Police Story < festival circu it w o u ld be seen b y very few C hinese. F o r W o o , n o t even SBS is a sav in g grace: “ I have ask ed SBS w hy th e y alw ays sh o w th e sam e film s. N o t o nly are th e y o u t o f d a te , b u t it m ak es m e u p set becau se th e y show p e o p le th e w ro n g w ay o f life. A ud ien ces will th in k C h in ese p e o p le alw ays w a n t to kill, b lo o d ev eryw here. T h a t ’s w ro n g . T h ey are o n ly th e really aw fu l H o n g K o n g -p ro d u c e d film s. T h e g o o d film s are nev er sh o w n b ecau se th e y d o bu sin ess w ith th e sam e p e o p le .” A p a rt fro m v id eo , SBS is w here m o st p eo p le view C hinese o r H o n g K o n g film s. T h e C a n to n e se d ra m a series E m p re ss W u h as h a d au d ien ces glued to th e television screen fo r w eeks. P e te r B a rre tt fro m the p ro g ra m m in g d e p a rtm e n t a t SBS claim s th e re is no rigid fo rm u la fo r selectio n , th o u g h c e rta in p a ra m e te rs are ta k e n fro m census statistics. In 1985/86, 2.6 p e r cent o f to ta l p ro g ra m tim e w as d e v o te d to C hinese lan guage film s, th a t is 82 h o u rs , 34 o f w h ich w ere in C a n to n ese an d 48 in M a n d a rin . M a re n a M a n z o u fa f, h e a d o f a c q u isitio n a t SBS, says m o st o f th e T V p ro d u c t com es fro m H o n g K o ng, while fe a tu re film s are g en erally b o u g h t th ro u g h th e C h in a F ilm E x p o rt a n d Im p o rt C o rp o ra tio n . She, how ever, disagrees w ith E s th e r W o o a n d feels th e y d o p resen t a g o o d ra n g e o f film s. “ In 1 9 8 0 /8 1 , we b o u g h t som e fea tu re s fro m H o n g K o n g b u t th e p ro b le m w as th a t
Private Life 18 - NOVEMBER CINEMA PAPERS
m o st o f th e p ro d u c t w as to o v io len t: it w as e ith e r cops a n d ro b b e rs o r k u n g fu , a n d th e y w ere m a in ly large co m m ercial p ro d u c tio n s . W e s ta rte d g ettin g film s fro m C h in a w hich w ere a lo t m o re serio u s a n d th o u g h tfu l th a n th e H o n g K o n g p ro d u c t. “ W e trie d to get m o re film s th ro u g h o n e larg e c o m p a n y in H o n g K o n g b u t th e y w ere re lu c ta n t to sell b ecause o f video p ira c y . P e o p le get a n o ff-a ir reco rd in g th e n re -m a rk e t th e m .” (SBS pays a fla t ra te o f $5000 fo r a film w hich gives th e sta tio n licence to screen it th re e tim es o v er seven y ears. A fte r m a k in g th e in itia l o ffe r, it u su ally tak es six m o n th s to get th e film a n d six m o n th s to p ro cess it. T he su b -titlin g is d o n e a t SBS. “ S om e co m p a n ie s are re lu c ta n t to m a k e a T V sale u n til th e y h av e ex p lo ited th e cinem a re le a s e ,” says M a n z o u fa f. “ So som etim es th ey are a little o u t- o f - d a te .” ) SBS h as recen tly a c q u ire d th e rig h ts to A S u m m e r A t G randpas, O n e A n d E ig h t, B la c k C a n n o n In c id e n t (to be released th e a tric a lly th ro u g h R o n in F ilm s), T aipei S to ry , S u n s e t S to r y , B u b b lin g S p rin g , a n d , in M a n d a rin , N e ig h b o u rs. d m u n d A lliso n , o w n er o f th e in d e p e n d e n t d istrib u tio n co m p a n y , Q u a lity F ilm s, w as th e first “ o u ts id e r” to b rin g a C h in ese film to A u stra lia . H e im p o rte d T he W h ite -H a ire d G irl in 1953, b u t no w has m o re in terest in J a p a n e se a n d S oviet cin em a. “ I h a v e n ’t seen m a n y o f th e recen t film s, b u t th e C h inese film s I used to h av e w ere never really co m m ercially v ia b le ,” he says. Since th e n , A n d re w P ik e o f R o n in F ilm s, is on e o f th e few w h o has d a re d v e n tu re in to w h a t is u n k n o w n te rrito ry fo r m o st A u s tra lia n d is trib u to rs . Y ello w E a rth , w hich be b o u g h t last y ear, h as a lre a d y screened in Sydney a n d M e lb o u rn e , a n d m ay even fin d its w ay in to th e C hinese cin em as. R o n in h as also a c q u ire d th e satirical co m ed y B la c k C a n n o n In c id e n t th ro u g h th e C h in a F ilm C o rp o ra tio n a n d is n e g o tia tin g to b u y S w a n S o n g , d irected by Z h a n g Z em in g , w hich w as seen a t th e 1986 H o n g K o n g F ilm F estival. P ik e has fo u n d th e c o rp o ra tio n “ q u ick a n d efficien t on th e titles th e y w a n t to sell” . Y ello w E a rth a n d B la c k C a n n o n In c id e n t w ere “ m o d e ra te ly expensive to b u y ,” he says. “ C h in a h as c ertain ly b eco m e m o re aggressive in th e m a rk e tin g o f th e ir film p ro d u c t. J u s t g ettin g th e p rin t can be expensive. In d ig e n o u s film sto ck is p o o r q u a lity a n d th ey w o n ’t use it fo r e x p o rt so special sto ck is im p o rte d w hich increases th e costs. “ A lso , w ith Y ello w E a rth , th e su b -titlin g w as very p o o r a n d h a d to be d o n e a g ain . W e sh a re d th e costs w ith th e B ritish d is trib u to rs .” B ut it has been w h en he has a tte m p te d to deal w ith th e A u stra lia n -b a se d d is trib u to rs o f H o n g K o n g p ro d u c t th a t he h as ru n in to real p ro b le m s a n d expenses. “ I have fo u n d J o e S u i’s c o m p a n y d iffic u lt to deal w ith ,” he says. “ T h e film s are very expensive a n d I th in k he is d o in g a disservice to p ro d u c e rs in H o n g K o n g becau se he o nly does b u siness w ith th e C h in ese cin em as. H e is n o t aw are th e re is bu sin ess b e y o n d th a t m a rk e t. “ I h av e b o u g h t tw o Ja c k ie C h a n film s fro m Jo e Sui, P o lice S to r y a n d Y o u n g M a ste r, w h ich ra n in C a n b e rra , b u t th e y d id n ’t go very w ell. I h a d to p a y a h ig h price fo r th e m w ith little re tu rn . In fa c t, we lo st m o n e y d o in g it. I ’d love to ru n a Ja c k ie C h a n festiv al, b u t th e biggest stu m b lin g b lo ck is th e d is trib u to rs !” U n til th e n , b u y so m e su n flo w e r seeds a n d q u eu e u p fo r a session o f k u n g fu a t a C h in ese cin em a. W a tc h Ja c k ie C h a n fly b a c k w a rd s to ta k e revenge, w o n d e r a t th e riv alry a n d in trig u e , a n d w a tc h o u t fo r g h o sts.
E
With special thanks to VINCENT TAN for translations, interpretations and research.