Many quickie films of low quality, reckons director Lau
BEIJING: Hong Kong director Andrew Lau, who had helmed The Founding of an Army, reckons that China is making too many quickie movies of low quality.
Complained Lau: “Today’s Chinese film industry is developing too fast. I think many films still do not reach the standard of quality.”
With its star-studded cast, historical war drama The Founding of an Army is one of the stand-out movies this year. Given Beijing’s insistence on political correctness, it’s bound to score at the box office, and not necessarily on artistic merit.
The movie narrates the founding of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which celebrates its 90th anniversary on Aug 1.
Even now, movie fans are already griping that it could feel more like a history lecture rather than an entertaining blockbuster.
The movie has raised the curiosity of moviegoers, who wonder how this Hong Kong director better known for his gangster films had handled the tough task of making a patriotic war film.
Ahead of its nationwide release today, Lau and producer Huang Jianxin, had shared their thoughts on what makes a good film.
“The language of this film with director Andrew Lau is very modern… and fresh. The way it’s shot makes the film more interesting,” Huang said at a press conference, praising the Hong Kong director by saying Lau outperformed his and producer Han Sanping’s work on the previous films.
Admitting that he felt he was under a lot of pressure, Lau said that he had to deal with doubts about his ability to make the film as soon as the project was announced.
“So I made an effort to do it well. I studied, read a lot books and met a lot people. Huang and Han also gave me their help.”
The Founding of an Army has held a few test screenings ahead of its debut, and so far the reviews have been positive.
“I want to go for a second time and even a third time after seeing the advanced screening,” netizen Xianzai Shi Mafen from Nanchang in East China’s Jiangxi Province, posted on Sina Weibo. “The war scenes are very shocking and the actors performed extremely well.”
Today’s Chinese film industry is developing too fast. I think many films still do not reach the standard of quality. Andrew Lau, director