Tsui Hark has always had the world in mind. Therefore, the role of Huang Feihong is not only iron-blooded, chivalrous, but also concerned with the country. From a series of battles of wits and bravery between the foreigners and the Shahe bandits who relied on the foreigners' foxes and tigers' prestige, Huang Feihong understood that flesh and blood could not stop the foreigners' boats and guns, so he refused to take pictures from the beginning. The suit is accepted for photography at the end, which is a manifestation of his transformation when he began to study advanced Western civilization. And Master Yan, who is determined to establish his reputation in Foshan, is fascinated by ghosts. Although he has a tough ability, and the golden bell hood and iron cloth shirts in front of it are so much, he just wants to show Master Yan's martial arts. Good death. And Tsui Hark deliberately made him die under the cannonballs of the foreigners, but he just wanted to use his mouth to say, "No matter how good our kung fu is, we can't match the foreign guns." Knowing that you are backward, you must learn the strengths of foreigners. This is a point that Tsui Hark has repeatedly emphasized. As for the role of Liang Kuan, his nature is not bad, but he wants to stand out, so his motivation for changing is very reasonable. The role of Jacky Cheung is a symbol, symbolizing the pioneers who studied foreign countries. Because they are the first batch, they are not understood by the people, and they are also called "fake foreign devils". But they were the ones who ordered fluent English in foreign restaurants, and they were the ones who saved Wong Fei-hung and the others in English in the end. Therefore, Tsui Hark's point of view is that foreign civilizations from the West should not be blindly rejected, and learning must be useful.
All this farce stemmed from a "Golden Mountain". In order to transfer money, the foreigners tried to turn China into a second Africa. And the people, because they are too poor, and because no one teaches them knowledge, are deceived very pitifully, and even lose their lives. All this is the bloody primitive accumulation of capitalism. And Tsui Hark said all this very clearly, what is "Golden Mountain", if foreigners really have Gold Mountain, why would they come to China to do business, in fact, China is their "Golden Mountain". Is there really a place called "Golden Mountain" in this world? It's just that Tsui Hark used the name of the place to name us.
Tsui Hark's worldview is very grand. He does not make a movie just to show a small person. He connects the fate of the character with the fate of the country.
For example, the background of this film is set in the late Qing Dynasty. In that era, China was poor and weak, and the people were struggling to survive.
To reflect this, Tsui Hark set up internal and external troubles.
Internal worries, like Shahe's gang of land scoundrels, helping foreigners to sell people and commit crimes, it really deserves to be damned.
There are also some desperate people like Master Yan, who directly fight in the nest.
Foreign aggression, foreigners rely on the sharp and sharp guns of their ships to bully the Chinese.
Qing court doesn't care, helping foreigners to bully Chinese people, and can't see the true colors of foreigners.
The Shahe Gang, the foreigners, the Admiral of the Navy, Master Yan, Liang Kuan, Huang Feihong, so many characters, so many lines, are all to shape various people of that era, and Tsui Hark integrates them all into one story. You say that Tsui Hark is great or not.
So far, director Tsui Hark is a seriously underrated man whose reputation is far inferior to his strength.
This is a treasured director!
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