#director: cheng er

[mylittleponygrrl]

Full review from vox.com:

Hidden Blade / Wuming

Wang Yibo’s performance as Mr. Ye and the art created by the film’s director, Cheng Er

::-::-::-::-::-::

The shadowy puzzle-box pleasures of Chinese spy thriller Hidden Blade

Satisfyingly cerebral, Hidden Blade features a masterful Tony Leung and a breakout performance from Wang Yibo.

By: Aja Romano on February 28, 2023 7:30 am

Wang Yibo and Eric Wang in Cheng Er’s moody, shadowy spy thriller Hidden Blade, now in cinemas. Well Go USA

Toward the end of Hidden Blade (无名), the arty Chinese World War II spy thriller that has now reached US cinemas, everything comes to a halt.

“Matte kudasai,” Wang Yibo, playing the canny, careful Secretary Ye, says in silky Japanese. Wait, please.

And then we all — the character he’s talking to, the camera, the film score, the audience, the movie — slow down and wait. We wait for him to light a cigarette, take a drag, then another. We wait for him to look at his reflection. We watch him, wreathed in smoke, take his time.

With a lesser actor, this would feel excessive, showy; it would flatten the moment. But this is Wang Yibo, star of The Untamed and Street Dance of China, former K-pop idol, sometime motorcycle racer, multitalented polymath, and multinational heartthrob. In the pause, tension and dark purpose coil in his jawline, his shoulders, in every flick of his wrist. I have never wanted to look at anything more in my life.

Hidden Blade has gone largely unnoticed in mainstream US media, usually getting name-checked as the legendary Tony Leung’s latest film. The New York Times gave it a kind but mixed capsule review. Other outlets that bothered to review it did so poorly, with multiple reviewers unable to tell cast members apart from one another (!), a handful misunderstanding and misstating the plot, one reviewer dismissing the entire cast apart from Leung. Several wrote it off as a propaganda film.

But Hidden Blade, from writer-director Cheng Er, deserves a much better critical assessment than this. It serves propaganda only in the way that the average war movie might glorify the homeland — think Top Gun: Maverick. In this case, that means a homeland battered by a brutal Japanese occupation. Our timeline centers around Republic-era China, several years after the Nanjing Massacre. The country’s combative factions — the Japanese occupants, the Kuomintang leadership, the current puppet government, and the underground communist resistance — all vie to control China’s future as the war wages around them. Our main characters, Director He (Leung) and his subordinate Secretary Ye (Wang), both work for the Japanese regime in Shanghai, rooting out members of each of the opposing factions and doing the governor’s bidding. But spies are everywhere, and their allegiances aren’t always obvious — sometimes not even to themselves.

Hidden Blade’s production house, Bona Film Group, loosely placed this film into a “trilogy” called the China Victory Trilogy. (The prior film, The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021), was a mega-blockbuster; this film had a far more lowkey release, though it’s been such a success — closing on $1 billion RMB, it’s reportedly the top-grossing art film in Chinese history — that there’s talk of a sequel.) Each film, linked thematically but not materially, highlights a different group of ordinary people battling a war. This outing explores the pressures placed on WWII spies who often had to work in complete isolation for months and even years; the film’s Chinese title translates to Anonymous. Cheng takes the smoke-and-mirrors obfuscation of the spy genre literally: Ye spends much of the time he’s onscreen symbolically mirroring He, while studying himself in mirrors, being looked at through mirrors, and functioning as a looking-glass for the film itself.

This could all easily feel like shallow gloss with little substance, and the plot seems relatively thin; but over the course of the film, that plot reveals itself to be a tightly edited jigsaw awaiting your assembly.

This is a big part of why repeated viewings of Hidden Blade are such a pleasure (I saw it six times in four days). The film is a metaphorical escape room you find your way through, muddling at first, then quicker and quicker until you arrive at an open door. Cheng’s aesthetic style flickers through the muted action of the first half, from Godard-like formalism to von Trier-esque visual war poetry to outright Tarkovsky homages. But steadily the stylistic flourishes give way to a riveting, sparse thriller with phenomenal fight scenes, staged with excellent attention to setting and detail by fight choreographer Chao Chen. Cai Tao’s cinematography has lingered with me for days, with some shots cracking the whole film wide open for me on third or fourth watch.

This film basks in tiny thematic details — the timing of a musical cue, the symbolism of a tableau, the way a character’s face is lit between light and shadow. Then there’s the symbology; my friends have been discussing the thematic element of food in this movie for days: The symbolism of an intimidating bowl of drunken shrimp, the political nuances of debates over French cuisine, the secrets of an unassuming box of pastry.

In other words, Hidden Blade’s cerebral challenges invite you to play the games its characters are playing. It opens itself to the audience more and more with every repeat viewing. The supporting cast makes the most of limited emotional real estate; Eric Wang and Zhou Xun sink their teeth into their very different roles in the spy game. Tony Leung’s performance in particular grows craftier and more intelligent on every viewing as you begin to understand the veneer of polite soullessness around which he layers his real, veiled emotions. The moments he lets them peek through are masterful to behold.

But as much as Tony Leung was made for subtle but heady roles like this, Hidden Blade belongs to Wang Yibo, and so does this review.

A production still of Hidden Blade featuring Wang Yibo, released for the film’s ¥500m box office. The film has since grossed nearly ¥1 billion. Bona Film Group

This is Yibo, after all, a 25-year-old wunderkind who spent his childhood training in Korea to become a K-pop idol but who returned to China and became a Chinese entertainer slash dance star slash actor instead. I first wrote about Yibo here in 2020 in my review of the historical fantasy series The Untamed. I described him then as “conveying Grand Canyons of emotional depth” through “mesmerizing infinitesimal facial adjustments.”

A screen cap of Wang Yibo as Lan Wangji from the global phenomenon, Chinese tv series, Chén Qíng Lìng / The Untamed (2019) Tencent (New Style Media Group)

Since then, I have watched Yibo disappear into one strikingly different character after another, embodying them all with talent and skill beyond his years; I have watched him deliver performance after performance, transforming himself onstage and off. He has a star quality that’s hard to describe until you truly get acquainted with his performances and his persona. On first impression, he’s rarely the hottest or the strongest or the glitziest entertainer in a room — but he’s the one who unfailingly blows you away in the end, the one you can’t stop talking about.

As Secretary Ye, Yibo packs the same intensity: He smolders and throbs and pulses his way through Hidden Blade, talking only rarely but speaking volumes with the soulful eyes that first captivated me and a jillion other fans three years ago.

Since The Untamed, Yibo has become a massive star in his home country. He was originally scheduled to make his film debut in the much more high-profile Born to Fly (now scheduled for a spring release), in which he stars as the equivalent to Tom Cruise in Top Gun. As much pressure as a role like that must be to play, the weight Yibo carries in Hidden Blade feels almost heavier. Cheng has talked at length about how the more he saw Yibo act, the bigger his part became; he rewrote the film around Yibo as production progressed, eventually transforming Ye from a smaller part into the soul of the movie.

That’s a huge responsibility, but Yibo shoulders it effortlessly. He immerses himself in Ye’s tortured psyche; he trembles and seethes and changes the mood of an entire scene with a single sharp glance. A debut like this, from an actor this young, in a part this intense, carrying the entire film beside one of China’s greatest living actors, all while juggling four different languages (Japanese, Mandarin, and Cantonese and Shanghainese dialects) feels remarkable. Yibo’s performance seals Hidden Blade’s status as an unexpected pleasure. Once finally assembled, its cinematic intricacies yield infinite rewards.

[accio-victuuri]

wang yibo - gq men of the year red carpet / source

[bookshop]

pardon me i'm just overwhelmed by wang yibo (as usual)

It's just, this kid, THIS KID, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND LET ME EXPLAIN

— he has to battle his way up through the ranks of YG to get to debut, in another country, away from his parents, while barely a teenager, all while learning a second language, and he not only does it, but according to legend he and Lisa are the only two foreign idols in YG history to graduate the program with all As

— and then his debut gets canceled and he has to go back to China and Yuehua and restart his entire career without much support at all from his agency, and he just does it, he starts the grind all over and just fucking does it

— he isn't even Yuehua's first choice for Day Day Up's new host competition, and they submit him only because he speaks Korean and that's good for the show, but then Wang Han sees him backstage one day and sees how hard he's working on his dance routine and immediately knows that Yibo is their next host, and not only is he an incredible addition to the show, but he stays on DDU longer than he reasonably should given how massively famous he gets, and he's so beloved that when he returns for Hunan's 2022 NYE concert, the network rolls out the red carpet and treats him like he's their hometown son and Wang Han is like, "Our Yibo has come home" (And Luoyang is the girlfriend in the distracted boyfriend meme lol but ykwim)

— he has to submit his comp shots twice just to even get an audition before anyone takes him seriously for The Untamed!! Except then the moment they see him, they immediately know he's their Lan Zhan

— he's the "pretty idol" throwaway captain for SDC3 and you can tell this when you watch the editing for the first episode because the comments for Yibo are all about how hot he is, and he comes in last place after the first captain's dance, and it's clear nobody really takes him seriously, but then the second he opens his street auditions, the tone of the entire show changes and from then on, for the next two seasons, he is completely unstoppable, his talent and intelligence and strategic thinking and competitive drive are so raw and exciting to watch that he basically takes over the entire show, the ratings more than double from s2 to s3, his fandom grows even more massive, and the dancers all fucking LOVE HIM. like dude he wins street dance of china so hard that within three seasons he's basically co-producing it and he's literally given a writing credit.

— The director of Being a Hero doesn't think he's old or mature enough to play Chen Yu and then Yibo sits down and talks to him about why he wants the role and the director realizes that Yibo basically is Chen Yu, he's the focused hard-working persevering single-minded actor of his dreams, and Yibo winds up giving a performance so moving it makes the director cry and declare, "That? That's acting."

— he jumps from no ranking at all to 9th place to #2!!!!!! within TWO YEARS on the Forbes China 100 Most Powerful people list between 2019 and 2021

— Duhua famously didn't take him seriously or treat him well for most of their long contractual relationship, oh shit, because now according to YH's latest investor report for Q3-4 2022, he singlehandedly brings in 90% of the profit for her entire company, a shareholder, the "top talent," and the one who has to pay whenever Uniq gets together because he's "the boss"

— Yibo goes from being the SDC underdog to being so respected that when Da Peng is looking for a dancer to star in his street dance movie, he asks all the best street dancers what actor is capable of doing the moves, and they all unanimously tell him: Wang Yibo. Da Peng winds up telling the press on Weibo Film night 2022 that he wrote the whole movie for Yibo, and that "if there's no Yibo, there's no movie"

— Cheng Er, director of Wuming, claims he has no idea who Yibo is, and just decided to cast him in a supporting role in his film because he looks the part of a Republic-era spy. And then he sees Yibo act, and he sees Yibo immerse himself in the part, and he sees how hard Yibo is willing to work and how committed he is, and he rewrites his entire movie until Wang Yibo is the main fucking character; Wang Yibo, in his first major film debut, acts his way into the lead and earns rave reviews from across the globe, including the goddamn new york times

Every time you think people will have finally figured out that you do not underestimate Wang Yibo, you learn of some new example where Yibo, once again, has had to prove himself in an industry that perpetually writes him off and doesn't take him seriously at first — only for the people around him to be absolutely blown away by his talent and dedication and mesmerizing star power.

And this happens over and over and over again. And he just does the work, always, every time, without complaint, and every time the result is something surprising and unexpected and fantastic and such a mark of his incredible passion and talent

— and every time I think my heart can't possibly grow any more sizes over Yibo, he proves me wrong

[rainbowsky]

Golden Rooster 2023 award nominations

Hidden Blade

Best Feature Film ❌

Best Screenplay - Cheng Er ❌

Best Director - Cheng Er ✅

Best Actor - Tony Lueng ✅

Best Supporting Actor - Wang Yibo ❌

Best Cinematography - Cia Tao and Liao Hui ❌

Best Art Direction - Sun Li ❌

Best Editing - Cheng Er ✅

Born To Fly

Best Feature Film ❌

Best Directorial Debut - Lui Xiaoshi ✅

Best Supporting Actor - Hu Jun ❌

Best Sound - Wang Yanwei ❌

Best Editing - Xiao Yang, Li Ruiliang, Wei Yong ❌

[yibocheeks]

A Completely Biased Fan’s Opinion (and Interpretation) of 无名

I’ve tried to keep my reviews online mostly neutral when it comes to my fangirling over Wang Yibo in the movie, as I really do feel that the movie is well done, the entire cast did a remarkable job, the cinematography and set details are commendable, the music compliments the scenes really well, and there are many interesting parallels and clues along the way that make each rewatch rewarding. 

@faery-snow​ requested a long post and after watching the movie three times, I will henceforth enter full fangirling mode with my thoughts on the film (there will be spoilers). I have also summarized the sequence of events, based on analyses from Chinese fans online (but again this is still open to interpretation) ↴

I’ve summarized a spoiler-free version of some historical background that is relevant to the film here and will note below when I start getting into plot spoiler content.

The opening scene begins with Tony Leung’s character (Director He) sitting on a bench. He appears to be deep in thought, and behind him we see the grid of a prison window. We are then introduced to an array of other characters, and the who/where/when are all still unknown to the audience. 

We then meet Yibo’s character (Mr. Ye), who is having what seems to be a casual breakfast with his colleague, played by Wang Chuanjun (Captain Wang). They are speaking Shanghainese, and upon first hearing Yibo’s Shanghainese I was grinning to myself from ear to ear. His Shanghainese is really very cute, and if you speak to people who are actually Shanghainese they will be able to identify immediately that he is not from Shanghai. 😂 Still, for him to be able to speak Shanghainese to this degree is not easy, considering he only just learned it for the film. And of course from watching all the behind-the-scene footage and interviews, I was already very fond of this 阿呆 and 阿瓜 pair. We see the scene where they are sitting in the car together, on their way to collect the corpses (whom we at this point do not yet know the identities of), and the moment when they both look down at their watch at the same time, which was unscripted. The conversation about every man for themselves, although discussed in the context of breakfast, can be applied to the situation of the times as well.

We are shown the bombings in Guangzhou and there is a scene here that is difficult to watch every time (this, as well as another scene later in the film are particularly difficult to watch; all I can say is that the suffering that ordinary citizens experienced during wartimes really leaves one speechless.) Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, there is a ominous sense of heaviness that is felt as the Pacific War wages. In Shanghai, the foreign concessions, which had once been free from occupation, are also taken over by the Japanese.

Cheng Er does not shy away from showing the violence and cruelty of the time, and we see that Mr. Ye’s job is a rather bloody one. It is such a delight to watch Yibo play this type of role, and although his face was splattered with blood, all I could focus on was how much the yeekies vibrated 😂 (I’m hopeless, I know.)

We see Mr. Ye observing Ms. Fang at the dancehall, and at this point it is not yet clear what their relationship is (although from the article that Cheng Er has written before in GQ, we know that they were engaged, but have grown apart over the years due to conflicting interests - Ms. Fang works together with other progressive youth to assassinate Japanese officers, while Mr. Ye is working for Wang Jingwei’s regime. Thus, in Ms. Fang’s eyes, Mr. Ye is a traitor.)

Tony Leung’s performance is also incredible. He is lauded as having eyes that can tell stories and this is so true. I think he is one of the greatest actors of his time, from every expression to every posture - and it is really amazing that Yibo is billed as co-lead in a film with him. 

Plot spoilers begin here:

After Wang Jingwei’s death in 1944 and towards the end of WWII, Minister Tang tells Director He that he will enter negotiations with the Japanese as a representative of the Kuomintang (KMT) - Minister Tang is a character who truly is a fence-sitter (in the GQ interview Da Peng reveals that he was once part of the CCP, then the KMT, before becoming Minister of the Political Security Department for the Wang Jingwei regime). This poses a potential threat to the Communists. It is at this time that Director He utilizes the list of important Japanese people living in Shanghai, which he had received from Ms. Jiang, the KMT agent whom he spared the life of back in 1941. We see Mr. Zhang deploying men to assassinate the Japanese prince. The next morning, Mr. Ye and Captain Wang go to dispose of the bodies. Officer Watanabe gets the call that the prince has died, and the peace talks between the KMT and Japan end. This series of events is part of the story that Cheng Er has written for the film, and as far as I know is not based on any actual event. Mr. Ye accompanies Officer Watanabe to the Communists’ warehouse, only for a bomb to go off. They find that the Communists have already abandoned the warehouse. At this time Officer Watanabe speaks with Mr. Ye and says that anyone who does not join you in killing immediately becomes suspicious - Captain Wang had been at home for his father’s birthday and because of his absence, Officer Watanabe begins to doubt Captain Wang’s allegiance. We see drunken shrimp being served at Captain Wang’s father’s birthday dinner, a traditional dish from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai regions.

Interestingly Yibo is the only one who speaks multiple languages throughout the film, and perhaps it shows his presumed allegiance to the Japanese as he is able to adapt to their food and language. Hearing Yibo’s Japanese was also such a treat.

Following the prince’s death, the Communists are under further scrutiny by the Japanese, and so it is at this time that Mr. Ye goes to the dancehall to warn Ms. Fang that the situation is dangerous and that she should suspend her activities of targeting Japanese officers. There is a moment here where Yibo drops Mr. Ye’s usual cool countenance and shows a moment of vulnerability as he looks at Ms. Fang - we see that he still cares for her, but that he can not give her any further explanation nor refute her when she calls him a traitor and tells him to go die. His babyface looks extra vulnerable in that brief moment 🥺 He lets out his suppressed anger and helplessness by beating up the Japanese officers he encounters on his way out, and I can only say that after filming that continuous-shot scene for several nights in a row, the outcome is very satisfying to watch as Yibo fully immerses himself into the character. At the end he pulls down his tie again, returning to his prim and well-dressed appearance (although still slightly rumpled 🤭).

The moment when Mr. Ye finds out about Ms. Fang’s death is a devastating moment - Ms. Fang is probably the only person left whom he cared about, and his colleague whom he had considered his friend was the perpetrator. In this moment he is now truly alone.

Officer Watanabe sends Mr. Ye to the docks to investigate the assassination, and Mr. Ye goes to sit silently at a food stall on the docks. Beside him is a member of the Communist underground network, who then goes to warn Mr. Zhang (Huang Lei), the secretary for the Communist underground network, that the docks, their liaison station, have been compromised. Mr. Zhang becomes nervous and asks Ms. Chen (Zhou Xun) to runaway with him. He says he knows someone of high ranks in Nanjing who can help them, and by so doing he becomes immediately suspicious, as at this time Nanjing is still the capital of the Wang Jingwei regime. I must say that Zhou Xun’s performance here is splendid, and this exchange between them always makes me laugh. 

Mr. Zhang calls Minister Tang and says that he knows something about the incident surrounding the Japanese prince, thus betraying the Communists. Minister Tang informs Officer Watanabe and Director He, and between the three of them it is decided that Director He will go to interrogate Mr. Zhang. It is here where the scene from the beginning of the movie takes place, when Director He meets with Mr. Zhang. After getting rid of the traitor Mr. Zhang, Director He knows that his identity as a Communist will be exposed, at the same time he had no choice but to do what he did in order to protect the Communists’ intelligence. 

Officer Watanabe then invites Minister Tang, Director He, Mr. Ye and Captain Wang to dinner. The tension created in this scene was excellent. Mr. Ye turns to Officer Watanabe to ask for permission to leave the dinner in order to get rid of the Communist in their midst, whom Officer Watanabe suspects to include Captain Wang. Here we see Yibo’s tears again as he hears the click of the gun behind him, confirming his friend’s betrayal. Interestingly Mr. Ye and Captain Wang are wearing the same ties as the ones they wore from when they shared breakfast together. Things have certainly changed between them since then.

The reunion between Mr. He and Ms. Chen is a touching moment, and here we see how Zhou Xun and Tony Leung truly shine as the veteran actors that they are, being able to convey such deep emotions in such a brief scene. We are instantly able to feel how much the two have sacrificed in the time that they’ve been apart, separated by the situation of the times and in their hopes to fight for a better future. I really wish we were able to see more from the female actresses, as their time to shine felt really limited.

Then we have the fight scene between Mr. Ye, who is on the Japanese side, and Mr. He, who has revealed his identity as a Communist. This fight scene was filmed so well. Yibo was choked many times, he got to touch Tony Leung’s face, and the music accompanying him is quite fitting for the villain role which he has taken on during this part of the film 🤭 Cheng Er alludes to this in interviews and through camera angles that there may be eyes and ears observing their fight peripherally.

Following this fight, Officer Watanabe seems to trust Mr. Ye completely as he reveals the map of Manchuria and the Kwantung Army’s operations. The scene after this is one of my favourite scenes and gives me chills every time, when Mr. Ye walks up to the office of the Director of the Political Security Department. What a glorious moment for him! 

For the classical music nerds like me, the piece that plays here is Mozart's Requiem. How very fitting.

Shortly after, Japan surrenders and Mr. He gets released. On his way out, he sees Mr. Ye being brought into prison along with Officer Watanabe. Mr. Ye gives Mr. He a taunting look, which is followed by the skirmish between them and Mr. He’s slight smile afterwards - this and the following scene were both delicious.

At the end of the movie, we see that Mr. Ye has moved to Hong Kong, where many spies fled to for safety after the war. He enters a restaurant and says thank you in Shanghainese, revealing that he is from Shanghai. The server turns to him and recognizes this, and we realize that he is at Captain Wang’s family restaurant. The family moved to Hong Kong, not knowing the fate of their son whom they believed to be still in Shanghai. Mr. Ye is served the drunken shrimp and we get a feeling of nostalgia - perhaps he wishes to pay homage to his former friend, or to the homeland from which he came from where he is no longer welcomed. The way in which he eats the shrimp while they’re still jumping, and the persistence with which he chases after the shrimp that has tried to escape - all of this is so true to character and really a memorable scene, particularly with the red from the fermented tofu brine. We get the sense that the past still haunts him, despite living in a new city. (As to the question of whether or not one should spit out the shell when eating drunken shrimp, this seems to be a question of debate. 😂)  Of course the shrimp jumping out of the bowl was not scripted, and Yibo again demonstrates an excellent understanding of his character.

We then see Mr. Ye at a temple where he is burning incense. I tear up every time when I watch this scene, at the silent tears he has shed as he grieves - perhaps he’s grieving the loss of his ex-lover, or the loss of someone whom he had thought was his friend, or the loss of his own self and who he was before 1941, or the loss of the times before the war, or all of the above. He has had to make so many sacrifices along the way as he strived to pursue what he believed in. Why is Yibo so good at expressing silent repressed sadness? 😭

In one Ningbo roadshow, they were asked the following:

When Yibo has a crying scene at the end in Hong Kong, how had CE directed Yibo?

CE: I didn't make too many requests of him in that scene, I wanted to see how he would portray it, which is what you now see

Yibo: It felt very complicated, after experiencing everything that had happened prior, when I arrived alone at Hong Kong, I think it was a very complicated feeling. 

So what we see is Yibo’s own emotional interpretation of Mr. Ye’s experience  😭

We end the film listening to Yibo’s voice singing as the ending credits roll. The song is truly such a striking song and so fitting. Many people left the theatre as soon as the movie ended, and those who remained until the end of the credits were likely fans 🤭

All in all this was a fantastic film, although it may not be for everyone as it is one that can be hard to follow. If you pay attention to the details and have a basic understanding of the different parties in play, I think it will be an enjoyable watch as there are many hints along the way for the viewer to piece together. The character of Mr. Ye has really challenged Yibo with a different role from what he has played before, and he really stepped up to it. He’s not a perfect character either - Cheng Er makes it clear that along the way Mr. Ye commits a lot of immoral acts and has a violent streak as well. Many of the characters are morally grey, which is a bit refreshing to see in a film that was funded as part of a trilogy for the CCP’s centenary. 

I can’t gush enough about Yibo in this film, so if you have more thoughts, my messages are always open!

Addendum: In interviews for GQ and 人物, Cheng Er says that the biggest compromise he has had to make for a film was Wu Ming. It sounds like there were many bumps along the way that he encountered during the film review process. The 人物 interview suggests that this may also include the choice of the ending scene, which is not in keeping with Cheng Er’s usual style of film narrative. There’s been mentions of a director’s cut potentially being released at some point in the future (perhaps with the DVD/Bluray release) and I would be so curious to know what this film looked like prior to the film review!

Addendum #2:

Some other thoughts:

There is one line that Mr. Ye says that left an impression, a line he says in Japanese that goes along the lines of, “No matter how much we strive, what’s lost is lost.” This feels like a rare moment of truth that he says casually in a scene wrapped up in deception.

In speaking to others, many people say that a scene that really disturbed them was the scene with the injured dog. In a movie where we see the torment and death of so many people as a result of war, it is still this scene that leaves an impression on people. Is it that we as an audience have become desensitized to human suffering? It is certainly a memorable scene, and perhaps this is partly why Cheng Er chose to include this in the movie.

Many of the characters remain largely unnamed, even Mr. Ye himself. The only time we see his name is when he gets the appointment letter to become the new director.

Ms. Jiang is seen wearing a ring, and later on in the movie we see Minister Tang wearing a matching ring. Ms. Jiang is thought to be based on Zheng Pingru, a well-known KMT spy who was involved in a plot to assassinate the security chief of the Wang Jingwei regime (The movie Lust, Caution is also thought to be inspired by her).

In the scene where Mr. He speaks to Mr. Ye, there's a line that Tony Leung says, "我无法继续下去了." The English subtitles translate it as, "I can't cope anymore," but a more accurate way to translate this given the context would be, "I can no longer continue." It's a subtle difference, but implies that there may also be other external reasons for why Mr. He can no longer continue what he is doing, rather than just personal.

Another minor translation error in the subtitles is in the restaurant scene in Hong Kong, when Captain Wang's mother says that their family moved over in the 1930s. She actually says that they moved over in the 30s of the Republic of China calendar, which would be the 1940s, so likely sometime after the dad's birthday dinner scene that we see. (Note that the subs in the online version are correct here)

Addendum #3:

There is a scene that was added to the international release that is not in the mainland version or the version that was released on Chinese streaming platforms. It takes place after they get the call about Pearl Harbor, after we see the invasion of the Japanese Army into the concessions. There is a conversation between Officer Watanabe and Mr. He, where Officer Watanabe discusses the politics of what occurred. He comments that Mr. He was late to their meeting and Mr. He says it is because he went to pick up pastries. Officer Watanabe asks him where the pastries are, and Mr. He says they are in the car. There is a moment of dramatic suspense as Mr. He walks slowly towards the car, brings out the pastry box, and gives it to Officer Watanabe, who opens it to see only the Napoleon cakes.

There are also many places in the movie where Cheng Er has changed the music for the international release, which is different from the mainland and online versions. He has cleaned up the timing in some parts and changed it in others to better fit the mood. Let's hope these changes get incorporated into the DVD release when it comes out! Still, I don't think that this takes away from the viewing experience of the mainland/online versions.

[yibo-wang]

Wang Yibo & director Cheng Er 

智族GQ October 2022 / Wuming

[jadedbirch]

Hidden Blade Review

(spoiler free)

Okay okay so we've finally been blessed 🙌🙌🙌. The Yeekies on the big screen were fantastic and just as magnificent as I anticipated. This review will be composed of 2 parts: just Wang Yibo first, because I'm biased, and then the actual film.

The New York Times called my son "SIMMERING and MESMERIZING" and it ain't no lie. This was an incredibly difficult role for any actor to pull off, because first of all, it calls for a lot of silent acting, which we all already knows Yibo excels at. But here's a gross reminder:

Second, most of his dialogue had to be delivered in Japanese, a language that he did not know before filming. Not only does he sound very proficient (from what I can tell, at least, from my years of Shorinji Kempo), he's able to deliver his lines very naturally, holding his own in scenes with a native speaker.

Third, we all already know this boy is beautiful when he cries. Another gross reminder:

And the good news is, he's only gotten better at crying. He cries softly, quietly, loudly, and with chest wrecking sobs. The tears streak down his Yeekies and his Yose, and it is absolutely TRANSCENDENT. Listen, this kid is a star. ⭐

Fourth, his action sequences are absolutely glorious. He moves like a cheetah and stings like a bee. But we already knew that, right?

Anyways... Watching him kick ass is immensely satisfying.

And finally, he holds his own against a legend of cinema like Tony Leung, which may have made any other actor choke. But we all know that Yibo never chokes, he always rises to the challenge, AND HOW. No wonder Cheng Er, the director, seems so utterly smitten with him. Listen, he is all of us 🥹🥹🥰🥰.

Having extolled my son's incredible qualities, let me now say a few words about the movie itself. Hidden Blade is absolutely gorgeous. It reminds me of the way movies used to be made - character driven and chock full of haunting cinematic moments that stay with you long after you've left the theater. The story weaves through time, often threatening to cause a bit of a whiplash, but at the end of the day, it comes back to the main characters in a very satisfying way. Like any good spy thriller, it keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat. The war violence is handled very delicately and is never pervasive while still conveying its intended horror. Cheng Er is clearly a master of his art, and it really shows.

Like any Chinese movie made today, you can expect a touch of Communist propaganda and a bit of revisionist history. But having said that, it could have been a lot more heavy handed, and I thought it found the right balance to please the censors and not take foreign audiences out of the experience.

Sadly, this scene appears to have not made the final cut, so it's not a spoiler to leave this review on my favorite note, of my son's glorious face:

[yibo-best]

Perhaps IQIYI* will announce soon the release of a historical cdrama with Yibo. The cdrama is supposedly for 40 episodes with a title that changes, let's call it The wind and waves (长风破浪) for now. Maybe it will just be called after the main character Wei Ruolai. The plot is about 1928 and I`m not very happy about it (because the director is not Cheng Er and.. I was not too inspired by the plot about the communist struggle.) But I wonder how and what Yibo will playing.

By the way, Cheng Er with Yibo was seen on the beach in Qinhuangdao (Hebei province) in search of locations for filming (Mermaid/Intercross).

*more precisely, the cdrama has an official account on weibo, and everyone is waiting for the announcement of its broadcast tomorrow/21 sep at the conference IQIYI

upd: presumably, the release of the cdrama is scheduled for the 1st quarter of 2024

[p-h03n1-x]

Yibo Official Weibo update 11.1.2023 Wang Yibo is selected for 2023 Starry Oceans Young Actor Selection Plan. Thanks to Director Cheng Er’s recommendation, he devoted himself to constructing multi-faceted characters and exploring the infinite possibilities of light and shadow. 🎬

[the-monkey-ruler]

Lotus Lantern (2005) 宝莲灯

Director: Yu Mingsheng Screenwriter: Nine years Starring: Jun Cao / Shu Chang / Enjun / Jiao / Lin Xiangping Yuqiao / Liu Liu Liu Xiaoqing / Yan Danchen / Xie Ning / Wang Weiguo / Chen Chuang / Ding Jian / Xiaofeng Luo Wei / Pu Shiyan Zhang Zhichao / Tian Erxi / Wu Zhou Jie / Guohua You Benchang / Wang Yonggui / Li Baocheng Zhao / Shujun / Li Jianxun Zhu Yaying / Li Liu Jie / Jiayi Ye Yina / Ma Liqing / Yang Si / Wang Wensheng / Ma Jielin / Tian Xuemin / Zhao Qi / Zong Fengyan / Wan Luo Guangyue / Li Dou / Ying / Tang Nien / Liu Shuxing / Shi Liang / Cheng Sudong / Lu Bing / Wang Xiang / Yao Changjiang / Xi Xianfeng / Yuan Han / Shen Jie / Deng Jia / Guo Ye / Wang Jiayu / DuduMore Genre: Drama / Fantasy / Costume Country/Region of Production: Mainland China Language: Mandarin Chinese Date: 2005-10-04 (Mainland China) Number of episodes: 35 Single episode length: 46 minutes Also known as: New Lotus Lantern / 新宝莲灯 IMDb: tt4776994 Type: Reimagining

Summary:

Chen Xiang (played by Cao Jun), a young man in a small town, and his father Liu Yanchang (played by Liu Xiaofeng) have been living a peaceful life until one day, Chen Xiang accidentally discovers that he actually contains "magic power" in his body and could pass through walls effortlessly. After his father learned about it, he told Chen Xiang the fact that he had hidden for many years, that is, Chen Xiang's mother was actually the San Sheng Mu (played by Park Meixuan) in heaven. Because she violated the rules of heaven and married herself as a mortal, she was captured by heaven to an unknown destination. Chen Xiang was shocked to learn the truth and decided to overcome all difficulties to rescue his mother. Er Lang Shen (Jiao Enjun), who sees everything in his eyes, is Chen Xiang's uncle and decides to stop Chen Xiang's journey to save his mother. Thus, this difficult trip to save the mother kicked off with the interference of Erlang Shen. During the journey, Chen Xiang met many kind-hearted people and spirits, encountered various resistances, and even wanted to give up. But in the end, it was no match for his determination to save his mother...

Source: https://tv-1.chinesemov.com/tv/2005/Lotus%20Lantern

Link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL10scWhSJdfGojWzhbiYNBCM9KgZi1sk_

[gravitydefyingtears]

Audio Drama: 天官赐福 | Tian Guan Ci Fu | Heaven Official’s Blessing

It’s coming!!! 

You might recognize most of the production team as the people who worked on the MDZS audio drama, so I’m very assured that they will only have grown more experienced. Tbh I’m a little surprised by the lead VAs...excited to hear what their performances will be like!

Even more exciting: apparently the audio drama has been adapted from the revised edition of TGCF which includes 100k extra words!!!

Below is a quick translation of the season one details.

S1 Details

Link: www.missevan.com/mdrama/52400

Length: 19 episodes

Airing Schedule: Fridays, beginning July 15, 2022

Cost: 319 diamonds. For two months starting from July 15, this drama will be free to listen. Regular paid listening will resume on September 16.

Production Team

Original Novel: MXTX

Planning/Executive Producer: Kuo Hao Jun 括号君

Scriptwriter: Liu Yin 六音

Post-Production: Xin Tong 新桐

Assistants: Er Ji 二吉 , Yu Chen 鱼宸 

Original BGM: Li Da Bai 李大白

Instrumental Recording: International Master Philharmonic Orchestra 国际首席爱乐乐团 IMPO

Art/Video: ARThorizon 绘享视界

Voice Team

Voice Acting Team: Jing Yun Kai Ge 鲸韵凯歌

Voice Director: Zhang Kai 张凯

Recording Engineers: Liu Yaxue 刘雅雪, Li Mian 李冕, Jiang Cong 姜聪

... ... ... 

Narrator: Zhang Yaohan 张遥函

Xie Lian: Su Shangqing 苏尚卿@西呱双

Hua Cheng: Chenzhang Taikang 陈张太康

Fu Yao/Mu Qing: Liu Sicen 刘思岑

Feng Xin/Nan Feng: Guo Haoran 郭浩然

Ling Wen: Ji Guanlin 季冠霖

Ming Yi: Peng Yao (San Tu Bi An) 彭尧@彭尧-三途彼岸

Pei Ming: Chen Guang (Chen Jiaheng) 陈光@陈光家恒

Pei Xiu: Wu Tao (Dao Mei Si Le) 吴韬 @倒霉死勒

Jun Wu: Chen Hao 陈浩

Ban Yue: Shan Xin 山新

Lang Qianqiu: Li Xin 李昕

Ke Mo: Tute Hameng 图特哈蒙

Xuan Ji: Qiu Qiu 邱邱

Shi Qingxuan: Qian Wenqing 钱文青

Other Participating Voice Actors: Cai Jie (蔡杰@CJCDD-), Li Wangsong (李望松@摩羯-阿松松松松), Shao Chenliang (邵晨亮@c位不出道), Zhang Zhen/Lin Feng (张振@在下林风), Liu Zheng (刘峥@斗珂), Zhang Jiaqi (张加麒@张如麟), Liu Yiming (刘一鸣@痞人姓刘), Xu Kai (许凯@山己几X), Li Jiaxiang (李嘉祥@优叉UX), Lin Boqing (林柏青@詹永兵的好朋友), Li Haojia (李昊甲@最后的都灵人), Li Jiasi (李佳思@光的岸面), Li Yemeng (李叶萌@肆鸢), Yu Minglu (于鸣鹿@火不土), Su La (��拉@亲爱的苏), Zhang Yuwei (张宇微@夕棠-就是喜糖啊), Xie Ziwei (谢子溦@Viona嘴嘴), Liu Yuanyuan (刘媛媛@画大染), Gao Yixue (高一雪@思凡吧喳嘿), Yu Mengci (余梦慈@晶玉瑪瑙)

[jowi8597]

30/11/2023 Yibo received the nomination for the Golden Lotus Best Newcomer Award at 15th Macau International Film Festival 🔥

Except for Yibo's nomination, the movie Hidden Blade received many other nominations 🔥

What a movie!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Best Pictures Award - Hidden Blade

Best Director Award - Cheng Er

Best Screenplay Award - Cheng Er

Best Actor Award - Tony Leung

Best Actress Award - Zhou Xun

Best Supporting Actor Award - Da Peng

Best Supporting Actress Award - Jiang Shuying

Best Newcomer Award - Wang Yibo, Zhang Jingyi

[thatwasmyperfectending]

Wang Yibo - GQ Wuming's Silver October issue with Tony Leung and director Cheng Er

[rainbowsky]

DD back stage at the Golden Rooster Awards with Huang Bo, Tony Leung, Cheng Er, Wu Ershan (film director), Yu Dong (Bona Films CEO).

[yibocheeks]

Wu Ming 无名 (Nameless) Lyrics Watch the performance here. Please credit if you would like to use this translation.  Translation notes below the cut ↴

This song really sets the tone so well for the movie and I couldn’t help but get excited and share. Here’s further explanation of the lyrics, which are written by the movie’s director, Cheng Er:

你没有名字 You who have no name 你衣冠楚楚 You who are so well-dressed 你笃定无言 You who remain so calm and reticent 你属于夜晚 You who belong to the night

"You who are so well-dressed” refers to Yibo’s character, Secretary Ye. Up until now, we still don’t know what his full character name is. In Cheng Er’s side story that he wrote, Secretary Ye is described as “衣冠楚楚” (well-dressed), and in presscon interviews this is also the phrase used to describe him. This is something that he is at first admired for by his fiancée's mother, then later detested for by his fiancée in the story. He is described as a man of few words.

纸醉金迷的喧闹孤岛 An isolated island so lavishly gilded and full of noise

纸醉金迷 is an idiom, which translates literally to “being drunk and intoxicated on gold and paper (money)” and is used to describe indulgence in luxury. (source)

孤岛 can be translated to lonely or isolated island. Given the context of the movie, which is set in Shanghai around the time of the Japanese occupation (1937-1945), here 孤岛 can also refer to the “isolated island” era of Shanghai. In 1937, Shanghai fell to Japan and the Japanese occupation began. However, parts of the Shanghai International Settlement (American-British joint settlement) and the French Concession neighbourhoods remained free from Japanese occupation, as Japan did not want to directly confront these nations here. Many citizens fled to this area, which was otherwise surrounded by the Japanese. Thus this area became known as the “isolated island”. Here, wealth overflowed, as many of the rich took refuge here. (source) 

刀光剑影的无声往昔 With its silent history of flashing blades

刀光剑影 is another idiom, it translates roughly to “flash of knives and shadows of swords”, and it is used to describe a dangerous atmosphere. Again, this makes sense in the setting of the Second Sino-Japanese War. (source)

觊觎者来来往往 The coveters who come and go

I’ve translated 觊觎者 as coveters, it describes people who covet or yearn to have something that is not theirs, whether it be money or power or people.

I’ve decided to translate the title 无名 as “nameless”. Here in the song, as well as in the movie, it is used to describe the underground spies that worked during that era (which may include Secretary Ye himself - this is not confirmed and is just something that has been speculated).

This is simply my interpretation of the lyrics. I always enjoy reading different translations and would love to hear others’ thoughts. The song has certainly inspired more excitement for the movie for me, I hope it may inspire the same for others!

[yibo-wang]

Director Cheng Er about working with Yibo in Hidden Blade:

Wang Yibo, I have never photographed such a young actor. His performance this time, I think he has successfully transformed, he is no longer an idol, but a very good actor. No need to single out which scene is the best, he is flawless.

When I was looking for an actor, someone recommended him to me. I didn’t know much about his previous works. I only saw the still photos and felt a bit like the Republic of China. I could try it out, so I asked Huang Lei to make an appointment for me.

I never audition for actors, just chat. When he came to the studio, there was a certain degree of fit during the conversation, which you can feel, and it was quickly settled.I think that as long as a person's personality fits the role and is comfortable facing the camera, it is equivalent to crossing the "technical" threshold, after which other things can be completed through training.

He may be a genius in language, whether it is Shanghainese or Japanese, he learned too much, and the time is very short.

Because I often change the script, sometimes I will write the dialogue when I am on the scene, and I will give him the lines temporarily, and the language teacher will teach him on the spot, and he will learn it immediately. I have never met such a talented person before. The scene where Wang Yibo fights with the Japanese soldiers lasts about 4 to 5 minutes. It is a complete long shot without cuts in the middle. If there is a slight flaw, it will be retaken.

There was a typhoon in Shanghai in those few days, and the temperature was very low. Because the wind was too strong, it was too dangerous to set up the lights, so there were two nights when we couldn't shoot. In this scene, Wang Yibo only made 5 messages in one night. The machine was very heavy, the cameraman was very tired, and he was also very tired. I took a total of 9 nights, dozens of times, and I should use the penultimate one.

The last fight scene between Mr. Leung and Wang Yibo also took 9 or 10 days to shoot, because it involved too many shots.

Before shooting, we will use cardboard boxes to build a layout, simulating a real room, and the actors and martial artists will practice together for a long time in it.

These trainings are quite sufficient, and the two actors are also very afraid of causing trouble to each other. They are very demanding of themselves, so this filming went smoothly without any mistakes.