Surpassing Charm
I still remember what Ms Tsui Feng, the President
of Tomson Films has told me, "Leslie is the most elegant and
enigmatic man I've ever met. His delicate features are gentle and
lovely, his eyes full of tenderness and compassion. He is able to
express the incommunicable feeling deep at everybody's
heart."
Leslie was born in the year of Monkey and is now 40 years old.
His countenance, in its childlike innocence and sweetness,
gracefully hides the footprints of time and destiny. He told me
that he did not believe in plastic surgery or the so-called
'elixir of life' to restore youth. He said, "I just want to
live happily everyday. I am never concerned about my age, it
doesn't mean anything at all!" An internationally-renowned
director has once remarked that nowadays in the Chinese movie
world, only two actors can play the feminine role 'Dan' in
Chinese Opera. They are Leslie Cheung and John Lone. The photo of
Leslie as Cheng Dieyi (a famous Dan in the Beijing Opera) playing
the role of Concubine Yu in 'Farewell My Concubine' was published
in 'Movie Picture' - a leading entertainment weekly in Europe -
for US$20,000. Since then, his long and expressive eyes which the
Europeans called 'Eye of Phoenix' and his English name 'Leslie'
have become widely known in the western movie world. Movie
critics conclude that John is profound and handsome whereas the
beauty of Leslie expresses itself in a much soft and subtle way.
There is a hearsay associated with selecting the main protagonist
in 'Farewell My Concubine'. Up till today, it has been speculated
that John Lone was the first choice of director Chen Kaige for
the role of Cheng Dieyi. The representative of Lone even faxed to
Ms Tsui Feng indicating his willingness to cut the remuneration
from US$1,800,000 to US$1,500,000. Beamed with happiness, Ms Tsui
was rumoured to have increased the capital for investment. The
co-operation between Tomson and John Lone was, however, ended in
futile due to the harsh supplementary conditions John proposed.
Then one day, Chen Kai-ge received from a friend in Hong Kong a
magazine named '...', the cover face of which was a photo of
Leslie playing the role of Dan in the Beijing Opera
'Qishuanghui'. A short remark was added against the picture,
"Kaige, aren't you fascinated?"
Leslie possesses a special charisma beyond the ordinary appeal of
any man and woman. It is a curious unity of the masculine and
feminine charm, tough with tenderness, gentle and yet strong.
Leslie displays this kind of charm through the characters
portrayed by him.
Shooting of the movie 'Temptress Moon' resumed recently with
Leslie playing the role of Yu Zhongliang a swindler in
Shanghai during the Twenties. Again, we can see his surpassing
charm through this character. At the beginning, Leslie tried to
figure out Yu step by step from his physical appearance to his
mind. Now, he is Yu Zhongliang, putting his soul and heart into
the character.
Of late, I watched him in Studio No.6 shooting the scene in which
his identity as a woman swindler was disclosed and Yu Yi asked
him if he loved his victim at Tian Xiang Lane. Yu's soul was
being interrogated and tortured. After a few minutes of silence,
he shouted at Yu Yi, "I am no longer a servant of your
family!"
During my interview with Leslie, he claimed that these several
months of delay in shooting gave him an opportunity to fathom the
character he played. He thought that Yu did not lead an ordinary
life. He was void of parental love since childhood. His
experienced severe internal conflict upon seeking refuge in his
sister's household. Despite his sensitivity to and yearning for
love, love was like poison to Yu. He could not and dare not love.
Yu was himself a victim to certain extent. Here was Leslie's
insight after these few months of contemplation, "Yu
Zhongliang reflected the feeling of a man in its complexity. Love
is passionate and harmful, most personal and hence selfish. Love
can be strong enough to burn a man to dust. If a man longs for
love but is hurt by it, he will take revenge."
It's something embedded in men's feeling but hard to articulate,
and Leslie is talented enough to convey it to his audience. His
ability also goes beyond ordinary men and actors.
- author unknown - 1996 - kindly translated by Christina
many thanks
to Julie for this article probably taken from Leslie Cheung
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