In 1999, when Ann Hui was asked how she'd been spending her time, she replied that she'd been teaching. Was she on the faculty at the London Film School (her alma mater), or perhaps at some prestigious American university? No. Surprisingly,...
[more]In 1999, when Ann Hui was asked how she'd been spending her time, she replied that she'd been teaching. Was she on the faculty at the London Film School (her alma mater), or perhaps at some prestigious American university? No. Surprisingly, Hui was not working in film at all -- instead, she was paying the bills as an English instructor. "I'm flat broke," she concluded. For a prestigious Hong Kong director with 12 feature films under her belt, this seems like an aberration. Unfortunately, it's merely the state of things.
Ann Hui's range is remarkable. Just as Kubrick could produce a masterpiece in any genre, so too can Hui take on a romantic drama here, or a martial-arts epic there, emerging with ease on all fronts. She stands apart from other Hong Kong directors in that she isn't slick or accelerated, but sophisticated and compassionate. In a world of car chases, special effects, and sinking cruise ships, Hui has had to struggle to establish herself as a viable director -- despite the fact that her films have had commercial as well as artistic success.
So it's a bit ironic that she launched the career of Chow Yun-Fat, the acclaimed star of wildly popular action flicks. Hui cast him as the lead in "The Story of Woo Viet" (1981), a film about a veteran of the South Vietnamese army who decides to travel to the United States. As his literal journey turns into a psychological one, emotional turbulence comes rattling out of him. For his performance, Chow won a Golden Horse award (Taiwan's equivalent of the Oscar).
While Hui has remained largely unnoticed by local audiences, the international film community has welcomed and applauded her work. She has been nominated at Cannes twice and has won awards at the London and Berlin Film Festivals. Her "Eighteen Springs" had people scratching their heads, wondering aloud whether they should just proclaim it a masterpiece. The film is a bittersweet love story, shot with precise close-ups and traditional dramatic long shots.
These accolades haven't helped her in her native land. The Asian economic crisis coupled with people's tastes for blockbusters have many directors from Hong Kong running for the Hollywood Hills. Hui remains unusually stolid, explaining that her love of relating stories of the heart far outweighs any desire for commercial success.
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