The king of ghost horse comedy

Chapter 523 Spring Festival schedule
The time has entered 1980. Affected by China’s announcement of taking back Hong Kong’s sovereignty, Hong Kong appeared to be calm and peaceful, but in private, because of worries about Hong Kong’s future after the handover, British foreign firms began to withdraw from Hong Kong one after another.

At this time, the Xu family decided to increase investment in the mainland. At the party held by the Hong Kong branch of Xinhua News Agency, Xu Guanwu proposed to invest a huge sum of 20 billion Hong Kong dollars in the mainland within the next five years.

Such a large-scale investment can not help but make President Liang very happy. Since Xu's company is not involved in the manufacturing industry, it mainly invests in civil engineering, especially its willingness to invest in the construction of roads and other livelihood facilities, which makes President Liang very happy.

You must know that although Hong Kong businessmen who invest in the mainland claim to be patriotic, they still mainly focus on making money. They especially like to invest in short-term and fast processing industries.There are only a few Hong Kong businessmen like Xu Guanwu who are willing to invest in long-term projects such as highway construction, which have a long construction period, slow results, high risks, and high cost.

Hearing the series of thank you from President Liang, Xu Guanwu was really embarrassed, because he knew how insane the road tolls in the mainland would be in the future. It was almost three steps, one post, five steps and one sentry. The toll booths were densely packed like a beehive.

Xu chose to invest in the construction of roads and other livelihood projects in order to participate in the operation of roads in the future, which is an inexhaustible gold mine.It's just that in the 80s, people's eyes were not so far-sighted, so they regarded building bridges and paving roads as the work of good (SHA) people (ZI).But after the 90s, people's livelihood projects such as building bridges and paving roads were irrelevant projects that they could not participate in at all.

Xu's ability to invest in the construction of people's livelihood projects before everyone found out, not only dug a never-ending gold mine for himself, but also established a good relationship with the local government, paving the way for Xu's future entry into the interior.

……

At the beginning of the new year, Vientiane is renewed and full of joy.

During the Spring Festival period, gunpowder is full of smoke, and the Hui brothers' "Rich World" is grandly released, telling the story of stocks that Hong Kong people love and hate.

Golden Harvest released the comedy "Lin Yazhen Tiger Fish Shrimp Crab", starring the famous movie star Xiao Fangfang.

Director Wu Yusen has also learned a lot from the Xu brothers because he has collaborated with Xu in films such as "Ghost and Horse Twin Stars". Naturally, there are many imitated plots in the comedy movies he made.

Although Wu Yusen actually didn't want to make this kind of comedy in his heart, what he wanted most was to make martial arts movies and gunfight movies, because his teacher was the famous director Chang Cheh.It's a pity that Golden Harvest has already regarded him as the best candidate for a comedy director because of the hits of several comedy films he made, so he disagrees with his life and death to shoot a shootout film, so Wu Yusen has been very tired in the past two years .

Although his films had a good box office, and although he was valued in the company, he couldn't make the works he wanted, but he could only make this kind of annoying vulgar comedy, which made him feel that his job was meaningless.

Shaw's movies are "Xu Tiger and the White Widow" by director Li Hanxiang, and "Beautiful Girls and Love" directed by Hua Shan.

"Xu Huhu and the White Widow" is adapted from the novel of the same name by Wanwan novelist Gao Yang. It mainly tells the love and hatred between Xu Huhu, a private salt dealer in Yangzhou in the Qing Dynasty, and Li Zhenbiao, an official of the Qing court.It's a martial arts film, but it's actually a biographical film. The process of Xu Huhu's growth from penniless to the leader of a private salt dealer in Yangzhou is quite delicately portrayed.

The friendship between Xu Huhu and the White Widow is also moving. Among them, the role of the White Widow played by Tian Niu is brave, resourceful, affectionate and righteous.

And this movie actually has a taste of the "Assassination of the Horse" case. Xu Huhu, Li Zhenbiao, and the husband of the White Widow used to be sworn brothers before, but Li Zhenbiao later entered the Qing court as an official, and Xu Huhu and Xu Huo worshiped each other. The leader of the local gang in Yangzhou was his teacher, and he started the salt smuggling business since then.

Because salt is an indispensable necessity in people's life, the courts of all dynasties have imposed heavy taxes on salt in order to make money.Official salt is expensive and people can hardly afford it, so violent private salt trading is popular.The imperial courts of all dynasties have never been relentless in cracking down on private salt, and private salt dealers also know that what they are doing is a decapitation business, so it is impossible for those who are not bold enough to do it.

This also makes the private salt dealers often appear heroic figures, far away there is Huang Chao in the late Tang Dynasty, a song "After my flowers bloom, a hundred flowers will kill", people can't help but chrysanthemum tight after listening to it.The closest ones are Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, and Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng, who competed with him for the world. In fact, they were all private salt dealers.

The husband of the White Widow was killed in another salt smuggling business, and Mrs. Bai became the White Widow from then on.Xu Huhu then took over as the head of the Salt Gang, and developed a friendship with the two White Widows. One of them was brave and the other was resourceful, and they made the private salt business bigger and bigger.

When Li Zhenbiao first entered the Qing court as an official, he was just a small official. With the help of his righteous brother Xu Huhu and others, he gradually climbed to the Dutong of Yangzhou River Xunying Camp.

The private salt business between Xu Huhu and the White Widow also grew stronger and stronger because of Li Zhenbiao's protection.It's just that the relationship between the two faces many difficulties.The first difficulty is that the White Widow is the wife of Xu Huhu's righteous brother. According to the rules of the world, a friend's wife cannot be bullied.Although Xu Huhu and the White Widow love each other, but because they are afraid of gossip in the world, they can only show affection and stop politely, and dare not go one step further.

Although the property accumulated by the two is increasing, and the brothers under the banner are gathering more and more, the two are still unhappy.At this time, because the private salt trade of the Yangzhou Salt Gang was too large, the court had been alarmed, and the Governor ordered Li Zhenbiao to clear the Salt Gang.Li Zhenbiao thought about the crown on his head, and regardless of the brotherhood, he began to seize the business of the Salt Gang.

For the sake of her brother in prison, the White Widow voluntarily went to the Yamen to plead guilty, and shouldered all the mistakes alone.Li Zhenbiao could not help but have long nights and dreams, so he sent a glass of poisoned wine to kill the White Widow.Xu Huhu was heartbroken when he heard about it, and he summoned his brothers to avenge the White Widow...

"Xu Tiger and the White Widow" was originally a popular historical novel. After Shaw bought it, he hired director Li Hanxiang, who is familiar with Qing court operas, to shoot it. Sure enough, the filming is antique, regardless of the characters' costumes, speech and behavior, etc., There are some shadows of the Qing Dynasty.

It's just that this movie is only Director Li Hanxiang's last work in Shaw Brothers, because the old man is planning to secretly go to the mainland to shoot movies, and his heart is no longer with Shaw Brothers.Director Li Hanxiang has always lost less money and made more money in filming. Although he lost a fortune in founding the League of Nations in Wanwan, it did not hurt his bones. After returning to Shaw Brothers, he made a series of hit movies one after another. He has accumulated a large pension.

In addition, he knows that he has a heart disease, and he doesn't know how many years he can live, so money is already a trivial matter for him, and what he wants to do more is to make a movie he likes.This is actually the ideal of every filmmaker.

It's just that his ideal doesn't work in Shaw Brothers, because Shaw Brothers has cut production so badly, and the film investment has been reduced and reduced.Like the Qing Dynasty drama directed by Li Hanxiang, the required sets and costumes must be carefully selected, and even the number of incense burners sitting under the emperor's seat must be well documented. Naturally, this will greatly increase the cost.

Director Li Hanxiang's first film "The Overwhelming Country" sold a lot of money, and Jiang Dawei, who played the young eunuch Kou Liancai, won the award.Seeing this, Shaw Brothers immediately invested in him to shoot the second part of "The Overwhelming Country and the City", "Blood at Yingtai".It's just that this "Blood in Yingtai" was shot in a hurry, not only the script was inexplicable, but also the sets, costumes, props, etc. were not satisfactory.

This is actually a common problem of Hong Kong movies. When a movie becomes popular, all the messy follow-up works come out. Everyone just wants to take advantage of this shareholder wind to make money. Who would think of carefully caring for and cultivating this kind of subject matter?

"Blood on Yingtai" was launched hastily due to insufficient preparation, and director Li Hanxiang had already set his heart on the mainland at that time, so the filming of this film was also a bit careless.A series of unsatisfactory events made the movie "Blood on Yingtai" a disastrous box office failure, and it also made Shaw Brothers stop investing in Qing court dramas.

Li Hanxiang is the best director of the Qing Dynasty drama. Shaw Brothers refused to make Qing Dynasty dramas since then, which made him very dissatisfied, but how could his arms twist his thighs, so he had to bow his head under the low eaves, and usually only shoot some romances Although the box office is very good, but the depression in Director Li Da's heart can be imagined.

Just at this time, Director Li's "All Over the Country" entered the mainland through various channels. After being watched by mainland filmmakers, they were immediately shocked.People don't believe that Hong Kong is such a small place, how can the palace of the Qing Dynasty be photographed so magnificently?The scenery can be so good-looking, so if you really go to the Forbidden City to shoot the scene, is it still worth it?

Therefore, mainland filmmakers wanted to cooperate with Director Li. Director Li also really wanted to go back to the Mainland. After all, he grew up in the Mainland since he was a child, so he naturally has deep feelings for it.So last year he secretly returned to the mainland many times to discuss cooperating with the mainland for filming.

At the beginning, director Li Hanxiang planned to shoot Lao She's "Teahouse", because Li Hanxiang and Lao She are both BJ people, and Li Hanxiang admired Lao She's works. He once adapted Lao She's novella "Crescent Moon" Son".

It's just that the subject matter of "Tea House" is too sensitive, and it is really difficult to adapt it, so the first cooperation with director Li Hanxiang was shelved, but he soon found a new book, which is "My First Half of My Life" by Puyi, the last emperor of China.

……

Huashan's "Beautiful Girl is Passionate" is actually a youth romantic comedy, following the trend of romantic comedies such as "The Son is Passionate" and "Short Boy is Passionate".Ever since Hui's "The Son of Love" hit the theaters, there have been many "XX Love" movies in Hong Kong, all of which are romantic comedy-themed movies, but the quality is completely different.

Among them, apart from Zeng Zhiwei's "Short Boy and Love", which is relatively new and unexpected, most of the other films are shoddy.But because of the title of "XX Passionate", he also made a small fortune.

Now Shaw Brothers is eager to watch movies with this theme, so he invested in the shooting of such a "Pretty Girl Passionate".It is worth noting that the lead actor of this movie is Zhong Chuhong, the third runner-up in the Miss Oriental beauty pageant held by Jiayi TV this year.Although she only won the third place, but because of her natural beauty, she was highly praised immediately after entering Shaw Brothers, and she acted as the leading role in her first movie, which can be said to be a stroke of luck.

It's just a pity that although Zhong Chuhong is unparalleled in charm, but because the movie "XX Passionate" has already been shot, Shaw Brothers is really slow to follow suit, so after the release of "Pretty Girl Passionate", it did not arouse much response.On the contrary, "The Rich and Noble World" by the Xu Brothers, because it tells about the stock market that Hong Kong citizens are most familiar with, coupled with the good reputation accumulated before, was immediately praised after it was released.

And Wu Yusen's "Lin Yazhen" is also quite down-to-earth, and Xiao Fangfang's own fame has made the box office of this movie soar after it was released.

The most regrettable thing is Shaw Brothers' "Xu Tiger and the White Widow" and this "Pretty Girl Passionate".

(End of this chapter)