Tsui Hark | |||||||||||||
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徐克 | |||||||||||||
.jpg) Tsui Hark at theNew York Asian Film Festival on 10 July 2011 | |||||||||||||
| Born | Tsui Man-kong (徐文光) (1951-02-15)15 February 1951 (age 74) | ||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 徐文光 | ||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 徐克 | ||||||||||||
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Tsui Man-kong (Chinese:徐文光,Vietnamese:Từ Văn Quang), known professionally asTsui Hark (Chinese:徐克,Vietnamese:Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1951), is a Hong Kong filmmaker. A major figure in the Golden Age ofHong Kong cinema,[1] Tsui gained critical and commercial success with films such asZu Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983), theOnce Upon a Time in China film series (1991–1997),Green Snake (1993),The Lovers (1994), andThe Blade (1995).[2] His credits as a writer and producer includeA Better Tomorrow (1986),A Chinese Ghost Story (1987),The Killer (1989),Swordsman II (1992),New Dragon Gate Inn (1992),The Wicked City (1992),Iron Monkey (1993), andBlack Mask (1996).
Amid theHong Kong handover, Tsui briefly pursued a career in the United States, directing theJean-Claude Van Damme-led filmsDouble Team (1997) andKnock Off (1998), before returning to Hong Kong. Since the early 2000s, he has shifted to Mainland-Hong Kong co-productions and found success with blockbusters such as theDetective Dee film series,Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011),The Taking of Tiger Mountain (2014), andThe Battle at Lake Changjin (2021).
Tsui was born in Saigon, Vietnam, to a large Chinese (Hoa) family with sixteen siblings.[3] He was moved by his father toGuangzhou,China as a child, and grew up there until immigrating to Hong Kong when he turned 14.[4] Tsui showed an early interest in show business and films; when he was 10, he and some friends rented an8mm camera to film a magic show they put on at school. He also drew comic books, an interest that would influence his cinematic style.
Tsui started his secondary education in Hong Kong in 1966. He proceeded to study film inTexas, first atSouthern Methodist University and then at theUniversity of Texas at Austin, graduating in 1975. He claims to have told his parents he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps as apharmacist, and that it was here he changed his given name to Hark ("overcoming").
After graduation, Tsui moved toNew York City, where he worked onFrom Spikes to Spindles (1976), a noted documentary film byChristine Choy on the history of the city's Chinatown. He also worked as an editor for a Chinese newspaper, developed acommunity theatre group and worked in a Chinese cable TV station. He returned to Hong Kong in 1977.
Tsui returned to Hong Kong in 1977 and worked for TVB,[5] the dominant local television station, then moved to its rival, CTV, lured by its general manager Selina Chow. Viewed as having an eye for talent (numerous future New Wave directors got their first directing gigs under Chow)[6] she put Tsui in charge of the martial arts drama,The Gold Dagger Romance, which marked him as a talent to watch.[7]
Producer Ng See-yuen sawGold Dagger Romance and hired Tsui to direct his first feature,The Butterfly Murders (1979),[8] a technically challenging blend ofwuxia, murder mystery and science fiction / fantasy elements. His second film,We're Going to Eat You (1980), was a blend of cannibal horror, black comedy and martial arts. He was quickly typed as a member of Hong Kong's "New Wave" of directors.
Tsui's third film,Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind (1980), was a nihilistic thriller about delinquent youths on a bombing spree. Heavily censored by theBritish colonial government, it was released in 1981 in a drastically altered version titledDangerous Encounter – 1st Kind (or alternatively,Don't Play with Fire). The movie out-grossed Tsui's previous two films, however and made him a darling of film critics with writers describing it as "one of those very rare films in the history of Hong Kong cinema that brims with accusation and subversion" and saying that it described "man as trapped animals — this is the popular theme of the New Wave and the one enduring image in their narratives."[9]
In 1981, Tsui joinedCinema City & Films Co., a production company founded by comediansRaymond Wong,Karl Maka andDean Shek. Cinema City & Films Co. was instrumental in codifying the slick Hong Kong blockbuster films of the 1980s.[citation needed] Tsui played his part in the process with pictures like the crime farceAll the Wrong Clues (1981), his first hit, andAces Go Places 3 (1984), part of the studio's long-running spy spoof series.
In 1983, Tsui directed thewuxia fantasy filmZu Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983) for the studioGolden Harvest. Tsui imported Hollywood technicians to help create special effects whose number and complexity were unprecedented in Chinese-language cinema.[citation needed]
In 1984, Tsui formed the production companyFilm Workshop withNansun Shi. He also developed a reputation as a hands-on and even intrusive producer of other directors' work, fuelled by public breaks with major filmmakers likeJohn Woo andKing Hu. His most longstanding and fruitful collaboration has probably been withChing Siu-tung.[citation needed] As action choreographer and/or director on many Film Workshop productions, Ching made a major contribution to the well-known Tsui style.
Film Workshop releases became consistent box office hits in Hong Kong and around Asia, drawing audiences with their visual adventurousness, their broad commercial appeal, and hectic camerawork and pace. With Tsui having been called the 'Steven Spielberg of Asia', Film Workshop became the 'Amblin of Hong Kong'.[10] He producedJohn Woo'sA Better Tomorrow (1986), which launched a craze forHeroic bloodshed movies, and Ching Siu-tung'sA Chinese Ghost Story (1987), which did the same for period ghost fantasies.Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain andThe Swordsman (1990) birthed the modern-day special effects industry in Hong Kong.
In fact, Tsui's "movie brat" nostalgia is one of the main ingredients in his work. He often resurrects and revises classic films and genres: the murder mystery inThe Butterfly Murders (1979); the Shanghai musical comedy inShanghai Blues (1985).Peking Opera Blues (1986) plays with and pays tribute to the traditions of thePeking opera that his mother took him to see as a small boy and which had such a strong influence on Hong Kong action cinema.The Lovers (1994) adapts a retold, cross-dressing period romance, best known from Li Han-hsiang's 1963 opera filmThe Love Eterne.A Chinese Ghost Story remakes Li's supernatural romanceThe Enchanting Shadow (1959) as a special effects action movie.
The pattern is also seen in perhaps Tsui's most successful work to date, theOnce Upon a Time in China film series (1991–97).Jet Li played the role of Chinese folk heroWong Fei-hung in the first three films and the sixth,Once Upon a Time in China and America. This series is the clearest expression in his oeuvre of Tsui's Chinese nationalism and his passionate engagement with the upheavals of Chinese history, particularly in the face of Western power and influence.
Tsui also dabbled in acting, mostly for other directors. Notable roles include one-third of the comic relief trio inCorey Yuen's filmYes, Madam! (1985) and a villain inPatrick Tam's darkly comic crime storyFinal Victory (1987), written byWong Kar-wai. He also made frequent cameo appearances in his own productions, such as a music judge inA Better Tomorrow and a phony FBI agent inAces Go Places II.
In the face of an industry downturn in the '90s, he produced two expensive movies.Green Snake (1993) was a poetic and lyric movie based on a favourite Chinese fairy tale.The Blade (1995) was a gory, deliberately rough-hewn revision of the 1967wuxia classicThe One-Armed Swordsman.
In the mid-to-late '90s, Tsui tried Hollywood with two films starringJean-Claude Van Damme:Double Team (1997) andKnock Off (1998). In 2002, he madeBlack Mask 2: City of Masks, an American market sequel to Jet Li's1996 film. It was releaseddirect-to-video in the United States in December of that year before being theatrically released the next month in Hong Kong.
Tsui returned to directing at home in 2000 after not having made a local film since 1996.Time and Tide (2000) andThe Legend of Zu (2001) were action extravaganzas with lavish computer-generated imagery that gained cult admirers but no mass success.
Tsui continues to push technical boundaries and revise old favourites.Master Q 2001 was Hong Kong's first combination of live action andPixar-style3D computer animation.Era of Vampires (2002; US title, "Tsui Hark's Vampire Hunters") reworked a subgenre popular in the '80s, hybrid martial arts / supernatural horror films featuring the "hopping corpses" of Chinese folk legend.
In 2005, Tsui launched the multimedia productionSeven Swords, a film adaptation ofLiang Yusheng's novelsSaiwai Qixia Zhuan andQijian Xia Tianshan. The film came with a television series counterpart (Seven Swordsmen), a comic book series, a cellphone game, clothing brand, and an online multi-player video game. The film was relatively successful, and in February 2006 Tsui announced plans to begin filming the second late in the year. As of 2008, Tsui continues to work on the script forSeven Swords 2 in between filming projects. In 2011 there has been no news nor plans about aSeven Swords 2. Rumors has it that due to lack of interest by the filmmakers of finishing the hexalogy lead the project into being cancelled.
In August 2008, Tsui provided art direction for thedirect-to-video anime feature titledKungfu Master (a.k.a.Wong Fei Hong vs Kungfu Panda), an apparent unofficial sequel toKung Fu Panda, featuring Chinese folk heroWong Fei-hung.[11] He also directed the 2008 thrillerMissing starringAngelica Lee and the 2008 romantic comedy filmAll About Women featuring comic graphics and extensive ADR dubbing.
Tsui's latest work in 2010 isDetective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, a rare but successful blend of wuxia, suspense-thriller, mystery, and comedy, which was in competition for the Golden Lion award and was also nominated and won numerous other awards.
In 2010 he announced his first 3-D film,The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, which is a re-imagining of his 1992 filmNew Dragon Gate Inn starringTony Leung Ka-Fai,Maggie Cheung andBrigitte Lin. In 2011Huayi Brothers announced that Tsui will be making a prequel toDetective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame; shot in 3-D, it was released in 2013 asYoung Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon.
In October 2011, Tsui received the Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award at the 16thBusan International Film Festival for his contributions to Hong Kong cinema. He is the fifth Chinese filmmaker to receive this award at Busan.[12]
His filmThe Taking of Tiger Mountain premiered in China in December 2014.[13]
Tsui worked on a film withMilkyway Image alongsideAnn Hui,Ringo Lam,Patrick Tam,Johnnie To,Sammo Hung andYuen Woo-Ping. Each director created a segment based on Hong Kong history.[14] The completed film,Septet: The Story of Hong Kong, was shown at the Busan International Film Festival on 21 October 2020 and at the annual Hong Kong International Film Festival in April 2021.[15]
In 2021 Tsui co-directedThe Battle at Lake Changjin withChen Kaige andDante Lam. The film is the most expensive film ever produced in China, thehighest-grossing Chinese film of all time, and thehighest-grossing non-English film.
Tsui Hark has been married twice. He was briefly married during his time studying in the U.S. in the 1970s. In 1977, he metNansun Shi while working atCommercial Television in Hong Kong and they began dating a year later. In 1984, they founded a film studio, where Shi was responsible for financing, distribution, and promotion. The couple co-produced over a hundred films. In 1993, rumors circulated about Tsui's affair withSally Yeh, allegedly causing a temporary split with Shi. In 1996, Tsui and Shi married inBeverly Hills,California. In 2008, Tsui was reported to have been living withSeven Swords (2005) actress Chen Jiajia inBeijing. When asked about their status of marriage, Shi then responded, "Let me give you a standard answer. I've been saying this for years: what happens between two people is private and doesn't concern a third party."[16] By 2011, Tsui began dating his assistant, Lele, whom he had met online during the filming ofFlying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011).[17][18] Shi announced their divorce in 2014, adding that Tsui and Lele had been together for some time.[19][20]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | The Butterfly Murders | Yes | No | No | |
| 1980 | We're Going to Eat You | Yes | Yes | No | Also known asHell Has No Gates |
| Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| 1981 | All the Wrong Clues for the Right Solution | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1983 | Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain | Yes | No | No | |
| Search for the Gods | Yes | No | No | Short film | |
| 1984 | Shanghai Blues | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Aces Go Places 3 | Yes | No | No | Also known asMad Mission 3 | |
| 1985 | Working Class | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 1986 | A Better Tomorrow | No | No | Yes | |
| Peking Opera Blues | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| 1987 | A Chinese Ghost Story | No | No | Yes | |
| A Better Tomorrow II | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| 1988 | The Big Heat | Uncredited | No | Yes | |
| I Love Maria | Uncredited | Uncredited | Yes | Also known asRoboforce | |
| 1989 | A Better Tomorrow III: Love & Death in Saigon | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| The Killer | No | No | Yes | ||
| 1990 | Fight and Love with a Terracotta Warrior | No | No | Yes | |
| The Swordsman | Uncredited | No | Yes | ||
| Spygame | No | No | Yes | ||
| A Chinese Ghost Story II | No | No | Yes | Also editor | |
| 1991 | Once Upon a Time in China | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| The Raid | Uncredited | Yes | Yes | ||
| A Chinese Ghost Story III | Uncredited | Yes | Yes | ||
| King of Chess | Uncredited | No | Executive | ||
| The Banquet | Yes[a] | Yes | No | ||
| 1992 | Twin Dragons | Yes[b] | Yes | No | Also known asShuang long hui andBrother vs. Brother |
| Once Upon a Time in China II | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| The Master | Yes | Yes | Yes | Filmed in 1989 | |
| Swordsman II | No | Yes | Yes | Also known asThe Legend of the Swordsman | |
| New Dragon Gate Inn | Uncredited | Yes | Yes | Also known asDragon Inn | |
| The Wicked City | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| 1993 | Iron Monkey | No | Yes | Yes | |
| The East Is Red | No | Yes | Yes | Also known asSwordsman III | |
| Once Upon a Time in China III | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Green Snake | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Once Upon a Time in China IV | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| 1994 | Burning Paradise | No | No | Yes | |
| The Lovers | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Once Upon a Time in China V | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| 1995 | The Chinese Feast | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Love in the Time of Twilight | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| The Blade | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also editor and production manager | |
| 1996 | Tristar | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Shanghai Grand | No | No | Yes | ||
| Black Mask | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| 1997 | Once Upon a Time in China and America | No | No | Yes | |
| Double Team | Yes | No | No | American and English-language debut | |
| A Chinese Ghost Story: The Tsui Hark Animation | No | Yes | Executive | Also editor | |
| 1998 | Knock Off | Yes | No | No | |
| 2000 | Time and Tide | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2001 | The Legend of Zu | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also known asZu Warriors |
| Old Master Q 2001 | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2002 | The Era of Vampires | No | Yes | Yes | Also known asTsui Hark's Vampire Hunters |
| Black Mask 2: City of Masks | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| 2003 | 1:99 Shorts | Yes | No | No | 1 segment |
| 2004 | Xanda | No | Yes | Yes | Also known asSanda |
| 2005 | Seven Swords | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2006 | The Warrior | No | Yes | Yes | Also action director |
| 2007 | Triangle | Yes[c] | Yes | Yes | |
| 2008 | Missing | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| All About Women | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also editor | |
| 2010 | Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2011 | Flying Swords of Dragon Gate | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2013 | Sheng dan mei gui | No | No | Yes | |
| Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2014 | The Taking of Tiger Mountain | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2016 | Sword Master | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2017 | Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| The Thousand Faces of Dunjia | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2018 | Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also story writer |
| 2019 | The Climbers | No | No | Yes | |
| 2020 | Septet: The Story of Hong Kong | Yes | Yes | No | 1 segment, also acted as editor |
| 2021 | The Battle at Lake Changjin | Yes | No | Yes | Also editor |
| 2022 | The Battle at Lake Changjin II | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2025 | Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also costume and production designer |
| TBA | Shih, Queen of the Sea | TBA | Yes | Yes | Co-writer with Anthony McCarten |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Spirit Chaser Aisha | Yes | No | Yes | Lost media |
| 1995–1996 | Wong Fei Hung Series | Yes | Yes | Yes | Episodes "The Final Victory" and "The Ideal Century" |
| 2005–2006 | Seven Swordsmen | No | Yes | Yes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind | Interpol Officer | Uncredited cameo |
| 1982 | Aces Go Places | Ballerina Director | Also known asDiamondfinger andMad Mission |
| Yi jiu ling wu de dong tian | Li Shutong | ||
| 1983 | Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain | Blue Army soldier fighting Fat Man | |
| Aces Go Places 2 | FBI | Also known asMad Mission II | |
| Wo ai Ye Laixiang | Japanese Ambassador | ||
| 1984 | Shanghai Blues | Pedestrian Who Gets Soaked | |
| Aces Go Places 3 | Police Officer in Computer Room | Also known asMad Mission 3 | |
| Run, Tiger, Run | Grandpa Steak | ||
| 1985 | Kung Hei Fat Choy | Gold Grabber | |
| Working Class | Sunny | ||
| Yes, Madam | Panadol | ||
| 1986 | A Better Tomorrow | Music Judge | |
| Happy Ghost III | Reincarnation Director | ||
| 1987 | Final Victory | Big Bo | |
| 1988 | The Big Heat | Inspector Yiuming Butt | Uncredited |
| I Love Maria | Whiskey | Also known asRoboforce | |
| 1989 | A Better Tomorrow III: Love & Death in Saigon | Police Officer in Computer Room | |
| 1992 | The Wicked City | Card player | |
| 1997 | A Chinese Ghost Story: The Tsui Hark Animation | Solid Gold (voice) | |
| 2000 | Time and Tide | Narrator (voice) | Uncredited cameo |
| 2008 | All About Women | Taxi driver | Uncredited cameo |
| 2011 | A Simple Life | Director Tsui | Also known asSister Peach |
| The Great Magician | Warlord | ||
| 2016 | The Mermaid | Uncle Rich | Credited under the name "Ke Xu" |
| The Bodyguard | Old Man | ||
| 2017 | Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back | Theater employee |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | All the Wrong Spies | Production designer | |
| 1986 | Righting Wrongs | Action choreographer | Also known asAbove the Law |
| Year | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Best Director | All the Wrong Clues for the Right Solution | Won |
| 1992 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Swordsman II | Nominated |
| 1994 | Best Adapted Screenplay | The Lovers | Nominated |
| 1997 | Best Adapted Screenplay | A Chinese Ghost Story: The Tsui Hark Animation | Nominated |
| 2005 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Seven Swords | Nominated |
| 2015 | Best Director | The Taking of Tiger Mountain | Nominated |
| Year | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Best Film | Shanghai Blues | Nominated |
| Best Director | Nominated | ||
| 1987 | Best Film | A Better Tomorrow | Won |
| Best Action Choreography | Righting Wrongs | Nominated | |
| 1988 | Best Film | A Chinese Ghost Story | Nominated |
| Best Supporting Actor | Final Victory | Nominated | |
| 1990 | Best Film | The Killer | Nominated |
| 1992 | Best Film | Once Upon a Time in China | Nominated |
| Best Director | Won | ||
| 1993 | Best Film | Once Upon a Time in China II | Nominated |
| Best Director | Nominated | ||
| 1995 | Best Director | The Lovers | Nominated |
| 2006 | Best Film | Seven Swords | Nominated |
| Best Director | Nominated | ||
| 2011 | Best Film | Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame | Nominated |
| Best Director | Won | ||
| 2012 | Best Film | Flying Swords of Dragon Gate | Nominated |
| Best Director | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | Best Director | The Taking of Tiger Mountain | Won |
