films from Hong Kong, China and Taiwan, and the people that created them. The website contains news, interviews, film reviews and a database of people,...
- Long interview with Wong Jing at Hong Kong CinemagicHong Kong CinemagicHong Kong Cinemagic, sometimes referred to as HKCinemagic, is a bilingual website providing a repository for information about Chinese language films from Hong Kong, China and Taiwan, and the people that created them. The website contains news, interviews, film reviews and a database of people,...