Travel to Taiwan's Renaissance Era - Once there was a Hollywood in Taiwan: The History of Unwilling Movies

Unwilling film history, like the blank history of "One Piece".

It turns out that Taiwanese films have appeared in the history of Taiwanese films; it turns out that the most glorious era of Taiwanese films was the support of Taiwanese films; it turns out that this splendid and wonderful development story of Taiwanese films has been forgotten by us. It was clearly from the 1950s to the 1970s, when grandparents lived in the era of grandparents, but I, a young man born in the 1995s, seemed unfamiliar with the history of the previous dynasty.

Under the current background, it is really unimaginable that in the golden age of Taiwanese films from 1950 to 1960, an average of three Taiwanese films were rushing to be released every week, and the actors were not only Taiwanese whose native language is Taiwanese, but also Hakka, Figures of foreigners, Hongkongers and Japanese. At the time, Taiwan was also the third-largest producer of feature films in the world certified by UNESCO, after Japan and India.

I don't know if the times are changing too fast, or our memory is too short.

Speaking of Taiwanese movies, the first thing that comes to mind in my cognition is always Yang Dechang and Hou Hsiao-hsien , the classic representatives of new Taiwanese movies. In 1989, Hou Hsiao-hsien 's " City of Sadness " is an enduring classic in the minds of Taiwanese people. It was the first time to stand on an international film festival, and Taiwanese culture was also seen by the world.

But as early as 25 years before the release of Director Hou's "City of Sadness", in 1964, there was a Taiwanese film "City of Sadness" shot by director Lin Fudi long ago, talking about the February 28 incident, which was still a sensitive topic at the time. At that time, the release was very popular, and it was released for 27 consecutive days. The 1964 version of the theme song "Sad City" was sung by popular singer Hong Yifeng, and the 1989 version of the sad city theme song was sung by Hong Yifeng's son Hong Ronghong.

And these two films should also be regarded as classic films. Today's status difference, one is in the sky, and the other has long been forgotten.

" Unwilling Film History: Once, Taiwan Had Hollywood " is a masterpiece of period drama. Through the author's large amount of historical materials and wonderful stories, it fills up the blank memory that we missed the wonderful era. The "era" in which the story took place seems familiar and unfamiliar now. There are mime films performed by debaters in Dadaocheng, and the dance era of Taiwanese music on the streets. There are theaters crowded with people just to feel the second time with their eyes. The most real news and film era of World War II; there are aspiring youths who tried to recover the value of Taiwan's land after 228; there is the Taiwan Renaissance era full of passion and enthusiasm; there are also passionate female spies who use stealth guns and death light cannons Era of technological weapons.

These eras are the era of Taiwanese films. Through the spread and prosperity of Taiwanese films, unfamiliar films and ideological trends of modern and foreign countries have been transformed, and local cultural images have been constructed for local audiences, creating local identity.

The two most beautiful time points for Taiwanese films are the "First Taiwanese Film Festival" hosted by "Credit News" in 1957, and the "Domestic Taiwanese Film Exhibition" hosted by "Taiwan Daily" in 1965. The only Taiwanese film festival that attracted attention in that year was no less than the Golden Horse Film Festival sponsored by the Information Bureau later.

But the splendor of Taiwanese films is like fireworks, and the gorgeous blooms suddenly disappear. Why do Taiwanese films suddenly get lost on this axis of cultural heritage? How did the policy restrictions of the Kuomintang government at that time affect the production method and industrial structure of Taiwanese films? How can the practitioners of Taiwanese films use the existing resources and mediate with the government to try their best to prolong the life of Taiwanese films?

This is the first time that there are so many questions about a book, and so many unbelievable things about an era. Is this the story of the land we live in?

The origin of Taiwanese movies that bloom like fireworks

We all know that negatives are expensive, and one foot of shots can be worth dozens of barley wines. After the actors who make mistakes, of course, life will be difficult. Under the circumstance that the purchase of negatives is not easy and expensive, filming can only be done with great care.

In January 1956, the first authentic Taiwanese film " Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan ", produced by director He Jiming and producer Chen Chengsan , was released. At this time, Taiwan was still shaking with the aftermath of the 228 Incident. The Japanese era and the Kuomintang government successively implemented The "Mandarin" movement suppressed the development of Taiwanese dramas and films, and again made the release of " Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan " meaningful.

As if opening a Pandora's box, Taiwanese have exclusive entertainment for Taiwanese. The second day of its release, it sold 40 times more votes than Western films. It was screened in four theaters in Taipei for nine consecutive days, reaching 75,000. Thousands of moviegoers. The actor's stage with the film was so full that the theater couldn't even fit in. The story is not only popular in Taiwan, but also exported to Japan and Southeast Asian countries. The first shot of this Taiwanese movie can be said to be perfect.

It was not easy to make a movie in that era. Even if there was enough funds, it was easy to be limited by the shortage of "photographic equipment". At that time, the government strictly controlled foreign exchange, and it was difficult to order film equipment, equipment, equipment and film. get. The earliest Taiwanese films were shot with a 16-centimeter camera left by the Japanese after the war (which could only shoot for more than ten seconds at a time) and tens of thousands of feet of reversal film (shooting in a place with a good light source for low sensitivity), Overcame the difficulty to start filming.

After the success of " Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan ", many people with lofty ideals are also eager to try it. " Fan Li and Xi Shi ", which was released in August, has a large-scale scene, mobilizing 500 people to perform and more than 300 horses. The venue is full. Also in 1956, the top-grossing Taiwanese film was produced by director Shao Luohui , actor Tian Qing , heroine Xiaoxue , and Chen Chengsan , known as the first "authentic Taiwanese and fashion film" " Rainy Night Flower ".

" Rainy Night Flower " will sell well because the modern feel of the filming is more resonant, and it also makes Taiwanese people's movie dreams more real. But unfortunately, this film has been lost, and there is no way to reproduce the grand arrangement of setting up the set and burning the house, and there is no way to see that under the white terror, the movie actually sets the heroine to sell cigarettes, being bullied by hooligans and unable to speak out, and being framed again. A satirical picture of the era of illicit cigarette trafficking.

The Cultural Storm of Taiwanese Films

The popular influence of Taiwanese-language films has made it an urgent target for elected politicians: Tianpaozhi , a famous comedian in the Taiwanese-language film industry, once served as the emcee of Taipei Mayor Gao Yushu during his election campaign. After his accidental death in 1958 At the funeral scene, celebrities from the political, business, film and drama circles gathered. Attending Taiwanese film festivals and award ceremonies, or filming and cutting ribbons, sponsoring investments, and even asking for orders for Taiwanese films in parliament, can be said to be an indispensable public relations trip for politicians in the 1950s.

Less than two years after the first Taiwanese film was released, on the night of Saturday, November 30, 1957, Taiwan's first "Golden Horse Award", the first Taiwanese film sponsored by the Private Credit Information News Service (the predecessor of China Times) The closing ceremony of the film festival was held at the International School Gymnasium (the original site of Daan Park).

A total of 33 Taiwanese films were exhibited that year, and 99 movie stars participated in the audience's popular vote. The awards are judged by 14 experts and voted by more than 150,000 viewers to select the Silver Star Award for the ten most popular movie stars. And the first place in the audience's mind, Xiao Yanqiu , became even more popular overseas and went to Hong Kong to film.

(Extended reading: [Special Article] Eighteen Years of Madness )

The rise of Taiwanese films was an unexpected result of the Kuomintang government's efforts to support the Hong Kong film industry. The propaganda work during the Cold War was also a battle for dominance in the film and television industry. At that time, because the cost of imported negatives from Taiwan was too high, the tax was levied at a maximum of 50%. The film industry stated that it hoped to make Taiwanese films to open up Taiwan, but the tax was too high to pay.

In 1956, the Kuomintang government promulgated the "Measures for Mortgage Import of Films", and "free film companies" from overseas came to Taiwan to make films. The script was reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Education. Imported equipment only needed to pay a deposit at the customs first, and wait until the film was shot. Once completed, the deposit will be fully refunded.

Investors in Taiwanese films have cooperated with Hong Kong companies to apply for scripts together, which has greatly reduced the cost of negatives and shooting, making Taiwanese films a lucrative business and attracting more and more people to invest. The production of Taiwanese films also changed from less than ten in 1956 to more than 60 in 1957 and 1958.

One of the most representative works during this period was the Best Screenplay Award at the 1st Taiwanese Film Festival, " Blue Mountains and Blue Blood ". This work is based on the Wushe incident . When director He Jiming was still a freshman in middle school , when I saw with my own eyes the scene where the Seediq people were bound by their ankles and drove down the mountain one truck after another, I was determined to shoot this earth-shattering story.

Although we have worked hard to become emperors, the Japanese people also look down on us mountain people, and on the surface they give us some preferential treatment, but this is just a kind of soft policy of the Japanese people.

"Green Mountain and Blue Blood" tries its best to restore the historical background at that time. There are many scenes of cruelty and violence by the Japanese in the play. Even the marriage of aboriginal girls must obey the Japanese decision. In order to restore the uprising of the Wushe incident, the real stray bullet blasting effect was photographed, and the gunpowder of the firecracker was buried in the small hole of the house. After lighting the fuse, the wall of the house really looked like it had been shot.

This film cost a huge sum of 600,000 yuan to shoot and was released in July 1957. The location of the film was not the Taiguan and Daguang Theater, which are customary for Taiwanese films, but the "Class A" Taipei and Central Theater. The dubbing of the Mandarin version was added, and it was released for ten consecutive days at the Puli Theater, which is the closest to Wushe. "Green Mountain and Blue Blood" was rated as "the only work that can carry forward the national spirit" in recent years.

Why did Taiwanese films disappear from history?

In recent years, the production of Taiwanese films in the province's film industry has been booming. The release time has attracted a large number of audiences due to the location and relationship, and rural audiences account for the majority. However, in general, Taiwanese films are mostly based on the province's folk stories, and the content is often absurd. Anyone who destroys folk sentiments will do more harm than good in terms of publicity and education. It is advisable to try to divert the filmmakers' filming objects so that they are not only profitable, but also of publicity and educational significance. - 1957 Social Report of the Provincial Party Headquarters of the Kuomintang

The rise of Taiwanese films has indeed aroused the concern of the Central Committee of the Kuomintang, but there are internal disagreements on how to respond. The Electricity Inspection Division of the Information Bureau and the Taiwan Provincial Police Office often ask for the film to be deleted and revised on whether it hinders the weather and affects the perception of society. The Ministry of Education's Film Aid Association, which is in charge of the script guidance for the "Measures for Importing Negative Film Mortgage", mostly uses guidance to avoid tough bureaucratic management, and believes that the rise of Taiwanese films is "blooming a bright flower".

The first downturn of Taiwanese films was that the Film Auxiliary Council of the Ministry of Education, which was in charge of the film script guidance of the "Measures for Mortgage Importation of Films", was abolished, and the film guidance unit was replaced by the Electricity Inspection Division of the Information Bureau, which increased the difficulty of reviewing Taiwanese films. Together with strength, the overall living environment of Taiwanese films has deteriorated, and it is difficult to return to the original without tax-free discounts. At that time, the two giants, Yufeng Pictures and Huaxing Pictures, both closed down one after another.

Then although in 1962, Taiwanese movies returned to the annual output of hundreds of films, reaching a new peak. However, when the Cultural Bureau of the Ministry of Education was established in 1967, after taking over the counseling business of the film industry, the unfair treatment policy compared with Mandarin films really broke down the development of Taiwanese films. At that time, it was the era of turning to color films. Color negatives were more expensive than black and white negatives, and the cost of filming more than tripled. Whether there was a preferential import tax rate, the difference in shooting costs was very large. Many Taiwanese directors and movie stars have no choice but to turn to Mandarin films.

Coupled with the original export of Taiwanese films, the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia are all experiencing local cultural revival movements, and the number of imported Taiwanese films and the number of screenings is decreasing. The government also no longer supports the expansion of the export of Taiwanese films, making the development of Taiwanese films even worse. Finally, after Kodak in the United States raised the price of black-and-white negatives and many black-and-white negatives stopped supplying, Taiwanese-language films disappeared into the cultural torrent of Taiwan.

Once upon a time, there was a Hollywood in Taiwan

Taiwanese films, Taiwanese films, and Taiwanese film studies are all about having this (perhaps a little Ah Q) confidence: no matter what the circumstances are, do your best and give up

The most admirable thing about Taiwanese films is that they are not only able to create efficiently with limited resources, but also have the courage to challenge different styles and span a variety of film types. Traditional Chinese stories, American espionage films, Western ghost films, Japanese blind swordsmen and sea girls, etc., are all presented on the big screen with Taiwanese-style creativity.

Dai Chuanli , the producer who dominated Taiwanese films in Taiwan's theaters, said after watching Hou Hsiao-hsien's "City of Sadness": "I think "City of Sadness" should be filmed by me, because Keelung Middle School Principal Zhong in the incident was my brother-in-law, and I know the story best. If the circumstances allowed it ten years earlier, I would definitely have made "City of Sadness", and it would have been their turn to shoot! And I don't think the results will be lost to them. Maybe better or maybe, at least about the same.”

The regret of Taiwanese filmmakers is that there are still too many stories to tell. These Taiwanese filmmakers who value art and hope to use "popular films" to enhance the artistic value of Taiwanese drama and inherit the local culture and spirit are orphans forgotten by the times. , The newspapers at that time, compared with the influence at that time, had little news about them.

In the 1960s, Beitou was known as the Hollywood of Taiwanese productions. Nearly three-fifths of Taiwanese films were recorded in Beitou. There were cheap hotels, station platforms, Datun Mountain, Tamsui River, and Loyalty Travel. Tiangong and other places suitable for shooting outdoor scenes. During the heyday, more than a dozen dramas were filmed in Beitou every day, and each actor might have to rush to the scene every day to run three or four dramas.

However, these memories have disappeared, not even the body.

Thousands of Taiwanese films have been lost without copies. In addition to the aforementioned, there are also classic works such as "Sighing Fireworks" by Yufeng Films, and "The Hen Flying With the Phoenix" by the so-called youngest genius director. Only two hundred or so are left.

But after reading this book, I want to say that Taiwan is a land of tenacious vitality. Taiwanese may be stupid and stupid in the eyes of many outsiders, but because of this "brute force" and because of the amiable and lovely ethnic characteristics of Taiwanese , I believe that the kindness behind the human touch will be rewarded, so that I can persist in what I love for so long.

Even if many stories have been forgotten, the love that we once devoted ourselves to will not be wiped out. These loves are interwoven into the driving force of every progress and exploration of the culture, and have been internalized into our blood and genes. These stories will not be forgotten by the times, but they have not yet been remembered. When people who pursue modernization and westernization stop and think about what they have, they will realize how dazzling these treasures we once had.

Just like my mood at the moment after reading this book.

To Taiwan once there was a Hollywood, and let us have a period of dreamlike renaissance.