2007年8月14日: 谈中国动作电影 - BLOG - 李连杰 - 我的艺术家官方空间 - alive not dead

August 14, 2007: Chinese Action Films
2007-08-14 17:13 / 标准BLOG
124个评论
记得以前我拍中南海保镖(The Bodyguard from Beijing)的时候,电影不能再国内上映,因为现实
中不会有中南海保镖(Bodyguard from Beijing)去香港发生这样的故事.后来在给爸爸的一封信
(My Father Is a Hero),我们已经尽量更接近现实,在当时也没通过审查.我能理解当时在国内合
拍电影(co-finance/production films in China)的游戏规则.我个人觉得电影未必要与现实符合,电
影本来就有许多不现实的因素.毕竟根据真实故事改编的电影占少数.我希望观众愈来愈成熟
,能看到电影和现实的差距,不可能完全是真实生活的表现.
其实做演员并不容易,即使是有票房号召力的演员,在选择故事或角色的时候,不确定因素也
很多.
举例来说,拍致命罗密欧(Romeo Must Die)的时候,美国电影公司当然希望片子能在中国上映,
但是故事背景是黑社会.既然黑社会角色不行,就拍了一部龙之吻（Kiss of the Dragon),但还是
不能在大陆上映.原因是中国警察到国外打架杀人,是破坏中国形象.电影中有一场我在法国
警察局的动作戏,动作导演(action director)设计我手拿法国国旗打法国警察.当时我就问影片监
制吕克.贝松(Producer Luc Besson),会不会在法国禁演？他说你放心打,没有问题.观众明白这
是电影,不会和现实观念混淆.
很多国外的电影工作者（filmmakers)都在问,如何才能创作在中国放映的动作电影？动作电影
通常就有好人坏人.如果演黑社会不行,演警察也不行,那什么角色能动武而不引起争议?我们
华人因为语言和肤色,在美国电影能选择的角色很有限.除了新移民之外,也少有其他选择,总
不能要个外交官去打架吧?
也有外国警察到中国来追捕歹徒的故事,这也不合理.中国不可能允许外国警方未经允许在国
内执法.所以中国警察出去也不行,外国警察进来也不行.那就只能往古装或未来题材发展.古
装武侠电影已经在国际市场上饱荷;而大型未来科幻电影,中国又没有资金或技术做到美国同
类型电影的程度.
其实我在过程中一直在学习.也尽量减少摩擦.譬如致命摇篮(Cradle 2 the Grave),故事本来讲
述一个退役的大陆警察,把核武原料拿到美国卖,我演一个大陆警察追到美国.当时我认为争
议性过大,虽然是电影,却容易引起误会.那就要找个没有核武原料的地方.最后选择了台湾.当
然在国内还是不通过,我扮演台湾警察怎么会通过呢？
后来的狼犬丹尼(Unleashed),从纯人性的角度发展角色.片中讲述若一个人只会暴力,那和动物
没有区别.而透过音乐,友情等人性中的温暖,能为灰暗的人生带来光明.我觉得这样的角色已
经避开了黑社会和警察的议题,没想到却引发种族歧视的争议,电影仍旧无法上映.
为了将来中国电影走入世界,为了把外资引进中国拍片,或将中国演员推向世界舞台, (特别是
中国擅长的动作电影),那么创造观众可接受,而且游戏规则可允许的角色定位就很重要.
随着中国电影市场的壮大,很多海外的投资者,有意愿投资中国电影市场.如何做到发挥中西
方电影的长处,做到全球电影一体化?我自己也仍在过程中学习,希望网友们一起来探讨,怎样
的故事是观众可接受,又能在中国上映的时装动作电影?你认为呢？
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I remember back after I finished filming 'The Bodyguard from Beijing', the movie was banned from
China due to the fact that, in reality, there would not be a situation as depicted in the film where a
bodyguard would go to Hong Kong. Later, with 'My Father is a Hero', we did the best we could to
make it realistic, yet it didn't pass inspection either. At the time I understood the many rules related to
co-financed/produced films in China. Personally, I felt that films don't always have to be realistic. In
films there are many unrealistic things. Movies depicting true real-life situations aren't in high quantity.
It is my hope that audiences can mature and develop to see the difference between a movie and
real life; not everything needs to be realistic.
Actually, being an actor has it's difficulties, even for those who have 'star power'. During project
development there are many unknowns around every decision.
For example, while filming 'Romeo Must Die', the U.S. studio was hoping to have the film shown in
China. But it didn't happen due to the subject matter relating to gangsters, and gangsters aren't
appropriate. Later came 'Kiss of the Dragon', but it still couldn't be shown in China. It has a
negative image of a Chinese police officer going abroad to fight and kill. There was an action scene
in the French police station where the action director set up a fight for me against French police
officers using a French flag. At the time I asked the producer, Luc Besson, if this would result in a
ban in France. He assured me not to worry and go ahead; that the audience would understand that
this is a movie and is not to be confused with reality.
Many foreign filmmakers have asked how to produce an action film that is acceptable in China.
Typically action films have good and bad characters. If gangsters aren't appropriate and police
officers aren't appropriate, then what type of character can there be that wouldn't start an argument?
Due to our skin color and language, we Asians have limited choices when it comes to types of
characters. Aside from playing immigrants, there are few characters to choose from. We can't have
an Ambassador go and fight, now can we?
There is also the story line of a foreign police officer chasing and arresting criminals in China. That
doens't work either, since China wouldn't allow foreign police officers in to the country without the
proper permission to practice law enforcement.
So, Chinese police officers going abroad doesn't work, and foreign police officers coming to China
doesn't work. It leaves only the ancient Chinese stories to be produced. Ancient martial art films
have already been released in large numbers internationally. And for futuristic science fiction films,
China currently lacks the investment or techniques that are available to the American film industry.
I have been studying the process and learning to avoid conflict. For example, in 'Cradle 2 the
Grave', the original story depicted a retired Chinese police officer taking nuclear materials to sell in
America, and I played a Chinese police officer chasing him to the West. At the time I thought the
conflict would be great. Even though it's a movie it could be easily misunderstood. Then we thought
of picking a place where there is no nuclear material and ended up with Taiwan. Of course, it still
didn't pass in China for me to play a Taiwanese police officer.
Later in 'Unleashed' we worked from the human angle to develop the character. The film told the
story of how a person that only knew violence is no different than an animal. How, through music
and friendship, it can bring light and warmth to a cold, dark life. I felt that this type of character
avoided the gangster/police topic, and never thought it would end up bringing an issue of racism.
The movie still could not be shown.
For future Chinese films to enter the world market, and to bring investment into the Chinese market, or
for Chinese actors working to push in to the international stage (especially with Chinese action
movies for which we are known), then creating a character that is accepted by the audience within
the rules of filming is very important.
With the Chinese movie market growing strong, many foreign investors want to invest in China. How
can we combine all of the positive attributes of the Eastern and Western film markets to become a
global industry?
I am still in the learning process. I hope that all of my friends on the internet can discuss what types
of action film stories would be accepted by the audience in Chinese theaters.
What is your opinion?