Cell hell rings bell, sells well
Now China's film market is starting to open up, the range of movies that have enraptured mainland audiences over the Christmas and New Year holidays is almost identical to those being screened in Hong Kong. Infernal Affairs III - which premiered in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on December 8 - was a monster hit on the mainland over Christmas, grossing xxx yuan to become the third-highest grossing movie of last year. Joe Ma Wai-ho's romantic comedy Sound Of Colours and Raymond Yip Wai-man's action comedy Anna In Kung-Fu Land have also pulled in large audiences at mainland cinemas over the holidays, as should the current crop of Lunar New Year releases - Fantasia, Magic Kitchen and Silver - which were released there on almost the same dates as in Hong Kong.
But while there's no doubt Hong Kong films are making a major assault on the mainland box office, one of the biggest films across the border over Christmas and New Year was a home-grown production - Feng Xiaogang's Cell Phone - which won't be seen in Hong Kong until later this year.
Feng is known as the godfather of the He Sui Pian (New Year movie) and has been responsible for a series of comedy hits such as Be There Or Be Square, Sorry Baby and Big Shot's Funeral. Hong Kong audiences have had a mixed reaction to his films - the language and humour are very specific to Beijing - but on the mainland he's revered as box office gold.
Cell Phone was released just before Christmas and, according to Beijing-based production company Huayi Brothers - which co-produced the film with Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia - it has raked in more than 50m yuan (HK$47m) making it the highest-grossing film of last year. Based on the novel by Liu Zhenyun, Cell Phone is about the impact of new technology on relationships. Or, to put it more bluntly, how text messages and the call register feature on a mobile phone can land you in hot water with your partner.
It tells the story of a middle-aged TV talk show host, played by Feng regular Ge You, who one morning makes the mistake of leaving his cell phone at home. His wife answers the phone when his girlfriend calls, and next thing he knows he's signing divorce papers. He starts life afresh with the girlfriend, but his cell phone continues to get him into trouble. Although the film is a comedy, it's also uncomfortably close to the bone, touching on issues such as mid-life crises and loyalty and betrayal in marriage. 'What really makes a movie work is that it should reflect real life,' said Feng at the film's Beijing premiere. 'The cell phone has changed the way of life for Chinese people. I noticed this change, and so here comes the film.'
Like all good comedy directors, Feng has a canny knack for tapping into the zeitgeist. While technology has transformed the way people communicate all over the world, it's had a particularly strong impact in China, where cell phones and all their applications have been embraced seemingly overnight by more than 200 million people.
A scene at the beginning of Feng's film brings home just how much communications have changed in China over the past few decades. It shows the hero of the film as a young boy in the 1960s cycling to a nearby town to use a 1920s-style crank telephone to call a local mine, on behalf of a young bride in his village. As a group of miners emerges from the depths of a mine shaft, a loudspeaker blares out: 'Niu Sanjin, Niu Sanjin. Your wife wants to know if you'll be home any time soon?'
Not surprisingly, the film has triggered a huge emotional response on the mainland and, according to local papers, couples have been having dramatic arguments as they leave the cinema. In one well-publicised case in Tianjin, a woman was taken to hospital after her husband hit over the head with his phone. She'd been trying to grab it off him to check his text messages.
Two other homegrown films have also been pulling in mainland audiences during the holidays. Both are directed by women and have been well received by critics. Jade Goddess Of Mercy, directed by Hong Kong's Ann Hui and starring Vicky Zhao Wei and Nicholas Tse Ting-fung, is an action drama about a policewoman and her love affairs with three men. My Father And I, the directorial debut of Beijing-based actress Xu Jinglei, is the story of a young woman's relationship with her wastrel father, whom she finally gets to know when her mother dies.
