I was planning on writing an episode on Stephen Chow
Which I still plan on doing
But with a new film on horizon
I want to spend some time on one of Chow's masterpiece
The King of Comedy
Don't be fooled by the title, though
It's a depressing film
With a thin disguise of comedy
Even as a kid, I realized this movie is not funny
But little did I know, how sad this film really is
To talk about this film
We first need to talk about Stephen Chow
During the 90s
There were two major stars in Hong Kong cinema
Jackie Chan
And Stephen Chow
One does action
The other does comedy
Both started from the very bottom as extras
And eventually climbed the way up to the top
And as a sign of respect
They also made cameos in each other's movies
"With some dedication you can do it"
"Keep at it"
In the case of Chow
He spent eight years being extras in various TV stations
Before finally landed a starring role
And spent another decade to climb to the top
And became a director
Throughout the years
Chow exhibits some amazing physical acting talent
In his style similar to Jim Carrey
His over-the-top expressions
And unpredictable comedy won the hearts of people everywhere
Though his film didn't have much impact in the West
It is hard for a foreign comedy to travel that far
But he is still successful in the Asian market
(Hindi Dub)
And at the height of his fame
Stephen Chow directed his magnum opus
The King of Comedy
The King of Comedy is a 1999 Hong Kong comedy
Written and co-directed by Stephen Chow
It follows the story of a failed actor
Who despite his passion and talent
Never has the opportunity to grow bigger
Sometimes his ambitions gets in the way
"Cut!"
"What happened?"
"What's that man doing?"
"He's supposed to be dead"
"Why did you take so long to die?"
"Because the character I prepared is a bit cheeky"
"So my motivation is 'I don't want to die yet' "
Other times, the industry's cruel attitude towards extras
Forces seem to disrupt the film set
"Ready?"
"What are those doves doing there?"
"I put them there"
"There were doves in the last shot"
"A few moments later"
"Let's try... turning the dove..."
"Towards me"
"Try turning the dove's butt towards me"
"One eternity later"
"Wait, where's my lighter?"
"Where is my lighter?"
"So much later that old narrator got tired of waiting and they had to hire a new one"
Everyone looks down on him
"Every time! What is wrong with you!?"
Even the set coordinator denies him of his lunch, repeatedly
"It's all because you motherfucker"
"Can't even play dead"
"You delayed everyone's lunch"
"I haven't eaten yet!"
"You want this?"
"Go join him"
Towards the end, however
His passion finally affects a fellow star
"I want you to be the male lead in my next movie"
"Is lunch included?"
Yet, at the last minute
He is replaced
Because he doesn't have enough star power
"He called us back"
"Saying his schedule is cleared"
"He'll be the lead, instead"
For the purpose of this video
We'll ignore the third act of the film
it's an obvious tack-on addition
Likely forced by the studio
So the film can be released as a feel-good comedy around Chinese holidays
"Chow"
This film might as well be a tragedy
"Sorry"
The film title "King of Comedy" is a marketing ploy to draw people in
People saw Stephen Chow and expected comedy
But in the film
The main character never achieves his goal of being a famous film actor
He's not even a comedic actor
The King of Comedy is not the character
It's Stephen Chow
"It's so dark out there"
"I can't see anything"
"Not always"
"It'll look great when dawn comes"
And this film is about Chow
Literally
The film draws many inspirations from Chow's early career
Pissing off a major star
Being hated because he's just an extra
"Never let me see him again!"
"Or else you'll be fired, too"
All these stories are based on real events
I keep saying this film feels really sad to me
Because this film is partly real
The scene I want to talk about is this one
"Extras are people, too, you know?"
"Why don't you say it louder?"
"Extras are people, too!"
"Why are you always against me"
"You wanna know why?"
"I want to know why!"
"Because you are not worthy!"
"You thought you are a big shot, opening an acting class"
"You have the gall to talk about theories?"
"Teahces kids how to act like a triad member?"
"You are a disgrace to the craft of acting"
"Hey! Stop yelling, get back to work"
"Fuck"
"Don't you talk about 'acting' in front of me"
The bald man here is the set coordinator
Played by Ng Man-tat
He's a veteran actor
Started his career way back in 70s
But instead of a "has-been", someone who passed the prime
During the release of this film
He was at the height of his popularity
That is because throughout his career
He frequently got cast as a supporting actor
Notably a recurring support in Chow's film
With Chow being the most popular comedian in Hong Kong
Ng Man-tat also broke through and became famous
Audience loved him, they call him "Uncle Tat"
That is not to say Tat lacks any talent
In fact, he's a very versatile actor
He can be angry and abusive
Like in this film
Or cowardly and kind
Like in "All for the Winner"
His performance in Portland Street Blues
Is often credited as one of his best
"Big sis is in trouble"
"She has been kidnapped"
But audience respect Chow much more than Uncle Tat
Most people, by 1999
Are calling Chow The Godfather of comedy
That's a feel rank higher than "Uncle"
Knowing this, watching him yell Chow
Adds a deeper layer of meaning
Because not only is Chow younger and more successful
He also can't really act
Not for dramas
Don't get me wrong, Chow is a great comedic actor
With great physical acting talent
But unlike Jim Carrie, who has shown to have range
With roles in The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine
Chow never displayed this type of talent
He is incapable of more nuanced acting
I suspect Chow himself understands this
Hence why this line exists
"Fuck"
Don't you talk about "acting" in front of me
Throughout all the interviews
Uncle Tat displays remarkable maturity and composure
But everyone is human
I wonder: when Tat was working with Chow
Did he ever wonder...
"Is this it?"
"Is this how I peaked?"
But the story goes a bit deeper than this
The role of the coordinator
The one played by Uncle Tat
Was originally intended for Alex Man
another well respected Hong Kong veteran actor
Unlike Uncle Tat, who is popular
Aand lives in the shadow of Chow
Man was never popular
He is skilled, don't get me wrong
He is a star
But he was never a super star
Supposedly the filming of the King of Comedy was delayed last minute
But no one bothered to inform Alex Man
After a few hours of waiting
Alex Man got angry and left production entirely
Sometimes, life imitates art
Had he played a role
It will be a veteran actor being angry towards someone who seemed to have less talent
But in reality
Man is not even important enough to be notified of the delay of the film shoot
For those of you who don't know
I myself am a filmmaker
I graduated from film school
And have been dabbling at the fringe of the film industry since
Doing motion graphics
And assistant editing for documentaries
making my own short films and sending them to film festivals
it's an industry that corrodes your ego
Files down your arrogance and confidence
Every day, I sit in front of my computer with my script open
Thinking... is this it?
And there are tens of thousands of us out there
Sitting in the corner of a film set
Dealing with coffees and garbage dumping
Being extras that will appear in the film for five frames in total
On the surface we are creating dreams and fantasies for people to see
But underneath, the industry is powered...
By people with broken dreams
Almost everyone on set is thinking...
"Is this it?"