Interview with Weng Ziguang ｜ An exclusive interpretation of ＂When the Wind Comes Again＂ reproduces the past in Hong Kong.

Special feature of 1905 film network Undoubtedly, the film has been controversial since its release, and it also represents Hong Kong, China in the best international film Oscar.

The director responded to the controversy in Weibo and said frankly, "I dare not exaggerate myself. I am only responsible. If it is not good, it should be the director’s responsibility, because I am the person at the helm, not to mention that everyone is here to interpret my dream. I am duty-bound."

In response to a long article, he also said that after the release, he had reported his worries to Mr. Wang, one of the leading actors, but the other party comforted him. "All movies are an experiment, which makes us better."

To some extent, "When the Wind Comes Again" is like an "experiment", which is even different from his previous work. Even the reason why Tony Leung Chiu Wai agreed to take this project is, "I want to see how such a director will film" Hong Kong’s past ".

Although "When the Wind Comes Again" focuses on Lei Le (acted the role of) and Nanjiang (acted the role of Tony Leung Chiu Wai), it seems to be a heroic film in which two heroes confront each other, but in the view of director Weng Ziguang, "I want to photograph the uncontrollable and powerless characters in this era, and compare them with their emotions and changes in their environment."This technique is rarely shown in other films with the same theme, but Weng Ziguang wants to give it a try.

When he was interviewed by 1905 Film Network, he had an infinite desire to express himself, or because of his background as a film critic in the past, he almost interpreted various techniques in the film in a pulling way, and these creative intentions just responded to the public’s controversy about the "chaos" of the film.

01.

"When the Wind Comes Again" covers a long period of time. Weng Ziguang, the director, did not let the bystanders tell the story as the first perspective or a single role perspective like most movies, but let Lei Le and the voice-over of Nanjiang coexist to explain the times.

This is the form that he conceived when he wrote the script. "Whether it is the real history or the story I set, the contrast between the two spiritual forces and their different influences on Hong Kong are in a balanced state."

But they are reciprocal. "They (in their own scenes) play their abilities, and once they have opponents, they will be very violent. I think they each bear the (function) of witnessing half the world."

Personas became Weng Ziguang’s weapon to tell When the Wind Comes Again.Although they have the same identity, they will have different values after different trainings and growing backgrounds. "How will they face the changes of this era is very rich."Following this idea, the director team began to build the film.

There is an idiom in China, "A moment of beauty", which corresponds to Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang. In Weng Ziguang’s eyes, the same is true of the personality collision between Lei Le and Nanjiang. One is brave and the other is scheming. "They used to be friends, but later, due to external or human influence, this relationship gradually deteriorated."

This kind of excavation is also with the deepening of shooting, the director’s understanding of the two actors began to have emotional support. "When we filmed, we were also revising the script and found that the actors’ own understanding of emotions was also very interesting." Therefore, Lei Le was implanted with a lot of Aaron Kwok temperament, and Nanjiang also combined Tony Leung Chiu Wai’s personality characteristics.

With this kind of character design, even if it tells the story of the four detectives, When the Wind Comes Again will be different from the general police-bandit gunfight movie, and it also implies Weng Ziguang’s pursuit of film aesthetics — —This kind of beauty is not only the aesthetics on the screen, but also the beauty of emotion or philosophical discussion, which is to let the audience compare the performances of the two characters in different aspects. "I think it is also a technique, and it is also an attempt for me."

02.

As the story progresses, Weng Ziguang’s shot is getting closer and closer to the role, especially in the later period, which is always a close-up. "I prefer to shoot the actor’s face in the back, and the closer I get, the closer I feel. Subconsciously, I want to go in and see this person’s soul."

At the end of "When the Wind Comes Again", there is a scene where Cai Zhen (ornaments) and Lei Le are dancing at home in their twilight years.

Because they insist on real shooting and don’t rely on late special effects, their old-age makeup changed from morning to afternoon. The scene was shot by Weng Ziguang himself, holding a hand-held camera, a 16mm film camera and other photographic equipment. "After I finished shooting, I watched the playback, and my tears came down. Aaron Kwok had already patted me (on the shoulder) behind me. I think he could feel the same thing as me."

In such a simple scene, two old people are dancing and remembering the past. It was only in those few minutes that Weng Ziguang really seemed to follow the camera through that time and space, came to the scene, and breathed with the character. "I took a close shot at that time, and I took the eye of Aaron Kwok, and my eyes slowly fell down. The feeling of the old man."

Under the lens of Weng Ziguang, the actor has already integrated into the character’s soul, and along the state, he shows the micro-expression that fits the state best. "Even the cuckoo that everyone thinks is cold has many micro-expressions, which attracts me to shoot."

This micro-expression of the characters is one of the reasons that caused Weng Ziguang to create When the Wind Comes Again. "What I want to shoot is the sense of powerlessness or insignificance of the characters in the great era."

After all, as far as Weng Ziguang is concerned, Hong Kong under When the Wind Comes Again has many emotions.

From the British colonial period to its return to the motherland in 1997, the city has undergone many changes. The particularity of history has made its culture or values a lot of discussion and thinking. "So the comparison between the big environment and personal feelings is also the comparison in this movie, which may be a relatively rare performance in other similar movies."

Just before the screening, Weng Ziguang once said, "When the Wind Comes Again" is a love letter he wrote to Hongkong.

Especially in the movie, Weng Ziguang incorporated a musical-film style passage. "I put a lot of cultural landscapes in Hong Kong, such as children taking a bath on the roadside, rickshaws pulling manpower, people mending shoes, and nuns on the street … …”

Even about the casting of Du Fu, I have some memories of him. Weng Ziguang vaguely remembers that when I was a child, I often saw women who spoke Shanghai dialect or with accents on the road. They wore all kinds of cheongsam. "This was also a very representative part of Hong Kong at that time."

As a result, When the Wind Comes Again used characters as hooks, which aroused everyone’s interest in understanding the history of Hong Kong and began to rethink Hong Kong.

03.

When the Wind Comes Again is a love letter from Weng Ziguang to Hong Kong, and it is also a love letter to Hong Kong movies.

Before becoming a film director, Weng Ziguang was a film critic, and often did film interpretation and analysis. Therefore, when writing When the Wind Comes Again, "I want to give my heart to my favorite movies or movies that have influenced my growth in my own way. “

Many people will think that the musical between Lei Le and Cai Zhen is very dramatic, but Weng Ziguang’s intention is to show their love changes in a condensed paragraph. "On the other hand, I want to pay tribute to Hong Kong Cantonese movies. In the past, those movies just sang and danced when they didn’t agree with each other, and suddenly they started singing, just like Hollywood musical films in the 1940s and 1950s."

But the whole movie looks like a lean movie. Is this kind of content suitable for it?Weng Ziguang wasn’t sure. "I want to give it a try, and I also put a lot of memes, some clothes from old movies, and some characters in movies." They are all very small designs, which look like eggs and are expected to be discovered by fans.

Such designs can be seen everywhere in the film, and Weng Ziguang invited Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung Chiu Wai and — — Three gold-lettered signboards of Hong Kong Shadow. Looking at the history of Hong Kong movies, "three represent a certain glorious time of Hong Kong movies, and everyone represents a different part".

As a movie fan, Weng Ziguang admits that it is a great honor. "They will share a lot of their own stories with me, as well as their own stories of making movies." These stories have become valuable shooting experience, and they have all been put into this shooting process by him.

Xu Guanwen, in particular, originally turned down this project, and finally the director "begged" for his participation, because Weng Ziguang hoped that When the Wind Comes Again was something that could represent Hong Kong filmmakers. "Mr. Xu directed many classic comedy films in the past and was a filmmaker with strong master control ability. But when we arrived at our crew, he gave us a lot of room to adjust. "

Now that the movie has seen the world, has the recipient received this love letter from Weng Ziguang? What kind of feedback will be given in the end may take time.

Just now, back to his original intention, "this is not a common commercial action Hong Kong film, but a romantic historical film with Hong Kong feelings. This statement may not be easy to sell, but I believe that it has its audience and its bosom friend."