Lau drops the thrills to find beauty in romance
Source: Agencies |
April 12, 2011, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
BEST known for his gangster thrillers, veteran Hong Kong director Andrew Lau says he has left his comfort zone with a brooding romance about the relationship between a Hong Kong woman and an ailing police officer from the Chinese mainland.
Lau says "A Beautiful Life," to be released in China next month, represents a clear break from his usual fast-paced, visually dynamic work.
Since the huge success of his "Infernal Affairs" trilogy - the first movie was remade by Martin Scorsese as "The Departed," earning the American filmmaker his first best director Oscar - Lau has largely stuck to the genre that made his name.
Recent credits include the street car thriller "Initial D," the Korean-language thriller "Daisy" and "The Flock," his debut Hollywood crime story starring Richard Gere and Claire Danes.
Last year, he released the kung fu picture "Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen," a sequel of sorts to the 1972 Bruce Lee classic "Fist of Fury."
"A Beautiful Life" is a different animal, Lau says.
"My visuals are typically very powerful. The rhythm is fast. The cuts are fast. This time I took a completely different approach. There are many lengthy shots," he said, pointing in particular to a scene featuring lead actors Shu Qi and Liu Ye that lasts more than five minutes.
Shu's character, a Hong Kong real-estate agent who suffers romantic and career setbacks in Beijing, delivers a drunken monologue to Liu, who plays a police officer whose mental state is slowly deteriorating.
"You are basically watching the actors give their all. I wanted them to work at it until they found the right mood. I did not split it into different shots," Lau said.
The original plot for "A Beautiful Life," first conceived in 2000, featured a romance between a Hong Kong police officer and a mainland woman - but Lau decided on a role reversal to better fit contemporary trends.
"I have drifted to the north too. I have set up an office in the mainland," Lau said. "This is the reality. You need to make certain decisions to expand your market."
Lau says "A Beautiful Life," to be released in China next month, represents a clear break from his usual fast-paced, visually dynamic work.
Since the huge success of his "Infernal Affairs" trilogy - the first movie was remade by Martin Scorsese as "The Departed," earning the American filmmaker his first best director Oscar - Lau has largely stuck to the genre that made his name.
Recent credits include the street car thriller "Initial D," the Korean-language thriller "Daisy" and "The Flock," his debut Hollywood crime story starring Richard Gere and Claire Danes.
Last year, he released the kung fu picture "Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen," a sequel of sorts to the 1972 Bruce Lee classic "Fist of Fury."
"A Beautiful Life" is a different animal, Lau says.
"My visuals are typically very powerful. The rhythm is fast. The cuts are fast. This time I took a completely different approach. There are many lengthy shots," he said, pointing in particular to a scene featuring lead actors Shu Qi and Liu Ye that lasts more than five minutes.
Shu's character, a Hong Kong real-estate agent who suffers romantic and career setbacks in Beijing, delivers a drunken monologue to Liu, who plays a police officer whose mental state is slowly deteriorating.
"You are basically watching the actors give their all. I wanted them to work at it until they found the right mood. I did not split it into different shots," Lau said.
The original plot for "A Beautiful Life," first conceived in 2000, featured a romance between a Hong Kong police officer and a mainland woman - but Lau decided on a role reversal to better fit contemporary trends.
"I have drifted to the north too. I have set up an office in the mainland," Lau said. "This is the reality. You need to make certain decisions to expand your market."
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