Special feature of 1905 film network A bowl of "ecstasy rice" and a "peeing cow pill" saved the hero who was at the bottom of his life — — Stephen Chow also saved his precarious acting reputation.
After a lapse of 28 years, the film will soon land in the mainland cinema on August 31. Let’s go back to 1996 with Professor Suo Yabin of China Communication University, and see what kind of inner monologue Stephen Chow hides in The God of Food, and how it makes Stephen Chow return to the peak, from "Star Boy" to "Star Master".
Stephen Chow: Life from Greasy to Vicissitudes
The God of Food is known as Stephen Chow’s "semi-autobiographical film". The hero Stephen Chow not only has the same English name as Stephen Chow, but also has a similar life experience as Stephen Chow 28 years ago.
At the beginning of the film, Steven Chow subverts Stephen Chow’s previous screen image. He is a greasy and successful middle-aged man, and after the selection meeting of the God of Food, he lambasted the chefs for their incompetence.
After experiencing the ups and downs of life, Stephen Chow is full of silver hair and is full of vicissitudes. This model became a classic image that Stephen Chow appeared in the public eye after, which is also his self-understanding of his middle-aged image.
Before filming "The God of Food", Stephen Chow set up his own business, suffered losses in investing in filming, and refused the request of the film producer for a pay cut, and was labeled as "playing big cards" for a time. Before the release of Gourmet, the media reported gloating and bluntly said, "Stephen Chow eats porridge and depends on Gourmet.
Suoyabin:Stephen Chow may have put a lot of bitterness and frustration in his life into "The God of Food". The changes in his style in the film also reflect Stephen Chow’s self-orientation.
Gourmet vs
From unwilling to open-minded
The God of Food and king of comedy are important turning points in Stephen Chow’s acting career. In Stephen Chow’s creative sequence, these two films are the two works that can best express his personal life experience.
Suoyabin:These two works have a sense of yin and yang. The two awards in "The God of Food" are all manipulated by shady people, which directly expresses Stephen Chow’s dissatisfaction with the awards of the Hong Kong Film Awards. This is even more obvious in the previous films co-directed by Stephen Chow.
But this "bitterness" disappeared in king of comedy three years later. Perhaps because it has spread in the mainland at this time, Stephen Chow has been recognized by the audience again, or even further, perhaps because he has put down his obsession with awards, and he has been open-minded at this time. It doesn’t matter whether I succeed in the secular sense or not if I insist on my love and find my own stage in king of comedy. Stephen Chow’s understanding of life is also much more open-minded: if I want to regain the recognition of the audience, I must recognize this normal heart.
A mixture of joy and sadness: from Star Boy to Star Master
There are some golden sentences in many of Stephen Chow’s works, such as "Everyone is a god of food with his heart" in "God of Food" and "Everything is dark in front of him" in "king of comedy". No, it will be beautiful after dawn. " These golden sentences are full of joy on the surface, but in fact they are taking pains.
Suoyabin:There is a mixed feeling in Stephen Chow’s films. He successfully mixes the humble, the small, the great, the lofty, the sad and the happy. Don’t let the audience immerse themselves in a certain emotion for too long, but let people keep spinning in this complicated emotion. For example, in "king of comedy", Yin Tianchou (Stephen Chow) and Liu Piaopiao (Liu Piaopiao) watch the scenery at night, but there is nothing in front of them, and they have to comfort themselves there. But if we think about it, it is precisely because we have to work during the day to make money that we choose to enjoy the scenery at night.
The core of comedy is tragedy, and to a certain extent, Stephen Chow also achieved this. Starting from The Gourmet, Stephen Chow’s series of director’s works have shifted from label-based features to insight into human nature, which is also an important turning point for Stephen Chow from "Star Boy" to "Star Master".
Although Stephen Chow is no longer prolific, it seems that the voice waiting for his new works is still the more mainstream voice in the audience.
Then, why do we go to the cinema to watch an old movie "The God of Food"?
Suoyabin:This may have a variety of mentality, for example, to "Star Master" a movie ticket, or like me, I especially want to see how expressive the "God of Food" is on the big screen. Take a look at how Stephen Chow, who wants to transform in middle age but is still facing troubles, gropes her way forward in a desperate situation.
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