an interesting interview with Tsai Ming-liang
Q: Why make this movie? Why an old theater?
A: I often dream of old theaters.
In Kuching, Malaysia, where I was born and raised, there are about 7 or 8 of these old theaters. Starting from when I was three, my grandfather would take me to the movies. One theater, I remember, was called Audien. The ceiling was very high up and there were many fans hanging above. There were more than a thousand seats and the drapes on the side doors would drift about
The ticket clerk of Audien was a crippled man. Usually, once a kid grows to a certain height, the kid would have to buy tickets. From what I remember, no matter how tall I grew; grandpa would only buy one ticket and take me in, right in front of the clerk. He always looks mean and I would always be scared of him Today, these old theaters are all gone and vanished. 20 years away from home and I seldom think about them. What is strange to me is that in my dreams, I still see Audien from time to time.
While shooting What Time is it There?, we needed to shoot some theater scenes. In the outskirts of Yung-Ho, where I lived, I found Fu-Ho Theater and it seemed so familiar. Three months after shooting, the theater closed down. One day, I ran into the owner of the theater and he told me the theater was ready to be torn down. I immediately turned to my producer, producer Liang, and asked him if we had any money to rent the theater. Why? he asked. And I answered, To shoot a movie!
Now thinking about it, I feel as if it is the old theater calling out to me, Come film me!
Q: Dragon Inn has a very substantial role in your film, even the English title is Goodbye Dragon Inn. Why is that?
A: Because of Miao Tien. Dragon Inn is Miao Tiens first film. He was also the script supervisor on that film. You can imagine how vibrant he was back then. So because of chance and coincidence, in his old age, hes mostly acting in my films as the father of Hsiao Kang. In What Time is it There?, the father dies. And so a lot of people have asked me if he wont be in any more of my films. No, no I replied, Theres still spirits. The idea in the beginning was to shoot a ghost story in this theater. So I think to myself, if Miao Tien was a ghost, what would he come back to watch in the theater? Wouldnt it be his film, Dragon Inn?
I watched Dragon Inn when I was 11 years old. It was a huge hit, broke all the records. And it was also the most impressionable of the hundreds of martial art films Ive seen when I was a kid. The sound of the vertical flute in the film always lets me feel the vast and loneliness of the martial arts world. Other martial art films have people up high, flying on roofs and walking on walls. Only King Hu lets his swordsman walk the wilderness alone into the lonely landscape Some say King Hu chose a difficult and lonely road into filmmaking, yet we will never forget such classics as Come Drink with Me, Dragon Inn, A Touch of Zen, The Valiant Ones, The Fate of Lee Khan and Raining in the Mountain He is a master in my heart.
Q: So you especially found Sheh Chuen?
A: Sheh Chuen is King Hus lead actor. It was a coincidence that Dragon Inn was the first film as an actor for both Sheh Chuen and Miao Tien. Sheh Chuen became a legendary hero while Miao Tien became typecast as the villain On screen, they battle to the death, but on set, I heard Sheh Chuen refer Miao Tien as teacher Miao. It so happened that back then, Miao Tien was a teacher in the actors program; Sheh Chuen has taken his classes before. Now, 36 years after Dragon Inn, the film still captured their charm, their essence. The film freeze framed their youth and made them legends.
In 2002, I met Sheh Chuen for the first time at a gathering, yet on first meeting, I felt like I had known him all my life. We had a wonderful conversation. Still, at that time, I did not know I was to make this film; I feel as if everything has been predestined.
Q: So Goodbye Dragon Inn is a reminiscence film? You even used an old song at the end of the film?
A: Thats Yao Lees Cant Let Go; it was a very famous song. Everyone of some age can hum the tune. The composer, Hattori Ryoichi, a Japanese, was a very famous film composer back in the 50s and 60s in Hong Kong. He also wrote numerous pop songs that everyone was singing. The lyrics were written by the then popular, Chen Dea Yi. He wrote Lovers Tears, which is my favorite oldie. Yao Lee dominated the 30s and 40s in Shanghai and the 50s and 60s in Hong Kong. At that time, she was the pop singer sensation. She made many records. Her voice also appeared in many films and they say she has the voice of an angel. When she uses a deep, sorrowful voice to sing the blues, even listening to it now, it sounds very modern When we mention Yao Lee, we have to also mention her famous songwriter, Yao Ming. Yao Lee used to sing with a very high voice and soft tone. In the 40s, foreign movies started becoming very popular in Shanghai. Yao Ming listened to the singing of black people in those movies and started writing songs of that flavor for Yao Lee. She was to sing lower, rougher, and with a taste of the west. Later on, Yao Lee started to take a liking to Patti Page, seeing Patti Page as her idol and imitating her ways of singing and her emotions Yao Ming was a giant among popular songwriters, writing an uncountable amount of songs. After he passed away, Yao Lee would not listen to the radio for three years because once she turns it on, it was all playing the songs of Yao Ming.
Oldies are the background music of my youth. After growing up, I still like to listen to them. I often find many emotions in these old songs. Is this reminiscence?...... I dont know... I just know that no one has the power to bring back the past; not an era or your own youth. Nor even can someone stop a theater from being torn down. The world moves quickly. Now, people are satisfied watching DVDs at home or surfing the virtual world of the internet. But do you remember the late night showings in a theater, where a thousand people would sit together, laugh together, cry together. Even the lightest sigh would move the heart
The theater that I shot, the Fu-Ho Theater, after declining popularity but before closing down was said to have a few people of the gay community patronize the place Im very moved by this. Though it has declined and lost its glitter and you have forgotten about the theater, it still continues a long journey and still welcomes the outsiders of society, the old, the crippled girl, the lonely ghosts and spirits Until today, it will be torn down and it will disappear That is what I want to present.